Imagine what you would do if you could easily understand spoken Spanish.
You could finally travel to the Spanish-speaking countries you’ve dreamed of, watch foreign films and addictive telenovelas, or understand a paella recommendation from the menu del día on a Thursday in Valencia.
Best of all, you’d be prepared for real conversations with native Spanish-speakers. The only question is: how do you find the time to practice your Spanish listening skills?
Podcasts are a great way to add Spanish listening practice into your day-to-day life. They are free, and can accompany any part of your day: driving a car, washing your dishes, doing laundry, working out, reading, and more.
The Fluent Show
In addition to the Spanish podcasts you’ll find in this article, check out the Fluent Show. That’s my own podcast where we discuss languages, learning methods, and how to live a multilingual life.Click here to listen and subscribe.
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Looking For More Spanish Resources?
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These 9 online resources are some of the best when it comes to learning Spanish.
Quick Primer: How Do Podcasts Work?
If you're curious about podcasts, but not quite sure how they work, here's what you need to know:
- You can subscribe for free to podcasts on your phone, tablet, or computer.
- If you use an iPhone or iPad, go to the Podcasts app. If you're on a Mac, use theiTunes directory.
- On a PC or Android device, try theStitcher app for a quick and easy start.
- Subscribing means you'll always have the latest episode ready and waiting for you as soon as it's published.
Spanish Podcasts For Beginners
Castilian Spanish
Notes in Spanish is a podcast run by Marina, a native speaker from Spain, and Ben, an Englishman. Each episode is actually a conversation between the two. There are episodes dedicated to beginners as well as intermediate and advanced learners. For beginners, the hosts also go over key vocabulary, phrases, and basic grammar points both before and after their conversations.
Since Ben is also a Spanish learner, he offers a lot of useful tips for listeners while Marina often provides corrections and points out common mistakes. They speak clearly, making it easy for beginners to follow along.
Castilian and Latin American Spanish
SpanishPod101 from InnovativeLanguage covers the basic through advanced levels of Spanish. The episodes are exciting and immersive. Plus, you can find episodes for both Castilian and Latin American Spanish along with the differences between them. There are even episodes that explain some of the regional vocabulary from places like Costa Rica, Peru, Mexico, and Spain.
The dialogues are presented by engaging hosts in a clear, concise way covering many grammatical features and cultural topics. On the website you can sign up for premium content to access spaced repetition flashcards, PDF lesson notes, and a community forum.
Spanish Podcasts for Intermediate and Advanced Learners
Castilian Spanish
Unlimited Spanish with Òscar Pellus uses a unique storytelling technique based on Òscar’s method of learning Spanish through exposure and repetition. Every episode includes a quick story followed by a question and answer session that encourages listeners to practice their speaking skills as well. It’s also a great option for anyone who doesn’t care for lengthy grammar explanations.
Podcast topics include various aspects of Spanish culture, including places and food, as well as social topics and situations. When necessary Òscar touches on some relevant vocabulary and grammar, but it isn’t overwhelming. The podcast is entirely in Spanish, but if you have any trouble understanding, you can download transcripts of every episode in PDF format.
Done entirely in Spanish, this podcast is meant to provide an immersive experience for intermediate to advanced learners. The host, Karo Martínez, is lively, engaging, and speaks both clearly and naturally.
There are over 100 episodes to choose from, some of which explore grammar concepts, offer tips to improve your pronunciation, or explain colloquial expressions. Other episodes talk about different parts of Spain or even how to learn Spanish with popular shows like Game of Thrones.
The Español Automático site offers episode transcripts along with additional guides and resources.
Latin American Spanish
Though this podcast is directed towards those learning Spanish for work, its main goal is to help listeners get used to and understand native, spoken Spanish.
The host, Miguel Lira, is a native Spanish speaker from Mexico and a Spanish learning coach. Each episode goes over a particular conversation exchange in Spanish, such as conversations between workers or while simply ordering coffee. Miguel, as the sole host, uses a different tone of voice for each speaker, which is both entertaining and helpful as you follow along. There are also a few episodes on cultural subjects, like The Day of the Dead in Mexico.
