Do you spend too much time watching YouTube videos? We don’t blame you, so do we! That’s why we understand the feeling you get that you could’ve done something more productive instead of watching videos for hours.
But what if we tell you that you could actually be productive while using YouTube? Believe it or not, YouTube is a great tool to improve your Spanish language skills!
If you’ve been taking Spanish classes for a while but feel like you’re a bit stuck, YouTube will be your best friend. It happens a lot that schools keep teaching the same thing over and over again. Or maybe your teacher doesn’t feel you’re quite ready for the next level.
Don’t worry! There are many YouTube channels to learn Spanish that will help you take the jump to a higher level. But, as an intermediate learner, which Spanish language learning channel is the best for you?
Well, we’ve gathered the top 3 YouTube Spanish learning channels for intermediate learners based on our experience as language teachers. These will be useful to you whether you’re new to the intermediate Spanish level or already feel like a pro.
1. Hola Spanish
Do you want a channel with grammar explanations, almost as if you were in a face-to-face Spanish lesson? Do you prefer videos with some useful words and phrases in Spanish for your every day? Are you more of a storytelling learner? Or do you prefer some tips & tricks on how to improve your listening? Well, Hola Spanish has all of that!
Your teacher will be Brenda Romaniello, an Argentinian Spanish teacher. She lives in Sydney, Australia, so she teaches Spanish as a second language.
Having a native Spanish teacher is always great, because you can acquire the accent more easily and hear the correct pronunciation. Plus, you’ll learn Spanish expressions and idioms that natives actually use and will get to know more about the culture.
Like we said above, Brenda has a variety of videos. She has videos for different language skills: grammar, speaking, listening. And she also has some videos about the Spanish speaking culture.
But some of her most interesting videos are the ones where she compares vocabulary from different Hispanic countries. As well as those in which she tells you a story to practice your listening.
Or where she compares the Spanish accent and pronunciation of some celebrities. As you see, she has some more serious videos and others that are all about having fun. Some of her videos are also very dynamic; she adds some exercises for you.
As a Spanish intermediate student, it’s important that you start listening to things in Spanish, and that’s what she helps you with. She explains everything in Spanish, but you have some visuals, like how the words are written, to help you out. Plus, the way she speaks is not very fast and it’s super clear, so you can understand everything
To see why we think this is a fun channel to learn Spanish with, we recommend you watching this storytelling video: Aprende español con Historias 🎧 | Spanish Listening Activity | How to Learn Spanish with Stories
2. Intermediate Spanish Podcast
This channel is literally called Intermediate Spanish Podcast! Just the name it’s already stating that it’s perfect for all intermediate Spanish learners. And it is exactly what it says: a podcast. This is great, because it means that it will sharpen your listening skills.
But how does it work? You can listen to it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, but in case you don’t have those apps, it’s also on YouTube. Even on YouTube, you will not see the teacher/podcaster talk, you’ll only see an image on the screen.
Sometimes, having a video helps us understand more, because we focus on what people do, their mannerisms and what they point at. Without those visuals, you’ll be forced to truly pay attention to the words, pronunciation, and accent. Your ear will work at its maximus to try to understand what’s been said. This will ultimately lead to a huge improvement of your Spanish listening skills.
The podcaster is César, a “certified teacher of Spanish as a foreign language”, according to his website. Despite that, his podcasts are not about Spanish grammar, Spanish pronunciation or some sort of Spanish lesson. In fact, he discusses many different topics, like inflation, how to create habits, or his favorite Shakira song.
Though he does have some podcasts about language learning, like where he discusses Duolingo, or the best methods to learn a language. This variety is great, because it means that you’ll learn vocabulary for many topics and situations.
It’s also great that he’s a Spanish teacher talking about different things. Because it means that you’ll acquire correct pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary without it being the classic boring classroom.
He doesn’t speak very fast, like natives usually do, but he’s also not very slow. It’s just enough for you to hear every word clearly. The pauses are not very long, but you can absolutely understand where one phrase ends and another one begins.
