Learn Spanish (Spain) 🇪🇸

¿Hola como estás? 👋 ! Here’s our curated content for training your passive understanding of the language.

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⏰ Time spent here also counts towards your streak.

Language competency consists of active vocabulary, but also passive vocabulary and natural pattern recognition. Train essential listening skills, understand grammar and morphing patterns.

Knowing Basic Phrases allows you to stay in the language instead of switching to English. Listening-Reading videos is a comfortable yet intense training of your listening skills. It also allows you to explore the country through videos.

If you want to really be comfortable, have lessons. What makes Lingophant unique is that you can create your 100% personalised vocabulary from conversations. 45 minutes per week with a friend or a teacher is already enough input for a constant stream of engaging sentences to practice between lessons.

📔 Basic Phrases

These phrases are the perfect point of departure for serious learners. They help you stay in the language, without needing to switch to English. And you internalize patterns.

Unlock them one-by-one in the app, and memorize them from the “Practice” tab.

01 – Basic Phrases — 15 phrases
02 – Introductions — 18 phrases
03 – Useful Reactions — 26 phrases
04 – Clarifications — 18 phrases
05 – Learning Languages — 20 phrases
06 – Interests, Opinions, Preferences — 24 phrases
07 – Travel Phrases — 21 phrases
08 – Smalltalk — 22 phrases
09 – Politeness — 7 phrases

This is just to get you started. For personalized phrases, we recommend sessions of 45 minutes with a native speaker.

  • Know 300 phrases and you can make jokes and impress people
  • Know 600 phrases and you can hold basic conversations
  • Know 1000 phrases and you start communicating effortlessly

And because of working with audio, you’ll get compliments on your pronunciation a lot. We promise!

🎧 Train your listening skills with proper documentaries

We have selected enjoyable documentaries and reportage channels. Watch them, listen to the language, and build a natural intuition. Some polyglots swear by this method — 30 minutes a day builds working proficiency.

BBC News Mundo (4.76m subs)

BBC News Mundo (view channel) – ¡Hola! Bienvenidos a BBC Mundo. Este es el canal oficial de YouTube de la BBC en español. Si te interesa la actualidad internacional y buscas una cobertura imparcial estás en el mejor lugar.

DMAX España (2.36m subs)

DMAX España (view channel) – Episodios completos de tus series DMAX favoritas en https://dmax.marca.com/

Eugenio Monesma – Documentales (2.35m subs)

Eugenio Monesma – Documentales (view channel) – Soy Eugenio Monesma, productor y realizador de #DOCUMENTALES ETNOGRÁFICOS. Tras más de 40 años de producción de series documentales de televisión sobre los oficios perdidos, nuestras fiestas, tradiciones, leyendas, gastronomía tradicional, costumbres y rituales, he llegado a constituir uno de los archivos más importantes de España con más de 3.200 documentales etnográficos.

Tukma Radio (216k subs)

Tukma Radio (view channel) – Tukma Radio es un canal de documentales y relatos sobre folklore argentino, tango y cultura argentina, donde se cuentan las historias detrás de canciones populares, las biografías de artistas, las tragedias de famosos que marcaron época y los misterios que todavía generan preguntas.

Conducta Delictiva (788k subs)

Conducta Delictiva (view channel) – 🚨 Nuevo capítulo todos los Lunes y Miércoles. Conducta Delictiva investiga crímenes reales con entrevistas exclusivas, evidencia y contexto judicial. No hacemos morbo: buscamos prevención. A través de estos relatos identificamos patrones, alertas tempranas y fallas del sistema para que la gente reconozca riesgos y actúe a tiempo.

Confidencial (539k subs)

Confidencial (view channel) – ¡Este es el canal de Confidencial Nicaragua! 📹🇳🇮

Documentales gratuitos (290k subs)

Documentales gratuitos (view channel) – Vea nuestros últimos documentales sobre la naturaleza y la vida salvaje.

Museo Nacional del Prado (252k subs)

Museo Nacional del Prado (view channel) – Vídeos sobre las obras de arte del Museo del Prado, exposiciones, conferencias, cursos monográficos, seminarios, restauraciones y estudios técnicos de sus obras maestras. Conoce más sobre artistas como Velázquez, Goya, Murillo, El Greco, Tiziano, El Bosco, Rafael, Ribera, Rubens, Durero, etc.

