How to keep your Spanish alive during the holidays

As nice as the holidays are, they are unfortunately where many Spanish learning dreams go to die. 

If you’re not vigilant, your carefully built Spanish routine can disappear amongst all the gatherings, gifts, and last minute work deadlines… 

And while I do think it’s fine to take breaks now and again…

I also know it’s key to keep the momentum going somehow. 

Otherwise, you’ll blink and it’ll be January 15th…

And you’ll be buying another subscription to a new app in the hopes it’ll get you back on track. 

But! Keeping things humming along isn’t too hard. 

It just requires lower expectations, and a focus on things that are lower effort for a short period of time. 

What’s the easiest way to build Spanish into your life over the next 10-15 days? 

Fun, semi-passive activities that connect you with the more human and cultural side of the language (not the nuts and bolts of the language itself). 

So if you’re feeling like putting your Spanish “on pause” for a bit…

Watch, listen or read these instead. 

Una serie

42 días en la oscuridad – trailer

A mystery/thriller from Chile that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat. A mother disappears, triggering a media circus and dark community secrets.

The tension is real, and you’ll get to see a bit of what life is like in what’s known as La región de Los Lagos.

The Spanish is very colloquial and very Chilean…

So there may be a lot that you miss. That said, it’s a great chance to take a peak into a country that gets far less attention from Spanish learners than its eastern neighbor.

Plus, it’s a solid show. I’m on episode 4 of 6 right now.

Cortometraje

Cocodrilo

An award-winning short film that packs an emotional punch in just a few minutes (it’s kind of a tearjerker).

I like cortometrajes (shorts) since you get a whole story in 5-15 minutes. As a learner, it’s hard to finish things sometimes.

But shorts like this one are low commitment – perfect for when you’re hiding from your guests for a few minutes.

YouTubers

Two Spaniards with very different styles:

Teresa Baró – Técnicas para hablar fluido y claro

A channel aimed at Spanish speakers who want to improve their communication, it can also help learners do the same! She articulates clearly and speaks at a reasonable pace, and shares great tips that can help your communication in any language.

Ter -por qué la Torre Eiffel es CURVA?!!!

An architect who gives fast-paced, witty takes on all things architecture, art, design, and more.

Because of the pace, it’ll be above the level of most learners, but there are plenty of visuals to help you follow the main idea. 

(This, by the way, is good training for real life! You can get by in more situations than you think if you let go of trying to understand everything and instead focus on getting the gist).

Canciones

“A 1200 km” – Las Ligas Menores – a great indie rock band from Argentina. 

“Lejos de más” – pablopablo – a mix of pop, R&B and more, he has a great voice (also son of Jorge Drexler, a well-known singer from Uruguay). Otra Vida is another of his I’ve had on repeat. 

Zoe Gotusso – No hay nadie como tú – just came across her in my YouTube recommendations – a fun, acoustic love song that’s easy to listen to. 

If you like one of these, use it as a starting point to find more, similar music. 

If you’re a Spotify user, you can go to “song radio” to find similar tunes, and on YouTube the recommended songs are likely to have a similar feel. 

On Spotify and Apple Music, most songs have lyrics that are synchronized with the song, so you can learn while listening.

Podcast

Entiende tu mente

One of my personal favorite podcasts for a long time now.

It breaks down complex challenges around mental health, relationships, personal growth, and more in relatively clear Spanish.

Recent episodes include topics like Aceptar las decisiones que tomamos, Claves para tener una buena conversación, and Ser sinceros sin herir.

Learn valuable vocabulary while gaining insights into how you (and others) tick.

Un libro

Una lengua muy, muy larga – Lola Pons Rodríguez

A linguist’s playful dive into Spanish language history. The author explores how Spanish evolved, full of unexpected stories and nerdy language tidbits.

Great for anyone curious about how Spanish came to be and why it works the way it does. 

Check these recommendations out over the next couple weeks.

They’ll help you keep Spanish in your life, even when your routine feels off.

It’s like your language learning insurance policy during the holiday chaos. Just 10-15 minutes here and there can make all the difference.

Felices fiestas,

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 build those skills step-by-step.