So, it’s perfect for an intermediate Spanish level. This is because you can assimilate the language and words just fine without it being extremely slow and boring.
We recommend the video “¿Cómo hemos llegado hasta aquí?”, where he talks a bit about how he came to be a Spanish teacher. You’ll get to know him a bit better. ¿Cómo hemos llegado hasta aquí? | Efficient training of Spoken Spanish listening
3. Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com
Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com is a YouTube channel for Spanish learning. In it there are many videos for all Spanish levels, but it’s especially perfect for intermediate learners. This is because if you’re new to the intermediate level, you can still watch the beginner videos to strengthen your knowledge.
But maybe you already feel like you’re ready for the next level. Then, you can watch both intermediate and advanced videos to have a taste of the next level before your teacher upgrades you to advanced.
The channel has videos teaching you vocabulary, from words to complete phrases, for all kinds of situations. That’s great! Because when you travel to a Spanish speaking country, you’ll need everyday common expressions to make yourself understood.
In everyday life, some people talk faster or louder than others. So, it’s important to train your ear to hear and understand different voices in Spanish, even if it’s the same Spanish accent. That’s what you’ll do with this channel, because they have a variety of Spanish coaches.
So, in each video you’ll be taught by someone different. In some videos, you might not even see the teacher, just hear a voice while you see the lesson on the screen.
Their videos are usually short. So, even if you have a hectic day or life, you can give yourself a couple minutes to learn something new.
SpanishPod101.com is also a Spanish learning website. You have to create an account and you’ll get access to their video lessons, word lists and flash cards.
We believe, though, that these videos and website work better as resources to complement your Spanish classes. So, you can study with our fun TruFluency Spanish teachers and after school watch a SpanishPod101 video to complement the lesson.
To see why we have this channel on our top 3, check the video “Sympathy Messages in Spanish (+ Funeral Culture in Mexico)”. It’s something what we’re not usually taught in school, but it’s very important: Sympathy Messages in Spanish (+ Funeral Culture in Mexico)
How Intermediate Learners Can Use YouTube to Learn Spanish
Lose the subtitles gradually!
When we’re beginners, we tend to watch everything with subtitles. That’s okay, because we’re new to the language, and using subtitles it’s actually very useful in the beginning. But now that you’ve elevated the level, you should consider going without the extra help.
It will be more difficult, but that’s how you’ll improve. You don’t have to do it all at once, though. For example: watch the first half of whichever YouTube language learning video you choose with the subtitles on.
Just so you understand completely what it is about. And lose them for the second half of the video. Or, the first days/months as an intermediate learner keep the subtitles on, but lose them completely as you advance on the level.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions!
Oftentimes, especially in the beginning of our language learning journey, we are afraid of asking our doubts. But as you advance, you’ll have more and more questions.
Don’t be afraid of asking them. Even if it’s a YouTube channel, you can write your question in the comment section. A lot of times, teachers on YouTube care about their students and answer some of the comments.
Read the Comments
Sometimes, people put their questions in the video’s comment section. You can read the comments to which the teacher answered their questions. That way, you might learn something new or get a doubt you also had clarified.
You can also read other comments to which the professor didn’t answer, because sometimes people write good examples of the topic seen. Reading the comments will be like interacting with other students!
YouTube Won’t Do All the Job
Though YouTube is a great resource to learn Spanish, it won’t do all the trick. If you want to become completely fluent, you still need to take some Spanish classes. That way you’ll have someone correcting your mistakes and motivating you. That’s exactly what we do at TruFluency!
We teach you Spanish in a fun, engaging way! All in a safe environment where you can make mistakes and be corrected respectfully and without putting you down. We know the effort it takes to learn a new language!
We will also teach you all the language skills: reading, speaking, listening and writing. But we’ll make emphasis on speaking, because we want you to achieve fluency. With the help of our native teachers, you’ll be able to hold a conversation with a native Spanish speaker soon.
Our classes are completely online, so you can study with us from all around the world. Just choose a package and start your journey to Spanish fluency, or try our trial classes – 2 hours for only $49!
