Easy Spanish radio?

henrythedog

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Jan 3, 2017
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Lancashire UK
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I’ve been learning Castilian Spanish for a couple of years and, at my own pace and in ‘expected’ situations, I’ve some degree of competence. Strong B1, approaching B2 on a good day. (UK ‘A’ level).

What I need to work on is conversation and comprehension of random speech.

The Spanish radio stations (SER and RNE) which I listen to are staffed by excitable speed-speakers. Can anyone recommend radio stations with calm, laid-back presenters? Ideally with low music content.
 
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amancio

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Nov 2, 2007
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Not an easy one, amigo! Try Radio 3, in Radio Nacional, they speak softly, but there is quite a lot of (alternative) music. OTher than that, Spanish radio reflects the way we are: loud, passionate... Perhaps Radio Nacional 1, or RNE1 would be a good choice too depending on the time of the day.
 

martini

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May 14, 2018
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I’ve been learning Castilian Spanish for a couple of years and, at my own pace and in ‘expected’ situations, I’ve some degree of competence. Strong B1, approaching B2 on a good day. (UK ‘A’ level).

What I need to work on is conversation and comprehension of random speech.

The Spanish radio stations (SER and RNE) which I listen to are staffed by excitable speed-speakers. Can anyone recommend radio stations with calm, laid-back presenters? Ideally with low music content.
¡Hola amigo!
I’ve been learning Castilian Spanish for a couple of years and, at my own pace and in ‘expected’ situations, I’ve some degree of competence. Strong B1, approaching B2 on a good day. (UK ‘A’ level).

What I need to work on is conversation and comprehension of random speech.

The Spanish radio stations (SER and RNE) which I listen to are staffed by excitable speed-speakers. Can anyone recommend radio stations with calm, laid-back presenters? Ideally with low music content.
¡Hola amigo!
Radio Maria de Madrid es muy buena con una pronunciación tranquila y clara.
¡Te deso suerte y éxito!
Martin.
 
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Radio Maria de Madrid es muy buena con una pronunciación tranquila y clara.
That's an interesting suggestion, thanks! I sometimes tune into our local Radio Maria when I'm driving and I find their music often soothing and some of their spoken contributions or reports or interviews quite interesting. I've bookmarked the link to the Spanish version: https://www.radiomaria.es/directoM
 

TMcA

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Aug 11, 2008
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Vermont USA
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I have used a free conversation exchange site for about 5 years to connect myself with French speakers to improve my French language skills. You can do the same with Spanish. Not every partner has worked out but a couple have lasted 3 or more years. The conversations naturally take you beyond "expected situations". Here's the site: https://www.conversationexchange.com/index.php?lg=en

PM me if you have questions or want tips (my experience) about partner selection and other conversation exchange topics.

Buen Camino.
 
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trecile

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Feb 19, 2016
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There are many podcasts in Spanish that you might like for practicing your listening skills.
Here are a few
This first one has a banner ad for a podcast in Spanish about the Camino!



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Viggo

California
Nov 9, 2014
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I’ve been learning Castilian Spanish for a couple of years and, at my own pace and in ‘expected’ situations, I’ve some degree of competence. Strong B1, approaching B2 on a good day. (UK ‘A’ level).

What I need to work on is conversation and comprehension of random speech.

The Spanish radio stations (SER and RNE) which I listen to are staffed by excitable speed-speakers. Can anyone recommend radio stations with calm, laid-back presenters? Ideally with low music content.
There is an app called "Radio Garden", its like Google Earth of all radio stations around the globe displayed as dots. You hover over the dots and listen to the station.
 
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amancio

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Nov 2, 2007
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Carlos Alsina (Onda Cero) 6h - 12: 30h Mo to Fr. speaks slowly and clear. The program (Mas de Uno) is politics 6- 10 and morning entertainment 10- 12:30.
Indeed, Carlos Alsina is a fantastic anchor man! But the rest of the team are loud and fast, not easy to understand for a student, I would say. Out of all commercial "news" radio stations, Onda Cero is perhaps the most relaxed on, my favourite!
 
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Pelegrin

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Oct 28, 2013
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I’ve been learning Castilian Spanish for a couple of years and, at my own pace and in ‘expected’ situations, I’ve some degree of competence. Strong B1, approaching B2 on a good day. (UK ‘A’ level).

What I need to work on is conversation and comprehension of random speech.

The Spanish radio stations (SER and RNE) which I listen to are staffed by excitable speed-speakers. Can anyone recommend radio stations with calm, laid-back presenters? Ideally with low music content.

If you don't understand a conversation among natives don't be upset because it is always difficult in every language. You can have a good command and still you can't understand the whole coversation. It is my case with English.
 

kdespot

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Apr 26, 2013
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There is definitely a dearth of beginner level videos out there for Spanish learners who need a bridge from zero to listening to natives. To that end, I've decided to put together a website that supports beginners and intermediates in the quest to understand spoken Spanish. I wasn't going to put it out to the public yet because it's not quite ready but seeing this thread, I'll go ahead and do it because I'd love some early feedback. Disclaimer: I am not a native speaker. My simplistic videos are designed to make that bridge for beginners. My goal is to continue adding videos and links to Spaniards who present audio in slightly slower Spanish for the more intermediate crowd.
Here's the site: https://kdespot.wixsite.com/mysite-1
 
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wynrich

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Jun 9, 2018
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USA
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It's great to get these suggestions. I'm always looking for more ways to practice listening since, like you, the hardest part for me is understanding spoken Spanish. There are some great podcasts out there for listening practice. Here is a list of resources for learning Spanish that I've put together. See the section "Listening Practice":
 
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Mary Doll

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Aug 13, 2017
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Some great suggestions here. I am loving Dreaming Spanish. There are videos suitable for all levels from from superbeginner to advanced level.


I would also highly recommend Language Transfer.

 

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