37 Spanish Podcasts Every Spanish Learner Must Check Out in 2023
So many Spanish podcasts, so little time!
But which ones will help you on your way to Spanish fluency?
With so many excellent podcasts, making the right choice can feel a bit overwhelming.
So, I’ve made a list of 37 superb Spanish podcasts and provided some in-depth descriptions so you can choose the one that suits your needs and taste.
Contents
- Spanish Podcasts for Learners
-
- 1. Audiria
- 2. Coffee Break Spanish
- 3. SpanishPod101
- 4. Spanish Obsessed
- 5. StudySpanish.com
- 6. PodcastsInSpanish.org
- 7. Notes in Spanish
- 8. Spanishland School
- 9. Españolistos
- 10. The Unlimited Spanish Podcast
- 11. LightSpeed Spanish
- 12. Hoy Hablamos
- 13. Charlas Hispanas
- 14. Doorway to Mexico
- 15. Tres Cuentos
- 16. No Hay Tos
- 17. Español con Juan (1001 Reasons to Learn Spanish)
- 18. El oso latino habla español
- 19. 15 Minute Spanish for Your Job
- Native Spanish Podcasts
-
- 20. Radio Ambulante
- 21. En Defensa Propia
- 22. La Parroquia
- 23. El Gran Apagón
- 24. RFI Podcast Español Informativos
- 25. El Invitado de RFI
- 26. Cosas de Internet
- 27. Nómadas
- 28. El Verdadero Robo del Siglo
- 29. La Biblioteca de Alejandría
- 30. Obsesión por el Cielo
- 31. Universo Parallelo
- 32. Cienciaes
- 33. El Explicador
- 34. Carne Cruda
- 35. Alt.Latino
- 36. Café del Sur
- 37. Democracy Now! En Español
- How to Learn Spanish by Listening to Podcasts
- Why Listen to Spanish Podcasts?
- Can I Learn Spanish Through Podcasts?
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 Podcasts for Learners
Listening to podcasts is taking the fast lane to fluency.
Try the following ones and see your listening comprehension skills turbocharge.
1. Audiria
This lively and engaging podcast series for Spanish learners of every level was created by two Malaga-based brothers as a non-profit enterprise.
Their aim is to promote the Spanish language and culture, so all the podcast episodes are free.
Audiria is a rich source of Spanish listening material (and when I say rich, I really mean it). While the podcast isn’t regularly updated, there are more than 800 episodes in total!
Each one is tagged based on the language complexity, so you’ll know which episodes are suitable for your current level.
The podcast is entirely in Spanish and covers a large variety of real-life situations that go from film reviews and cooking audio lessons to vocabulary sessions and trips to Spanish culture.
Episodes are supplemented with exercises, grammar resources and language tips, among other goodies.
Pro-tip: Don’t miss the “grammar,” “culture” and “short scenes” sections.
2. Coffee Break Spanish
iTunes | Google Play | Spotify | website
One of the biggest leaders of the Spanish podcast field is Coffee Break Spanish.
This award-winning language course has a large legion of followers and is aimed at learners of all levels.
It features more than 200 fun episodes of 15-20 minutes each, and it’s divided into four main seasons that represent four language levels:
- S1 – beginners
- S2 – intermediate
- S3 – upper-intermediate
- S4 – advanced
In addition to this, there are travel diaries, an audio magazine (focused on the history and culture of Spanish-speaking countries), an Espresso section (with episodes that focus on grammar with a cultural touch) and a section called En Marcha (On the move), that covers a trip to Malaga and interviews with the locals.
Your host for these conversational classes is Mark, an experienced language teacher with an exquisite Spanish accent.
He’ll have several native and non-native co-hosts (all of whom speak Spanish fluently) throughout the different episodes, and the best of all is that the conversations build upon each other!
The topics you’ll listen to are as varied as they can be. One day you can learn about finding your way around town or ordering a coffee, and the next about Federico García Lorca or a sunken treasure.
Pro-tip: If you want to make Spanish a daily habit, they have a book with 50 activity ideas for that.
3. SpanishPod101
iTunes | App Store | Google Play | website
One of the really neat things about SpanishPod101 is that you can learn the language from native speakers from different parts of the Spanish-speaking world, including Peru, Costa Rica and Mexico. That’ll help you learn how Spanish is spoken in different regions.
