18 Engaging Spanish Audiobooks to Help You Practice Your Listening Skills
Spanish audiobooks are excellent choices for studying Spanish.
Not only can you practice your listening skills, but you can also listen to a book that catches your interest.
In this post, you’ll find 18 Spanish audiobooks that can give your language skills a big boost. Listen up and let’s learn!
Contents
- Spanish Audiobooks for Beginners
- Spanish Audiobooks for Intermediate Learners
- Spanish Audiobooks for Advanced Learners
- Where to Find More Spanish Audiobooks
- Why Listen to Spanish Audiobooks?
- Tips for Getting the Most Out of Spanish Audiobooks
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Spanish Audiobooks for Beginners
1. “Simplemente Darío”
“Simplamente Darío” (“Simply Dario”) is composed of poems by Rubén Darío, a popular Nicaraguan poet who wrote in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Beginning students will benefit from listening to these poems because they’re brief, easy to listen to and use common vocabulary.
2. “La Edad de Oro”
“La edad de oro,” (“The Golden Age”) is a collection of short children’s stories by José Martí, a Cuban national hero.
Since these stories are written for children, the vocabulary isn’t too advanced.
Plus, the lengths vary from one minute to just over an hour, so there’s a story to fit into any schedule.
3. “Los Tres Cerditos, Caperucita Roja, Aladino y la Lámpara Maravillosa y Muchos Cuentos Más”
This collection of well-known children’s stories includes “The Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp and Many More Stories.”
These stories are a great way for beginning students to start practicing their listening skills.
Since the stories are for children, the vocabulary isn’t too advanced.
Beginning students will be able to follow the stories and deduce the meanings of unfamiliar words via context clues.
Spanish Audiobooks for Intermediate Learners
4.“El Cuervo”
“El Cuervo,” (“The Raven”) is the Spanish version of Edgar Allen Poe’s famous poem.
While the vocabulary is more advanced, intermediate students will be able to follow it since the original English-language poem is so well known.
Additionally, the rhythm makes this poem easy and enjoyable to listen to.
5. “El Principito”
“El Principito,” (“The Little Prince”) is the Spanish version of the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry classic about a young boy who has fallen to Earth from an asteroid.
While it’s sometimes classified as a children’s book, its depth makes it more appropriate for adults.
“El principito” is a good option for intermediate Spanish students because it’s novella length—not as long as a full novel, but longer than most children’s stories. Additionally, it uses fairly common words.
6. “El Maravilloso Mago de Oz”
“El Maravilloso Mago de Oz,” is the Spanish version of the L. Frank Baum classic “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”
If you aren’t familiar with the tale, it’s about a girl who travels via tornado to a magical land.
This is a good choice for intermediate Spanish learners because it’s a full novel with some less common vocabulary, but the familiarity of the tale will make it easy to follow.
You’ll also get a ready supply of some fairly magical words, which everyone needs.
7.“Sherlock Holmes: Escándalo en Bohemia”
This Spanish version of an Arthur Conan Doyle classic follows Sherlock Holmes as he investigates a blackmail case.
This Sherlock Holmes tale is good for intermediate learners. It’s a short story, so it isn’t too intimidating.
Additionally, while the story traditionally has some old-timey words, this version is adapted for children, so it won’t be too challenging for intermediate Spanish students.
8. “La Lección de August: Wonder”
“La Lección de August: Wonder” (“Wonder”) is a popular 2012 children’s book by R. J. Palacio.
It follows a boy with a facial deformity who had previously been home-schooled as he enters a mainstream school.
Since it’s written for children, it won’t be too difficult for intermediate Spanish students. Plus, it uses standard vocabulary, which will help reinforce words that you’ll hear often.
9. “1984”
The classic novel by George Orwell has recently had a resurgence in popularity.
The dystopian novel follows Winston Smith, a lowly government worker, as he independently rebels against a tyrannical government.
The novel uses some words that are exclusively for the story, but other than that, it leans on fairly common vocabulary, so it shouldn’t overwhelm Spanish students.
10. “Platero y Yo”
“Platero y Yo” (“Platero and I”) was written by acclaimed, Nobel Prize winner Spanish poet Juan Ramón Jiménez.
This prose poem follows a loveable donkey (Platero) in whom the speaker confides.
The language is poetic, so it might be a bit trickier to understand. However, the work is relatively brief and is broken down into shorter chunks, so it should still be approachable for intermediate Spanish students.
11. “Cuentos de Amor, de Locura y de Muerte”
“Cuentos de Amor, de Locura y de Muerte” (“Tales of Love, Madness and Death”) is a collection of short stories by Uruguayan playwright Quiroga, whose work influenced the Latin American magic realism movement.
The short stories contained in this volume cover all sorts of dark topics like drug addiction, greed, insanity, death and more.
The fact that they are short stories makes this book very approachable for Spanish learners as the content isn’t too overwhelming.
Spanish Audiobooks for Advanced Learners
12. “Don Quijote”
This classic novel by Miguel de Cervantes follows an often bumbling knight as he strives to be a hero.
“Don Quijote” is an ideal choice for advanced Spanish students as it’s a true class that will enhance your cultural knowledge.
Since it’s from the 1600s, some of the terminology isn’t particularly common anymore, so you’ll need context clues (or a dictionary) to figure out what they mean.
13. “Lazarillo de Tormes”
“Lazarillo de Tormes” is an anonymous story from the 1500s that tells the life story of the title character as he interacts with members of various groups in society.
This book is notable for its introduction to the picaresque novel and portrayal of society in the 1500s.
It was banned during the Spanish Inquisition, so it clearly draws attention to some topics that were taboo at the time it was written.
However, due to its historical nature, much of the vocabulary is more challenging than other books so it’s most appropriate for advanced speakers.
