In case you’ve been living under a rock, podcasts are awesome.
Spanish podcasts are perfect if you want to learn Spanish, but don’t have a Spanish-speaking person who can chat with you 24/7 in their native tongue. Picking up textbooks and flashcards is a good start, but they are not going to get you conversing freely and naturally. You need to get your head out of your textbook and start hearing real Spanish, the kind that is spoken by millions of people all over the world.
One of the most effective ways of doing all this is with Spanish podcasts. They can really help you to hone your listening and speaking skills. What’s more, they put the fun back into learning because you can listen to audio anywhere. You can sit at your desk and listen to them online or you can download them to your smartphone. That way you can listen any place any time. Perhaps when you’re walking the dog, jogging round the neighbourhood or standing in the shower – assuming your digital device is waterproof!
The Main Benefits of Spanish Podcasts
- You can learn at your own speed
- You are hearing native speakers speaking real Spanish
- You will broaden your vocabulary
- You will learn how the words are being used
- You can learn lots of new topics
- You can choose to listen to as much or as little as you want depending on your schedule
Great Spanish Podcasts You Should Be Listening To
Here are really great podcasts for your learning and listening pleasure.
Audiria (website)
Audiria is fresh, fun and fabulous. This lively and engaging podcast series for all levels of Spanish language learners was conceived by two Malaga-based brothers as a non-profit enterprise. Their aim is to promote the Spanish language and culture and all the podcasts are free.
Audiria is a rich source of material and when we say rich we really mean it. There is a new Spanish podcast every single day! Each one is tagged on the basis of language complexity so the student can know whether it’s suitable for their current level. The podcasts are in Spanish and cover a large variety of real-life situations. Nothing sounds artificial or staged, and the learning is supported by exercises and other resources.
SpanishPod101 (iTunes, App Store, Google Play, website)
One of the really neat things about SpanishPod101 is that you are learning the language from a host of native speakers from different parts of the Spanish-speaking world, including Peru, Costa Rica and Mexico.
This helps you to learn about the way the language is spoken in different regions you may be traveling to or are interested in. The episodes are upbeat and enjoyable with the language spoken at normal speed. The dialogues are repeated several times and a wealth of supporting material is provided. SpanishPod101 has lessons for beginners all the way up to advanced Spanish language speakers.
Spanish Obsessed (iTunes – website)
Spanish Obsessed offers excellent language-learning programs by a real-life couple who are Spanish speakers. Rob is from London and Liz hails from Colombia, and they have put a lot of thought and charm into their work. Both sound like they are really enjoying the lessons. The podcasts are for beginners, intermediates and advanced speakers and use conversational Spanish, the type you will hear on the street and in the shops and bars, not in the classroom.
Source: fluentu.com