The episodes are upbeat and enjoyable, with dialogues that are repeated several times. These are supplemented with transcripts, vocabulary lists, grammar notes and cultural insights.
SpanishPod101 covers five levels, going from beginner all the way to advanced. Sign up for free!
Pro-tip: Their YouTube channel has 24/7 livestreams for speaking and listening practice and everyday Spanish.
4. Spanish Obsessed
Spanish Obsessed offers excellent language-learning programs by a real-life couple of Spanish speakers.
Rob is from London and Liz hails from Colombia, and they’ve put a lot of thought and charm into their work, so you can feel that they both sound like they’re really enjoying the lessons.
The podcasts are divided into three levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced. They include conversational Spanish, the type you’ll hear on the street and in the shops and bars, not in the classroom.
Pro-tip: If you access the podcast through their website, you’ll also have access to a blog and some grammar and vocabulary guides.
5. StudySpanish.com
The first thing that catches your attention when you listen to the StudySpanish.com podcast is the lively music.
After the intro, a whole journey into the Spanish language for beginners, intermediate and advanced speakers starts.
The lessons are quite formal in structure and revolve around a specific Spanish grammar topic, with plenty of helpful explanations.
There’s also a treasure chest of supporting material on the website, including pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary lessons, mini-quizzes and verb drills.
Pro-tip: If you’re really looking for a free podcast series, you’ll have to look somewhere else, since only two episodes are offered for free.
6. PodcastsInSpanish.org
When you listen to these podcasts, it feels like you’re eavesdropping on a genuine conversation between friends.
The dialogues are presented at normal, native speed. It’s not a coincidence their slogan is “natural conversations, real Spanish.”
The trick here is obviously to try and understand as much about what’s being said as possible. But don’t worry if any or most of it sounds alien to you.
Each podcast is accompanied by a transcript, a worksheet with answers and vocabulary tasks (available only for paying members, though).
Once you’ve worked through those, go back and listen to the podcast again. It should all be clear now.
The conversations cover a broad range of subjects, from how social networking has changed relationships to neighborhood services and even a trip to the zoo.
Pro-tip: You can check the “Freebies” section to get three free sample worksheets.
7. Notes in Spanish
iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher | website
Notes in Spanish is made by a husband and wife team based in Madrid.
Ben is from England and Marina is a madrileña (a woman from Madrid). Together they offer a trip to full Spanish immersion thanks to their use of real conversational phrases to talk about real-life happenings.
The podcasts are divided into five categories:
- Inspired Beginners
- Intermediate
- Advanced
- Gold (which includes an English analysis after each episode)
- “3 Words For Ascuas” (with episodes focused on words and phrases).
What’s more, each category is accompanied by worksheets (for a price). Additionally, each episode starts with a recap of the previous one.
This dynamic language duo must be doing something right, as they’ve built up a large following. There have been more than 40 million downloads worldwide of their Spanish audio!
Pro-tip: Subscribe to their newsletter to get your free “Kickstart Your Spanish” report.
8. Spanishland School
Spanishland School’s podcast was created by Andrea Alger as a way to bring Latin American Spanish closer to learners.
Mainly conducted in Spanish, this podcast has more than 400 episodes, and it gets updated at least once a week.
Designed for intermediate and advanced learners of Spanish, each episode of Spanishland School’s podcast revolves around a grammar or vocabulary topic that’s explained with tons of examples.
One of the promises the podcasts makes is that you’ll learn how to think and speak like a native speaker.
The content of the episodes is indeed valuable, but students will notice she speaks excessively slow for the topics and levels at hand.
Pro-tip: Check the blog on the website for more tips and tricks on learning Spanish.
9. Españolistos
Andrea (the founder of Spanishland School mentioned above) has another podcast that she created with her husband Nate, an American fluent in Spanish. This podcast is geared towards intermediate and advanced learners who want to practice Latin American Spanish through fun and interesting topics.
Although Nate speaks Spanish fluently, he makes mistakes from time to time, which Andrea corrects.
With 300+ episodes of around 30 minutes each, Españolistos is Spanish-only podcast that combines social and cultural commentary, travel and grammar in engaging conversations that’ll leave you wanting more.
They sometimes invite other Spanish-speaking guests (normally native) and interview them.
Pro-tip: You can get the transcripts of the episodes by making a $10 donation.
10. The Unlimited Spanish Podcast
If you’re a fan of the Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS) method, you’re going to love Òscar and his way of teaching Spanish.
