Best 10 podcasts to learn Spanish
Berges Institute
• Oct 2, 2023
• 7 minutes
Updated Nov 15, 2023
In this volume, we discuss the alphabet, definite and indefinite articles, and verbs ser and estar, among other topics.
Listening to podcasts is a fantastic way to improve your Spanish comprehension and pronunciation skills. You can listen to them at home, at the gym, in the subway…
Changing tasks (interleaving) often is a science-backed way to speed up your second language learning process, so even if you are already taking Spanish classes, we still recommend that you find one or two podcasts that you like and try to listen to them often.
Here are the best ones. We’ve included shows that try to teach you vocabulary or explain grammar concepts in depth, podcasts about current events or timeless stories, and everything in between.
Coffee Break Spanish, produced by the Radio Lingua Network, is available in four levels, called “seasons”. In seasons 1 and 2, you’ll follow along Kara’s Spanish learning journey as her teacher Mark slowly introduces new materials. Seasons 3 and 4 feature full conversations with native speakers on different topics.
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SpanishPod101 is not a podcast per se, but a collection of audio and video lessons for all levels. Their website also offers complementary learning materials such as flashcards and slideshows. On all their audio materials, you’ll have the ability to slow down the playback speed.
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Radio Ambulante is not primarily aimed at learning Spanish, but it’s still a favorite among our students. It was created by Peruvian writer Daniel Alarcón in 2012, and it’s currently distributed by NPR. It publishes different stories about Latin America.
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Amar la Trama is a podcast about Spanish pop culture in which hosts Vanessa Montilla and Teresa Morales recommend different shows, movies, albums, and books, among other things. A new episode is uploaded every two weeks.
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Notes in Spanish was launched back in 2006 by Ben and Marina. Marina grew up in Madrid, and Ben moved to Spain from his native Oxford in 1998. The podcast features mostly real-life conversations in Spanish around different topics.
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Duolingo's podcast features true stories in easy-to-understand Spanish. While Duolingo’s flagship product focuses on teaching Spanish vocabulary and grammar, their podcast puts the story first, making learning Spanish a by-product of an enjoyable listening experience.
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Host Karo Martínez shares tips and strategies for learning Spanish and interviews different native speakers. While the podcast is not geared at beginners, it can be a great tool for intermediate and advanced students who want to take their Spanish to the next level.
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In Beginner Spanish with Spanish Obsessed, couple Liz and Rob, who are Colombian and English respectively, discuss several phrases, vocabulary, and grammar topics aimed at beginners.
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Host Òscar Pellus offers Spanish lessons and conversations to help learners advance their fluency. The podcast focuses on improving the listener's production of the language (i.e. the listener's speaking abilities).
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News in Slow Spanish covers current events and news stories in slow, clear Spanish. New realistic news broadcasts are published every week. This podcast is great for people who like to stay up-to-date with current events but don’t have the comprehension abilities yet to listen to a regular news podcast.
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It might seem obvious, but it’s a point that’s worth making. If you can’t conjugate verbs properly and your vocabulary is very limited, a podcast that’s 100% in Spanish will not be super helpful. Yes, you’ll still get the benefit of being exposed to the language in a real-world setting, but you’ll get bored soon. Try to listen instead to podcasts geared at beginners, and try to improve your grammar and vocabulary by taking classes. Once you feel more confident with your grammar and vocabulary skills, you can start listening to more advanced podcasts.
If you hear a new word or a new expression related to a topic you are interested in, it is a good idea to stop the podcast and look up the word, so it sticks. Alternatively, you can keep a notepad on your phone where you add words and expressions related to a particular topic.
Listening to a 30-minute podcast one time will not have a huge impact on your Spanish comprehension and pronunciation skills, but listening to 30 hours of podcasts in Spanish will. Consistency is key. Instead of trying to get something out of every episode you listen to, try to find a podcast you enjoy listening to, and make listening to that podcast a habit. In the long term, hours of exposure is the key metric.
Even though you can listen to podcasts everywhere, it’s a good idea to try to stay focused while listening to them. If you are in the subway or running on the treadmill, you can probably listen to a podcast with a high level of attention, but if you are for example replying to emails, you won’t be able to be fully focused on a podcast at the same time.
Science shows that doing more than one complex task at the same time takes a toll on productivity. So, if you listen to a podcast in Spanish while doing something else, make sure it’s not a cognitive heavy task.
Some podcasts allow playback speed controls on their website, but even if they don’t most podcast platforms allow this natively. Take advantage of this feature. If you feel the hosts in a podcast are speaking too fast, slow it down a notch. It can make a huge difference.
A few years ago, we listened to radio shows mostly at home and in the car. Today, we have podcasts about all sorts of different topics on our phones available 24/7. Podcasts can be a great educational resource in most fields, as there are hundreds of amazing teachers and creators worldwide constantly uploading new content. Take advantage of this when learning Spanish. There have never been so many educational materials available for free.
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