Colombian Spanish is the Spanish of Colombia, from Bogotá in the mountains to the Caribbean coast. Speech there changes from city to city, and none of the large Spanish apps we checked says it teaches one Colombian accent. Babbel and Memrise list only Mexico and Spain courses. That leaves a few apps with Latin American Spanish, a few with Colombian voices, and your own listening. For tutors, podcasts and free shows from Colombia, see our Colombian Spanish guide. Our Spanish app comparison covers Spanish in general.
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.
Try asking what a tinto is.
Bubblegum is mostly reading and listening. For a Colombian voice and for speaking, add the apps and tutors below.
- Lessons are written in Colombian Spanish, with everyday Colombian words.
- Lessons keep tú, vos and usted in line with the region and with how well the speakers know each other.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, and you can export them to Anki.
- 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.
- Lessons teach everyday Colombian Spanish and don't cover every regional way of speaking, like the coast.
- 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
Colombian Spanish Words is a small app from one developer, with a native Colombian voice that reads every word and sentence. It has 77 categories, and 15 of them are free. A one-time purchase unlocks the rest, with no subscription. It teaches words and sentences, not grammar, and it is new, with only a handful of ratings so far. Use it to hear Colombian pronunciation while your lessons and course supply the grammar. Find it on the App Store.
Pimsleur
Each lesson plays a short conversation, asks you to answer aloud, and then gives the correct answer, so it works for learners who would rather speak first and read later.
- Lessons are taught by native Latin American Spanish speakers.
- Five levels of audio lessons, each about 30 minutes long.
MobileWeb
Mango Languages
Check your local library first. The course doesn't say which country its speakers come from.
- Native speakers say every word in the Latin American Spanish course.
- Many public libraries and schools give their patrons full access at no cost.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Duolingo
Duolingo covers the Spanish that Colombia shares with most of Latin America. Add Colombian audio from the apps here when you want the accent.
- A free Spanish course for English speakers.
- Short lessons make it easy to practice a little at a time.
MobileWeb
uTalk
uTalk's topics, such as food and travel, each come as a set of quick games. Use it for everyday words, and get Colombian audio from another app.
- Its Latin American Spanish course uses voice artists from Mexico and Honduras.
- Record yourself and compare your voice with the speaker's.
MobileWeb
Dreaming Spanish
Its teacher list shows the guides Natalia and Shelcin with the Colombian flag. Watch their videos when you want to hear how Colombians speak.
- Videos for learners, with each guide's country shown, including Colombia.
- Videos from Superbeginner up to native content.
MobileWeb
Language Reactor
Language Reactor adds a popup dictionary to Colombian shows and YouTube videos. Our Colombian Spanish comprehensible input guide lists Colombian series, podcasts and radio to use it with.
- Dual subtitles and a popup dictionary on Netflix and YouTube.
- Pause and replay one line when it goes too fast.
Browser extension
RTVC Play is Colombia's public media platform, with free series, films, podcasts and live channels.
| App | Free? | What's Free |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Free version | 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. |
| Pimsleur | Free trial | You can try Pimsleur free for 7 days. After that, you pay for one language or for all of them. |
| Mango Languages | Some lessons free | The first lesson of every language is free, and many public libraries give their members full access at no cost. The paid plans start with a free trial. |
| Duolingo | Free | Every Duolingo course is free. Super Duolingo removes ads and adds extras such as Unlimited Energy, and you can try it free for 14 days. |
| uTalk | Some lessons free | Every language has free starter words, and getting full marks in the games opens one more topic for free. For the rest, you subscribe or buy a language or topic. |
| Dreaming Spanish | Free version | The free plan lets you watch free videos, track your progress and save videos. Premium adds thousands of extra videos and offline watching. |
| Language Reactor | Free version | The main tools are free, such as Netflix subtitles and a basic AI dictionary. Pro Mode adds tools such as speech recognition and machine translations. |
Try a lesson in your language before you pay, to check that it works for you.
| App | Languages You Can Use It In | Full List |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | 76 | Supported language pairs |
| uTalk | 140+ | Full list |
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. Or start with Pimsleur if you'd like to hear and say Latin American Spanish from the first day.
Is Latin American Spanish enough for Colombia?
It covers the shared core. Colombia adds its own habits, like Bogotá friends saying usted to each other, and vos in Medellín and Cali. Add Colombian audio early, so those forms don't surprise you.
Why do Babbel and Memrise have no Colombian course?
Both list a Mexico course and a Spain course on their own pages. Pick the Mexico course if you want a Latin American base, then add Colombian audio.
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 (regional dialects, ustedeo, voseo in Medellín and Cali, s on the coast)
- Bubblegum: Colombian Spanish lessons
- Colombian Spanish Words on the App Store (native Colombian voice, 77 categories, one-time unlock)
- Babbel: Learn Spanish (Spanish (Mexico) and Spanish (Spain))
- Memrise: Learn Spanish (Spain and Mexico)
- Pimsleur: Latin American Spanish (native Latin American speakers, five levels, 7 days free)
- Mango Languages: Latin American Spanish (native speaker audio)
- Mango Languages: pricing (first lesson free, library access)
- Mango Languages: home page (free through many libraries)
- Duolingo blog: what is vosotros (the course teaches ustedes)
- uTalk: Latin American Spanish (voice artists from Mexico and Honduras)
- Dreaming Spanish: guides listed by country
- Dreaming Spanish: FAQ (videos for learners, levels)
- Language Reactor: Chrome Web Store listing (dual subtitles and popup dictionary on Netflix and YouTube)
- RTVC Play: free series, films, podcasts and live channels from Colombia
- Duolingo on the App Store
- uTalk on the App Store
- Dreaming Spanish: premium plan
- Language Reactor: home page
- Language Reactor: Pro mode
- Bubblegum
- Duolingo
- uTalk
- Language Reactor
