The Best Free Podcasts for Learning Spanish and Listening to Slow Spanish News

 

The Best Spanish Podcasts for Beginners & Intermediate Learners

The MosaLingua team has spent a lot of time looking for good podcasts to learn Spanish. And we have to say, a lot of podcasts out there exist only to promote paid content or expensive products of dubious efficiency. That said, a few are actually worth your while (and free). Here is our selection of the best podcasts to learn Spanish, starting with podcasts suited for beginners and intermediate learners.

 

Spanish with Vicente

He’s fairly new to the podcasting scene, but Vicente has one of the best Spanish language podcasts out there, in our opinion! He doesn’t talk too slowly, so it isn’t painful for B1-B2 level learners. But he speaks quickly enough that it’s a challenge for A1-A2 learners.

For true beginners, it might be a good idea to get a subscription to his Academia de Español Online (about 10 bucks a month). That way, you have access to transcripts and other learning material to support your listening comprehension practice.

iTunes – Official Website – YouTube

 

StoryLearning Spanish

Olly Richards, who had the original idea for the StoryLearning Spanish podcast, calls it “a fun, brain-friendly way to improve your Spanish fast.” And we agree! The story is entertaining and the episodes are short (7-8 minutes, including two repetitions of the actual story). That makes this podcast an easy way to work Spanish practice into your daily routine.

The writer and host, Sofía, is from Argentina, and the narrator is from Spain, so you get exposure to two different Spanish accents. We love that they give the text and important words for free along with the podcast (which some other podcasts make you pay for). There is even extra free content on the StoryLearning Spanish Instagram to help you really immerse yourself in the story and the language.

iTunes – Website

 

Radio Ambulante

As far as Spanish journalism podcasts for learners go, Radio Ambulante is by far our favorite. It’s by NPR (American National Public Radio) and the quality of the stories they produce is outstanding. They have also developed an educational app to go with the podcast, which is perfect for people who are just beginning their Spanish journey and want to immerse themselves in the language with interesting stories instead of just learning “Hola, ¿cómo estás?” The app lets you slow the audio down without distortion, read along with the transcript, and learn important vocab.

iTunes – Website – Lupa App

 

Notes in Spanish

Good progressive courses. The only downside is that there is much more English than Spanish at the beginner level. So if you’re also learning English and are good at multitasking, this is a good one for you! However, learning or reviewing two languages at the same time isn’t optimal. We don’t recommend it because you run the risk of getting pretty mixed up. On the other hand, the upper levels (intermediate and advanced) offer more Spanish than English. This is a good thing if you already have a level that allows you to listen mostly in Spanish!

iTunes: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced – Website

 

Unlimited Spanish by Oscar

On his website, Unlimited Spanish, Oscar offers Spanish lessons in the form of podcasts. You’ll find lots of free lessons on different topics, whether you’re more interested in news or tips about grammar, syntax or vocabulary.

The site currently includes nearly 200 podcasts ranging from 15 to 20 minutes long. That means you have plenty of content to work with! The Spanish they speak is clear (the downside is that it’s not very natural), so it’s accessible to people at a beginner or intermediate level.

Official Site

Español Automático

The Español Automático site has just under 200 podcasts, completely in Spanish. Karo Martínez, the creator of the site and podcasts, offers lessons on some essential points about the Spanish language (such as the tilde and different verb tenses), and also on expressions and vocabulary. A man and a woman host this podcast, and they speak quite naturally. They are also available in video format on the Español Automatíco YouTube channel.

As far as podcasts go, this one is pretty much just bite-sized Spanish lessons, which can sometimes be boring… But not everyone wants to hear about news or “fun” topics when they’re trying to learn Spanish! If you’re looking for a purely educational Spanish podcast, this is a good one.

Website – iTunes – YouTube

 

LightSpeed Spanish

LightSpeed Spanish offers podcasts divided into four different levels, so you can listen to the content that suits you! Beginners all the way up to advanced learners can enjoy the LightSpeed Spanish podcast. Podcasts are hosted by an English-speaking man and a Spanish-speaking woman.

In the first few lessons, you will hear a lot more English (British) than Spanish, which isn’t great for immersion but could be helpful for true beginners. They teach all of the basics: time, grammar, vocabulary, etc. Unfortunately, they haven’t released new episodes in several years, but there’s enough old content to keep you busy for a while. Plus, they also have a YouTube channel that they post on regularly.

iTunes – YouTube – Website

 

Coffee Break Spanish

This Spanish podcast includes a large number of 15- to 20-minute lessons for beginners. A Spanish teacher and another Spanish student like you host the show. Their content is cumulative, so you should start at the beginning and listen in order. When they aren’t speaking Spanish, they speak English with a nice Scottish accent 😉

(04/07/2018 update) You now have to pay for content and lessons on this site. You’ll find content from this Spanish podcast for free on iTunes, but not everything is free.

iOS Podcast – Website

 

News in Slow Spanish

News in Slow Spanish is the best Spanish podcast for people who already have an intermediate or even advanced level. It’s not just focused on teaching the language. You actually hear and learn useful, non-linguistic things, in this case a summary of the week’s news. But in a simplified Spanish that is spoken at a slow pace (you probably had already gathered that much from the name!). That said, many news stories are available in both “slow” Spanish and “normal” Spanish to get your ear used to the speed of real speech. Try the slow version first, and then if you feel confident, go ahead with the normal one and see how much you understand.

