Spanish Lessons in Singleton NSW

El Patrón del Mal - Netflix Series

This engaging series about drug dealer Pablo Escobar will have you at the edge of your seat for hours: you’ll never be bored throughout its almost 80 episodes! Based on the true story of this Colombian drug lord, “El Patrón del Mal” depicts Pablo Escobar’s story, from his days as a petty thief until he became the head of a drug-trafficking empire. This polemic production shows all the atrocities committed by Escobar during his life. If you are looking to improve your listening skills and pick up the Colombian accent, this is the ideal show for you. Read more about the series here

El Secreto de sus Ojos - Movie

The award-winning film “El Secreto de sus Ojos” will leave you speechless. This gripping Argentinian crime drama is a tale of obsession, vengeance and, ultimately, love. The movie depicts a judiciary employee, portrayed by the talented Ricardo Darin, as he investigates a case of rape and murder. If you are looking to improve your Spanish listening comprehension skills, pick up some slang and even learn some Argentinian hand gestures, then this is the movie for you. You can give it a try, even if you are just starting with your Listen & Learn course, and watch it with English subtitles. Read more about the movie here.

Vida Latin Summer Festival

This is a free annual event that celebrates Australia’s Latino heritage in different cities, such as Melbourne or Brisbane. You will find live music, tango, batucada, cumbia, samba and salsa performances, food stalls with dishes from Chile, Mexico, Argentina, Perú and Colombia, and workshops dictated in Spanish. Also, more than 20 DJs perform throughout the entire event. Why not attend and have a great time with your friends and family while learning more about Latin American cultures and traditions? Furthermore, you can get to know others who love the Spanish language as much as you. Find out more about the festival here.

Knowing About Messi or Maradona Will Help You Learn Spanish

There’s no better way to achieve fluency in a language and develop your receptive skills than by watching or listening to something you enjoy. For example, are you a soccer fan? Then, you are in luck because soccer is one of the most popular sports in most Spanish-speaking countries, meaning you can literally follow hundreds of teams, ligas and players. Some of the most famous football players in the world are Argentinian (like Messi or Maradona), so it’s a great idea to learn some terms in Spanish (like “es una bestia” or “siempre elude la marca”) to bond with locals about their idols! Click here to know more about Messi!

Regional Soccer Varieties

Are you visiting Spain or a Latin American country soon? Then, it would be a good idea to learn a bit about soccer. You will surely catch the locals’ attention by talking about their passion! For example, you’ll find millions of fans in Argentina or Colombia. But watch out: with soccer being so popular in Latin America, there is a lot of regional variation in the words and terms used to describe aspects of the sport. For example, a referee can be called árbitro or referí, the ball can be pelota, bola or balón and the football boot can be zapatilla, botín or bota. Click here to know more about Colombian soccer!

Take a Trivia to Test Your Knowledge

Would you like to know more about Spanish soccer vocabulary and facts? Then, you can take a trivia in Spanish to test your knowledge about the teams that play in La Liga. Some of the questions are related to the most popular stadiums around Spain, the players, and slang used to describe the matches. For example, did you know that the expression le dio una leña means that a player just fouled his opponent in a very nasty way? You can even share the results with your friends in your social media networks and show off how proficient you are in Spanish! Check out the trivia here!

Rockalingua

Everybody loves songs, especially children, and they are great ways to acquire a language. So, why not try to help your kids learn new words and expressions by listening to songs in Spanish on sites like Rockalingua? There, you can find original songs designed to assist children in learning Spanish. Each piece comes with illustrations and lyrics, so they will soon be singing along to the tunes! Furthermore, nearly all of the songs are available for free, and there are related games and picture dictionaries your kids can access if you create an account as well. Listen to these songs here!