With more than 300 episodes, this podcast can be used by intermediate students who want to practice with a crystal-clear Spanish-from-Spain accent at a rather slow speed.
The topics of the episodes go from short stories related to Òscar’s life to cultural and linguistic explanations.
There are also many episodes devoted to Spanish expressions, vocabulary (like money or compliments) and some grammar rules, all delivered in a way that’ll make you feel like you’re being told a fairy tale.
Pro-tip: Sign up to get Òscar’s “5 Pillars for Learning Spanish” mini-course and free samples of his courses.
11. LightSpeed Spanish
Don’t let the simple look of this podcast’s website fool you. LightSpeed Spanish is a great way to learn European Spanish from scratch.
Hosted by Gordon Smith and Cynthia Durán, the episodes of this podcast are divided into four levels (Absolute Beginners, Early Intermediate, Advanced Intermediate and Advanced).
In each episode, Gordon and Cynthia have a conversation during which they discuss a specific topic.
The beginner series includes plenty of English explanations and Spanish translations, while later, more advanced series keep English to a minimum.
Starting with greetings in Spanish and the Spanish alphabet, the hosts will teach you about many diverse grammar, vocabulary and cultural topics, such as Spanish-language gender, question words, reflexive verbs, connecting words, Spanish commands, family values and the meaning of success.
Pro-tip: Practically every topic is available (for free) in video and downloadable audio format and includes written grammar explanations.
12. Hoy Hablamos
With more than 1,500 episodes, Hoy Hablamos must have the most hard-working team of podcasters I’ve ever listened to (mind you, I’m a Spanish teacher and a Spaniard, so I’ve heard a fair amount of Spanish audio).
Don’t think the quality is compromised by quantity in this podcast. The host has an exquisite native pronunciation (European Spanish), and the quality of the audio is superb.
Each episode lasts between eight and 15 minutes on average. From culture and traditions to people and vocabulary, if there’s a topic to talk about, Hoy Hablamos has probably already covered it.
In addition to the daily podcast, they have a grammar podcast (Hoy Hablamos de Gramática) and a Premium podcast, available for premium subscribers only.
Pro-tip: If you want to have access to more than 1,400 PDF files with transcriptions, exercises and grammar explanations, become a premium subscriber.
13. Charlas Hispanas
A project created by the Hoy Hablamos team, Charlas Hispanas (Hispanic Talks) is the Latin American version of the previous podcast.
The series has the high-quality audio and teaching-through-storytelling method, but this time, the hosts come from Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Argentina.
Charlas Hispanas is a much younger podcast, with “only” 800+ episodes so far.
They also offer a premium subscription with transcriptions, exercises and grammar explanations.
Pro-tip: Charlas Hispanas also has grammar-related episodes scattered among the others (they’re tagged as “Grammar”).
14. Doorway to Mexico
Aimed at intermediate and advanced students, this podcast series divided into two seasons will get you from book-Mexican to street-Mexican 20 minutes at a time.
In each episode, you’ll listen to a dialogue and then Paulina, the teacher, will have a bilingual conversation with her students.
During the conversation, she’ll explain key vocabulary concepts, expressions and slang, among other helpful things.
You’ll also learn about Mexican culture and traditions, and how day-to-day activities and life take place.
Her students will ask her questions, often in English, to which she’ll mainly answer in Spanish.
By the end of the episode, both you and the respective student will have understood the dialogue and will be ready to use what you’ve learned.
Pro-tip: You can get tons of bonus material, such as study guides, transcripts and additional audio, for a one-time payment.
15. Tres Cuentos
Tres Cuentos (Three Stories/Tales) is a literary podcast “dedicated to Latin America’s narratives.”
Perfect for any kind of Spanish learner (the podcast is completely bilingual), each episode of Tres Cuentos revolves around a piece of Latin American literature. Many episodes include poems and fragments of the text that’s being talked about, followed by a commentary.
Carolina, the narrator and host of the podcast, invites other narrators to read the stories, with a biography of the author often included. Guests related to the world of literature help her make the commentary and analysis after the reading part.
Each episode is published in both Spanish and English separately, so learners can either go for the Spanish version right away or listen to the English episode first and then work with the Spanish one.
Pro-tip: Transcripts in Spanish and English are available for free. Just click on an episode and you’ll be able to listen and read at the same time.
