Beginners Spanish Podcast - Spanglish Friends

Can Watching Movies Help You Learn Spanish? | Beginner Spanish Tips and Spanish Film Recommendations

🎬 Have you ever wondered if watching Spanish movies can actually help you learn Spanish as a beginner? The research says YES, but only if you use them the right way. In this episode, Em and Val break down why Spanish films feel difficult at first, what beginners usually get wrong, and how movies can actually improve your listening, vocabulary, and comprehension over time. Perfect for Spanish beginners, travellers, and anyone wanting to improve their Spanish in a fun, real-world way. 💛 Giveaway (Australian Listeners) We’re giving away TWO double movie passes to the Australian Spanish & Latin American Film Festival, which runs from June-July 2026!   To enter: • Follow us on Instagram @spanglish_friends • Comment on our pinned post • Tag a friend you want to take to the festival!  Winners will announced Tuesday 9 June, 9am AEST via instagram  💛 About the Australian Spanish & Latin American Film Festival * 📅 Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Byron Bay & more. * 🎟️ Full festival program: https://storage.googleapis.com/production-cms-storage-bucket/SFF26_Programme_DL_Web.pdf [https://storage.googleapis.com/production-cms-storage-bucket/SFF26_Programme_DL_Web.pdf] * 🌐 More info: https://spanishfilmfestival.com/ [https://spanishfilmfestival.com/] 🎙️ In this episode, you’ll learn: ✅ Why Spanish movies feel difficult at first (and why that’s normal) ✅ How different accents and slang affect understanding ✅ What research says about learning languages through films ✅ How subtitles actually help beginners learn faster ✅ How to use movies to improve your Spanish (even as a beginner) ✅ Beginner-friendly listening practice and strategies 🎬 Films mentioned in this episode (Em’s Spanish Movie Recommendations)  *  La Odisea de los Giles (Argentina) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10384744/ [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10384744/] A comedy about neighbours who lose their savings during Argentina’s financial crisis and plan a clever mission to get revenge. * Justicia Artificial (Spain) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21186294/ [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21186294/] A political thriller set in the near future where AI is used in the justice system, raising questions about fairness and control. *  Language Lessons (USA) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11027830/ [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11027830/] A heartfelt drama-comedy about a Spanish teacher and student whose online lessons turn into a deep emotional friendship. 🎯 Reto de la Semana (Challenge of the Week) Have you ever watched a Spanish film? Share your experience or recommend a movie in the comments! 📲 Instagram & TikTok → @spanglish_friends 📧 Contact: spanglishfriendspodcast@gmail.com 📚 1-on-1 Spanish lessons with Val: spanishlessonsbyval@gmail.com 🎶 Music by @scotairdmusic Research mentioned in this episode (yeah, real studies here only) • The Language Learning Journal (2019) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09571736.2019.1610033 [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09571736.2019.1610033?utm_source=chatgpt.com] • PLOS ONE (2016)  https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0158409 [https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0158409&utm_source=chatgpt.com]

How to Say You’re Sick in Spanish | Beginner Spanish for Illness, Pain & Symptoms

Learn how to say “I’m sick,” “I don’t feel well,” “my head hurts,” and other common illness phrases in Spanish🤒 In this beginner Spanish podcast episode, Em and Val teach you essential Spanish vocabulary and real-life phrases for talking about pain, symptoms, sickness, and feeling unwell naturally. Perfect for Spanish beginners, travellers, and anyone wanting to improve their Spanish conversation and listening skills. 🎙️ In this episode, you’ll learn: ✅ How to say you feel unwell ✅ How to say “I’m sick”✅ How to describe pain using “me duele…” ✅ Common illnesses in Spanish like fever, cough, flu ✅How to talk about severity  ✅ How to say how long you’ve been sick ✅ Beginner Spanish conversation practice ✅ Real-life Spanish listening practice 🎯 Reto de la Semana (Challenge of the Week) Imagine you are sick, maybe you are actually sick listening to this episode, and want to vent to the world! Say what sickness or ailment you are pretending to feel or actually feeling. Example: No me siento bien. Me duele mucho la garganta desde ayer. Tengo tos. Post your sentence in the comments or send us a DM, we LOVE seeing your progress!! 💛Shoutout: Special shoutout again to Megan for joining our community via Spotify, we love having you here! 📲 Instagram & TikTok → @spanglish_friends 📧 Contact: spanglishfriendspodcast@gmail.com 📚 1-on-1 Spanish lessons with Val: spanishlessonsbyval@gmail.com 🎶 Music by @scotairdmusic

How to Go Clothes Shopping in Spanish | Beginner Phrases For Sizes, Fitting Room & More