14. “Moby Dick
You’re probably familiar with the Herman Melville classic about a sailor’s obsession with revenge against a whale.
Due to its relatively complex sentence structures, the work is certainly advanced.
However, advanced Spanish students will be able to handle it, particularly if they’re already somewhat familiar with the work.
This is a good way for Spanish students to test their skills to see if they hold up to a more challenging work.
15. “Como Agua para Chocolate”
Laura Esquivel’s “Como Agua para Chocolate” (“Like Water for Chocolate”) follows a girl who wishes to marry but instead must care for her mother. It also weaves in magical elements and recipes.
While “Como agua para chocolate” uses relatively general, common words, it contains complex sentences, so it’s a great way for advanced students to perfect their grammar skills.
16.“Los Siete Hábitos de la Gente Altamente Efectiva”
“Los Siete Hábitos de la Gente Altamente Efectiva” by Stephen R. Covey is extremely popular in the self-help genre.
If you’re on a huge self-improvement kick, why not multitask by perfecting your Spanish while listening to this classic self-help book that aims to help you achieve your goals?
The language isn’t too advanced, but the concepts require some thinking, so this is a good option to improve your ability to listen and think in Spanish.
17. “Orgullo y Prejuicio”
English Title: “Pride and Prejudice”
“Orgullo y Prejuicio” (“Pride and Prejudice”) is the Jane Austen classic that follows Elizabeth Bennet, a spirited young woman, who has hastily judged a potential suitor.
Over time, their relationship grows in spite of the initial tension. “Orgullo y prejuicio” is a good choice for Spanish students since the plot will already be familiar to many.
This makes it easier to follow the story even if you miss a few words.
18. “Los Borgia: Crimen y Pasión”
“Los Borgia: Crimen y Pasión” (“The Borgias: Crime and Passion”) tells the story of the Italian Renaissance noble family with Spanish roots.
They were suspected of many crimes, engaged in power struggles, made enemies with the famed Medici family and so much more.
“Los Borgia: Crimen y Pasión” is a good choice for intermediate to advanced Spanish students.
It uses some historical vocabulary that you probably haven’t encountered, but it’s also a nice way to improve your Spanish while learning about history.
Where to Find More Spanish Audiobooks
While we’ve given you some place to start, you can also search for Spanish audiobooks that you would like on your own. Here are some great audiobook resources that will help you find more practice material:
Audible
Audible, one of the most popular sources for audiobooks, offers a nice selection in Spanish. This includes works that are currently popular as well as older texts.
Audible allows you to purchase individual audiobooks or access their collection with a monthly subscription. However, if you’re not sure this is something you want long term, they also offer a free trial.
You can also download the Audible app through iTunes or Google Play.
Audiobooks
Audiobooks offers over 100,000 audiobooks, including hundreds of Spanish-language options. Subscriptions cost $14.95 per month, but they do offer a 30-day free trial. The $14.95 gets you one book a month, but you can purchase additional titles if one isn’t enough.
The Audiobooks app is available for download on iTunes or Google Play.
Loyal Books
Loyal Books offers free public domain audiobooks in tons of different languages, including 80 free Spanish-language options. The site is very easy to navigate, but you can also download these books and play them from whatever device you like.
LibriVox
LibriVox offers free public domain audiobooks read by volunteers and made available for download on their website. With over 300 Spanish-language options, you’ll have plenty to choose from. You can listen online or download to your favorite device.
LibriVox also offers an app through iTunes and Google Play.
Libro Móvil
Libro Móvil (Mobile Book) is a website dedicated entirely to Spanish-language books and audiobooks. Each book or audiobook requires a one-time purchase.
Since the website is entirely in Spanish, this is a better option for intermediate and advanced students—the purchasing process could be challenging for beginning students. Check out the Libro Móvil app on iTunes or Google Play.
Why Listen to Spanish Audiobooks?
- They will improve your pronunciation. Audio is clearer than many other sources, making audiobooks a great option for Spanish listening practice.
- Audiobooks will help you improve your listening comprehension. Practicing listening often and with a wide variety of resources will improve your listening skills overall. Since the speech in audiobooks is often slower than a conversational pace, listening to audiobooks is a great build-up.
- They are convenient and easily accessible. You can really listen to an audiobook anywhere and anytime.
- Audiobooks are enjoyable. You can listen to novels, poems, self-help books or virtually any other type of book you can think of, so you can easily find something you’ll enjoy.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of Spanish Audiobooks
- Try jotting down notes. Jot down notes on unfamiliar words, plot points or even interesting quotations. This will help you get some writing practice, but you can also use your notes as study material. Look up unfamiliar words or memorize interesting quotes to help expand your vocabulary.
- When you can, try using video as well. Watching native speakers use Spanish in authentic videos will help you pick up on the subtleties of native pronunciation and get a better sense of what contexts certain words and phrases appear in. FluentU is a great option for this as it provides a whole wealth of authentic videos along with learning tools such as interactive subtitles, flashcards and quizzes!
- Think about the work in Spanish. Summarizing and analyzing what happened in the audiobook in Spanish will help you improve your skills by using Spanish for complex thinking.
- Consider starting a book club with Spanish-speaking friends. Not only will this help push you to continue learning, this will also give you the opportunity to discuss your favorite audiobooks in Spanish. Put up flyers at the local library or coffee shop, or use social media to get the word out.
- When you stop enjoying yourself, stop listening. If you’re no longer enjoying yourself, you’ll no longer associate listening with fun and you’ll quit using this tool. That’s why it’s important to seek texts that keep your interest–spice up the type of books you choose and be sure to take breaks!
With so many great options, enjoy an audiobook today—your Spanish skills will thank you for it.
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