16. No Hay Tos
No hay tos (lit. “there’s no cough”) is a common Mexican expression that means “Don’t worry about it” or “No problem.”
Roberto and Héctor, the hosts, have been friends since they were teens.
In their podcast, they tell stories about their past and present, where they are, what they do and what’s going on in Mexico.
Both Spanish and English teachers, they created this podcast to help learners of Spanish learn and improve their Mexican accent, slang words included!
It’s amazing (and I’m saying this as a fellow language teacher) how seamlessly they go from story to casual-and-on-point grammar explanation to story back again.
If you’re an intermediate or advanced Spanish student, you’ll enjoy this one.
Pro-tip: You can become a patron to get podcast transcripts, among many other goodies.
17. Español con Juan (1001 Reasons to Learn Spanish)
Español con Juan (Spanish with Juan) is “a podcast in Spanish to learn Spanish.”
Juan is a super fun man who engages in his storytelling so deeply that he even imitates the voices of other people!
If you’re an intermediate or advanced learner of Spanish who wants to perfect their Castilian accent with awesome stories, funny personal anecdotes, cultural and historical explanations and comments on everyday topics, you need to start listening to Español con Juan.
A language teacher, Juan has an obvious passion for teaching and telling stories. His explanations are hilarious, and his masterful way of using grammar and vocabulary to deliver a story in its best way possible is incredible.
I like this podcast so much that even I, a native Spanish speaker, listen to him regularly.
I love learning about the history of my own country, getting to know his opinions on topics such as religion or Mafalda and listening to his explanations of Spanish idioms and set phrases.
Pro-tip: You’ll find the free transcripts of all the episodes on his website. Just click on an episode and then on “Haz click aquí para leer la TRANSCRIPCIÓN” (Click here to read the transcription).
18. El oso latino habla español
If there’s a complaint you’ll often read about El oso latino habla español (The Latino bear speaks Spanish) it’s “there aren’t enough episodes of this amazing podcast.”
And I agree.
This entertaining podcast is a great way for intermediate and advanced students to improve their Spanish language skills with interviews, music, grammar explanations, jokes, skits and cultural tidbits.
The hosts bring guests from different Spanish-speaking countries to talk about their jobs (which are often related to teaching Spanish), YouTube channels, podcasts, the music of their country and more.
The interviews include songs from the guest’s country and, very often, they talk about words that are different across accents (like birra, chela and cerveza — beer).
Some episodes include vocabulary sections on topics such as health, shopping, travel and Christmas, just to name a few.
Pro-tip: Make sure you read every episode’s description, which includes links to everything and everyone included in the podcast, from the guest’s website to the songs that have been played. Some episodes even include a study guide.
19. 15 Minute Spanish for Your Job
If you’re a beginner learner of Spanish, this podcast is perfect for you.
Each episode introduces a work-related topic through example conversations.
The presenter goes over each sentence and gives the necessary explanations so that learners understand not only what’s being said, but also the grammar behind it.
The goal is for learners to imagine themselves in the situations in the conversations so that when they’re confronted with something similar in real life, they’re ready for it.
You’ll hear conversations between a nurse and a patient, a teacher and a student, a customer service representative and a client, a construction worker and a project manager, among others.
There are also episodes on rock music, the Day of the Dead, coffee, Steve Jobs and much more.
Pro-tip: Check each episode on the website, where you’ll find free transcripts, YouTube videos, vocabulary lists and a whole lot more freebies.
Native Spanish Podcasts
If you’re an upper-intermediate or advanced learner, here are some high-quality native Spanish podcasts you can tune in to:
20. Radio Ambulante
Radio Ambulante is a superb podcast with the mission of narrating Latin American stories that need to be heard.
With an emphasis on quality, Radio Ambulante gives a voice to people from all around Latin America, guests that tell the story of their life, art, struggles and dreams.
Even though this is a podcast created for native Spanish speakers, any upper-intermediate and advanced learner can benefit from all the different stories and accents included in the episodes.
Divided into 12 seasons, the podcast offers over 200 episodes on topics as varied as getting celebrities’ autographs, looking for a multimillion inheritance, coming up with a solution for the energy crisis or finding inner peace in the least expected place, just to name a few.
Pro-tip: If you want a more learner-friendly experience, try their amazing app Lupa!
21. En Defensa Propia
En Defensa Propia (In Self-defense) is a podcast in which women are the ones to be heard.
