These 7 BEST Spanish Podcasts will get you to FLUENCY
Listening Spanish is THE most important activity when it comes to learning Spanish. And with free Podcasts, you get tons of free material to practice.
I am Paulisima, Spring Spanish teacher, and in this video you will find out about the some of the best and most useful podcasts you can start using right now… para mejorar tu español (to improve your Spanish).
And the first one is…
1. Spanish and Go with May and Jim
Showcasing primarily Mexican accent with interviews from many different Spanish-speaking countries, Spanish and Go with Jim and May teaches Spanish through natural conversations about language, culture, and travel between a native Spanish-speaker and a Spanish student.
Jim y May son una pareja internacional gringo/mexicana y tienen la misión de conectar a los hablantes de inglés con el mundo de la lengua hispana. Los conocí recientemente, en Día de Muertos de 2022, en una reunión de creadores de contenido de lenguaje. Descubrí que Jim y May no sólo son excelentes maestros y creadores de contenido, sino también son personas adorables.
(Jim and May are a gringo/Mexican international couple on a mission to connect English speakers to the Spanish-speaking world. I met them recently, on Day of the Dead in 2022, at a language creator meetup. I found out that Jim and May are not only great teachers and content creators, but they’re also adorable people .)
Before I continue, make sure to download the Free Essential Spanish Chunking kit with tons of useful Spanish chunks. Ok, como les iba diciendo… (Ok, as I was saying…)
Jim and May co-host the weekly Spanish education podcast, Learn Spanish and Go, share travel and language tips on their blog, and host Spanish Immersion Retreats in Mexico.
Cada episodio tiene materiales adicionales disponibles en su Membresía de Podcast. Como transcripciones interactivas, como una sección detallada en inglés que cubre las palabras y frases más importantes de cada episodio. (Each episode has bonus materials available in theirPodcast Membership. With interactive transcripts, such as a detailed English section covering the most important words and phrases in each episode.)
Nota importante: (Important note:)
May habla español súper claro, con un acento muy neutro y a una velocidad perfecta, incluso para estudiantes principiantes. ¡Me encanta su voz! (May speaks Spanish super clear, with a neutral accent and at a perfect speed even for beginner students. I love her voice!) If we all speak like her, everyone would have an easier time learning Spanish! I’ll be on their podcast very soon! And they’re going to be here on Spring Spanish as well! We had a great time talking about the often controversial ways we Mexicans have to give someone a nickname. ¿Por qué somos así? (Why are we like this?) Learn more about our weird Mexican ways in this video…
2. How To Spanish Podcast
Ana and David the hosts of How To Spanish Podcast, they have created over 200 episodes where they discuss culture, language, and all kind of interesting topics. Their Spanish is Mexican and the topics they covered are incredibly diverse! Esta es la razón por las que recomiendo su podcast. (This is the reason why I recommend their podcast.)
I also had the opportunity to meet Ana and David, they’re so cool! Me encanta su podcast porque cubren temas muy variados. Cubren gramática, historia, cultura, hechos interesantes, etcétera. Me gustan mucho las entrevistas a los papás de Ana, donde hablan sobre sus experiencias de vida. (I love their podcast because they cover varied subjects. They cover grammar, history, culture, interesting facts, etc. I really like the interviews with Ana’s parents, where they talk about their life experiences.) Listening to intergenerational conversations in Spanish is amazing listening practice that you don’t often get. El contenido de Ana y David es fenomenal, me encanta. (Ana and David’s content is phenomenal, I love it.)
How To Spanish Podcast is everywhere, you can find them with that name on Spotify, Apple Podcast and other podcasts platforms, Youtube, Twitch, Discord… Nota importante: Su página web es súper fácil de navegar. Lo cual se agradece de corazón. (Important note: Their website is super easy to navigate. )
Another thing that is appreciated is your subscription to this channel, if you haven’t done it, what are you waiting for?
3. Coffee Break Spanish
Coffee Break Spanish es un divertido podcast bilingüe, español–inglés. (Coffee Break Spanish is a fun bilingual Spanish-English podcast.)
