Four great newspapers to help you learn Spanish
The best way to learn any language is to take your study material from a range of sources, both those intended for language students and those for native speakers. Newspapers are perfect for this! They can be a great way to gauge how your studies are going, and teach you the most current vocabulary as well as best how to use it. The internet has given us access to newspapers from around the world, so why not use that to your advantage? Not sure where to start? If you are learning Spanish, here are some great newspapers to help you on your language journey. Happy reading!
Table of Contents
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El País
El País is one of Spain's most popular newspapers, with comprehensive sections on economics, science, culture, and technology amongst others, as well as the more typical headlines and of course news from Spain. There is an opinions sections which is always a great read to get a real feel for what Spaniards are thinking; try this editorial piece about the current impeachment stories in the USA as an example.
Each news story comes with a headline, picture, and details of the journalist, as well as where the piece is based. So if you want to look for specific news from, say, Madrid, you can skim through to find what you want. El País is a great all-round newspaper that is clearly written with natives in mind, and easy enough for Spanish learners to follow.
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8 Columnas
If you want to try a newspaper from Mexico then give 8 Columnas a read. You will find headlines, opinion pieces, great articles on sports like this one on the Torneo Apertura, and plenty more besides. If you're looking for more fun, perhaps easier articles then head to the Espectáculos section, where you'll find everything from news about the Latino Grammys to a celebration of 25 years of Friends.
8 Columnas gives you local, national, and international news, with special focus on the Valle de México and Estado de México areas. There is also a current feature on the 40th anniversary of 8 Columnas which is like a short history lesson and a quick, interesting read. 8 Columnas is a great newspaper to start with for Spanish learners for its easy to follow format and great writing style.
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Cronica
If our suggestions so far seem a little heavy reading, then you can't really go wrong with Cronica, the Argentinian tabloid newspaper. With a familiar layout to all typical red-top newspapers the world over, Cronica covers all the news you'd expect, from politics and international news to more local, sensationalist stories. This article about a supermarket robbery will give you a flavour of the kind of language used; slightly simpler than so-called broadsheet newspapers and possibly less daunting!
This opinion piece on the current recession is a much more down-to-earth and realistic view than you will get from a more serious newspaper; if you want to experience what the average Argentinian is thinking then these articles might be a great place to start. In fact, the entire style of Cronica feels accessible in a way that perhaps a broadsheet doesn't. So if you are newer to using 'real' sources for your studies, definitely give this newspaper a go.
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Eldiario.es
Our final choice of newspaper is the web-based eldiario.es from Spain. There is no print version available but that doesn't mean you can expect a lack of quality! All the typical sections you would expect are available, and there are a lot of local editions available. So if you want to read news from the perspective of, say, Galicia in Spain, you can!
The socios section is a great read for its contemporary news stories, and the el dinero de todos offers great insight into the finances of Spain. So if you are enjoying Money Heist/Casa de Papel, perhaps this section will show where some of the stories got their inspiration from!
Whichever newspaper you choose for your language learning we hope you have lots of interesting new discoveries to make. Don't be disappointed if the first article you read feels like little more than a wall of words; a little practice and you will be reading articles you never imagined you could! Want someone to talk about all the latest news with? Our native speaking tutors are available! Drop us a quick enquiry to find out about our courses.