Spanish is the second international language for excellence, a tool that is necessary in the workplace, academic and even for personal life. However, not everyone has enough time to join a language school or attend regular classes with a private teacher; for these cases there are Spanish courses for the car. If you spend many hours in your car, you can learn Spanish while driving through specially designed podcasts, audiobooks or simply a radio station.
In this article we are going to see ways of learning Spanish while driving:
- Put a Spanish language radio station.
- Listen to songs on the phone or a CD in Spanish.
- Listen to podcasts on a wide variety of topics.
- Download audiobooks on interesting topics.
- If you don’t drive, download an app to learn in the car.
Keep on reading and improve your Spanish skills thanks to GlobalExam and our General Español course!
Put a Spanish language radio station
There are so many ways you can use to learn Spanish. You can choose to do it in a classic way, or you can simply choose to watch movies, TV series, telenovelas, YouTube videos. No matter what your intention is, you will be able to find the most effective method to learn Spanish for you.
If you want to learn Spanish in the car, for example, listening to the radio in Spanish (although it may seem overwhelming at first) is a good way to tune your ears to the language. It is an easy, discreet, and entertaining way to learn Spanish while driving. Take note of the best radio stations that will help you in your learning of Spanish and that cover a wide range of topics, dialects, audiences, political position and levels of formality.
Cadena SER (Spain)
It is the most popular radio station in Spain. Cadena SER broadcasts programs that cover a wide variety of topics, including news, entertainment and culture. It Is also one of the most important sources of sports coverage in the country and broadcasts programs where important football matches like La Liga or the UEFA Champions League are commented on. It has studios throughout the whole country that broadcast local and regional news. Listening to Cadena SER is a good option if you want to familiarize yourself with the accents spoken in different parts of Spain.
Radio3 – Radio Nacional de España (Spain)
This is the public and national radio station of Spain. RNE has a total of six stations. Radio 3 includes most of the programmes aimed at young audiences. It is also a good option for younger students or for those who want to learn slang or informal Spanish. This third station of RNE also includes a wide variety of music, focusing primarily on rock and hip hop, but also Spanish, folk, jazz and flamenco.
Radio Educación (México)
Broadcast from Mexico City, this radio station is known for broadcasting high-quality information and educational programs in Spanish. The station focuses on aspects of Mexican culture, with particular emphasis on the creative arts. It also broadcasts informative presentations on history, politics, literature, or science.
Radio Miter (Argentina)
For Spanish students who prefer high-quality intellectual Journalism, the Martín Fierro Award-winning station is just what they need. Based in Argentina, this network features collaborations from presenters with excellent command of the language. It is considered a news network and presents debates with expert’s opinions covering the latest political and economical topics.
W Radio Bogotá (Colombia)
This Colombian station mainly broadcasts news and talk shows. There is also some music-oriented content focused on the contemporary adult genre. W Radio is perhaps best known for its popular morning news show, “La W”.
Listen to songs with the phone or a CD in Spanish
Who doesn’t like to listen to music in the car? Sitting on the seat, starting the engine, and driving listening to our favourite songs is an indescribable experience both for the driver and for the passengers of the vehicle.
While you are driving, switch the English music that you normally listen to Spanish songs. Whether you have a CD collection or an audio library on your phone or MP3, add to it a Spanish artists list. If you have never listened to Spanish music before, iTunes, Spotify or SoundCloud will link you to good music.
Pick your favourites and take them along with you in your drives! Check out artists like: Enrique Iglesias, Shakira, Juan Luis Guerra, Alejandro Sanz, or Gloria Estefan among others. Remember: listening to Spanish natives is the best way to learn a language properly.
Songs are a very effective way to learn Spanish in an easy way and learn the language on your own.
Listen to podcasts on a wide variety of topics
Also for example to learn Spanish while sleeping, podcasts are great because not only do they teach you, but they are generally quite entertaining: from news or history to language courses. Check out this list of some of the best podcasts to learn Spanish.
Coffee Break Spanish
The best podcast for beginners. Created by Lingua Network, this podcast offers language learning services, and it is very popular for people who are starting to learn Spanish.