Este podcast está estructurado como un curso de idiomas clásico y se divide en cuatro secciones: (This podcast is structured like a classic language course and is divided into 4 sections:)
- Sección uno para principiantes (Section 1 for beginners)
- Sección dos para el nivel intermedio bajo (Section 2 for lower intermediate level)
- Sección tres para el nivel intermedio superior (Section 3 for intermediate superior)
- Sección cuatro para usuarios avanzados (Section 4 for advanced users)
Sección cinco: No es cierto, no hay sección 5. (Section 5: Just kidding, there is no section 5) I was just checking if you were paying attention.
With Coffee Break Spanish you can start as a beginner and progress to an advanced level. You hear language teacher Mark and his student talking about interesting and diverse topics in each episode.
Además de los podcasts gratuitos, también tienen un curso en línea con un costo con lecciones de audio y video y las transcripciones asociadas. (In addition to the free podcasts, there is also a paid online course with audio and video lessons and associated transcripts.)
4. Duolingo
La aplicación de aprendizaje de idiomas Duolingo es muy popular y una primera parada para las personas que quieren comenzar a aprender español. (The Duolingo language learning app is very popular and a first stop for people who want to start learning Spanish.) So it makes sense that Duolingo also offers a podcast.
El podcast en español de Duolingo es bilingüe, inglés y español, por lo cual es fácil de comenzar para los principiantes. (The Spanish Duolingo podcast is bilingual (English and Spanish), so it’s easy for beginners to start.)
You would probably expect a podcast that (like the app) is a kind of language course. El podcast en español de Duolingo es mucho más que eso, cuenta historias fascinantes en un español fácil de entender. (The Duolingo Spanish podcast is much more than that, it tells fascinating stories in easy-to-understand Spanish.)
5. SpanishPod101
Con 1800 episodios, este es uno de los podcasts en español más extensos que existen. (With 1800 episodes, this is one of the most extensive Spanish podcasts out there.)
What's great about SpanishPod101, is that you are learning from a range of native speakers from different parts of the Spanish-speaking world: for example, Peru, Costa Rica and Mexico. That way, you can get a better feel for how they speak the language in those different regions. ¡Te sorprendería la cantidad de palabras nuevas (o chunks) que encontrarías si escucharas hablar español de alguien de Costa Rica! (You'd be surprised how many new words (or chunks) you'd come across if you hear someone from Costa Rica speak Spanish!)
SpanishPod101 has high-quality audio lessons with different hosts for beginners all the way up to advanced Spanish learners.
6. Spring Spanish
¡Un podcast con lecciones diseñadas en torno al concepto de Conversation Based Chunking™! (A podcast with lessons designed around the concept of Conversation Based Chunking™!) I’m a teacher here, so of course I’m biased. Regardless, if you want to learn Spanish through fun dialogues, lessons, and role-plays, this is an excellent resource. There are tons of lessons on a variety of topics, including travel Spanish, grammar, Latin culture, and much more.
Cada episodio se basa en una lección de español real de este canal de YouTube. (Each episode is based upon a real Spanish lesson in this Youtube channel.) Lo hicimos en este formato porque es más fácil de consumir cuando nos estamos moviendo. (We made it into this format so it’s easier to consume on the go, which is of course more difficult with video.)
Transcripts and flashcards with the most important chunks are available as part of a membership. There's a free trial available too. You should totally try it out!
7. Radio Ambulante
Radio Ambulante is an award-winning podcast in spanish that uses long-form audio journalism. It is a pioneer podcast in Spanish that features Latin American audio chronicles. Ofrecen diferentes temas como noticias, charlas, música, programas de entretenimiento y mucho más. (They offer different topics such as news, talk, music, entertainment programs and a lot more.) The level is pretty high, and the podcast is not necessarily aimed at language learners. If you’re at a high intermediate level, this is an excellent resource to expand your vocabulary!
Cada episodio incluye una transcripción. (A transcript is included with every episode.)
