News in Slow (Latin American) Spanish

Because I was going on a long car trip last week, I started to look for new podcasts to put on my iPod Touch. That's when I found News in Slow Latin American Spanish. As you know, there is News in Slow Spanish which has been around for a while now. (For instance they're on episode number 224. The Latin American version is just on number three.)

There are six sections:

1) Flashcards
2) News Stories
3) Grammar
4) Expressions
5) Pronunciations
6) Quizzes

You can access the audio for sections 2, 3, and 4 from the site or download them via iTunes or another similar program. (I use the Downcast app on my iPod Touch.) You can also download the flashcards in pdf format from the site. The full transcripts, and the pronunciation and quizzes sections are accessible by subscription only.

They also offer educational discounts (individual licenses, individual floating licenses, and language lab licenses).

By the way, the same folks also offer News in Slow Italian, Chinese (suspended but there are 20 episodes available), and French.

Spanish Language Podcast: "A mi aire"

First of all, I apologize for the long break. My paying job is working at a summer camp so summer is one of my busiest times of the year. Hopefully in a couple of weeks, I can start writing blog posts on a semi-regular basis. (By the way, we have had three campers from Spain and one from Mexico, so I have been able to use my Spanish a little.)

I started listening to a new podcast (new to me at least) about a month ago and I must say I have really enjoyed it. It’s called Alicia: A mi aire and can be found at www.podclub.ch. You can find past episodes here with links to entire transcripts and vocabulary used.

An overview from the site:

A mi aire es un podcast de Alicia para estudiantes de español a partir del nivel A2/B1. Alicia es el seudónimo utilizado por Paloma Bétrisey. Paloma tanto como Alicia es de Madrid y llegó a Zürich cuando las tiendas cerraban a las seis y media y los bares a las doce de la noche. ¡Qué tiempos aquellos! Alicia se acuerda de lo extraño que era para ella pasear por el centro de la ciudad a las siete con las tiendas cerradas y sin ver a nadie. Se preguntaba: "¿Dónde estará la gente?". Acababa de llegar de Madrid, una ciudad enorme, donde hay ruido y personas por todas partes. Su hermana Lucía se lo había dicho: "Alicia, te vas a Europa, allí no puedes comprar todo a última hora y tendrás que cenar a las siete, ¿eh?". "Ya lo sé, ya lo sé", le contestó ella entonces convencida, pero no fue tan fácil como ella pensaba al principio.

What makes this podcast different? Well, I find them engaging and truly interesting. She speaks clearly and a bit slower than normal, but not too much. And they’re free which is always a good thing.

The podcasts come out every two weeks. She is on a summer break, but it appears the podcasts will start up again in mid-August. Also, they offer podcasts in other languages such as English, German, French and Italian.

Happy Hour Spanish

As usual, I ran across this resource as I was spending a bit of time this morning on Twitter. Happy Hour Spanish is a fairly new site (2011) that features videocasts, podcasts and exercises to help you learn Spanish and about the Spanish culture.

Hayley, a California native, was a student of Maider who was teaching classes in Bilbao (her native city) when they decided to start the Happy Hour Spanish program. More information from the About Us page:

After becoming fast friends, we decided to embark on creating the ultimate language learning program based on our unique experience in both teaching and learning foreign languages. We have designed Happy Hour Spanish as a program that teaches Spanish grammar while also giving you an immersion-style experience of Spanish culture and the Spanish lifestyle.  We like to say you can consider our program a cross between “Rick Steve’s Europe” and “Rosetta Stone”.  Follow along with us on our video tours throughout Spain and enjoy all the sights and sounds the Iberian Peninsula has to offer while feeling what it is like to be immersed in a foreign language…

With the podcasts, you’ll find transcripts and translations. Accompanying the videocasts are transcripts, translations and printable exercises (beginner and intermediate).

Here is look at one of their videos about La Boqueria in Barcelona:

Free online magazine: El mundo con eñe

El mundo con eñe is a new free magazine available online. The first one is about Argentina – covering topics such as literature, music, movies, recipes and more.