Historia Critica (164k subs)

Historia Critica (view channel) – Desde Historia Critica producimos documentales de actualidad e historia, como también cubrimos las principales noticias internacionales.

Antártica Press (30k subs)

Antártica Press (view channel) – Periodismo en territorio.

Democracy Now! en español (21k subs)

Democracy Now! en español (view channel) – El noticiero independiente Democracy Now!, el Informe de Guerra y Paz se produce diariamente en Nueva York, y en una hora repasa las informaciones más importantes del mundo y de EE.UU. El proyecto Democracy Now! en español, DN!es, surgió en el 2005 con la idea de poner a disposición de las radios de habla hispana de América Latina y el mundo noticias internacionales elaboradas desde una perspectiva independiente. Todos los servicios se ofrecen sin costo. Los únicos requisitos son: a) citar la fu

Museo Reina Sofía (15k subs)

Museo Reina Sofía (view channel) – El Museo Reina Sofía busca examinar la potencia crítica del arte en la sociedad y en la cultura contemporánea. Este análisis se realiza mediante tres vías: de un lado, repensando cuál es la función del Museo hoy; de otro, analizando los mecanismos de mediación entre el público y la institución y, por último, proponiendo nuevos contextos y narraciones a través de la colección y las exposiciones que conduzcan a una nueva noción de modernidad.

🎧 Train listening with weird popular YouTube videos

It’s like zapping TV through another linguistic and cultural universe. Watch what native speakers watch. We hope you find something interesting.

🧑‍🏫 Grammar overview in 9 chapters

Below is an overview of the most important grammar topics. Each chapter has a short explanation and recommended videos.

While memorizing phrases, you’ll likely recognize patterns from grammar. You can add a note or question to a card and get it answered next time you’re with a teacher.

Ser vs. Estar (Two Verbs for ‘To Be’) A1

Spanish has two separate verbs where English uses one: ‘ser’ and ‘estar’, both meaning ‘to be’. Ser is used for permanent or defining characteristics — identity, nationality, profession, and inherent qualities (e.g. ‘Soy inglés’ — I am English; ‘Es médica’ — She is a doctor). Estar is used for temporary states, locations, emotions, and conditions (e.g. ‘Estoy cansado’ — I am tired; ‘Está en Madrid’ — He is in Madrid). Both verbs are fully irregular, so their forms need to be memorised: soy/eres/es/somos/sois/son and estoy/estás/está/estamos/estáis/están.

A useful trick is to link ‘estar’ with the word ‘state’ — both share the same Latin root, and states are temporary. When you meet a new adjective, ask yourself: is this a defining feature (ser) or a current condition (estar)? Some adjectives actually change meaning depending on which verb you use — ‘estar aburrido’ means you feel bored right now, while ‘ser aburrido’ means you are a boring person by nature. Mastering this distinction lets you describe yourself, people, and places accurately in everyday introductions, directions, and conversations about how you or others feel.

Present Tense (Regular & Key Irregular Verbs) A1

The Spanish present tense covers not just what is happening now but also habitual actions and general truths — making it the single most used tense in conversation. Regular verbs follow predictable patterns based on their infinitive ending: -ar verbs (hablar → hablo, hablas, habla…), -er verbs (comer → como, comes, come…), and -ir verbs (vivir → vivo, vives, vive…). However, the most frequent verbs in Spanish — tener (to have), ir (to go), querer (to want), poder (to be able to), hacer (to do/make), venir (to come) — are all irregular and must be learned individually since they appear constantly in real speech.

Rather than drilling conjugation tables in isolation, learn these high-frequency irregular verbs inside short, ready-to-use phrases: ‘tengo que…’ (I have to…), ‘quiero un…’ (I want a…), ‘puedo ayudarte’ (I can help you). Chunking them this way means you absorb the irregular form and a useful sentence frame at the same time. Once you have the present tense, you can express your daily routine, talk about what you like or want, ask questions, and hold a basic conversation entirely in the app and in real life.

