One of the best things about learning Spanish is discovering a new, parallel world to the one you’re used to.
One with different cultural references, habits and quirks…
And different humor, celebrities, politics, food and art.
At least for me, that keeps me engaged and motivated to keep improving my Spanish after so many years.
So I thought it’d be appropriate to dedicate today’s Saturday Spanish to a handful of cultural recommendations.
This kind of stuff gives you a realer connection to the language, and helps you understand the world you’re stepping into (even if you can’t understand it very well yet).
And those are two things you need if you want to stick with Spanish for long enough to become fluent.
Una película
Guatemala – Heart of the Mayan World (Netflix)
Movies and shoes are so dynamic they are often harder to understand than real life.
That’s why documentaries make great “bridge content”. The audio is clear, well-paced, and you frequently see exactly what’s being narrated, which helps comprehension.
This Netflix documaentary is a look into a country that deserves more attention. It’s the first place I ever visited outside the US, and its dramatic landscapes (especially Lake Atitlán) made a big impression on me. You’ll learn plenty of useful words along the way.
Una serie
Belascoarán, PI (Netflix)
This show stars Luis Gerardo Méndez, a fantastic actor who I first saw in Narcos: México and El Club de Cuervos.
He’s a disgruntled corporate employee in 1970’s Mexico City. Disturbed by a string of homicides that go unsolved, he leaves his lifeless job and marriage to fulfill a secret dream of becoming a private detective.
The Spanish is hard to understand, but the show is unpredictable, well-made, and you’ll learn some good chilango slang.
Un canal de Youtube
Apto solo para tragones (tragón = big eater / glutton)
This is a cooking channel that features tons of classic Mexican dishes. Like documentaries, cooking channels are practical because they narrate what they’re doing.
And assuming you like to eat, they’re full of useful vocabulary.
Food vocabulary is a constant challenge because of regional name changes. Before traveling, I’d recommend looking for a cooking channel from the country you’re visiting. It’ll make menus more intelligible.
Un podcast
I binged two seasons of this fiction podcast on a flight a couple years ago.
In Santiago, Chile in the year 2022, a psychiatrist is recording sessions with a patient referred to as “Case 63”.
The patient claims to have traveled back in time from the year 2062. What starts as the doctor trying to convince him he’s not from the future quickly takes a turn that puts the doctor in a position where she can possibly save the world from an impending disaster. Or can she….??
Un artista
Los Panchos
Los Panchos or Trío Los Panchos had a huge influence on Latin music. Formed in NYC in the 1940s, they became famous for their romantic boleros. The slow-ish pace of their lyrics makes them great for learning, too.
A few of their hits:
Me voy pa’l pueblo (pa’l = para el in informal Spanish)
Piel canela (with Eydie Gorme)
News
RFI is actually a French news outlet (Radio France Internationale) similar to the BBC in that it has versions in other languages.
It has an international focus, so the Spanish version has plenty of coverage of Spain and Latin America. What I especially like is there’s no paywall, and that many of their articles come with audio — just look for the red headphone icon:
That’s all for today. Did you like this format? Let me know if you’d like to see more newsletters like this.
I hope all of this motivates you to listen to and speak more Spanish — and build Spanish into your life in ways you find fun.
Connor
P.S. Have you been learning for a while, but struggle to understand this kind of content? Students often tell me they’re surprised that practicing pronunciation has actually helped them understand native speakers better.
That’s because the first step is training your ear to better hear the sounds of Spanish. If that’s a goal of yours, my pronunciation course can help you get there in about 5 weeks.
Thank you for this suggestion Connor, I watched the Guatemala film over the weekend and found I could understand a lot and also paused it frequently to check on words I didn’t know or had forgotten, a super helpful recommendation as it was just the right level of stretch for me. I found a couple more films at the end in the recommendations that look to be at the same level.
Hi Michael, that’s great to hear that the Guatemala documentary was the right amount of challenge for you. It’s tough to find content in that sweet spot (especially since it’s always changing as we progress!). Smart to keep going with the documentaries, sounds like it’ll be a good format for you for now.
Thank you so much for your informative and helpful posts Conor.
I am doing a crash course in Spanish in preparation for a 3month trip to Latin America and came across your video on how to better pronounce/practice the Spanish “r’s” and it really helped.
I would like to check out your pronunciation course after the busy summer months.
Hi Sharon – Glad to hear my video helped! Thanks for your nice comment.