Each article is given a reading level from A1 to C1. (Look for the number of aliens near the top of each page… yes, aliens.) Also throughout the articles certain words are highlighted which can be found in the glossary section near the end of the magazine. You will also find comprehension exercises for the reader.

In addition to the magazine, there are podcasts and a YouTube channel (links can be found in the magazine).

From their blog:

¿Qué es "El mundo con eñe"?
Es una revista mensual dirigida para quien estudia, enseña o simplemente le gusta el español.

¿Cuánto cuesta?
¡Nada!

¿Dónde la encuentro?
Aquí mismo, en nuestro sitio. Su publicación en línea permite que esté siempre disponible para descarga o lectura en el propio sitio donde la subimos.

Pero...¿qué voy a encontrar en la revista?
Todos los meses trabajaremos un país de habla hispana. Este mes se lo dedicamos a Argentina. Incluimos varias secciones: historia, qué hacer allí, literatura, música, entrevistas y recetas; todo referido al país elegido. Incluimos tambien, un  glosario y ejercicios para aplicar lo que aparece allí.

¿Cuándo la publican?
El útlimo viernes de cada mes.

¿Contiene audios para practicar la comprensión auditiva?
Sí. A partir del segundo número, todas las revistas serán acompañadas por un archivo de audio donde encontrarán  los textos leídos para quien quiera escucharlos y no leerlos. Pero hagan las dos cosas, vamos...

¿Qué harán cuando cubran todos los países de habla hispana?
(Silencio)

No entendí la respuesta...

(Silencio- silencio. Ruido de grillos)

From the questions and answers you can tell that the magazine will be pretty interesting.

Hat tip: http://www.todoele.net/

JP Is Back!

And it’s about time! Just kidding, JP. Seriously though, I was a big fan of his when he was on SpanishPod. He had such a great way of explaining Spanish grammar, vocabulary, etc. So when I saw a post on my Facebook page (via Medical Spanish Podcast) that he was on a new podcast, I immediately came here to write a quick post about it.

The podcast is called Q&A Spanish and is part of the Radio Lingua Network… you know, the wonderful folks who produce Coffee Break Spanish, ShowTime Spanish and many more high-quality language podcasts.

From the Q&A Spanish web page:

When you’re learning a language on your own and you don’t have access to a teacher or a native speaker it can sometimes be difficult to get the help you need in order to build confidence in the language and make progress. Here at Radio Lingua we receive requests for help all the time through our website, email, our help desk, Twitter and Facebook. We’ve decided that the best way to answer these questions is by launching our new weekly show Q&A Spanish. Q&A Spanish is hosted by Spanish teacher and language expert JP Villanueva. JP is joined by Nahyeli Mendivil who will be sharing her native speaker knowledge with learners in each show.

You can also download the podcast via iTunes. And here’s the link to the Q&A Spanish Facebook page.

Starting off slow…

I’m the first to admit that my listening comprehension is somewhat lacking. I find myself catching some words here and there and pretty much understanding what’s being said, but there is certainly room for improvement.

For the past several months, I’ve been listening to News in Slow Spanish which I wrote about last year. It’s slow, that’s for sure. In fact, I thought perhaps it would slow me down, but I have discovered that it’s helped my comprehension when listening to Spanish at a “normal” speed.

I compare it to reading a book. When listening to the News in Slow Spanish podcast, I can savor each word, think about its meaning and still pretty much keep up with the podcast. I have found that my vocabulary has increased quite a bit as well as my comprehension when listening to other Spanish language podcasts.

Give it a try! I think you’ll understand after a few episodes.

Where to go:
http://www.newsinslowspanish.com/
Subscribe via iTunes

More Science in Spanish

Hot off the Twitter presses… um, Twitter stream… well, in any case, I just saw this and wanted to pass it along to you.

