Spanish Podcasts! Learn Intermediate Español on Your Way to Work
Podcasts have a way of accelerating your grasp of Spanish like never before! Why? It is as easy as grabbing a pair of AirPods and hitting “play.” You can listen to Spanish podcasts from anywhere, like during your commute to work, while folding laundry, waiting for your brother to finish soccer practice or while you’re walking the dog.
If you don’t have a dog, you should get one—it will give you an excuse to learn Spanish.
What Is a Podcast?
Unless you’ve been living on Mars for the last few years, you have most likely listened to a podcast. Podcasts are audio programs. They are available on the internet (for free or subscription) and you download them to your smartphone or PC.
More than 700,000 different podcasts currently exist in over 100 languages. As a matter of fact, they exist in Spanish too!
Mundane Activities Be Gone
Turn everyday activities into productive and educational stretches of time.
Listening to podcasts will improve your listening and comprehension skills as they enhance your grasp of language cadence. What does that mean exactly? Well, every language has its own unique rhythm and flow of sound, or cadence. In any language, you need to put an emphasis in the right places, such as where an accent mark falls, in order to improve your chances of being understood by native speakers.
This is not difícil (dee-fee-seel), (notice the emphasis is on the fí portion of the word), but it requires vigilance. For example, if you were speaking and had said “DEE-fee-seel,” this would be incorrect and confusing to the listener. It would also prove that you speak Spanish with a heavy English accent.
Don’t be deterred, however, podcasts in Spanish will help you fine-tune your accent!
Benefits of Podcasts
In addition to making everyday tasks more exciting while you learn proper pronunciation from native Spanish-speaking hosts, podcasts have numerous other benefits:
- Expand your vocabulary
- Learn at your own speed
- Listen to as much or as little as your day allows
- 24/7 access
- Educate yourself on many different topics
- Accomplish your goal of improving Spanish fluency, such as listening and reading skills
- Es fácil to download and hit play!
You may wonder how do you improve reading skills in particular with an audio program? Some podcasts give their listeners transcripts and vocabulary lists (some free, some for premium users).
What Language Level Am I?
Are you curious if your Spanish language level is “beginner,” “intermediate,” or “advanced?” Look no further than the Common European Framework of Reference, or CEFR. This is an international guideline that allows language learners to determine their specific level through testing. (If you happen to be a beginner, check out our podcast list for beginners!)
Language learning falls into five key areas: listening, reading, spoken interaction, spoken production and writing. And, for each category you can place in one of six levels: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2.
Your learning level may be the same across all categories, or vary. For example, you can be a “beginner” in spoken interaction, but “advanced” in listening. Or, you can be “intermediate” in all areas.
Determine your level straightaway via the CEFR placement exam, practice test, or self-evaluation to see where you’re at in your Spanish fluency and to know which resources will be most useful to you.
Or, informally determine your level by choosing a podcast and listening to the introduction/first few minutes. If you have no idea what they are saying, perhaps it’s time to find one that uses simpler vocabulary or speaks slower.
6 Spanish Podcasts for Intermediate Level Language-Learners
Without further delay, here are the top 6 podcasts for expanding your Intermediate Spanish language knowledge. Whether you are learning a Latin American dialect or the Castilian accent from Spain—we’ve got you covered.
1. Españolistos
Region: Latin America
Cost: Free
Language Level: Intermediate and Advanced
Andrea is a native Spanish speaker from Colombia and Nate is a Spanish-learner from the United States. Their goal is to get you beyond an intermediate level and head towards an advanced level by “digging deep into the meaty parts of the language.” They discuss a variety of topics and will help you increase your vocabulary. Andrea is known to correct Nate’s Spanish-language mistakes, which is a great learning experience for the listener as well!
Region: Spain
Cost: Free Podcasts and Additional Material with Subscription
Language Level: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced
This charming duo has quite an audience with over 40 million downloads! Ben is a native English-speaker from England while Marina is a native Spanish-speaker from Madrid, Spain. These two describe their free podcasts as “completely natural conversations, covering interesting news, Spanish culture, current affairs, and travel.” This podcast will teach you everyday Spanish, the kind of Spanish you will actually use among friends. Marina will gently correct Ben’s Spanish (such as when he uses the incorrect gendered pronoun) and this is helpful because you can listen along and see if you catch his errors! Podcasts are available for free and worksheets/additional materials are available for purchase.
Region: Spain and Latin America
Cost: First Week Free/ Subscription
Language Level: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced
Start your day by listening to the daily news…in Spanish! This podcast keeps you up-to-date on current events through news reports from Spain and around the world that are spoken in Spanish slowly. You can vary the speed if you would like more or less of a challenge. The homepage allows you to toggle between Spain or Latino Spanish dialects, as well as choose your language level of beginner, intermediate, or advanced.
Region: Latin America
Cost: Free
Language Level: Intermediate, Advanced
Take your Spanish to the next level, from intermediate to advanced, with this award-winning podcast. This series will take you through Latin America with main Host Daniel Alarcón who is a fabulous storyteller. He writes for magazines like The New Yorker and Wired, and teaches at the Columbia Journalism School (third best school in the United States).
The Podcast is distributed by NPR, and the episodes explore real-life Latino experiences in a way that only NPR-esque journalism can. Listen to stories on social, economic, and cultural issues that people face. What’s more? Their website has free English transcripts and 9 seasons of episodes.
5. Nómadas
Region: Spain
Cost: Free
Language Level: Intermediate and Advanced
Nómadas, or “nomads” in English, is a Spanish radio show that delivers travel stories and documentaries from around the world. This is an authentic way to hear Spanish, since it targets Spanish speakers worldwide. Transcripts are available to keep you on track.
Region: Central America
Cost: Free
Language Level: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced
Okay, okay, this is not a podcast, but a YouTube channel! Hear me out. You still can put in your earbuds and listen in on Spanish conversation about real-life topics from our native Spanish-speaking teachers. This content here covers a variety of topics on language, culture, and vocabulary to help you improve your Spanish!
Off You Go
You’re going to love Spanish podcasts so much that your parents or spouse will start to wonder why you are always out walking the dog. Or, they will wonder why your dog only understands Spanish commands!
Time to Chat with a Live Person
After listening to Spanish podcasts for some time, you will want to mix it up and speak to a native Spanish speaker to practice your skills! Start today with a free class. What are you waiting for?
Would you like more intermediate Spanish resources? Check these out!
I began studying Spanish at age 11 and have been interested in language and culture ever since! While at university, I studied abroad in Spain and Costa Rica and got a B.A. in Environmental Economics with a minor in Spanish. After spending over a decade in corporate America, I now enjoy the simpler things in life. ¡Pura Vida!
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