Spanish Immersion 101: Listening to Podcasts in Spanish

Posted by Garner McCloud on March 14, 2017

Listening comprehension is the most crucial skill according to many language learning experts. One of the biggest revelations has been that language mastering can be greatly accelerated when the learner focuses fully on listening fluency before trying to speak the language.

To really take advantage of this, listening practice should be the biggest part of our day. And with that in mind, I find that podcasts provide the most input of all mediums out there by delivering pure Spanish conversation.

Many people rely on music to fill in the voids of the day when they are doing a mindless activity like brushing their teeth, getting dressed, or driving to work. While some input can be picked up from playing Spanish songs during those time periods, podcasts can provide 10x as much input.

And most don't realize how much time people spend getting ready and commuting to work. This usually takes at least 1 hour of the day, often more.

So why not use this time to be immersed in Spanish? It’ll help reinforce any grammar lessons you may have recently learned and will also help you understand how Spanish is normally spoken in conversation.

Have I convinced you yet? Did I mention that almost all podcasts are free? I guess the real question is, why aren’t you using them yet?

Okay, so want to start listening to podcasts but you don’t know how or where to find them. I was in your same boat so I’ll explain how you can do it.

Finding Podcasts in Spanish

Before we begin, I recommend that you listen to podcasts on your smart phone so you can easily listen to them anywhere - whether it is the bathroom, the train, or your car.

In order to do that, you’ll need a podcast app on your phone. Iphone users can use the default "Podcasts" app on their phone. If you have Android, my personal preference is the Podcast Addict app on the Play Store. In addition, there is another Spanish Podcasts app called Ivoox that you should download. It’s geared toward the Spanish speaking world so you'll find tons of native content. Now open up those apps to make sure they are setup correctly.

Next, we need to find some podcasts in Spanish to subscribe too! There are some language learning podcasts like “Coffee Break Spanish” and “News in Slow Spanish” that are in English and Spanish. Some people really like those, but for me they are often too short, don’t have enough Spanish, and can have boring topics.

I like podcasts that are 100% Spanish so that I can just live in the language. Here’s a list of podcasts I found that I really enjoy.

My Favorite Podcasts

Now those are a few of my favorites. You can find them by clicking on those links or searching their names in your podcast app. Make sure you subscribe to them so you are notified when new episodes become available.

If you are looking for new podcasts to subscribe to, I suggest looking in the Ivoox App as it has an endless supply of podcasts of various themes.

One last tip before you get to listening - if you want to limit cellphone data usage when you are away from wifi, make sure to fully download the podcasts when you are home. You can have your podcast app do that for you automatically as well.

Now go out there and take advantage of that hour you thought was wasted in the morning and evening. By immersing yourself in Spanish for that hour, you’ll dramatically increase your comprehension over time.

Immersion is one of the best techniques for learning Spanish, so I wholeheartedly recommend this and other actions that get you immersed in Spanish.

If you are curious of what else you can do, check out my guide on getting yourself completely immersed in Spanish without leaving your home.

Care to share?

What’s your favorite Spanish podcast, and where did you find it? Share it with your fellow Spanish learners in comments section below.


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