From the EarthSky press section:

U.S. Spanish speakers will find more science on both radio and television in the coming three years, thanks to a new National Science Foundation grant, EarthSky announced today. The grant will support EarthSky’s goal of reaching, educating, and inspiring Spanish-speaking audiences in the U.S. with relevant and interesting science content.

What an exciting endeavor! Also, right now you can read articles, watch videos and listen to audio on their Spanish-language site.

Where to go:
More details in press release
EarthSky in Spanish

SpanishDict: A very helpful app

I’m reading the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, but of course in Spanish (Los juegos del hambre). Currently I’m reading the second book En llamas (Catching Fire).

This series came highly recommended by several friends. When I read the description, I must admit I wasn’t sure if I would like it, but I trusted my friends, so I bought the first book. I flew through it and enjoyed every minute of it.

But wait, the title of this post is about an app, right? Well, I don’t usually travel with a regular dictionary, but I always have my iPod Touch with me. Several months ago I downloaded the free SpanishDict app to test it out. While reading the first book I had to look up a few words. (I mainly do not look up every unfamiliar word because usually I can get the meaning within context.) Well, I was able to find every word in the dictionary section of this app (over 100,000 entries) and there were a few obscure words, let me add.

Frankly, I was impressed. What’s nice is that I don’t have be online to use it since I just have an iPod Touch. (There is an option to look up further meanings which requires you to be online, but I didn’t need to at the time.)

You can learn about the other features (phrasebook, word of the day, word game) using the links below.

Oh, by the way, they have a video podcast as well which is also free.

Where to go:
SpanishDict App on iTunes
SpanishDict Blog (post about the app)
SpanishDict Video Podcast on iTunes
Los juegos del hambre

World Cup 2010/Copa Mundial de 2010

Doing a little tweeting this morning and just posted some helpful World Cup/soccer/football links I wanted to share with you:

To watch the game live in Spanish visit Univision’s World Cup page:  http://futbol.univision.com/fifacopamundial/partidos-en-vivo

But maybe before you start watching, you might want to look over this vocabulary list first: http://www.transparent.com/spanish/soccer-vocabulary-en-espanol/

You’ll find more vocabulary on the SSL4YOU Podcast – Español Segunda Lengua para Todos:
Locos por el fútbol  http://ssl4you.blogspot.com/

And to learn about the origins of fútbol read this article from MUY Interesante: http://www.muyinteresante.es/icual-es-el-origen-del-futbol?

Another interesting article:
http://www.curiosidadesenlared.com/9-curiosidades-sobre-el-mundial-de-sudafrica-2010/

News in Slow Spanish

While wading through my Twitter stream, I saw an interesting tweet by @SECottrell. Her link led me to News in Slow Spanish which is basically what is says. From the site:

News in Slow Spanish is a podcast for those who already possess a basic vocabulary and some knowledge of Spanish grammar. Your host is a native Spanish speaker from Spain. Our section Explorando Latinoamérica is hosted by a native speaker from Latin America. In our program we discuss the Weekly News, grammar, and expressions, and much more in simplified Spanish at a slow pace so that you can understand almost every word and sentence.

There is both free and paid content. The free content includes the audio with a transcription of the introduction (not the entire audio). Several words are highlighted in the transcription which you can hover your mouse over to see a translation in English. The paid content includes grammar lessons, expressions review, pronunciation practice, flashcards, grammar exercises and more depending on the subscription level. You can find a demo episode on the homepage.

Where to go:
News in Slow Spanish
Mis Musicuentos – SECottrell’s blog. (She’s a Spanish teacher.)

Finding authentic materials on iTunes

I was just outside doing a bit of yardwork and listening to ShowTime Spanish on my iPod, when Mark, one of the hosts, talked about a neat way of finding authentic materials on iTunes. As soon as I heard it, I knew I had to share it with all of you.

On the iTunes Store screen go to the very bottom. You’ll see this:

Click on the bar and choose a country. Here is a screenshot of the podcast section of the Spain iTunes store:

As Mark mentioned, you won’t be able to buy anything if you don’t have a credit card registered in Spain, but you can still enjoy all the podcasts.