Dora la Exploradora

Dora la Exploradora (Dora the Explorer) is incredibly famous all around the world, airing in dozens of languages, including Spanish. This cartoon follows the adventures of Dora, a girl who loves embarking on quests with her friends. The characters (including the fox and the monkey) take some time during the episode to teach kids specific words and phrases. If you have pre-school-aged children learning Spanish, this is the perfect show for them to watch. You can stream the videos using Nickelodeon Jr.’s website, which also includes memory games and word searches to allow your kids to practise the vocabulary and structures they learn in the show. Check out Dora's videos here!

Spanish-Games .net

Thanks to online games, your children can learn Spanish without getting bored. Using websites like Spanish-Games.net, they can reinforce grammar skills, improve their listening ability or learn to incorporate new vocabulary into their repertoire. Visit this site and you’ll find an array of games for children that can help them acquire the essentials of the language. These games are classified into different topics, like “Food”, “Family”, “School” or “Animals”. And the best part is that you can switch between European Spanish and Latin American Spanish, so your kids can study the dialect that’s most useful to them. Click here to start playing with your kids.

SBS Español

SBS Español is one of the most popular Australian multicultural and multilingual broadcasters. You can watch the news, sports and entertainment programmes, documentaries and film, all in Spanish! You can watch their daily “telediarios” to train your listening skills, as presenters speak in a very clear, articulate manner. Some of the shows even have subtitles, which is great for students still training their ear. The channel focuses on delivering news about Australia, which is especially useful as you will be familiar with the events and places covered while attempting to understand what the presenters and reporters are saying. Check out the channel here.

TeleSur

TeleSUR is one of the leading news outlets in Latin America which focuses mostly on the political situation of different countries throughout the region. You can expect to find a lot of coverage about the governments from Mexico to Argentina and everywhere in between, and sharp criticism of right-wing policies. Watching TeleSUR’s telediarios can be a great opportunity to acquire political and economic vocabulary if you are an upper-intermediate or advanced level student. You will not find these programmes on TV but you can live stream them in Australia and New Zealand for free. Check out this website for the best news in Spanish.

BBC Mundo

This news outlet provides content in Spanish from a European point of view. The content is more suitable for advanced students, as the hosts and reporters speak very quickly and use complex vocabulary. Also, they provide quite in-depth analyses of what is happening around the world. Though the website does not offer 24-hour streaming, it does upload free-to-watch video clips regularly. Also, the site publishes written articles for free, so you can combine hearing the day’s headlines with reading the details develop both sets of skills at the same time. Check out the channel here.

El Día de la Bestia

Are you looking to supplement your Spanish learning with fun activities you can do in your spare time? Then you should watch El Dia de la Bestia, a comedy that is today considered a cult Spanish movie. It’s a very peculiar Christmas story in which a priest thinks he has discovered a secret message about the coming apocalypse. By watching this hilarious movie by Alex de la Iglesia, you’ll not only laugh but also learn a lot about Spanish culture and slang terms, which will be useful when you interact with native speakers. Read more about this hilarious movie here.

Kiki, el Amor se Hace

Undoubtedly, being entertained while learning positively influences our foreign language development. Our brains pick up new words and structures very easily because of the fun and relaxing context. So, why not take advantage of this and watch good Spanish comedy to increase your listening skills while learning about the language’s cultures and some useful conversational phrases? One great movie to watch is Kiki, el Amor se Hace, where you’ll observe 5 interconnected stories that take place during a summer in Madrid, where the protagonists explore their capacity to love and be loved in a very fun, entertaining way. Learn more about the movie here.

El Otro Lado de la Cama

El Otro Lado de la Cama is a fun Spanish comedy you must watch if you are a fan of the genre. This is a very successful musical comedy that follows different couples being unfaithful to each other in hilarious situations. Emilio Martínez-Lázaro is the director of this movie that describes love and human relationships in a natural fun way, without any prejudice. The actors that perform in this comedy come from different regions of Spain (like el País Vasco or Galicia), so watching it will help you to improve your listening skills and comprehension of different accents as well. Click here to know more about this hilarious film.