Erika de la Vega, from Venezuela, presents a podcast in which she talks with her female guests about any kind of topic that has anything to do with being a woman. These include learning how to not be overprotective, changing to become a better woman, learning from your own mistakes and practicing self-forgiveness.
I’d describe this podcast as a psychological and cultural window to the heart and soul of women, especially Latin American women, who want to grow, evolve and reinvent themselves.
If you’re an advanced learner of Spanish who wants to listen to women talking to and empowering other women in the Venezuelan accent, you’re going to enjoy this one.
Pro-tip: You can watch the videos of the podcast episodes on Erika’s YouTube channel.
22. La Parroquia
This comedy talk radio program from Spain is hosted by Sergio Fernández and Arturo González-Campos.
Popular culture is a frequent focus. For example, a couple of episodes covered “True Detective” and the Harry Potter franchise.
The conversations are wandering and sometimes repetitive, but the latter can be a plus for Spanish learners.
Pro-tip: A new episode of La Parroquia is released every Friday on Onda Cero, and you can tune in to other podcasts there too.
23. El Gran Apagón
Picture this:
It’s April 11, 2018.
There’s a huge solar storm that destroys our satellites. Nothing electric or electronic works on Earth, including the internet, phones and TV.
Within days, riots start to take place. Water and food supplies diminish, people need to fight to survive. There’s chaos everywhere.
Some citizens suspect the authorities knew this was going to happen but did nothing to prevent it. They believe there’s evidence of this, and one man decides to prove it.
El gran apagón (The great/big blackout) is an amazingly entertaining podcast catered to native Spanish speakers that tells a story you can’t miss.
The narration is superb, the production is top-notch, and the story itself is nail-biting, to say the least.
I won’t tell you anything else. You need to listen to this masterpiece—all three seasons of it.
Pro-tip: You can download all the episodes for free and listen to them offline!
24. RFI Podcast Español Informativos
iTunes | App Store | Google Play | website
I listen to radio news in a variety of languages, and I have been somewhat underimpressed by the quality of offerings in the Spanish language for straight news. The best Spanish audio news I have found is actually produced by the French RFI. Stories are global, carefully researched and quite diverse.
It may be a challenge for some learners to approach the variety of Spanish accents and the speed of speech, although the audio quality is great and the reporters speak quite clearly.
A number of different feeds are available based on the time that they are updated each day (on UT, a.k.a. Greenwich time).
Pro-tip: Go for a feed that updates an hour or two before you listen so that you’re catching the most recent news.
25. El Invitado de RFI
iTunes | App Store | Google Play | website
Important Spanish-speaking cultural figures are interviewed about books, music, film and more in Paris for this program in Spanish from France’s RFI radio.
Pro-tip: Combine this with Carrusel de les Artes if you want to go on a cultural kick.
26. Cosas de Internet
Let me start by saying this is one of my personal favorite podcasts in the whole cyberworld.
The fact that the hosts can laugh at themselves to the point of stating that “the conversations are edited so we sound more intelligent than we really are” is reason enough for me to love a podcast, but this one really deserves praise.
If you’re a techie, Cosas de internet (Internet things) is a podcast you can’t miss.
Completely in Spanish and geared towards native Spanish speakers with a love for technology and an unquenching curiosity, each episode of this podcast has Santiago and Laura (the hosts) talk about a topic related to the internet and technology.
From the radio and its creator to Wikipedia, this podcast is full of ones and zeros, QWERTY keyboards, Dungeons & Dragons and many other interesting topics.
The episode on Artificial Intelligence and how it helped to solve protein folding is exquisite.
Pro-tip: Check out the episodes on the website to get a list of links where you can read more about the different topics covered.
27. Nómadas
This is a big favorite of mine as someone who loves to travel and is always wishing I were somewhere else.
Each episode is essentially an audio documentary on a small corner of the world, complete with interviews, history and travel tips (especially for getting off the beaten path). There’s enough depth that it almost makes you feel like you have been there yourself afterwards.
You can, of course, run a search of old episodes and use them as a travel guide or amuse-bouche as you prepare for your next trip.
The show is hosted by Álvaro Soto and Esther García Tierno for Spanish radio, but you will hear a variety of accents in the interviews.
Pro-tip: To know more about Spanish-speaking countries, check out their episodes on Puerto Plata, Ceuta (a Spanish-speaking city in Africa!), Cuenca and more.
