Spanish Spoken: Spain
Includes Spanish Lessons: Yes
Concepts are explained in English.
Good podcasts are something of a gem in my world. I find it hard to listen unless they flow well, the subject matter is interesting and I feel like I am getting something out of them. A postcast that covers primarily news for example, will lose me within the first episode.
The Show Time Spanish episodes are well recorded, and the audio is very clear.
Most lessons feature:
1) a conversation in Spanish (you need a decent level of Spanish to jump into these)
2) something to break up the lesson a bit (it might be un trabalenguas, (tongue twister), or a Spanish joke)
3) a tidbit of Spanish to help you sound more like a native, whether it be a lovely colloquial expression or the proper wording of a common phrase
4) and at the end, a more in-depth grammatical lesson
I also like that the non-native speaker in this particular podcast is Scottish, when he does speak English it's delightful to listen to. ;P
Getting the most from the Podcast
You do need to sit back and have some peace and quiet to really get everything out of the podcasts. They're not like an Episode of Planeta Tierra that I might put on as I'm falling asleep. I want to focus and remember the content of the lessons. I usually have a piece of paper with me so I can quickly jot down words or phrases that I would like to remember. I wouldn't recommend listening to podcasts like this at work, however they're great to have on while I'm straightening my hair in the morning, chopping up veggies for supper or doing any kind of housework that isn't too noisy. They key for me to be able to get the most out of them is a quiet environment with as few interruptions as possible.
A little variety
Every fifth podcast is a little different, they contain their version of a telenovela, or Spanish Soap Opera. It's a little less dramatic than the traditional variety, thank goodness - but it does give you a chance to listen to more or less natural conversations that are spoken at a speed that the average intermediate learner will be able to understand. These podcasts also include some of the Spanish covered in previous podcasts so it's a great way to see what you've learnt!
So Check out the Podcast and continue your free language-learning experience.
** I know that I've mostly been sharing intermediate Spanish study material, this is due to the fact that what I tend to study is for is my current Spanish level. However, I will be switching it up and sharing some more basic material as well, so if you're not quite ready for these ones, don't worry!
See you soon!