News in slow Spanish
A weekly podcast for Spanish learners which features native Spanish speakers talking about current events, news, and culture in simplified Spanish at a pace that is understandable to Spanish learners.
Notes in Spanish
Another very popular podcast for learning Spanish. The podcasts are divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels, so you can start listening at the level you feel more comfortable.
Españolistos
Its objective is to take you from an intermediate to advanced level of Spanish. The episodes cover all kinds of topics, such as current events and culture, but also topics specific to the Spanish language, such as grammar and vocabulary. Each episode lasts approximately 30 minutes.
Download audiobooks on the topics that interest you most
As an alternative to classic books, whether you want to learn Spanish in your car or simply prefer spoken to written language, audiobooks are a great way to enjoy learning a language. These are the most popular audiobook sites:
Audible
Audible (Amazon) is considered the most popular source for audiobooks. It offers a nice selection in Spanish, including works that are currently popular as well as older texts. Audible allows you to purchase individual audiobooks or access their collection with a monthly subscription.
Amazon
While many of Amazon’s audiobook options simply link to Audible, it is important to mention this source separately because you can also still find several Spanish-language audiobooks on CD. Audiobooks offers over 100,000 audiobooks, including hundreds of Spanish-language options.
Libro Móvil
Libro Móvil (Mobile Book) is a website dedicated entirely to Spanish-language books and audiobooks. Each one requires a one-time purchase. The website is entirely in Spanish, so it is a better option for intermediate and advanced students.
Play word games with other people in the car
If you like to play and you want to learn Spanish with games, check out these ideas of word games to improve the language in the car with more people. They will surely enliven the longest of the journeys.
La búsqueda de la letra
Think of one letter of the alphabet. All the members of the trip will try to find in the environment, either inside or outside the car, objects that begin with that letter, in a period that we determine. After a few minutes, the one who has said the most words with the chosen letter wins the round.
Veo Veo
One person selects an object that can be identified with the view. The rest of the members of the game will have to ask questions to try to recognize it. They may ask what letter their name begins with, what color it is, if it is on the ground or in the air, inside or outside the car.
Sigue el cuento
One member of the family begins a story that the rest will follow in order, adding characters, situations, settings, and plots that make it a unique narrative. With this idea we enhance oral expression.
Talk to yourself to improve pronunciation
Most students fear to express themselves in Spanish. That’s why we recommend that you lose that shame by repeating short sentences or texts to yourself. Here are a few tips:
- Choose selected conversation phrases from a topic, audio, series, or song that you have just heard and listen to them repeatedly, find what you do not know and translate.
- Once you master the topic, continuously repeat those phrases that you have selected until you can reproduce what you have heard in an identical way.
- Represent both people in a dialogue. Do not forget that you are speaking alone!
- Record yourself. Listening to your mistakes will help you improve.
- Repeat as many times as necessary. Do not get frustrated, it will end up coming out!
Download an app to learn Spanish in the car if you don’t drive
Online resources are among the best we have today, however, if you want to learn Spanish when you are in the car, you should bypass methods such as websites or online programs. Apps are a great alternative that you can easily use in the car (if you’re not driving of course!). So, choose the application to learn Spanish that best suits your methodology and use in the car when you are not driving!
Duolingo
It is the oldest in the market. It has plenty of interactive exercises, it evaluates your progress and level, and it has a great system of points and prizes (gamification).
Hi native
This application has more than 1.000.000 users. Its particularity to learn Spanish is that you get feedback from native speakers almost immediately. It is also a kind of game, where you can also answer questions about your native language.
Rosetta Stone
This application to learn Spanish is not so much of a game. It has grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. It focuses on what is truly important. You can download the lessons offline. And above all, it has the interesting true accent technology, that is, it tells you if you are pronouncing well or need to improve.
Voxy
The difference of this application is that it has many videos with everyday situations to be in context with Spanish daily life. It also has sections to learn through the press, radio, and articles.
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With the Global General you will have access to a multitude of revision sheets that will allow you to test your level as well as detailed corrections for each question so that learning Spanish is something comfortable, fast and easy.