28. El Verdadero Robo del Siglo
On January 13, 2006, Banco Río in Acassuso, Buenos Aires (Argentina) gets robbed.
The robbers are in the bank with 23 hostages, surrounded by 300 policemen. When special forces come inside, the robbers are nowhere to be seen. They’ve escaped with over $19 million and 175 pounds of jewelry.
The heist would be called “the robbery of the century” by many, and hundreds of stories have been told about it (there’s even a movie!).
El verdadero robo del siglo (The real robbery of the century) tells the story of what really happened that day, narrated by the people who were actually there—policemen, hostages, investigators and robbers included.
If you like action movies with robberies, prosecutions, investigations and trials, there’s a big chance you’ll enjoy this podcast.
Pro-tip: This YouTube playlist includes the whole podcast with subtitles in Spanish. Check it out!
29. La Biblioteca de Alejandría
This thoroughly odd podcast features long lists of facts on history, science and oddities. It is definitely appropriate for trivia and science nuts and anyone on a mission to catalog all of the world’s information.
I get the feeling that some people may listen to this in their sleep, in the hope of absorbing raw facts.
The feed of old episodes is available but new ones may not be produced, or they may just end up being produced irregularly.
Pro-tip: You can listen to some of their episodes for free, but to access all of the episodes, you’ll need a subscription.
30. Obsesión por el Cielo
With over 1,000 episodes, this massive weekly podcast is one of the best ways to learn about astronomy and space in Spanish.
Each week, the hosts talks about two or three pieces of news related to astronomy.
Outer space is full of mysteries, and the more we explore it, the more we get to know about it. Obsesión por el cielo (Obsession for the sky) tries to bring those mysteries closer to us and explain them in a way that every listener is able to understand.
Pro-tip: Each episode includes a list of links for those interested in learning more about the different topics covered that week.
31. Universo Parallelo
iTunes | RadioPublic | website
Think of this as the Spanish answer to “Science Friday.” The interviews are a bit more random and less carefully prepared, but relaxed and easy to follow.
The podcast covers all sorts of sciences, like astronomy, psychology and physics. It also takes on science issues in the headlines, such as fracking, the math behind electoral systems and lots more.
There is a bit of odd background music under the interviews, which you either like or you don’t.
Pro-tip: They’ve also been featured in several events and other podcasts, so check those out if you’re looking for more material.
32. Cienciaes
This is a website and also an interview show about science hosted by Ángel Rodríguez Lozano. While it is certainly directed at a wide audience with more “popular” interests, it tends to go deeper into the weeds on topics to an extent that some might find a bit dull—and others might find fascinating.
For example, I was frustrated with a recent episode on drones—which I am personally very interested in—because there was so much information on technical aspects without any real discussion of the social or legal aspects of the technology. However, this is information that many people may certainly be interested in, and it is all great to know.
If you are more of a nuts-and-bolts type of person, then this is for you!
That said, there is no music in the background for this one (always a plus in my book) and very knowledgeable guests are interviewed in a conversational style that is easy to follow.
Pro-tip: The podcast got really popular, so they’ve expanded to a YouTube channel.
33. El Explicador
On this Mexican podcast, Enrique Gánem offers meditations on particular subjects of scientific and historical interest.
While it is certainly a place for your nerdy science fix, the show also gets into the people and stories behind humanity’s advances, portraying science as a very human endeavor.
The author says he is accessible by email and urges people to write in with their suggestions for themes for shows, which are always chosen by listeners. Highly recommended.
Pro-tip: To find episodes more easily, their YouTube channel has playlists with the episodes already sorted by topic.
34. Carne Cruda
elDiario.es | iTunes | Spotify
Like America’s Fresh Air, this program from Spain covers all sorts of aspects of current culture and politics.
Javier Gallego delivers both opinion pieces and long-form interviews about sexual politics, justice, the European Union and many other themes.
Some of the episodes on Spanish government themes may be hard to follow if you’re not familiar with the country’s politics. Such listeners should still give other episodes a try, though, as there are many different subjects that are often approachable for non-Spaniards.
Pro-tip: For a more multimedia experience, Carne Cruda also produces video documentaries.
35. Alt.Latino
This music podcast from America’s NPR is in English, but it’s worth mentioning here for the great variety and high quality of its music, which is mostly in Spanish (though there are also some Portuguese, English and Native American languages).
