5 passive ways to study Spanish

Before you get excited, these suggestions are not meant to replace the actual studying and preparation you should be doing for class. Instead, they are in addition to, pretty painless, and dare I say?… fun. Check them out!

1. Netflix

Are you currently binging 2 or more shows on Netflix? Why isn’t one of them in Spanish? Netflix has a pretty ample offering of Spanish language movies and television shows. Do a quick search for Foreign or Spanish language offerings and pick one. Adjust your settings so that the subtitles are in English and settle in. Bonus: The more you watch, the better Netflix gets at selecting more Spanish-language shows that you may be interested in.

2. Make a playlist or two or three in Spanish

Do you listen to music? Do you use music services like Spotify, Tidal or Apple Music? If you said yes to either of those questions you are on the right track. One of the most passive ways to study Spanish is aurally. A quick browse for Spanish language music will yield surprising results and there are so many genres to choose from. Bonus: Many of the music streaming apps have pre-made lists that you can easily select from!

3. Review your news in Spanish

Popular sites that you are already using such as Yahoo and CNN, have alter egos on the web in Spanish. Start there and skim a few stories during the time you would have used to browse the English version of the sites.

4. Change the language settings on your phone

You spend a lot of time on your phone, why not challenge yourself and change the settings to Spanish. Things are bound to get a lot more interesting. 

5. Listen to Podcasts

A quick search on Apple Music or Spotify will lead you to some great finds that you can listen to on your way to school or while running errands. Some of my current top picks are “Alt.Latino” a music focused NPR production that although in English introduces new musicians, “Carne Cruda” which discusses current events and politics in Spain, and “La Parroquia” which discusses popular culture in Spain.  

Cheers to your success!

~Dr. Cort