In addition, the website offers notes, transcripts, and other resources to help you review the conversations.
Castilian and Latin American Spanish
News in Slow Spanish is an intermediate level podcast. This podcast covers world news, grammar, and expressions and slows down all the dialogue to make it easier to process what you hear. Every episode breaks down a point on grammar and vocabulary. It also lets you choose between Castilian and Latin American Spanish.
The audio is very clear and easy to follow. On the website, there are transcripts for each episode available with grammar, expressions, pronunciation, and quizzes.
Spanish Video Resources
Yabla is a video-based learning platform with bilingual subtitles and integrated dictionaries. The subtitles are interactive, which is a really cool concept! Check out how Yabla works in detail by reading myfull review.
Yabla is great for all levels from basic to advanced. You can check out their podcast and choose between videos from Spain and Latin America for hours of entertainment.
Story-Based Shows
Castilian Spanish
Coffee Break Spanish, a podcast from Radio Lingua Network, combines Spanish language lessons with a lot of useful information about Spanish food, culture, Spanish speaking countries, and so on.
My favourite part of the podcast is the chemistry between relaxed and charismatic host Mark from Scotland (who is fluent in Spanish) and Spanish learner Kara from Scotland. Mark guides both Kara and listeners through Spanish grammar, conversation, culture, and society.
The dialogues are presented in a clear, concise way, covering many grammatical features and cultural topics. On the website you can sign up for the premium content to access spaced repetition flashcards, PDF lesson notes, and a community forum for a subscription fee.
Latin American Spanish
If you want to discover the Spanish language with a powerful dash of music and culture, then Spanish con Salsa is for you! Created by bilingual Tamara Marie (meet her in my interview here!), this podcast is perfect for people who love travel, immersion, and Latin dance.
You can learn Spanish hacks from songs like Despacito, and train your ears to understand spoken Spanish even better.
And if you want to take your Spanish to the next level, the Spanish con Salsa online course is highly recommended because it's built around learning with music - learn more about it here.*
Advanced Learner Tip: Native Spanish Podcasts
If you’re interested in a more immersive experience, there are plenty of podcasts intended for native Spanish speakers available.
One great option is the Radio Ambulante podcast. Radio Ambulante is a longform journalism podcast that shares real-life Latin American stories. There are stories about language, sports, education, events, and more. Plus, there are both English and Spanish transcripts available for every episode.
Spanish Language Learning FAQ: Your Top Questions Answered
Can You Learn Spanish Through a Podcast?
Spanish language podcasts are a fantastic resource for learners at all levels! Click here to get my best advice for listening skill training. When you progress in your skill level, you can learn even more of the language and the cultures of the Spanish speaking world. As one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, you can find over 100,000 podcasts available in the language. Build podcasts into your language learning routine and make them part of your goals. In this article you’ll find many great ones to get you started.
How Can I Learn Spanish by Listening?
Listening is a critical skill for language learners, one of the four core skills that build your language ability: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Listen to a lot of spoken Spanish through podcasts, exchanges, and tutor sessions. If you can find a transcript, that’s even better! Soon you’ll find that you will begin to understand more and more of the spoken language, even when it’s fast.
Dedicated listening practice can be time-consuming, so it's essential to be mindful of your language learning routine to avoid wasting valuable time on unnecessary activities. For a detailed guide on how to establish a successful language learning routine, I invite you to explore my blog article by clicking here.
What Should I Watch If I Want to Learn Spanish?
While some learners enjoy kids’ television and cartoons at the start of their language learning project, you may also find easy Spanish courses super helpful. Look for videos that come with a transcript, and don’t be afraid to take it step by step. One of my favourite places to find the perfect videos that are interesting and helpful is Yabla, and you can find even more ideas on my Spanish learner page.
This article was written by Cassie Wright and me. She’s a freelance writer who loves languages. Affiliate links are marked with a *