If you are a language learner who gets motivated by tracking down song lyrics, this show will give you some excellent leads to get you excited.
It covers the eclectic soup of hundreds of genres of music from Latin America, although with a marked aesthetic that somehow unites them. It is also a good window sometimes into perspectives of Latino cultures in the USA.
Pro-tip: Check out their Spotify playlist for an easy way to discover more music in Spanish.
36. Café del Sur
This is the podcast for tango fans, offering up history, interviews, poetry and of course a lot of music. It is produced by Spain’s RTVE, but you are obviously going to hear a lot of Argentinian speech.
It is hosted by the matter-of-fact but friendly Dimitri Papanikas.
Pro-tip: For some episodes focused on Spanish-speaking culture, check out Aún creo en la belleza and Santa Evita.
37. Democracy Now! En Español
This is a shortened, Spanish version of the lefty news program “Democracy Now!”
Even (or especially) if your politics run a little more to the right, you may want to give this a shot, as it often covers human rights issues from around the world that are very under-reported elsewhere.
The translated audio includes snippets of a half-sentence or so in English before each new speaker starts. This can be a good way to situate yourself in the story if you are not quite at the level to take in Spanish-only news.
Also, since it has an American perspective, it can be easier for Americans (or those familiar with the country’s politics) to follow.
Pro-tip: Try subscribing to their email newsletter to receive daily updates on the latest news!
How to Learn Spanish by Listening to Podcasts
Ready to milk your podcasts for all they’re worth? Here are our favorite tips for learning Spanish with podcasts.
Follow Up Podcasts With FluentU
Okay, this might be a bit of an aside, but chances are that if you enjoy learning through podcasts, you’ll probably enjoy learning through FluentU.
The two resources share lots of benefits: like being engaging, self-paced learning and providing excellent listening practice, with FluentU having the added features of reading comprehension and video.
The language learning program curates authentic, high-quality videos which exposes you to native speakers in different contexts.
Consuming native language content is incredibly helpful when you’re learning Spanish because it helps you pick up nuances of the language that you’ll never find in textbooks. FluentU bases its teaching around this, ultimately helping you learn more natural-sounding Spanish.
What’s more, the videos all come with interactive subtitles, a contextual video dictionary and multimedia flashcards (among others). Its personalized quizzes even come with speaking questions to help you practice the oral aspect of the language.
These aids make the learning process seamless and faster than trawling through standard video-based platforms and online dictionaries—and more enjoyable, too. You can use FluentU through the website, or download the iOS and Android apps if that’s more convenient.
Use a Variety of Podcasts
There are different types of Spanish podcasts, but we can divide them all into two big groups: Podcasts created for Spanish learners and podcasts created for native speakers.
Whatever your level of Spanish is, always try to listen to at least one podcast from each of these two groups.
The one created to teach you Spanish will give you practical information for improving your major language skills, while the one created for native speakers will provide that immersive component you need to really reach fluency.
Treat Your Spanish Podcasts Like Lectures
We often use podcasts as background noise or while doing other activities.
While this is something useful to improve your level of Spanish, this passive way of listening takes much more time to give you great results.
The solution is as simple as transforming a passive activity into an active one. Pretend you’re in class, and try to take as many notes as possible!
When listening to a podcast, write down words you don’t understand and look them up, check the grammar behind that weird construction you don’t know, etc.
Don’t pause the audio. Not just yet!
First, listen to the episode once without pauses while you take notes. Then, check your books and dictionaries until everything you’ve written is clear.
Next, listen to the audio a second time while reading the transcript (if possible). There will be words and phrases you didn’t get during your first listen, so write them down now and check their meaning.
After you’ve worked all the vocabulary and grammar of the transcript, listen to the episode a final time paying special attention to the pronunciation (I’ll talk about it in the next tip).
As you can guess, active listening takes much longer than passive listening. For this reason, it’s important that you choose podcasts that have short episodes (around five to 10 minutes).
This way, you can work on a whole episode during one listening session (which should take you about one hour).
Practice Spanish Shadowing
Shadowing is a very efficient activity to learn languages. It consists of listening to native audio and repeating it while trying to be as faithful to the original pronunciation as possible.
Think of it as a parrot game.
Take any episode you’ve used during your active-listening sessions and listen to it, pausing every couple of sentences.