Where to go:
Show Time Spanish http://rlnvault.com/rln09/category/shows/show-time-spanish/
iTunes: http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/
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Podcast Spotlight: SSL4YOU

For a couple of years now I have been listening to SSL4YOU Español Segunda Lengua para Todos, hosted by Teresa Sánchez de Arriba, an English teacher in Zamora, Spain. The format is straightforward. She talks about a relevant topic and then afterwards explains some of the vocabulary words and phrases used—all in Spanish.

In the beginning, I wondered why she was explaining simple vocabulary words at times, but then I really came to appreciate this. How useful it is to describe everyday words in the target language instead of instantly translating them into English.

For example in her latest podcast, Pedir Aumento de Sueldo en Tiempos de Crisis, one of the phrases is mantener la calma which is pretty easy to define—in English, but how about in Spanish? (She goes on to describe it by using the following phrases: estar tranquilo, no perder los nervios and no enfadarte.) 

I really feel like I get more out of this because she does stay in the target language rather than translating into English. In my opinion, listening to this podcast will truly enrich your vocabulary.

Where to find it:
Spanish with English translation with audio (click on titles)
Spanish only with audio
Subscribe to podcast with iTunes 
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Perdidos

If you follow me on Twitter, you probably already know this. I am a big fan of the television show Lost. I have been watching it since the first season. In addition to watching it, I also enjoy listening to the Jay and Jack’s Lost podcast for a recap, listener feedback and more.

I started thinking how neat it would be if there was something similar in Spanish to help with my listening comprehension. Just recently I found out that there is such a podcast called Extraviados run by two guys who simply like the show and decided to do a podcast. From their site:

Somos Vii y Camvoya. Nos gusta Lost. Se nos ocurrió hacer un podcast. Fin. Comentamos cada episodio y elucubramos teorías y conspiranoias. A nuestro aire, sin spoilers ni azúcares añadidos.

You can also subscribe to the podcasts through iTunes.

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The Open University: Languages

And this is why I love Twitter. Just this morning Kevin Gaugler, an Associate Professor of Spanish posted a link to the Open University on iTunes. He recommended that we look at the Languages section which I promptly did.

What did I find? Three Spanish language courses for beginner, upper intermediate and advanced learners. 

Portales: Beginners’ Spanish – audio tracks and transcripts  
Viento en Popa: Upper Intermediate Spanish – iPod video, video, transcripts
A Buen Puerto: Fast Forward in Spanish – iPod video, video, audio, transcripts

There are also courses for French and German language learners.

For more information about these courses, visit The Open University’s Spanish Language section.

Oh, if you haven’t downloaded iTunes, click here. You don’t need to be on a Mac or have an iPod to enjoy the benefits.
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ShowTime Spanish Podcast

 
Recently I started listening to a new podcast that I wanted to share with my readers here at TLSB. It’s called ShowTime Spanish, a new podcast from the Radio Lingua Network.

The two main presenters are Mark, an experienced teacher who has lived and worked in Spain and Alba, from Barcelona, who is teaching Spanish in Scotland. José Picardo, a native speaker from Andalucia, who currently teaches in England, makes a guest appearance in each show.

There are two acts in each podcast or show. During the first act, the presenters have a conversation about a particular topic. To help listeners understand the conversation, they provide a summary using more “straightforward” Spanish afterwards.

In the second act, the grammar and vocabulary used during the first act are then explained by Mark. In between the two acts is the intermedio where José talks about taking the language to the next level by introducing helpful phrases to sound more native. Also during the intermedio, Alba introduces trabalenguas (tongue twisters).

To access the podcasts, you can subscribe for free through iTunes or listen directly on the ShowTime Spanish site. You can take your learning even further by becoming a premium member. As a member you’ll have access to the lesson guides which include: “full transcripts of the introduction, the main conversation and any other Spanish texts used within the lesson. The guide also features the text and explanations relating to our intermedio section… premium members can also use the Encore podcast to test their understanding of what has been covered in the main lesson.”

