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Learning Spanish is a popular goal for many people who move to Spain to teach English. Living in Spanish will absolutely make learning Spanish a lot easier. But what if you want to start learning before you go? Here are 5 great resources for getting a head start on learning Spanish before you move abroad. Keep reading to the end to learn my easy method for remembering lots of vocabulary. This method is not only useful for you while you’re learning Spanish, but you can also teach it to your students for better results in English.

Learning Spanish from Home

There is a lot of material for learning Spanish available online for free. You just need to know how to find it. A good place to start is by assessing your current level. If you’ve never studied Spanish before, you will be a beginner, or an A1 on the common European Framework. It’s a good idea to become familiar with this framework, not only for learning Spanish, but also for helping assess your students’ English level. You can get an assessment grid for yourself in English and for your students in Spanish.

Learning Spanish with DuoLingo

If you are anywhere from Beginner (A1-A2) to Intermediate (B1-B2), DuoLingo is a great way to begin learning Spanish before you leave for Spain. As you complete the activities in each category, it will turn gold and unlock the next level.

One of DuoLingo’s best features is its spaced repetition algorithm. Over time, some of your gold categories will go back to their regular colors. That lets you know that you should practice that category again so you don’t forget words and grammar that you’ve already learned.

It can be frustrating to see your progress being undone, but remember, even though it’s a game, the real goal is learning Spanish. It’s better to get through the game at a slower pace and actually be learning Spanish as you go than to finish quickly and forget everything like cramming for a high school exam.

DuoLingo has different features on the app and the desktop versions. You should check out both and see what you prefer. For me, the app is a good way to practice when you’re traveling, but the desktop version is better if you can dedicate more time. It will allow you to see lists of all the words you’ve learned so far, join discussions, and even learn through stories and basic podcasts.

Learning Spanish with YouTube

YouTube is not only a great way to practice your listening skills, but it’s also a window into what’s popular right now in any given country. If you click your name icon at the top of the screen and then click “location” you can choose any country you want to see what’s trending.

YouTube is a good choice for learning Spanish, because there’s such a variety of content. You can watch music videos, TED talks, children’s programs, how-to videos, etc. You can even use the comment section to practice reading and writing in Spanish.

Learning Spanish with Podcasts

Podcasts are great for learning Spanish. There are podcasts specifically for Spanish learners, and podcasts by native speakers for native speakers. The first group is great for beginners (A1-A1) to intermediate (B1-B2), but more advanced students (B2+) would really benefit from listening to podcasts meant for natives.

Podcasts differ from YouTube in the sense that it’s purely listening. You don’t get any cues from seeing the person who is speaking. You may not understand every word, but you’re training your ear for comprehension, which is essential for learning Spanish.



I downloaded Podcast Addict for android and listen to podcasts whenever I’m walking, exercising, or commuting. It’s an easy way to keep learning Spanish during tasks that would normally be wasted time.

Learning Spanish with Books

Reading in Spanish is one of the best ways to learn new vocabulary. A lot of times, you’ll read a word you’ve never seen before, but still understand it, either from context, or because it’s a cognate (similiar in English and Spanish). When you’re reading, you can take your time and dig a little deeper than when you’re listening to a video or a podcast.

The first thing you should do is see if your local library has any books in Spanish and start there. If you would prefer to buy a few books yourself, here are a few that I really liked:

La Sombra del Viento, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, is about a boy in postwar Barcelona learning about the hidden secrets of his family’s past, and those of the mysterious Cemetery of Forgotten Books.

Palmeras en la Nieve, by Luz Gabas, is about brother from the Pyrenees in Aragon who travel to work at a plantation on an island in Africa. The story goes back and forth between their children in the modern time trying to discover what happened and the brothers in the past showing us what actually did happen.

El Tiempo Entre Costuras, by Maria Duenas, is about a seamstress before and during the Spanish civil war. This espionage novel takes place in Spain, Morocco, and Portugal.

Ghosts of Spain, by Giles Tremlett, isn’t actually in Spanish, but a lot of auxilars read it before coming over in order to get a better understanding of Spain’s past.

Another option, if you don’t mind the books being older, is to look on Project Gutenberg for books in the public domain in Spanish. Some of these will be originally written in Spanish, and some will be translations of Classics. ALL of them will be free.

Learning Spanish with RTVE

This last resource is my favorite. Spain’s national broadcasting channel is available online for free.  Here, you can read the news, watch popular Spanish series, documentaries, sports programs, and listen to regional radio programs. The radio programs in particular are great practice for getting used to your regional accents.

RTVE will not only help you with listening and vocabulary, but it will keep you up to date on what’s happening in Spain and it’s regions. Some of the phrases you’ll read in the news will be fantastic for talking about such things with locals at the bar. Instead of saying “el hombre que habla para el partido” you would recognize that you should use “el portavoz” and sound much more natural. Books are great for entertainment and general vocabulary, but reading the news will help you with topical vocabulary.

How to Study when Learning Spanish

As promised in the intro, we’re going to get into the best method for remembering all of these new words you learn. The truth is, a lot of people don’t study efficiently, as we were never really taught how to in school. The following is the method I use (in reverse order) for my students who are learning English.




When you learn a new word, write it down, but don’t just leave it in list format. We need to make flash cards. These can be electronic (Anki app) or paper, but I prefer paper because you have more control over the deck.

Each card should have a word or phrase in Spanish on one side, and its equivalent in English on the other. Once you’ve made your cards, you will study in three phases.

1. From Spanish to English. This phase is the easiest and it helps with RECOGNITION. Recognition strengthens your Reading and Listening skills.
2. From English to Spanish. This phase is a little more difficult because you can’t rely on cognates if you don’t remember that it is similar in Spanish. It helps with RECALL, which strengthens your Writing and Speaking skills.
3. From English to Spanish (Writing). In this phase, you don’t look at the card until you have written the word out in Spanish. Then you check to see if it is spelled correctly.

In every phase, if you get a card correct, you can remove it from your deck. If you get it wrong, you need to put it back in the deck. This allows you to practice the difficult cards with more frequency. As soon as you’re comfortable in phase 1, move to phase 2. When you’re comfortable in phase 2, move to phase 3. Once you’re comfortable with all 3 phases, set the cards aside and work on a new set. Remember to go back and practice the easier set in about a month to make sure you still remember them.

I recommend teaching this exact method to your students, but in reverse order.

1. English to Spanish
2. Spanish to English
3. Spanish to English (Writing)

Make sure to explain WHY. (Recognition/Recall and the skills that they apply to). This would be a great first class activity for private classes so your student can study efficiently all year. If you’re looking for ideas on how to plan your first group class, check out this post.

If you have any other advice for learning Spanish before moving to Spain, feel free to let us know what you do in the comments below!