A few of my keener students have asked me to give them with advice and hints to help them keep their Spanish going over the summer, in anticipation of next academic year. Earlier today, over at our classroom blog, I provided them with a list of websites containing audio and video resources that will help them keep their Spanish ticking over and, who knows? They might even learn one or two new things. The list is copied below:

Mi vida loca

Mi vida loca is a Spanish course with a twist: it’s a virtual adventure that will take you on a tour of Spain, starting in Madrid. You will be following Merche, the main character, on a journey full of mystery and drama.

Although aimed at beginners, this very well produced BBC course is packed with real-life situations which will expose you to authentic language that is not always taught in the textbooks. The videos can be subtitled in either Spanish or English and come accompanied with printable grammar notes and vocabulary lists.

Click here to go to Mi vida loca

Lingus TV

Lingus TV produce sitcom style short videos for beginners, intermediate and advanced students. The videos are downloadable and all come with a transcript of the dialogue, as well as a translation. You can also access grammar and vocabulary notes for each of the videos.

Click here to go to Lingus TV or click here to subscribe in iTunes (free)

Euronews

Euronews is the companion website to the satellite TV channel. The website is constantly updated with the latest news, and features short videos covering the different news items. Most of the videos include complete transcripts of the newsreader’s account, so you can watch the news, listen and read all at the same time. Euronews is also available in six other major world languages.

Click here to go to Euronews in Spanish

Coffee Break Spanish

Coffee Break Spanish is an award winning Spanish podcast series from Radiolingua, who also make podcasts in many other languages, incidentally. Coffee break Spanish is aimed at beginners – it starts off easy – and then progresses to intermediate learners. The format is very accessible with a teacher, Mark, and a student, Kara, who will be learning Spanish alongside you in this series of 80 15-20 minute lessons. The podcasts are free with some premium features.

Click here to go to the Coffee Break Spanish website or click here to subscribe in iTunes (free)

Show Time Spanish

Show Time Spanish is also produced by Mark of Radio Lingua and is intended to continue building on the foundations laid by Coffee Break Spanish. These podcasts are therefore aimed at the more advanced learners of Spanish, taking them to the next stage in an engaging format in which Mark and his co-presenter ,Alba, discuss, in Spanish, topical issues. Every episode is divided into two acts, with an interval in which I present a short section on authentic Spanish phrases. The podcasts are free with some premium features.

Click here to go to the Show Time Spanish website or click here to subscribe in iTunes (free)

Notes in Spanish

Notes in Spanish is another series of podcasts which follows a similar format to the above. Two presenters, Ben and Marina, discuss topics at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, providing you with another source of authentic, situational Spanish conversation. The podcasts are free with some premium features.

Click here to go to Notes in Spanish or click here to subscribe in iTunes (free)

Reading Spanish online with Lingro

An excellent source of vocabulary and a brilliant way to acquire new structures and phrases is good, old-fashioned reading. Why not read online newspapers or other Spanish websites?

You can start with El País or El Mundo to get you going, and, if you find the going difficult, why not read these websites through Lingro, a dictionary website with a difference: view any Spanish website through Lingro and all the Spanish words become clickable… if you don’t know what one means, simply click on it!

It gets better. Lingro remembers which words you looked up and automatically creates games and flash-cards to help you reinforce the new vocabulary.

Cover photo from GViciano

This post is tagged BBC, Coffee Break Spanish, Show Time Spanish, Spain, Spanish language