For those who like to kick the tires and look under the hood so to speak, you can access the lesson 3 materials for free either through iTunes or here.

I have to say that I’m quite impressed with the entire package. The presenters are engaging and very knowledgeable about the Spanish language. The grammar and vocabulary explanations are done well and easy to understand. Overall I’m pleased to have found a new podcast to listen to as I go about my day in the car or around the house. I also have to mention that the Radio Lingua Network produces a podcast for beginners called Coffee Break Spanish as well as programs for other languages.
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VOA Podcasts - video and audio

 
Since we do not have access to Spanish-language television, I'm always on the lookout for ways to improve my listening comprehension. In particular I have been looking for newscasts in Spanish and the ones from Voice of America (VOA) fit the bill.

On this page you'll find three video podcasts:

• El Mundo Al Día Capsulas
• ArteKultura
• Foro Inter-Americano
  

and two audio podcasts:

• Deportivo Internacional
• Buenos Días América
  

To subscribe using iTunes: from the top menu, choose Advanced, Subscribe and then paste the podcast url into the box. Click OK. Of course, you can also watch or listen to them online.

To supplement the news podcasts, I have also subscribed to their news summaries. I like to look over these before listening to familiarize myself with any new vocabulary.
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SpanishPod - subscription changes

 
On September 1, SpanishPod started charging for their podcasts except for the newbie lessons, ¿Qué Pasa? and Del Taco al Tango which will still be available for free. At first, I was sad to hear it because I really love their podcasts and I didn't think I would have the money to pay for even the basic subscription. (It seems everything in our house is breaking down at once - from the refrigerator to the plumbing. Like many of you, money is tight right now.)

But then I started thinking about it as an investment in my future. Out of all the Spanish-language podcasts available, I still think SpanishPod is far superior. I have learned so much from listening to them. I would even go as far as to say that I have learned more from their podcasts than in some of my Spanish courses in college. Their podcasts help me with my teaching and did I mention my language skills just helped me land a very cool part-time job? An investment in my future? Most definitely.

So today, I signed up for the basic subscription of $69/year which equals to $5.75/month which I can handle. With my subscription, I get all the MP3 lessons, video lessons and pdf transcripts. As the saying goes, "you get what you pay for." So true...
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Adults who want to learn Spanish

Yesterday, I had a really good conversation with one of my readers. She was frustrated because she didn't feel comfortable teaching her children Spanish when she didn't have any formal background in the language.

What do you do? Sometimes it's hard for me to understand this because I've been studying Spanish off and on for over 20 years. After talking to her though, I now have an even deeper respect for parents who are teaching their children a foreign language.

Well, in order to teach the language, it would be helpful learn it. Makes sense, eh? But how? Luckily today's parents have an amazing resource at their fingertips - the Internet. Also, don't forget your local library (books, dvds, cds, computers, digital media, etc.).

Let's begin! (By the way, all of these are free. I like free, don't you?)

First of all, I would recommend visiting the Spanish Language page on About.com. The guide, Gerald Erichsen, has put together a series of lessons for beginners. You'll start off with the alphabet which is very important. Once you learn the sounds of the Spanish alphabet, you'll be able to pronounce any Spanish word you see. I strongly recommend doing this first. You might be tempted to jump ahead, but don't. So, go through all of his lessons a little at a time. Set aside perhaps 15 to 30 minutes a day to do this.

Now, let's go back in time to when you were in elementary school. Remember when you learned how to read? Some may recall the Dick and Jane books. "See Jane run. See Dick run. See Jane and Dick run." Yeah, well, there you go. You have to go back to the beginning in Spanish as well. Go visit your local library. They may have a Spanish language section. Browse the books and look for the easy ones - 5-7 words to a page and pictures. Think about some of the easy books you have read to your children and find their Spanish equivalent. If they don't have any, try your library's inter-library loan service. For some super-simple books, visit this site. She has free printable books in Spanish (scroll about halfway down).