Noun Gender & Articles (el/la/un/una) A1

Every Spanish noun has a grammatical gender — masculine or feminine — and this affects the articles and adjectives that accompany it. The definite articles are ‘el’ (masculine singular) and ‘la’ (feminine singular), with plurals ‘los’ and ‘las’. The indefinite articles are ‘un’ and ‘una’. While many masculine nouns end in -o and feminine nouns in -a (el libro, la mesa), there are plenty of exceptions (el día, la mano), so it is best to learn each noun together with its article from the start. Adjectives must also agree in gender and number: ‘un chico alto’ but ‘una chica alta’.

The most effective habit is never to learn a noun alone — always learn it as a chunk with its article: ‘el problema’, ‘la ciudad’, ‘el agua’. When you hear or read new words in the app, notice the article immediately and let it become part of the word’s identity in your memory. Getting gender right unlocks fluent, natural-sounding Spanish across everything you say — descriptions, shopping, asking for directions — because mismatched articles are one of the first things native speakers notice.

Preterite Tense (Completed Past Actions) A2

The preterite (pretérito indefinido) is the main tense for talking about completed actions in the past — specific events with a clear beginning and end. Regular -ar verbs take endings like -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron (e.g. hablé — I spoke), while -er/-ir verbs use -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron. Unfortunately, the most common verbs are irregular in the preterite: ser and ir share the same forms (fui, fuiste, fue…), and tener, hacer, estar, and poder all have irregular stems (tuve, hice, estuve, pude). In Spain, the preterite is used for any finished past action, even one from earlier today — ‘Esta mañana fui al supermercado’ (This morning I went to the supermarket).

Start by nailing the big five irregular verbs (ser/ir, tener, hacer, estar, poder) since they appear in virtually every past-tense conversation. A useful mnemonic for the regular -ar endings is to notice they mirror a rhythmic pattern: -é, -aste, -ó / -amos, -asteis, -aron. Once you have the preterite, you can tell stories, recount your day, describe travel experiences, and understand the vast majority of narrative speech you will encounter — unlocking real storytelling ability in Spanish.

Reflexive Verbs (me/te/se…) A2

Reflexive verbs are extraordinarily common in Spanish and are used for daily routines, emotional states, and many fixed expressions that have no direct English equivalent. They are formed with reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se — placed before the conjugated verb. Some verbs are always reflexive (levantarse — to get up, llamarse — to be called, ducharse — to shower), while others change meaning when made reflexive: ‘dormir’ means to sleep, but ‘dormirse’ means to fall asleep; ‘ir’ means to go, but ‘irse’ means to leave/go away. The se form is also used in Spain to make impersonal statements: ‘Se habla español aquí’ (Spanish is spoken here).

The easiest way to internalise reflexive verbs is through daily routine vocabulary, since almost every morning action uses them — me despierto (I wake up), me ducho (I shower), me visto (I get dressed), me voy (I leave). Practise these as a mental commentary on your own morning and they will stick fast. Mastering reflexive verbs lets you describe your day naturally, understand a huge range of common phrases you will encounter in the app, and avoid the very common learner mistake of dropping the pronoun entirely.

Object Pronouns (me/te/lo/la/le…) A2

Object pronouns replace nouns that have already been mentioned, keeping speech fluid and natural. Direct object pronouns answer ‘what?’ or ‘whom?’ — me, te, lo, la, nos, os, los, las (e.g. ‘¿Ves el coche? Sí, lo veo’ — Do you see the car? Yes, I see it). Indirect object pronouns answer ‘to whom?’ or ‘for whom?’ — me, te, le, nos, os, les (e.g. ‘Le doy el libro a María’ — I give the book to María). In Spain, a notable quirk is that ‘le/les’ is widely used instead of ‘lo/los’ when referring to people as a direct object — ‘Le veo a Juan’ instead of ‘Lo veo a Juan’ — a feature called leísmo. Crucially, these pronouns come before the conjugated verb in most cases.

The key to learning this system is to stop translating word-for-word and instead notice where pronouns sit relative to the verb. Listen carefully in the app to where ‘me lo da’ (he gives it to me) or ‘te lo digo’ (I’m telling you) appear — these double-pronoun combinations are everywhere in real speech. Once object pronouns click, you can respond naturally in conversation without repeating the same noun over and over, and you will suddenly understand a large number of phrases that previously sounded like a blur of short words.

