As you might already know, learning a new language takes dedication and perseverance to achieve sought-after results. Spending endless hours learning verb conjugations and going through extended glossaries, although sometimes helpful, can be a tedious task and might take the joy away from the learning experience. Instead, why don’t you try to spend your free time enjoying some Spanish entertainment?
If you need a little more practice listening and comprehending the language, enjoying Spanish entertainment, such as films, series or books, will most definitely help you pick the language up faster while also learning cultural aspects, expressions, or idioms; and all this in the most natural and immersive way.
In today’s blog, we’ll recommend some Spanish entertainment to aid your learning journey while having a good time.
Ocho apellidos vascos (lit. “Eight Basque surnames”, in English “Spanish affair”) (Netflix Spain)
A blockbuster in Spain, this comedy film narrates the adventures of an Andalusian guy who travels to the Basque Country in search of the love of a Basque girl he met in Seville.
You can also check out its sequel Ocho Apellidos Catalanes (lit. “Eight Catalan surnames”, in English “, Spanish affair 2”), this time set in Catalonia.
Allí abajo (“Down there”) (Disney +)
Sometimes compared with “Ocho Apellidos vascos”, this time around, this series revolves around Iñaki, a Basque guy who’s never left the Basque Country and travels to Seville with his mother. Unfortunately, after his mother suffers a dramatic accident and falls into a coma, he gets stuck “down there” and meets Carmen, a nurse at the hospital.
Since the last two picks feature different Spanish accents like Basque, Andalusian or Catalonian, they will significantly help you improve your listening comprehension if you want to learn more about the cultural aspects of different regions in Spain.
Paquita Salas (Netflix Spain, Netflix UK)
Fun, eccentric and irreverent, this series revolves around Paquita Salas, a has-been top talent agent for actors and her day-to-day tasks and the challenges she faces in her desperate attempt to save her agency. Recommended if you’re in for a laugh.
Alternatively, if you don’t quite enjoy spending time in front of a screen or seek to take your learning experience to the next level, you can learn while reading in Spanish.
Short stories in Spanish “Cuentos en español” (Penguin books)
A compilation of ten stories extracted from novels by acclaimed writers such as Gabriel García Márquez or Julio Cortázar. This book is an excellent option if you want to take a peek into Spanish and Latin American literature in a more approachable way. While the content of the stories might seem quite advanced, this book alternates the original version with its English translation, so you can read without needing to reach for a dictionary.
Have you heard about these Spanish titles before? Do you use Spanish entertainment to support your language learning? Let us know in the comments. ¡Nos vemos la semana que viene!
- Lea