Do you know how to ask for your size, where the fitting room is, or say “this doesn’t fit”… in Spanish?  In Episode 60, Em and Val teach you how to go clothes shopping using simple, real-life Spanish. From asking for sizes to talking about how clothes fit, this is practical Spanish you’ll actually use when travelling or living abroad. 🎙️ In this episode, you’ll: ✅ Learn how to ask where the fitting room is ✅ Learn how to ask for clothing sizes (S, M, L, XS, XL) ✅ Learn how to say “do you have this in…?” ✅ Learn how to say if something fits well or not ✅ Learn how to ask for a bigger or smaller size ✅ Hear a natural mini conversation you can copy and use 🎯 Reto de la Semana (Challenge of the Week) Write a shopping conversation in Spanish: 👉Imagine an item of clothing is not fitting you well, practice asking for a larger or smaller size. Can you remember how to say this?  Post your sentence in the comments or send us a DM on Instagram, we LOVE seeing your Spanish progress! 💛 Shoutout: This week’s shoutout goes to Jess who commented on Spotify saying our episode “what to say when you don’t know what to say” was so helpful,  and “y’all have a new listener here!” Welcome Jess, we’re so glad you’re part of the community! 📲 Instagram & TikTok → @spanglish_friends 📧 Contact: spanglishfriendspodcast@gmail.com 📚 1-on-1 Spanish lessons with Val: spanishlessonsbyval@gmail.com 🎶 Music by @scotairdmusic

How to Talk About Mother’s Day in Spanish | Beginner Spanish for Cards, Compliments & Plans

Do you know how to say “Happy Mother’s Day,” “thank you for everything,” or what you’re going to do for your mum… in Spanish? 💐 In Episode 59, Em and Val teach you how to talk about your mum, express love and gratitude, and share your Mother’s Day plans using simple beginner Spanish you can actually use in real life. You’ll learn how to describe your mum, write a heartfelt card, and use one of the most important beginner structures: “voy a…” (I’m going to) 🎙️ In this episode, you’ll: ✅ Learn how to express love and gratitude ✅ Learn how to describe your mum/mom! ✅ Learn how to write a simple but meaningful Mother’s Day card in Spanish ✅ Learn how to talk about your plans with her ✅ Hear a natural mini conversation you can copy and use 🎯 Reto de la Semana (Challenge of the Week) Write a short Mother’s Day to your mom or a woman you admire in Spanish. Include: 👉 A greeting 👉 Something you love about her 👉 And one thing you’re going to do Example: Feliz Día de la Madre, mamá. Te quiero mucho. ¡Eres muy especial para mí! Post your sentence in the comments or send us a DM on Instagram, we LOVE seeing your Spanish progress! 💛 Shoutout: This week’s shoutout goes to JD for your kind comment on YouTube: “Me encanta este video” Gracias for being part of our community , we appreciate you! 📲 Instagram & TikTok → @spanglish_friends 📧 Contact: spanglishfriendspodcast@gmail.com 📚 1-on-1 Spanish lessons with Val: spanishlessonsbyval@gmail.com 🎶 Music by @scotairdmusic

How to Know When Spanish Gender Breaks the Rules | Exceptions Explained for Beginners

Why is it el problema, but la mano… and sometimes even el agua fría (wait, what?! 😵)? In Episode 58, Em and Val break down one of the most confusing parts of Spanish for beginners — gender exceptions. You’ve probably learned the rule: words ending in “a” are feminine and words ending in “o” are masculine… but Spanish doesn’t always follow the rules. So how do you know when it doesn’t? And more importantly… WHY? In this episode, we go beyond memorizing exceptions and explain the real reasons behind them — so you can finally understand Spanish, not just remember it. 🎙️In this episode, you’ll: ✅ Learn the basic gender rule (and why it’s only 80% accurate) ✅ Understand why Spanish breaks rules through history and evolution. ✅ Discover Latin-origin words like el problema, el sistema, el tema. ✅ Learn how English loanwords enter Spanish: el email, el marketing, la cookie. ✅ Understand shortened words like la moto, la foto, la tele. ✅ Learn pronunciation-based exceptions like el agua, el alma, el arma. 🎯Reto de la Semana (Challenge of the Week) Write one Spanish word that confused you because of its gender. Examples: El agua, el problema. Comment below or DM us — we LOVE seeing what confuses learners so we can help you understand it better💬 💛This week’s shoutout goes to Megan from England for her amazing Spanish introduction and for sharing about her life (and her cat Dee 🐱). You are officially our first Spanglish Friends pet mention! 📲Instagram & TikTok → @spanglish_friends 📧Contact: spanglishfriendspodcast@gmail.com 📚1-on-1 Spanish lessons with Val: spanishlessonsbyval@gmail.com 🎶Music by @scotairdmusic