Free Spanish Listening Resources for All Levels

Want to improve your Spanish listening skills without breaking the bank? Then this post is just the thing for you. I’ve compiled a list of my favorite FREE Spanish listening resources, and I can’t wait to share them with you.

Understanding spoken Spanish is hard. But, like most areas of foreign language, your listening comprehension will improve with practice. Lots and lots of practice. The problem is that often students don’t know how to hone their listening skills. Or else they think that they have to spend a lot of money in order to get good at Spanish.

Despite what self-interested salespeople may tell you, there are plenty of ways you can practice Spanish listening without spending a single penny. I know, because I did it. I never spent any money on listening comprehension – except for a Netflix subscription, but I had that already anyway. And you don’t even need Netflix. (Which is why I don’t mention any Netflix or Amazon Prime shows in this post! Free means free.)

Before I introduce you to my favorite Spanish audio resources, I just want to say: be smart about how you practice listening comprehension. You can read my strategies and tips for how to improve listening skills in any foreign language.

But the gist of it is that you want to a) find a variety of audio-rich materials and b) listen to as many of them as possible. It’s a good thing that I’m about to tell you about a bunch of free Spanish audio materials, then, right?

Spanish Listening Comprehension Resources for Beginners

In the beginning, any exposure to Spanish helps. You won’t understand everything, but if you understand something, that’s progress. It is really important to familiarize yourself with the sounds of the language. Understanding will come with time.

Duolingo Spanish

My first recommendation is Duolingo Spanish. There are limits to what you can learn with Duolingo, but I definitely recommend it as a supplementary resource in the beginning stages of your language learning journey. Some listening comprehension exercises are built into the program, and you can make things more difficult for yourself by not reading the text even when it is provided. The website and app are great for getting used to the language. Plus there are free forums where you can ask grammar and vocabulary questions!

Notes in Spanish Inspired Beginners Podcast

This podcast is run by Ben Curtis and Marina Diez, a British-Spanish couple based in Madrid. They introduce basic vocabulary, explain introductory grammar concepts, and present easy dialogues. The audio itself is free, but you have to subscribe for the accompanying transcripts and worksheets. I never did, though, and the free materials can be used on their own! Visit the website to learn more and try an episode or two. (Or you can look the podcast up in your app of choice.)

SpanishPod101

I have never actually listened to this podcast myself, since I wasn’t very podcast-savvy back in the day when I was starting Spanish. But it has good reviews, and there are episodes of all different levels, starting with newbie. New audio lessons are published every day, and you can also sign up for a free membership on the SpanishPod101 website. Free services include an emailed Word of the Day and access to various supplementary materials. (There are also various paid memberships, but again, not necessary!)

Spanish Listening Comprehension Resources for Intermediate Learners

Notes in Spanish Intermediate Podcast

Ben and Marina have also produced a podcast for intermediate students. The 46 episodes deal with various topics, from vacations to Spanish culture to the mafia. As with the beginners podcast, there are supplementary materials available for purchase, but the podcast itself is an excellent tool in its own right.

Hola Qué Pasa: News in Easy Spanish

holaquepasa.com publishes a short news article every day (or almost every day) with an accompanying audio version. You can listen to the audio on the site itself, or you can find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. The advantage is that you have a free, ready-made source of listening practice that comes with a transcript. The disadvantage is that the audio seems to be machine-generated, but it sounds realistic enough that it can still be a good learning tool. In addition to the text and audio, the website offers translation of difficult phrases, grammar exercises, and even quizzes to test your comprehension.

Duolingo Spanish Podcast

Duolingo again! This time I want to recommend the Duolingo Spanish Podcast, a production aimed at intermediate students. Each 15-minute episode (and there are now over 80 of them) tells the true story of a Spanish-speaking individual. The episodes will take you all over the Spanish-speaking world, from Mexico to Venezuela to Spain, and thus they introduce you to a variety of accents and voices. The audio alternates between English and Spanish, with the English providing useful background information. You can find a full transcript of every podcast on Duolingo’s website.

Lyricstraining.com

One of my favorite resources for Spanish listening comprehension is lyricstraining.com, a karaoke-style website featuring music videos in various languages. You click on a video and, instead of singing out loud, type in some or all of the lyrics as they play. It’s a lot of fun, and it is also a great way to learn (and remember!) new vocabulary. There is also an app, which appears to work slightly differently. There you can pick between Karaoke mode, where you simply listen and watch the lyrics, and Multiple Choice mode, where you fill in the blanks. The app only lets you play a limited number of times per 30 minutes (unless you purchase a paid plan).

Spanish Listening Comprehension Resources for Advanced Learners

Once you reach a more advanced level, you can listen to pretty much anything and get some benefit out of it. But here are a few of my favorite free Spanish listening resources for advanced learners. And although I listed lyricstraining.com as an intermediate resource, it offers great listening practice for more experienced students, too!

Notes in Spanish Advanced

I’ve already mentioned Ben and Marina in both the beginning and the intermediate sections, and here they are again. This enterprising couple has also produced a podcast for advanced learners, one that I used to listen to quite frequently when I was working on my Spanish listening skills. Once again, there are additional materials available for purchase, but the free audio was enough for me.

Radio Ambulante Podcast

Running since 2011 and produced by NPR since 2016, Radio Ambulante publishes weekly episodes relating stories from all over the Spanish-speaking world. You can access the audio for free online (as well as on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and NPR One). Even more exciting, the website features full Spanish transcripts and English translations of every episode. Each episode page also contains links to more information on the topic. Radio Ambulante is an excellent resource for advanced Spanish learners – but beware, it is difficult. I feel completely comfortable with my Spanish listening skills, and I still struggle with this podcast sometimes.

Radio + News

Listening to the news and other forms of broadcasting is an amazing source of high-speed, colloquial audio. You can use TuneIn Radio (website and app) to find Spanish-language stations on a variety of topics. The downside to live radio or TV is that there usually isn’t a way to review a difficult segment or to find a transcript. For this reason, I also recommend YouTube videos and news podcasts. Most broadcasting companies have YouTube channels where you can watch and re-watch videos packed with useful audio content. And you can also search for Spanish news in your favorite podcast app or site. I like Telemundo Noticias and Noticias de la Mañana!

Audiobooks

There are a surprising number of audiobooks in Spanish available for free on the internet. If you want to start with something familiar, you can find Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, Twilight, and The Lord of the Rings by a quick search on YouTube. Spanish and Latin American classics are also available on YouTube. Go find an audiobook to listen to right now! They are a fantastic source of listening practice, especially if they include multiple narrators. Plus, you can always read along with the text of the book if your ears need some visual support.

Go use your free Spanish listening resources!

I hope that you will find these listening materials as helpful as I did. And if you are still looking for more ideas, check out my post on the most effective ways to practice listening comprehension. At the end I include a list of the kinds of resources you should be looking for.

I will continually update this page as I discover new free Spanish listening resources or as other materials become available for free. And now go out and improve your Spanish listening skills!