The podcast industry is booming and more popular than ever, with the industry set to be worth $4 billion by 2024. However, while some podcasts can entertain, tell stories, or bring you news, there is a growing number that are extremely useful when it comes to furthering our education.  Here are 5 podcasts to help you learn Spanish.

While it may seem like there are almost too many podcasts to choose from these days, why not make the most of what’s out there to help you learn Spanish? Whether you want to brush up for your holidays, expand your vocabulary or for your business, this is a great way to expand your Spanish knowledge.

The team at Preply has shared their top five podcasts picks, that will effectively help you to learn Spanish:

1. Coffee Break Spanish Podcast 

With episodes at just 15 minutes long, the short-and-sweet Coffee Break Spanish Podcast makes learning Spanish a fun and enjoyable experience. The hosts include several language teachers and native Spanish speakers.

The podcast episodes have been carefully written by experienced teachers, so you can be sure that you will progress steadily through the audio lessons. In that regard, it will feel more like an official learning course, rather than a regular podcast – what better way to improve your Spanish?

2.  News in Slow Spanish

It may not sound riveting, but News in Slow Spanish is a great starting point if you’re a beginner. It comes in two versions: one using Spanish as it’s spoken in Spain and the other focusing on Latin American Spanish.

The suitably-named podcast features discussions of current news stories in Spanish, but spoken slowly and clearly so it’s easy for non-native speakers to understand.

Once you learn some basic Spanish, listen to this podcast to reinforce your knowledge and help you get a sense of how the language sounds.

3. Spanish Obsessed 

The hosts of Spanish Obsessed are Rob (British) and Lis (Colombian). Beginner-level episodes include some English, but are still conversation-based, making the listener feel like they are joining a few friends for a relaxed chat.

Occasionally, guests from different countries join the show as well, to provide exposure to different accents. This podcast is unique in offering two ‘beginner’ levels: Spanish from Scratch and Beginners’ Spanish.

4. Lightspeed Spanish 

Lightspeed Spanish differentiates between absolute beginners and early intermediate, with the hosts being seasoned Spanish and English teacher Gordon, who is British, and native Spanish speaker/Spanish teacher Cynthia, who is, of course, Spanish.

Gordon first learned Spanish while living in Mexico for two years, giving him some excellent perspective on the differences between each school of Spanish.

This podcast is more focused on teaching grammar, verb conjugations, and how to use specific expressions than cultural topics, making it perfect for beginners still getting a feel for how the language functions.

5. Notes in Spanish

Notes in Spanish allows you to become familiar with the spoken Spanish that you may hear on the street, rather than the written Spanish found in a textbook. The hosts of Notes in Spanish are Ben (British) and Marina (native speaker).

Ben augments the lessons with his real-life experiences and mishaps he faced while learning Spanish in Spain. Beginner-level episodes offer explanations in English and transition to using mainly Spanish in more advanced levels.

Daniele Saccardi, expert at Preply says:

 “Reading and listening to learn Spanish are both passive skills and writing can be done outside of the classroom, so it is critical to use classroom time for helping students with their speaking ability. So, it’s logical that the fewer students in a class, the more opportunities there are to speak.

“This is arguably the greatest benefit of a one-on-one language teacher. The student can use the majority of the class time to practise his speaking and pronunciation. Increased talk time, combined with constructive feedback is the most effective way a teacher can help a student improve their oral language abilities.

“This effective method can be supplemented by listening to a podcast, that can help immerse the listener into a language and help them practise whilst commuting to work, walking the dogs, or doing the dishes.”