How to Improve Spanish Listening Skills

Knowledge of the Spanish language can prove useful for travel, employment or personal enrichment. According to the CIA World Factbook, almost 11 percent of Americans speak Spanish. A large number of Spanish speakers exist in North and South America, Europe and parts of Asia and Africa as well. However, with the variation of vocabulary and pronunciation found in the Spanish-speaking world, getting to the point where you can comfortably understand what is being said in Spanish is difficult. However, you can find enjoyable ways to improve your listening comprehension of the Spanish language.

Instructions

    • 1

      Find a language partner. If possible, find more than one language partners to speak with, or join a Spanish language group. Get used to different voices, accents, and slang by exposing yourself to speakers from different countries. If you only practice with one person, you will get used to the way that person speaks. Try to push yourself out of your "comfort zone," and challenge yourself to interact with more Spanish speakers. This will help your ear more quickly adapt to new speech patterns, and prepare you to communicate with people you don't know.

    • 2
      Sharpen your Spanish language skills by listening to the passionate lyrics of Flamenco songs.

      Watch Spanish language TV stations and moveis. If you are a beginner level, watch films or TV in Spanish and put on Spanish subtitles. This way you can correlate what you read with what you hear. You can also watch children's shows and movies or news segments, as these types of media feature clear standard speech with minimal regional accents or informal slang terms. As you advance, listen to the radio, podcasts, and music in Spanish. This will challenge you to listen to and understand the content of the Spanish words without the context of the action on the screen as in film and TV.

    • 3

      Study in a Spanish speaking country. Choose a largely populated cosmopolitan city such as Buenos Aires, Mexico City or Madrid. Living and studying in such a place will give you the opportunity to speak with people with many Spanish accents. If you are immersed in spoken Spanish and need to use it in your daily activities, your listening skills will improve much more rapidly than if you attend class or language exchange a few times a week.

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