Top five Spanish podcasts to improve your listening skills

So you want to learn Spanish? Awesome! One of the best ways to get your feet wet is by simply listening to other people speak in Spanish. Listening comprehension is so important and there are some amazing Spanish podcasts out there that are geared toward all levels of learners. Here’s my top five.

I really started trying to learn Spanish about a year ago. One of the first things I did was listen to Spanish podcasts when I got ready in the morning. At first I didn’t understand nada. But then month after month, I realized that I could understand more and more. Consistency is the key. So, here are my top five podcasts that will get you started off on the right foot.

#5: Españolistos

Level: Intermediate to advanced
Established: October 2016
Episode length: 30 minutes
Topics: Travel, culture, everyday living
Website: https://www.espanolistos.com

The hosts of this podcast are Andrea (Colombian Spanish Teacher) and Nate (American with fluency). They are a cute couple who talk about interesting topics that are engaging and fun to listen to. They currently have 280 episodes that are released weekly so they have quite the following. I like listening to them because Nate’s American accent is easier to understand if you’re just a beginner. Overall, this is a great podcast.

#4: Un día en Español

Level: Beginner
Established: November 2020
Episode length: 5-7 minutes
Topics: Day in the life of Spanish speakers in the U.S. or Latin America
Website: https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/un-dia-en-espanol-spanish-learning-podcast

The great thing about this podcast is that you can listen to an entire story in less than 10 minutes. They speak slowly and clearly and the narrator jumps in occasionally in English to explain. This is a podcast created by the language learning app Babbel. The stories are light-hearted and fun and is the perfect podcast for beginners.

#3: Simple Stories in Spanish

Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Established: February 2020
Episode length: 15 minutes
Topics: Simple stories, fairytales
Website: smalltownspanishteacher.com

This Spanish teacher from Minnesota tells weekly stories and fairytales in Spanish. Her American accent makes it easier to understand. Since the episodes are only 15 minutes long, it’s easy to take a minute each day and listen to one of her stories.

#2: Duolingo Spanish Podcast

Level: Beginner to Advanced
Established: December 2017
Episode length: 20 minutes
Topics: True stories
Website: https://podcast.duolingo.com/spanish

Most everyone has heard of Duolingo the app, but did you know that Duolingo has a podcast as well? This podcast features true stories and provides English narration through the episodes for context. That way you don’t feel completely lost throughout the entire episode. I love the stories that they tell and you get exposed to many different types of Spanish accents.

#1: Learn Spanish and Go

Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Established: April 2020
Episode length: 25-30 minutes
Topics: Travel stories, cultural conversations, Spanish tips, and interviews with Spanish speakers
Website: https://spanishandgo.com/podcast

This cute Mexican/American couple is an entertaining duo that are fun to listen to and easy to understand. I’ve listened to this podcast longer than any other Spanish podcasts. They speak slowly and clearly and choose topics that keep my attention and I learn a lot at the same time. With more than 100 episodes, I’ve listened to almost all of them. Plus, they have additional membership programs and language resources that you can tap into. Highly recommend.

Hopefully this was helpful as you’re trying to explore the various language-learning resources out there. Good luck on your journey to learning Spanish. If you’re looking for other helpful resources to learn Spanish, here’s a few that might help:

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