By this point, you might be getting a little bored. No pain, no gain. *grin*

Okay, another thing you can do is listen to the newbie lessons on SpanishPod.com which are actually pretty fun. I have mentioned them before here. I highly recommend that you subscribe to them through iTunes, so that you can see the transcripts (right-click on the podcast, click on get info, then click on the lyrics tab and wa-lah, there it is). If you want, you could copy and paste the transcript in a document and read while you listen. Also, to work on your pronunciation, read the transcript aloud. If you have any questions, please feel free to send me an email (link on profile page). There have been some changes with SpanishPod.

Are you ready to watch something in Spanish? How about Destinos: An Introduction to Spanish? I wrote about it here. Don't worry if you don't understand every word. Relax and just enjoy it. Before you know it, you'll start to understand more and more each time.

Well, I think that is enough for now. Don't feel overwhelmed. First step - the Spanish alphabet. ¡Buena suerte!

Medical Spanish and Spanish Grammar Review Podcasts

Molly Martin, M.D. started producing these podcasts last year and in my opinion, is providing a very helpful service in light of the increase of native Spanish speakers needing medical services. Topics include lyme disease, glaucoma, stroke, physical exams and so much more.

Dr. Martin is a practicing Internal Medicine doctor and has been speaking Spanish for over 10 years. Her friend Maria Bjorklund, MS, who is originally from Peru, often plays the role of the patient in the dialogs, proofreads the podcast transcripts and is a high school Spanish teacher.

She also supplements the medical podcasts with Spanish grammar podcasts.

So, if you're in the medical field or know someone who is, I would recommend these podcasts. And now that I think about it, it might be possible to use these in more advanced classes - learning about parts of the body and so on.

Let's talk about podcasts

For the foreign-language student, podcasts can be very useful. To listen to them, you don't really even need an MP3 player. You could just listen to them on your laptop or desktop. Here are the ones I listen to on a regular basis:

1) SpanishPod - There are five levels offered: newbie, elementary, intermediate, upper-intermediate and advanced. I mostly listen to the last three. Normally you'll hear a dialogue and then the host and teacher break it down afterwards. They talk about the grammar and vocabulary in some detail. Please check the web site for more information.

I enjoy these podcasts a great deal. The hosts are quite personable and talk about everyday topics which I have found to be very useful. If you have an mp3 player that displays lyrics, you can also read the transcripts of the dialogue as you listen. If not, you can see the transcript on your computer if you have iTunes (right-click on podcast-->get info-->lyrics tab). Peninsular and Latin American Spanish

2) Notes in Spanish - This is done by a husband and wife team. Ben is originally from England, but has been in Spain for many years. Marina is from Spain. There are three levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced. I listen to the last two. They have also put out some videos. I enjoy their podcasts as well - they seem like old friends to me. You can also post in the forum about the podcasts as well as many other topics. It's a great way to practice your written Spanish. Peninsular Spanish

3) Español Segunda Lengua para Todos - This podcast is all in Spanish. First she talks about a topic and then she goes back and explains certain phrases and words. On her podcast page you can find the transcript in Spanish and English. What I like to do is copy the Spanish version, then paste it in the lyrics section in iTunes (see above). This way I can read the transcript on my iPod as I listen. Peninsular

4) Radio Nederland - Now, this isn't exactly an educational podcast. It's simply a news podcast that I like to listen to while cooking supper. I don't undertand everything they say, but my comprehension is improving. It's a good one to have on in the background as you're doing other things. I try not to worry too much if I don't catch it all.

5) El Bloguipodio - "Los blogueros" talk mainly about politics, but believe it or not they actually make it entertaining. I really enjoy listening to them when I have the time. They're based out of Washington, D.C.

Okay, so we've talked about a few podcasts. Now what? The next thing is to download iTunes which is free. For me, since I have an iPod, this is about the best way to subscribe to the podcasts and keep them organized.

What are some of your favorite Spanish-language podcasts? Please list them in the comments section. ¡Gracias!