Are you looking for ways to improve your Spanish skills? One effective tool that language learners often overlook is podcasts. With their engaging content and natural language input, podcasts can be an excellent way to supplement your Spanish studies and boost your listening comprehension.

Plus, Venture Out has its own podcast now. If you’re interested in picking up the Rioplatense Accent, then “Traé Alfajores” might just be a good fit for you. Click HERE to learn about it.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at how you can use podcasts to enhance your language learning journey, whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or advanced learner.

From tips on how to approach listening to natural input, to guidance on how to use the transcripts, I’ll provide you with practical recommendations for making the most of your listening practice.

So, without further ado, let’s dive in!

Mindset and Expectations

There’s one thing I’d like to address first. When starting out with podcasts, it’s important to set realistic expectations and approach the process with the right mindset. As a beginner, you may struggle to understand everything that’s being said. This can be frustrating and discouraging, but it’s important to remember that this is a normal part of the language learning process.

By listening to podcasts regularly, even if you only understand a small portion of what’s being said, you’re exposing yourself to natural language and training your ear to pick up on new words and phrases.

Extensive and Intensive Approach

Let me first introduce these two different approaches.

Extensive listening is when you listen to longer pieces of audio, without necessarily focusing on every detail. This approach is helpful for improving your overall comprehension skills and getting used to the natural flow of the language.

On the other hand, Intensive listening is when you focus on understanding every detail of a short piece of audio. It’s an excellent technique for improving your listening skills, as it allows you to analyze the language at a deeper level.

Listen to the podcast more than once

When it comes to listening to podcasts, it can be helpful to take both an intensive and extensive approach.

On the first listen, don’t worry too much about understanding every word or phrase. Instead, try to get the gist of what the speaker is saying and think about the overall context of the conversation.

After that, give it another listen to get a more complete understanding and focus on new words or interesting phrases.

How to use transcripts

If available and accurate, transcripts are fantastic tools.

Contrary to what some language learners believe, using a transcript does not play against your listening practice. By using transcripts, you can enhance your listening skills and improve your overall understanding of spoken language.

Here are some ways you could take advantage of a transcript:

• Before listening to an episode, read through the transcript once or twice to get a general idea of what it’s about and allow you to anticipate the vocabulary and grammar used. Then, listen to the episode while following along with the transcript. This can help you to identify new vocabulary, grammar structures, and intonation patterns.
• For intermediate and advanced learners, try listening to the episode first and then reading the transcript to check your understanding and fill in any gaps.
• Practice shadowing by reading the transcript aloud while listening. Listen to a sentence or paragraph, and repeat it out loud, trying to mimic the speaker’s accent and tone as closely as possible. This can help you improve your pronunciation and speaking skills enormously.
• When you feel ready, try to impersonate the host of the show by reading the transcript out loud. Recording it can be benficial, too.

Translating the transcript into your native language can help you better understand it and relate to the content of the show.

Always keep in mind that transcripts should be used as a supplement, not a crutch. It’s important to continue practicing your listening skills without relying solely on written text.

From INPUT to OUTPUT

Another way to make the most out of listening to podcasts is to use them for both language input and output. Listening to a podcast can also be a great opportunity to practice your speaking skills. How? One way to do this is by repeating or summarizing what you heard in the podcast.

Take notes and then use your own words to summarize the main ideas. Retelling is a powerful practice!

Okay, all set, you’re ready to learn Spanish with podcasts!

Remember to be patient and keep at it, even if it feels frustrating at times. With regular practice and a positive attitude, you’ll be amazed at how quickly your listening skills improve.

Why not give “Traé Alfajores” a try? Listen to it on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

Happy listening,

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• Start Shadowing now!
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