Updated April 2021

If you are learning a second language, you know that you’ll have days that you feel like writing and speaking and days you feel like a more passive experience, like reading or listening. Each good website on teaching you Spanish has a unique strength.  You can find hundreds of free resources online to learn Spanish. With a variety tools, you can mix them up and never get bored.

Free tools from Spain

Americans tend to want to learn Spanish as spoken in Mexico or Latin America rather than Spain since they are more likely to meet people from those countries or visit there. People from the rest of the world, especially Europe, are more likely to look to Spain for their inspiration.  

Their interest is encouraged by the Spanish government as it takes great initiative to protect and promulgate their official language, Castilian Spanish.  They take their language mission seriously enough to devote resources from their national budget to it, funding the Instituto Cervantes world-wide and maintaining websites like Alba Learning, where classic Spanish literature (even erotica) is narrated.

As much as I love Mexico, I’m sorry to say that online tools based in Latin America don’t even come close to the quality of the tools offered by sites based in Spain. As torch bearers and guardians of the Spanish language, sites based in Spain go for linguistic purity and immersion (no English on the site). Spanish sites avoid Anglicizing, never using words like “renta” for renting or “carros” for cars for example as Latins do.

I still get excited when I come across these new tools, often suggested by Spanish language practice partners who live in Madrid, Seville, Barcelona and Valencia. Recently, I’ve been spending time on several good-to-great sites and I hope you will check them out too.

Free tools

RTVE.es (intermediate and up learners) is a Spanish online news/radio/television station. Even the landing page will give you a smorgasbord of introductions worth translating. Unfortunately, without a VPN you probably can’t access the television series but you can access the radio shows and the news. The programs are well-produced and contemporary.

Esaudio.net - Knowing grammar is extremely useful (I would say required). This site has a full library of free quick grammar videos exercises, most used verbs, survival Spanish lessons and much more. Look under the Independent Study tab.

Aprenderespañol.org  (beginners) offers lessons for beginners starting with the most basic pronunciation. Not a fancy site, but one to include in your tool kit if you are just starting out.

Español Automatico - This site and YouTube Channel is a treasure. Mauro and Karo speak beautiful, clear Castilian Spanish and emphasize repetition and active listening over studying vocabulary lists and grammar. They have many free tools as well and YouTube videos to practice your pronounciation.

For fun

Eduteach.es/canciones (intermediate and up) -  Again, not a fancy site. A quick look through the site’s menu would have you believe the songs are for children. Not the case. The list is of songs by popular Spanish singers such as Alejandro Sanz and Los Rodrigues. Each song includes its music video with the lyrics in Spanish. If you try to sing along, you will notice how it forces you to think and pronounce quickly.

Get started!

Whether or not you ever make the move to a Spanish-speaking countries, studies have shown learning a second language is one of the best ways to improves mental acuity and memory. It’s a mental work out that you can improve your social life and travel. For the expat, speaking Spanish is more than an exercise, it’s a way of life.

Related link:

Spotify exploding with new language tools. [blog]

A list of best podcasts in Spanish by the Oprah Daily.

Don’t forget our own Spanish “Website of the Month” page with the best free online learning tools!

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Kerry Baker is a partner with Ventanas Mexico and author .

"If Only I Had a Place," is a book on how to rent luxuriously for less in Mexico which includes a listing of rental concierges to preview your prospective place if you're not in Mexico. “The Mexico Solution: Saving your money, sanity, and quality of life through part-time life in Mexico.” offers a time line and what to expect as a part-time expat. Most recently she co-authored a cookbook, “The Lazy Expat: Healthy Recipes That Translate in Mexico” for expats, travelers and snowbirds seeking to eat healthy in Mexico.