Try to imitate the native Spanish speaker. Many times. Listen to the same fragment for as long as you need until you think you got it perfectly.
Once you’re done, record yourself shadowing the whole audio clip (or its most challenging fragments) and check if you need more practice or not.
Play Spanish Verb Guessing
I created this game for my younger students to help them practice Spanish conjugation.
Pick a difficult podcast. It can be a podcast above your level or one on a topic you don’t know much about.
Listen to an episode just once and write down five verb forms you hear while you listen.
After the audio ends, write the full conjugational information about each verb form you have.
For example:
cantábamos — first person plural of the imperfect tense of the verb cantar (to sing)
You can even do it in Spanish if you feel brave enough:
cantábamos — primera persona del plural del pretérito imperfecto del verbo cantar
If you get bored of practicing conjugation, you can try to play noun or adjective guessing.
The rules are very similar, but this time you have to write down five words you think are nouns or adjectives and try to guess their meaning.
Even if you know the word already, try to not just give its meaning in your language. Explain, in Spanish, what the word means.
For example:
lavadora — es una máquina que se usa para lavar la ropa
(washing machine — it’s a machine that’s used for washing clothes)
You can do this with any kind of word you want. It’s an interesting guessing exercise that will allow you to get bits of info from what you’re listening to even if you don’t understand what’s being said as a whole.
Try Storytelling
Another way you can use podcasts to improve your Spanish is to try storytelling.
Just listen to a podcast episode and tell someone what you’ve learned from it (in Spanish, of course!).
If you don’t have anyone to tell, write it down or talk to yourself.
The most important part of this exercise is that you’ll be producing Spanish after you listen to it. This will help you improve different language skills at the same time, allowing you to reach fluency faster.
Supplement With Other Spanish Learning Resources
Using a variety of language learning resources will keep your interest and motivation up while you’re learning, while also broadening your Spanish knowledge. While podcasts are great for your listening and speaking skills, novels and textbooks improve your reading skills. You’ll get an even more holistic language learning experience if you take online Spanish courses or use Spanish learning apps that cover multiple aspects of the language.
You might already be using language learning tools that are similar to podcasts. Pimsleur uses half-hour audio lessons, FluentU uses videos and subtitles (which some podcasts also utilize) and Duolingo Stories have listening mode features to help you understand what’s said when you don’t have the words right in front of you. If you already use one of these, podcasts might be a surprisingly good fit.
Why Listen to Spanish Podcasts?
In case you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t heard the news, podcasts are awesome.
Spanish podcasts are perfect if you want to learn Spanish but don’t have a Spanish-speaking person you can chat with 24/7.
Using textbooks and flashcards is a good start, but they’re not going to get you talking naturally and fluently.
You need to get your head out of your textbook and start hearing real Spanish, the kind that’s spoken by millions of people all over the world.
One of the most effective ways of doing this is with the help of Spanish podcasts since they can really help you hone your listening and speaking skills.
What’s more, they put the fun back into your learning sessions, because you can listen to them anywhere!
Whether you’re sitting in front of a desk, commuting, walking your dog, jogging around the neighborhood or standing in the shower, podcasts can always be there with you (assuming your electronic device is waterproof, of course!).
Can I Learn Spanish Through Podcasts?
Yes!
Here are six reasons why.
- You can learn at your own speed. Literally! Most of the time, you’ll be able to choose the speed of the audio.
- You’re hearing native speakers use real Spanish. Podcasts give you a sense of immersion hard to find anywhere else. You’ll be fluent in no time.
- You’ll broaden your vocabulary. You’ll obviously hear words you don’t know yet. Use them to create flashcards, vocab lists or sample sentences.
- You’ll learn how words are used. One of the best things about podcasts is that they allow you to listen to Spanish as it’s spoken by native speakers. You’ll learn words in their context, so you’ll know how to use them correctly.
- You can learn about lots of new topics. You choose what you want to listen to. If you get bored during one episode, just click on the next one.
- You can choose to listen to as much or as little as you want, depending on your schedule. Five minutes while having a shower, 15 minutes during your lunch break, 45 minutes on your commute… You decide!
Listening to Spanish will always help you one way or another, but choosing the right podcast is crucial.
Try out any of the 37 engaging podcasts above while incorporating the learning tips above, and you’ll be well on your way to fluency.
So what are you waiting for?
Choose your new favorite podcast and start listening!
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