Here are my most highly recommended resources for learning the Spanish language.
I frequently refer to them in many of the articles I write on this site either because I know they’re fantastic or they’ve been crucial to my own learning.
Full transparency: From time to time I use affiliate links for paid products on this site which means I get a small commission for referrals. It doesn’t affect the price of anything but doing so has helped me continue to maintain and improve this site over the last 5 years as a helpful resource for language learners.
***
Best Online Spanish Audio Course
Rocket Spanish: This is one of my favorite online courses which has some of the highest quality Spanish dialogue material available.
Rocket Spanish doesn’t follow a ‘cookie cutter’ approach like other well-known programs such as Rosetta Stone or Pimsleur, and it has a tonne of excellent audio content for all levels ranging from beginner to advanced.
Here’s a video I made recently showing the new edition’s features:
***
Learn Spanish With Podcasts
SpanishPod101: This is an excellent Spanish course in the form of audio podcasts and downloadable lessons.
As well as podcast-style lessons, you’ll find videos, a vocabulary database and dictionary, grammar explanations and various other useful features.
***
Learn To Speak Spanish With Music
Rapid Spanish: This is the most unique and effective Spanish phrasebook alternative I’ve ever seen and one I frequently recommend on this site.
Based on solid research into memory and ‘stuck song syndrome’, Rapid Spanish teaches you the language over the top of highly repetitive tunes that cause the phrases to ‘get stuck’ in your head. It’s surprisingly effective and is so enjoyable that it doesn’t feel like study at all.
***
Spanish Fluency Courses And Guides
Glossika Spanish: This is another very unique product that improves your fluency through a highly repetitive ‘listen and repeat’ approach.
It is, in my opinion, one of the the most useful tools I’ve seen for training Spanish listening comprehension (read my Glossika review). Definitely not a conventional course but you’ll be amazed at how effective it is at improving your French fluency if you use it daily.
Why Spanish Is Easy: A great guide put together by Benny Lewis, author of Fluent In 3 Months, for overcoming the most common hurdles in Spanish.
If you’re just starting out with Spanish and facing difficulties getting your head around features of the language, this will help you.
***
Inexpensive Spanish Lessons Via Skype
italki: Not too long ago it was really difficult or impossible to practice Spanish without actually traveling to Spain or Latin America.
Thankfully, tools like italki have made it possible to connect with native speakers from all over the world to practice or to take personalized lessons over Skype.
The great news is, Spanish lessons over Skype through italki are incredibly cheap compared to most teachers in person (many are as low as $6-8 an hour depending on what language you’re learning!). All the frustration of payments and scheduling is handled brilliantly by italki too which makes it very easy and stress free to arrange sessions.
***
Learn Spanish Using Video
Yabla Spanish: This is an excellent site for using video to learn Spanish where you can control the speed of playback and select words from the subtitles for definitions.
Yabla has recently had some major improvements and new video content added making it well worth a try.
FluentU Spanish: This is a fantastic tool for learning Spanish using subtitled video.
It has many of the same features as Yabla but a wider array of video content to choose from.
Great Books For Learning Spanish
Shaum’s Outline Of Spanish Grammar: By far, my favorite series for when it comes to grammar study. The Shaum’s Outlines are comprehensive and detailed but very easy to read, comes with free audio and has handy perforated pages. It’s also inexpensive.
Spanish Short Stories For Beginners: Part of a series of unconventional short stories for beginners and put together by my friend, Olly Richards. It’s a great literary resource for improving your Spanish (now in two beginner volumes + intermediate).
***
Other Free Tools To Help Your Spanish
Memrise: This is an outstanding online vocabulary training tool that lets you select French ‘courses’ to study (or create one yourself). Many of the courses also include audio.
AnkiSRS: A highly versatile flashcard app.
Forvo: If there’s ever a French word or expression that you’ve seen written but don’t know how to pronounce, you can search for it here (or request it) and hear a native speaker pronounce it for you.
Duolingo Spanish: Duolingo is a fun, free and effective way to study Spanish grammar.
Check Out These Relevant Posts:
- Frank And Detailed Review Of Rocket Languages (incl. Rocket Spanish)
- The Most Balanced Rosetta Stone Review You’ll Ever Read
- Spanish In A Month: A Documentary About Language Learning
- How Different Are European And Latin American Spanish Really?
- Review: Berlitz Spanish Phrasebooks
- Honest Pimsleur Review
