My Recommendations To You
A study method and resources to boot
Good news and bad news. I’m a bad news first kid of guy.
My podcast is over for the foreseeable future. This whole time, I’ve been pursuing this in what very little free time I have after my day job and being a family man. This has come to take so much of thatvtime that I cannot progress in any other area to the point that it’s starting to take a toll on my personal relationships.
I laid out my study method for any new language quite thoroughly in the podcast episode. In this companion article, I’ll lay out my recommended resources for YouTube channels, podcasts, books, and websites; which is the good news.
Extra good news; this freed time means I can write more here as well as pursue other projects.
Without further ado, the resources. (asterisks mean material is all or mostly in English; all others are Spanish)
YouTube
Caso Cerrado (Int — Adv) — Hispanophone Judge Judy meets Maury.
Easy Spanish (Beg — Int) — Made for students. Separate from podcast.
Español con Juan (Beg) — Spanish from a Spaniard.
Viajando a Nuestro Aire (Int) — A Spanish couple traveling the world.
Usa Tu Español (Beg — Int) — Graded stories with transcripts, key words, and explanations.
*Real Fast Spanish (Beg) — An Australian Spanish teacher making good videos.
Academia Play (Int — Adv) — World history and cultures explained.
Arquitecto Marcelo Seia (Int) — Architecture and home design.
Clipset (Beg — Int) — Technology trends and hardware reviews.
Luisito Comunica (Int) — Spanish travel and interviews around the world.
Podcasts
Easy Spanish (Beg — Int) — Made for students. Separate from YouTube channel.
Cuentos Increíbles (Beg) — Short stories for children. Uses basic vocabulary.
Interés General (Int) — Short episodes on various topics. Of Argentina.
Español Intermedio (Int) — Real cultural stories and history in short form.
*Coffee Break Spanish (Beg) — An Irish polyglot learns Spanish with you.
Español a la Mexicana (Beg — Int) — Mexican history and culture.
Intermediate Spanish Stories (Int) — Aptly named. Short stories.
SBS (Beg — Adv) — Australian multilingual broadcasting; news, sports, weath, etc.
Books
Beginner Short Stories in Spanish by Olly Richards (Beg) — Very well written, grade appropriate material with Q&A.
Intermediate Short Stories in Spanish by Olly Richards (Int) — Very well written, grade appropriate material with Q&A.
Harry Potter y la Piedra Filosofal (Int) — Written with grade school vocabulary, common grammar, and linguistic challenge through fantasy.
Una Historia de España by Pierre Vilar (Int) — Fairly thorough history of Spanish culture, conquest, arts, wars, etc. Not too long, not too challenging.
En Nuestro Tiempo by Ernest Hemingway (Beg — Int) — True to the basic nature of Hemingway. Short chapters, interesting story, great exercise.
1492 by Cristián Rodrigo Iturralde (Int — Adv) — An objective look at the Spanish conquest of the Americas. Recommended for mature readers. First of two volumes.
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (Beg — Adv) — Multiple versions available varying in complexity and length. Actually two volumes.
La Leyenda del Rey Arturo by Raquel Sotés (Beg — Int) — Not too long. Great history and fantasy read.
Translations of contemporary authors such as Stephen King, Suzanna Collins, or native authors are always good options.
Websites
Ikea, Walmart, Amazon, etc. Changing the country on these common websites will present the products and descriptions in Spanish.
Mens Health for nutrition and exercise information.
Psicologia y mente — Psychology and mental health articles and explanations routinely published.
Libros y Literature — Book review site from Spain covering dozens of genres and hundreds of authors and titles.
Informador — Mexican news site.
AS.com — South American sports news site from various countries with a small section for world news and opinions.
Clarin.com — Argentinian news.
