Spanish-Language Media for Beginners

December 3, 2022 8:33 PM

I am looking for free or low-cost media with which to practice my neophyte skill in Spanish. I have been doing a 15-minute DuoLingo lesson most days for about half a year. I am a native English speaker in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.

I am aware of Slow News in Spanish. That idea is appealing, but it costs a little more than I’d like to pay. I do have Netflix, both streaming and discs, but no other streaming services or television. I am open open to any form of media (such as books, films, newspapers, podcasts, radio ...). Do you have any suggestions?

posted by NotLost to Media & Arts (12 answers total)

Best answer: Duolingo's got a Spanish podcast. I also started adding some Spanish-language accounts to my social media feeds, I don't have a specific recommendation handy but for example, an IG announcing artsy events in Mexico City, or someone talking about a TV show I've already seen, so I have a general idea of the content but have to work to actually read it.
posted by jameaterblues at 8:49 PM on December 3, 2022 [5 favorites]

Best answer: FYI, the org behind News in Slow Spanish does release a little of that content for free through their app, Linguistica. It's not a lot -- something like two segments of about 4 minutes each, weekly -- but might be worth adding into your mix.
posted by egregious theorem at 10:16 PM on December 3, 2022

Radio Caracol has a number of free streaming programs. The Colombian accent is a very accessible accent to my American English ear.
posted by cocoagirl at 11:52 PM on December 3, 2022

Check out from your local library anything that looks like it's about your reading level and of interest.

In Portland, they have intercambio where people get together once a week and talked half the time in English and half the time in Spanish. For some reason, in California, my local library system seems to think language learning only happens in English? Maybe Albuquerque's library system does an intercambio, and if they don't, you could probably start one!
posted by aniola at 11:52 PM on December 3, 2022

Best answer: EasySpanish is a good YouTube channel, I find.
Lots of conversations with native speakers subtitled in English and Spanish.
posted by rongorongo at 3:15 AM on December 4, 2022

Big fan of the Duolingo Spanish podcast! You can get points in Duolingo for listening in the app but there are way more episodes available outside the app.

I’m trying out this one now:
https://radioambulante.org/en
posted by music for skeletons at 6:13 AM on December 4, 2022

Consider listening to one or two of the local Spanish-language radio stations while you drive as background; almost certainly it will be a mix of Mexican regional music, very enthusiastic DJs, and repeated ads for local supermarkets, banks, public service ads, etc. You will (especially as you learn more) pick up words and phrases in the songs and the repeated ads will become familiar as well. Sometimes people call in and dedicate songs to their moms or boyfriends or all the guys at a jobsite.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:46 AM on December 4, 2022

Best answer: I think I first heard about it here, but the Espanolistos podcast and its companion, Spanishland school, are both very good for learning grammar and vocabulary (they’re also on YouTube). Many episodes of Espanolistos are focused on stories or cultural information and not just grammar, and they speak slowly for learners’ comprehension. I also took classes through Spanishland for about a year. The content was very helpful and they had regular video sessions to watch and small group conversation classes as an add-on.
posted by Fuego at 7:37 AM on December 4, 2022

Dreaming Spanish has hundreds of beginner videos for free, and the premium subscription is only $8/month.

If you are in Albuquerque I am sure that your local public library will have a decent selection of Spanish books, both children's books and adult books.
posted by Jeanne at 7:50 AM on December 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

The Spanish TV series Money Heist on Netflix is incredibly entertaining and well-acted.
posted by hovey at 8:36 AM on December 4, 2022

For reading - CNN has headline news newsletter in Spanish.
posted by Dotty at 6:16 AM on December 5, 2022

Response by poster: Thanks, you've given me a number of good options! I've marked as Best Answer those I plan to try first.
posted by NotLost at 6:37 AM on December 5, 2022