In Colombia, a small black coffee is a tinto, and a friend is a parce, a word that is especially common in the Paisa region. Words like these sink in through Colombian Spanish you can mostly follow, which is called comprehensible input. Few Spanish apps record Colombian voices, so the videos, podcasts and public media below do much of the work.
Choose material that gives you roughly one new word a sentence. A beginner's first Colombian scene might be a short chat in a Bogotá café. Later, an episode's context is enough to show you what chévere means. For tutors and classes, see our Colombian Spanish guide, and for which apps teach it, our Colombian Spanish app comparison.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Spanish. You learn from Spanish you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Colombian Spanish lessons. If a sentence is hard to follow, ask Poppy to explain it.
With Regenerative Review™, words you save show up again in new lessons, so that you can review words in new contexts without having to use flashcards.
Ask Poppy when you would say usted to a friend in Bogotá.
Bubblegum won't play a podcast or show you found yourself. For Colombian voices, use the sections below.
- Lessons, news, and stories in Colombian Spanish, about things you like.
- Characters use tú, usted or vos to fit the region and how well they know each other.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, so you read them again in new contexts.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- The voices read lessons in standard Latin American Spanish, without a Colombian accent of their own.
- You can't turn a book you own into a lesson. However, you can paste a passage into the chat, and Poppy will explain it.
- Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read.
- Regenerative Review™
Mobile
Dreaming Spanish
The guides on Dreaming Spanish speak slowly and clearly in videos made for learners, and you choose the topic. Pick a Colombian guide to get used to the accent.
- Videos made for learners, from Superbeginner up to native content.
- Its teacher list marks each guide's country, and Natalia and Shelcin are marked Colombia.
MobileWeb
If you have a Colombian podcast or series, these tools let you read along.
LingQ
Paste in a Colombian podcast episode and its transcript, then tap the words that are new to you.
- Bring in a podcast episode, a YouTube video, or an article, and read it as you listen.
- It marks the words you haven't met yet.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Language Reactor
Open a Colombian show or YouTube channel with it, and replay a line until every word is clear.
- Dual subtitles and a popup dictionary on Netflix and YouTube.
- Precise playback controls, so you can replay one line.
Browser extension
Few podcasts for learners are recorded in Colombia, and these two are in Colombian Spanish.
| Podcast | What You Hear | Try It When |
|---|---|---|
| AudioELE: Podcast de español colombiano | Colombian voices for people learning Spanish, from the publisher Español Lengua Extranjera | You're building a first Colombian ear |
| Spanish Colombiano | Jorge tells stories about life in Colombia, with 189 episodes for intermediate learners | You follow a simple story |
Replay an episode two or three times, and the words you missed start to come through.
RTVC Play is Colombia's public media platform, and it is free. It streams series, films, podcasts and live channels, including Radio Nacional. El Tiempo, a newspaper from Bogotá, is good for reading the news, but some of it needs a subscription. For a long series, Yo soy Betty, la fea ran from 1999 to 2001 on RCN, with 335 episodes. What you can stream depends on your country, so check your own catalog.
Which Colombian Spanish app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Spanish, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. If you would rather watch than read, Dreaming Spanish has slow videos for learners.
Does Spanish from other countries help with Colombian Spanish?
Yes. The grammar and most of the words are shared, so Spanish from anywhere gives you a start. Colombian Spanish changes by region, so listen to the city you will visit.
Which Colombian accent should I listen to first?
Pick the city you will spend time in. On the Caribbean coast, people often say a final s like a soft h. In Bogotá, friends often say usted to each other. In Medellín and Cali, you will hear vos.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read. Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Colombian Spanish (tinto, parce, chévere, ustedeo, voseo, the coast)
- Dreaming Spanish: guides listed by country
- Dreaming Spanish: FAQ (videos for learners, levels)
- LingQ: free vs premium (20 saved words, 5 imported lessons)
- Language Reactor: Chrome Web Store listing
- Spanish Colombiano podcast (Apple Podcasts)
- AudioELE: Podcast de español colombiano (iVoox)
- RTVC Play: free series, films, podcasts and live channels from Colombia
- El Tiempo (Bogotá newspaper; some content needs a subscription)
- Wikipedia: Yo soy Betty, la fea (RCN, 1999 to 2001, 335 episodes)
- Bubblegum
- LingQ
- Language Reactor
