Listening to Spanish podcasts is an amazing way to practice your Spanish skills. Podcasts are convenient, fun, and usually free. You can quickly improve your Spanish listening comprehension skills by incorporating a few minutes of Spanish podcasts into your day. We’ve gathered our favorite Spanish podcasts for all levels of learners, from beginner to advanced. We hope you find a new favorite!
Last Updated: 04/09/2024
What’s inside…
But first…how can you learn with Spanish podcasts?
- Slow it down. If it’s still difficult for you to understand spoken Spanish, there’s no shame in using your podcast platform to slow it down to .75x or .5x speed.
- Listen twice. Listen once actively and once passively. On your first listen, be sure you’re paying attention and doing your best to understand what is being said. Then, listen again as you do chores around the house or drive. You’ll pick up things the second time that you struggled with or missed the first time, which will help them sink in–and you’ll also feel accomplished!
- Read along with the transcript as you listen. Doing this helps you actively listen and comprehend what you’re hearing. A few of the podcasts we mention below include transcripts for a price, and a couple even include free transcripts, so take advantage of that!
- Take notes as you listen, then write or speak a summary of the podcast episode. This is an awesome learning activity that will really sharpen both your passive listening skills and your active language production (writing and speaking) skills.
Spanish Podcasts for Beginners
LightSpeed Spanish
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.
Spanish Obsessed
Website – Apple Podcast – Spotify
Notes in Spanish
iTunes: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced – Website
Coffee Break Spanish
(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.
Spanish with Vicente
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
LanguaTalk
Website – Spotify – Apple Podcasts
Spanish Podcasts for Intermediate Learners
StoryLearning Spanish
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.
Radio Ambulante
Españolistos
They tell stories about their lives in clear and accessible Spanish, and they also make episodes about Spanish grammar and tips for improving your Spanish. Recent episodes have covered common Latin American expressions and common mistakes that Spanish learners make when they speak. With an archive of more than 400 episodes, there’s plenty of material to dive into.
Website – Apple Podcasts – Spotify
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. But a great bonus is that there is a free transcription of every episode on the Unlimited Spanish website.
Improve your Spanish listening skills
Good news, we have a course for that! MosaSeries Spanish: El Hombre Sin Nombre. Start your 15-day free trial today and try it risk-free!
MosaSeries is an original and captivating Spanish story divided into short episodes, designed to help you improve your listening skills, broaden your vocabulary, and learn the most important aspects of Spanish grammar.
No Hay Tos
The conversations are authentic, and they talk at real speed, which is excellent for improving your Spanish listening comprehension. Beto and Héctor also do not shy away from using slang and swear words, even teaching them to the listener. I love this because many podcasts for learners are overly sterile–and I don’t know about you, but I want to learn real Spanish, not stuffy textbook Spanish!
Episodes are free, but joining their Patreon will get you access to their episode transcripts, plus bonus episodes that usually focus on a tricky aspect of Spanish grammar. This podcast is as fun as it is educational.
Website – Apple Podcasts – Spotify
Español Automático
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.
Español con Juan
In his podcast, aimed at intermediate learners, he tells funny stories and discusses topics like leaving your comfort zone or improving your self-esteem. Interestingly, he also makes serious episodes about the history of Spain and Francoism, as he is Spanish. Whether you want to laugh or learn, Español con Juan is a great choice.
Website – Apple Podcast – Spotify
News in Slow Spanish
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 both 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
Spanish Podcasts for Advanced Learners
Ted en Español
Website – Apple Podcast – Spotify
En Defensa Propia
Website – Apple Podcast – Spotify
El Gran Apagón
Website – Apple Podcasts – Spotify
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
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?
- They’re short, so you will be able to stay focused even if you are having a hard time understanding
- They’re super catchy, and you won’t mind listening again and again for practice
- It’s easy to find the lyrics so that you can complement your listening practice with reading
- They usually contain lots of Spanish slang and idiomatic expressions
- 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.