Don’t Change That Channel: 9 Spanish TV Commercials That Sell the Language!
Did you know we watch nearly four years’ worth of commercials in our lifetimes?
No, that’s not a typo.
Four years.
Most of us don’t pay much attention to those commercials, do we? We watch mindlessly, mute them or just scroll through our phone until they’re done.
Are they entertaining? Sure, they can be. (Super Bowl, anyone?)
Are they a time-filler? For the networks, definitely.
But if you’re learning Spanish, did you know commercials can do much more than just take up time?
They can actually be a fun new asset to your Spanish learning program.
Let’s see how and why they help.
Then, let’s take a look at some examples of great Spanish TV commercials to learn the language and culture—so you can start getting more out of those wasted four years!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Why Are Spanish TV Commercials Useful for Language Learners?
While they’re usually designed to sell a product, for Spanish learners their worth is in the language learning potential they offer. The language is specifically written to be accessible to a large audience but will also often expose you to common idiomatic vocabulary. Since the commercials are created by and for native Spanish speakers, you’ll hear authentic accents and pronunciations.
Plus, the whole point of a commercial is to grab and keep your attention! That makes them a fun and useful learning tool.
And, let’s not forget this—they’re free! Free language learning? Count me in.
Don’t Change That Channel: 9 Spanish TV Commercials That Sell the Language!
McDonald’s “Night Run”
This is a sweet commercial that gives a glimpse at the joys of impending parenthood, not to mention the love it takes to go out in all kinds of weather to keep a loved one happy—and well fed! This is a great slice-of-life story that’s both heartwarming and excellent for language learners.
The first few phrases are in English but after those, the remainder is in Spanish. Note the smooth pronunciation of all the Spanish dialogue and the idioms used.
And don’t forget to smile at the twist at the end!
McDonald’s “Love the Most”
This is a great commercial because it provides comparison practice as well as use of descriptions.
It’s a short, sweet family story where the father is both lovable and wise! It’s short enough to watch a few times so feel free to press “repeat” and speak along with the dialogue for some pronunciation practice, too.
1980s Bimbo Bread Commercial
Visitors to South America will recognize the Bimbo bear and appreciate this vintage commercial. It’s a touching mother/daughter lunch tale with English subtitles.
The value of this one (aside from the cuteness!) is the cultural context. It gives us a chance to see a typical family interaction in Spanish and listen in on the action.
Pedigree’s Talking Dog Commercial
This one has English subtitles, but the action is so straightforward and the dog’s pronunciation is so clear that even beginning Spanish learners could understand this one without them.
Watch it the first time or two for the language-learning potential… and watch it a few more times for the dog. He’s adorable!
“¿Quién quiere pan?” (“Who Wants Bread?”)
This commercial, another one for Bimbo bread, will have you humming the song after you watch. If you’ve ever wondered what a Spanish earworm sounds like, give this one a listen!
The super-simple and catchy song makes it a perfect bite of Spanish comprehension and pronunciation practice.
“La otra carta” (“The Other Letter”)
IKEA knows how to present a dramatic commercial! In the ad, parents read Christmas letters written by their children. All I can say is, bring the tissues. It’s beautiful and poignant.
And it’s a gift for Spanish language learners. The dialogue is authentic and most of it’s spoken slowly and with great emotion. It also comes with English subtitles, making it accessible for beginners.
A bonus? If you’ve ever wondered how to say “flying unicorn” in Spanish, this is the go-to spot to learn that!
2016 Super Bowl Commercials
This compilation of English-language commercials has Spanish subtitles. That makes it a great tool for early beginners to start building their Spanish vocabularies.
Why? Because you’ll draw associations between the words you’re reading and what you’re hearing. You’ll also visualize Spanish spellings and sentence structure without getting lost.
It’s all right there—except for the singing sheep. They’re not translated, but the rest makes up for that.
Check out the slang terms. Watch for the trickier punctuation marks. Write down any new Spanish words and their English equivalents.
And just enjoy the singing sheep. They’re pretty cool!
2014 Spanish Lottery Commercial
The lottery commercials from Spain are really special. They highlight a big event for many people and the commercials are almost as widely-anticipated as the lottery drawing itself.
This heartwarming commercial tells the story of a Christmas lottery drawing that’s less about winning money and more about friendship.
This commercial is subtitled, so both beginners and more advanced learners can get the full effect of the video.
There are a few characters so you’ll hear some variety in spoken Spanish within this four-minute tale.
Not sure what’s going on? Scroll to the description for an explanation of the Spanish lottery system, or check out The Local for some history and a more in-depth look at Spain’s famous Christmas lottery.
Speaking of which…
2015 Spanish Christmas Lottery Commercial
This is a rare commercial that can primarily help with your Spanish reading skills. You’ll see written words related to the main character’s work, calendar words and more.
Like the commercial above, it also does a great job of illustrating the cultural phenomenon of the Christmas lottery that many of us wouldn’t be aware of unless we participated.
The story is beautifully animated and is a definite heart-grabber. I haven’t met anyone who’s watched this and not wanted to see it again. I hope you enjoy it, too.
Let me warn you: Spanish commercials can become addicting. You’ll come for the learning and stay for the stories!
Watch ‘em for the great dialogue. Watch ‘em for the heartwarming plots. Even watch ‘em for the catchy Spanish songs.
Watch, listen and learn—and love every single minute of it. Spanish commercials? They’re not just for snack breaks anymore!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
And One More Thing…
If you've made it this far that means you probably enjoy learning Spanish with engaging material and will then love FluentU.
Other sites use scripted content. FluentU uses a natural approach that helps you ease into the Spanish language and culture over time. You’ll learn Spanish as it’s actually spoken by real people.
FluentU has a wide variety of videos, as you can see here:
FluentU brings native videos within reach with interactive transcripts. You can tap on any word to look it up instantly. Every definition has examples that have been written to help you understand how the word is used. If you see an interesting word you don’t know, you can add it to a vocab list.
Review a complete interactive transcript under the Dialogue tab, and find words and phrases listed under Vocab.
Learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentU’s robust learning engine. Swipe left or right to see more examples of the word you’re on.
The best part is that FluentU keeps track of the vocabulary that you’re learning, and gives you extra practice with difficult words. It'll even remind you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. Every learner has a truly personalized experience, even if they’re learning with the same video.
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