Key Verb Constructions (ir a, tener que, estar + -ando) A2

Spanish makes heavy use of multi-word verb constructions that combine a conjugated verb with an infinitive or gerund. Three are absolutely essential: ‘ir a + infinitive’ expresses the near future (voy a comer — I’m going to eat), ‘tener que + infinitive’ expresses obligation (tengo que trabajar — I have to work), and ‘estar + gerund (-ando/-iendo)’ expresses an action in progress (estoy comiendo — I am eating). These constructions are used constantly in everyday speech and are often more natural-sounding than the formal future or imperfect continuous tenses that textbooks introduce early.

Think of each construction as a fixed frame with a blank slot: ‘voy a ___’, ‘tengo que ___’, ‘estoy ___ando’. Once you know the frame, you can slot in any verb you know and immediately produce a huge range of new sentences. Practise filling the frames with verbs you already know from the app, and you will rapidly expand your productive vocabulary. These three constructions alone allow you to talk about your plans, your obligations, and what you are doing right now — covering a massive proportion of real everyday conversation from an early stage.

Present Subjunctive (Wishes, Doubt & Emotion) B1

The subjunctive is a verbal mood — not a tense — that Spanish uses to express wishes, recommendations, doubt, emotion, and hypothetical situations. It appears in a dependent clause introduced by ‘que’ after trigger verbs and expressions: querer que (to want someone to), esperar que (to hope that), recomendar que (to recommend that), no creer que (not to believe that), and many more (e.g. ‘Quiero que vengas’ — I want you to come; ‘Es importante que hables despacio’ — It’s important that you speak slowly). For regular verbs, the present subjunctive is formed by taking the yo present-tense form, dropping the -o, and adding opposite-vowel endings: -ar verbs take -e endings, -er/-ir verbs take -a endings.

The best way to approach the subjunctive is not to memorise a rule, but to recognise the trigger phrases that always call for it. Keep a personal list of triggers — ‘quiero que’, ‘espero que’, ‘es necesario que’ — and when you see or hear them, expect the subjunctive to follow. Listening carefully to these patterns in the app will help you develop an ear for when it sounds ‘right’. Once you have a working knowledge of the present subjunctive, you can express opinions with nuance, give advice politely, and understand the enormous number of everyday Spanish sentences that contain it — a huge leap in comprehension and naturalness.

Imperfect vs. Preterite (Past Tense Contrast) B1

Once you know the preterite, the next major step is the imperfect tense (pretérito imperfecto), and understanding when to use each one. The preterite describes completed, specific past events (‘Ayer llamé a mi madre’ — Yesterday I called my mum), while the imperfect describes ongoing background states, habitual past actions, and descriptions in the past (‘Cuando era pequeño, vivía en Sevilla’ — When I was young, I lived in Seville; ‘Llovía mucho’ — It was raining a lot). A classic pattern is to use the imperfect for the background and the preterite for the event that cuts across it: ‘Leía cuando sonó el teléfono’ — I was reading when the phone rang. The imperfect is very regular: -ar verbs take -aba endings, and -er/-ir verbs take -ía endings, with only three irregular verbs (ser, ir, ver).

A vivid mental image helps: picture the imperfect as a movie scene — the ongoing backdrop, atmosphere, and habits — and the preterite as a camera flash capturing a single moment. When narrating any story, you will naturally switch between the two. Practise retelling simple past events in the app using both tenses and notice how the story comes alive. Controlling this contrast transforms your Spanish from stilted past-tense narration into fluent, natural storytelling — the kind that sounds genuinely native when you recount trips, childhood memories, or yesterday’s events.

  • Spanish Past Tense: Preterite Vs. Imperfect, Rule of Thumb – The Spanish Dude: Highly popular and concise (under 8 minutes), this video uses a clear ‘rule of thumb’ framework that makes the preterite vs. imperfect contrast immediately practical for B1 learners.
  • Using the Preterite and Imperfect to Tell Stories in Spanish – Spanish With Qroo Paul: An excellent practice-focused complement that walks learners through real story sentences and prompts them to choose the correct tense, reinforcing the contrast in context.
  • Spanish Past Tense: Preterite vs Imperfect – Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com: A well-structured, short explanation (just over 4 minutes) with strong view count validation, offering clear examples that help beginners and intermediate learners quickly grasp the key distinctions.