Watching movies or television shows in Spanish can be a great way to learn new words and phrases while at the same time practicing your listening skills. More importantly, it is a more fun way than doing it in class.
To help you out, we've compiled a list of the best Spanish movies and TV shows for learning Spanish, whether you're a beginner or intermediate and advanced level Spanish learner. Watch and Learn!
Beginners
Here's our recommendation:
Spanish TV Shows For Beginner Spanish Learners
Check this Spanish TV Shows if you are beginner in learning Spanish:
Destinos
Release date: 1992
Spanish: Latin America (mixed) and Spain
Destinos is a Spanish series created with the sole purpose of teaching Spanish. The actors speak clearly, and the script focuses on words and phrases you can use in everyday situations.
Though a bit dated, the plot line will take you to several different Spanish speaking countries so you can get a good feel of the different accents and dialects.
Plot - A dying man reveals a secret and his family hire a lawyer, Raquel Rodriguez to unravel it. During her investigations, Raquel travels to Mexico, Spain, Argentina and Puerto Rico.
Extr@ (Extra)
Release date: 2002-2004
Spanish: Spain
Like, Destinos this show was specially created for the sole purpose of teaching Spanish. A lot of care went into creating a script with simple, understandable language that is accessible to beginners and low intermediate Spanish learners; the actors speak slowly and clearly.
Plot - Extr@ is a sitcom similar to the famous American "Friends"; revolving around four friends and their ensuing life dramas and hilarities.
However, in this show, the central character and complications result from a foreigner, Sam, who only has an elementary grasp of the Spanish language. The ensuing corrections, misunderstandings, and jokes provide the story's dynamic.
Spanish Movies For Beginner Spanish Learners
Check this Spanish movies if you are beginner in learning Spanish:
Casa De Mi Padre
Release date: 2012
Spanish: Mexico
If you know that Will Ferrell is in the movie, then you know it's going to be funny. Casa de mi Padre is very accessible for beginner Spanish learners, the plot isn't complicated, and the humor will keep you engaged. In fact, this movie is sure to have you delivering Spanish one-liner a lá Will Ferrell.
Plot - When the family farm encounters financial trouble, Armando Alvarez (Will Ferrell) is happy to welcome back home his younger brother Raul, whose significant wealth seems to solve the family’s trouble.
However, soon everything goes awry when the brothers find themselves in an outright war with Onza, the most feared Mexican drug lord. If that wasn’t enough drama, Armando finds himself head over heels in love with his brother’s fiancé Sonia (Genesis Rodriguez).
Maria Full Of Grace
Release date: 2004
Spanish: Colombia
This movie is good for beginners, as it switches back and forth from English to Spanish while the plot evolves.
The Spanish used is very typical to Colombia, and the situations are realistic and down-to-earth, providing a "window" into Colombian culture. Due to the content, this movie has been quite popular for young-adult Spanish classes, and you can find several extra learning resources related to the movie online.
Plot - A pregnant teen from a small Colombian village agrees to become a drug mule in the hope that the promised income will help her family out of financial hardship. While smuggling drugs from Colombia to New York, she discovers that her new line of work is not as great as it first may have appeared.
Intermediate/Advanced
Here's our recommendation:
Spanish TV Shows For Intermediate Or Advanced Spanish Learners
Check this Spanish TV Shows for the intermediate or advanced learner of Spanish:
Escobar, El Patrón Del Mal
Release date: 2012-
Spanish: Colombia
While you would expect to find the popular “Narcos” series on this list, we’d like to go a different route and recommend Escobar, El Patrón del Mal instead.
Not that Narcos is bad, but rather because Escobar is a more authentic and the storyline goes deeper into the life of Escobar and the Colombian Cartels. The actors are all Colombian, so the accents and phrases will be more accurate to real life.
Plot - This Colombian series chronicles the eccentric life of Pablo Escobar and his rise to infamy as the leader of the feared Medellin Drug Cartel.
Club De Cuervos
Release date: 2015-
Spanish: Mexico
If you are looking for something more light-hearted the Netflix original series Club de Cuervos could be your thing. The show is quite explicit (nudity, drug use, and language) and will increase your ‘adult' and soccer vocabulary, but with a funny and irreverent "dramedy" style.
Plot - Brother Chava and sister Isabel are locked in a power struggle with each other and outside forces to gain control over the football team and money they inherited from their father, long-time owner of the city’s beloved football-team Cuervos FC.
Grán Hotel
Release date: 2011-2013
Spanish: Spain
This Spanish mystery series is a binge-worthy period drama full of gorgeous scenes and décor. While the Spanish level is better suited for higher intermediate to advanced, the relentless drama, elaborate mysteries and complicated romances will probably tempt you to binge watch.
It’s a great way to pick up classic Spanish from Spain and new words about mystery, family relationships, affairs, and hotels.
Plot - The series follows a young man who pretends to be a footman to infiltrate a family hotel and find out what happened to his sister, who disappeared while working as a maid at the hotel. In the meantime, the ruthless Alarcón family will do anything to keep owning the fancy hotel, despite a seemingly unending string of scandals.
Spanish Movies For Intermediate Or Advanced Spanish Learners
Here's our recommendation fot the best Spanish movie for intermediate or advanced spanish learners:
Volver
Release date: 2006
Spanish: Spain
Pedro Almodovár is arguably Spain's most famous and accomplished director. Volver, like a lot of Almodovár's movies has received a long list of awards and rightly so. The movie is an excellent introduction into the post-Franco culture of Spain while staying lighthearted and compelling.
Plot - Mother Irene comes back from the dead and is staying with her senile sister. Meanwhile, her daughters Raimunda and Sole become entangled in a murder, and that's when mother Irene decides she needs to help them. The ensuing comedy reveals secrets from the family's past.
Diarios De Motocicleta
Release date: 2008
Spanish: Latin America (mixed)
This epic coming-of-age movie follows a young Che Guevarra during his motorcycle road-trip through South America. In this film, we get to meet the young revolutionary before he was the revolutionary. Thanks to the popularity of the movie, it’s easy to find additional Spanish learning materials that tie into the movie.
Plot - During a break in his last semester of medical school, Ernesto Guevarra travels through South America with his friend Alberto Granado. The men witness and encounter the many disparities and exploitations occurring in different South American countries, ultimately leading to a change in Ernesto’s values.
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