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If the only voice you hear talking in Spanish is your teacher’s or a recording that’s designed for learners, it can quickly become comfortable. Though this is great for your confidence, it’s also not realistic and if you’re not used to listening to different accents and voices in Spanish, you’ll be in for a shock.
To put it simply, we need Spanish listening practice in all sorts of different ways if we want to improve Spanish listening comprehension to a good level. There are lots of ways you can do this but there are two main ideas: learn how to listen well and listen to as much Spanish as you can.
To get to a level that you’re happy with, here are 11 brilliant ways how to improve Spanish listening.
How to improve Spanish listening skills
1. Find a language exchange partner
One of the best ways to improve Spanish listening comprehension is to find a language exchange partner.
If you’re lucky enough to live somewhere with a large native Spanish-speaking population, this will be easier. The idea behind a language exchange is that you meet up with someone and spend some time speaking with them in English and then some time speaking in Spanish.
Nowadays, things can be even easier thanks to our increased connectivity. It might even be possible to find a native speaker in Spain to chat with you over Zoom, for example.
2. Join a virtual conversation class
If you’re a little too shy to find a language exchange partner, a virtual conversation class can be a great alternative.
One option is italki, which is an online learning platform that facilitates connections between teachers and learners through video chats. You can find online tutoring or mutual language exchange.
Another option is Preply. This is an e-learning platform and app that offers one-to-one tutoring and matches Spanish tutors and learners on a machine-learning algorithm.
3. Record and review new vocabulary
Recording new phrases learnt and reviewing them often is a fail-safe way to make progress and improve Spanish listening comprehension.
When you do Spanish listening practice, there are generally two things that are preventing you from understanding everything that’s been said: the speed and the words. The more words you know in Spanish, the easier you’ll find listening activities. Also, when you know more words, the speech doesn’t seem so fast either!
4. Study Spanish with audio-focused courses
Lots of Spanish learners neglect listening activities because they perceive them to be harder. But not practising listening means you’ll never get better at it. Choosing an audio-focused course like the ones offered by Rocket Spanish and Pimsleur will keep you ahead of the game!
Also read: 18 Best Spanish Online Courses in 2023 for Avid Learners
5. Use apps that teach with native speaker voices
If you’re wanting to broaden your Spanish listening practice, using a Spanish learning app that has native voices is ideal. One of the most popular of these apps is Babbel. This app has a program with lessons lasting between ten and fifteen minutes meaning you can fit learning in alongside your other jobs and hobbies.
The Babbel method is based on getting you speaking straight away and it focuses on real-life topics and proper conversations.
6. Listen to Spanish podcasts
Spanish podcasts are a great way of listening to valuable and interesting content all while developing your language skills. What’s more, when you’re interested in a specific topic, you might even forget that you’re learning altogether!
There are thousands of free podcasts out there on a variety of different platforms – it’s never been easier to source Spanish audio than it is now!
7. Watch movies and TV programs in Spanish
Besides audio, you can improve Spanish listening comprehension by watching movies and TV programs in Spanish.
Remember, not all learning has to be active listening. By watching TV and movies, you can take in the language passively too. There’s no need to always sit with a question sheet and listen to Spanish audio to get the answers. Both passive and active listening activities benefit your overall listening comprehension development so have fun while you’re learning too!
That said, if you want to actively learn while being entertained, you can use an engaging app like Lingopie. Simply choose a Spanish show or movie on Lingopie, click on the subtitles to learn new words and phrases, and save your favorites into flashcards. You’ll grow your vocab while developing your listening and speaking skills!
8. Switch your devices and websites to Spanish
Switching your phone, social media accounts, and web browsers to Spanish might be daunting at first but you’ll learn so much! If you get stuck, you can always Google how to change it back. All small things like this really do add up and make a difference.
9. Do some extra listening practice for active listening
We’ve mentioned passive listening with podcasts, TV, and movies, but if you want to do some active listening activities there are some fantastic resources out there. The Spanishlistening.org website just focuses on listening practice and nothing more.
The native speakers come from different Spanish-speaking countries and talk at different levels and on different topics. You can search for videos by topic, level, grammar point, and country. If you discover a particular person you like listening to, you can even search by their name.
There are videos for all levels right from beginner to high advanced levels. You can hide or show the transcript add closed captions, complete a quiz on the video and learn the vocabulary mentioned in the clip.
10. Make sure you incorporate different accents into your listening practice
Different accents are essential to your full education when it comes to listening skills in Spanish. Remember, Spanish is spoken in many different countries and not just in Spain.
Each country (and even each region in some countries) has its own accent and dialect. It’s important to familiarise yourself with these and tune your ear to other accents. The Spanishlistening.org website mentioned above is ideal for listening to different accents.
11. Add Spanish songs to your playlist
One of the most fun ways to practise listening is with music. You might even be familiar with a few songs in Spanish already. But Macarena, La Bamba, and Feliz Navidad might not cut it for you for long!
Do some research in Spanish music on the genre that you like. If you’re into rock music, you might like Héroes del Silencio, Extremoduro, Fito & Fitipaldis, La Fuga, and Marea. If pop’s more your genre, Shakira, Alejandro Sanz, Enrique Iglesias, and Mecano are popular. Popular heavy metal bands include Warycry, Avalanch, Stravaganzza, and Mägo de Oz are some of the most popular.
You don’t need to find songs that match your level of Spanish. Simply enjoying the music and picking up the odd word or two will really help tune your ear and strengthen your listening skills.
12. Don’t give up
Throwing all your energy into learning Spanish can take its toll and make it less enjoyable. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and frustrated, take a step back. A break from what you’re doing or a switch in the method can work wonders too.
Remember, your brain needs to process and digest new language and this takes time. Everyone hits a wall occasionally and the only way is to push through it until you get through to the other side.
Final thoughts
Getting to grips with listening to Spanish will take time and patience. By working on your listening skills, you’ll be improving your other skills too. Listening is one of the foundations of any language and will improve your vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation to no end.
Ensure you source the best Spanish learning resources and spend time practising and you’ll notice improved skills in listening. Enjoy and good luck!