Another nice thing is that there’s a Spain Spanish version and a Latin American Spanish version, so it covers everyone’s needs! Their website features vocabulary sheets as well as the full text of each news story (plus additional paid content). There are hundreds and hundreds of episodes, so you won’t run out of content any time soon as long as you don’t mind listening to “old” news.

(04/07/2018 update) It seems that the Spanish podcast “News in Slow Spanish” now offers mainly paid content. A subscription to their content library is quite pricy (currently about $23/month). That said, you can still listen to their podcast for free, and the app as well as the official website have short introductions and explanations of Spanish news for free. Their free content may be enough to review your Spanish… at least it’s a good place to start.

Latino: iOS Podcast / Android app – Spain: iOS / Android – Spain, Advanced: iOS – Website

 

Bonus: El Hombre Sin Nombre by MosaLingua

The best thing about listening to podcasts in Spanish is that you can work on your language skills and gain new vocab at the same time. TV and movies are also great for Spanish learners, but they aren’t always easy to follow along with if you don’t know how to approach them. We developed our very own gripping series, and it’s completely in Spanish. It’s addictive (don’t you just love cliffhangers?) and best of all, it will help you improve your Spanish.

It’s about a man who wakes up in a hospital in Barcelona… with no idea who he is or how he got there! Throughout the series’s 27 episodes, you’ll work on your Spanish listening skills, expand your vocabulary, and learn some essential grammar and conjugations. And of course, you’ll learn who “el hombre sin nombre” really is!

More about MosaSeries: El Hombre Sin Nombre

 

For Advanced Learners: Directories of Spanish Podcasts

For those who already know Spanish well but want to maintain it (remember the forgetting curve?), you should listen to podcasts in Spanish produced for Spanish speakers. They are not designed specifically for learners, and they will be both more suitable for your level and more interesting since you can listen to Spanish podcasts on just about any topic.

There are many websites where you can find podcast directories in Spanish. For example, ivoox lists most Spanish-language podcasts out there, organized by subject (technology, sports, home, arts, gaming, blogs, health, etc.).

So, with this list, you have many hours of free Spanish podcasts waiting for you! We will keep adding to the list as we discover more. And if you know of another good podcast to learn Spanish, feel free to drop the name in the comments.

 

What Are Spanish Podcasts?

Podcasts are sort of like the next generation of talk radio. You can listen to audio programs (stream them, or download them for later) on virtually any topic and any device. You can even subscribe to your favorites so that you get new episodes automatically.

Obviously, Spanish podcasts are audio recordings in Spanish. But did you know that some are specifically dedicated to people who want to learn Spanish? These are best for beginners because the hosts speak slowly so that you can work on your listening skills in a controlled environment. Each episode usually has an educational component: a focus on vocabulary, grammar, or some other important aspect of the Spanish language. In general, podcasts for learners are loosely based on the Pimsleur method, one of the first learning techniques to use audio to teach language. (Whether or not they do it successfully is another story.) One of the greatest things about podcasts is that they are free!

How to listen to Spanish podcasts and slow news

Podcasts work on most smartphones, tablets, desktop and laptop computers, and MP3 players. If you’re new to Spanish podcasts, here’s a quick tutorial:

• Mac/iOS: open your Podcasts app (look for the purple logo, it comes pre-downloaded on all Apple devices) or iTunes if you have an older device.
  • iTunes Store -> Podcast menu: click the subscribe button, so that the Spanish podcast is automatically sent to your device.
• Android: download the free Podcast Addict app to keep all of your favorites in one place. Browse through everything available, or search for the ones on our list. Here’s a guide to getting started if you need more help.

Now that you know why they are beneficial for learners and how to download and listen to podcasts, pick one out from the list above and get started!

 

Beyond Spanish Podcasts: Other Ways to Work on Spanish Listening Comprehension

Beginners: Sing

Spanish songs are the perfect tool for people who are just getting started with Spanish. Why?

1. They’re short, so you will be able to stay focused even if you are having a hard time understanding
2. They’re super catchy, and you won’t mind listening again and again for practice
3. It’s easy to find the lyrics so that you can complement your listening practice with reading
4. They usually contain lots of Spanish slang and idiomatic expressions
5. There’s a genre and Spanish or Latin American artist for everyone, no matter what your music tastes are like!

If you aren’t quite ready to jump into full-on Spanish, you can start with some “Spanglish” songs (part Spanish, part English!).

Intermediate learners: Watch TV

Maybe karaoke isn’t for you. If you’ve been working hard learning and studying your Spanish flashcards, feel free to move on to a more advanced learning activity.

For intermediate learners, we recommend watching Spanish TV shows or telenovelas. Why? For many of the same reasons that we recommend songs, actually. Episodes are often short, so they retain your attention even if you don’t catch everything the characters say. Plus, you’re sure to find something that gets you hooked since there are Spanish shows in every genre, from comedy to thriller.

Advanced learners: Watch movies

If you’ve conquered songs and TV and are looking for more of a challenge, head over to Netflix to find a great Spanish movie to watch. For about two hours, you’ll be completely immersed in the Spanish language, and will have to rely on your listening skills and context clues to enjoy the action. Here’s a list of our favorite Spanish movies.