As we’ll mention in an upcoming piece, European languages dominate the list of most popular educational podcasts. So we thought that we’d highlight the key podcasts that will teach you the major European languages — Spanish, French, Italian and German. Meanwhile, if you want to learn English through podcasts, please see our piece below. Bonne chance.
For our complete collection of foreign language podcasts, which can teach you 25 languages, click here.
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French
- French for Beginners iTunes Feed Web Site
- Fun, effective lessons for beginners. Provided by the French Ecole.
- Le Journal en français facile iTunes Feed Web Site
- Nightly news from RFI presented in slowly spoken French to assist you with your comprehension.
- Learn French by Podcast iTunes Feed Web Site
- A well-reviewed series of lessons for beginners and those who want to brush up on their French.
- Learn French with Daily Podcasts iTunes Feed Web Site
- These lessons are brought to you by French teachers from Paris. They are best suited for those who already have some beginning French under their belts.
- The French Pod Class iTunes Feed Web Site
- A very popular collection that teaches students the French language and different facets of French culture.
- The Verbcast – French Verbs by Relaxation iTunes Feed Web Site
- A four-week series of lessons that will allow you to refine your knowledge of French verbs.
German
- Deutsch – warum nicht?
- Slowly Spoken News iTunes Feed
- Deutsche Welle provides a nightly news broadcast in German that’s spoken slowly so that you can work on your comprehension.
- GerGermanGrammar iTunes Feed Web Site
- German grammar lessons aimed at American students.
- Lernen Wir Deutsch iTunes Feed Web Site
- Presented in video, these “vodcasts” get high marks for being not only educational but also very entertaining.
- MyDailyPhrase.com iTunes Feed Web Site
- Learn German phrase by phrase over a course of 20 weeks. The podcasts will cover all the language you need to know to get by on a visit to a German-speaking country. This series is put together by the same people created the popular series “Coffee Break Spanish.”
Italian
- LearnItalianPod.com iTunes Feed Web Site
- A series of Italian language lessons that will get you up and running. I have personally used them and found them effective.
- Let’s Speak Italian iTunes Feed Web Site
- This collection will help you learn Italian in small, manageable 5-minute bites.
- MyDailyPhrase.com iTunes Web Site
- Learn Italian step by step over a course of 20 weeks. The podcasts will cover all the language you need to know to get by on a visit to a Italian-speaking country. Created by the same people who put together the popular series “Coffee Break Spanish.”
- World Languages Podcasting – Italian Podcast iTunes Feed Web Site
- It’s admittedly a bit of an untraditional way to learn Italian. This podcast lets you listen to conversations about Australian culture in Italian.
Spanish
- Coffee Break Spanish iTunes Feed Web Site
- Learn Spanish in a low-key, effective way. Currently the #2 overall favorite in iTunes’ podcast collection. They must be loaded on iPods everywhere.
- Finally Learn Spanish – Beyond the Basics iTunes Feed Web Site
- If you’ve had some Spanish classes and you need experience listening to and speaking the language, then Finally Learn Spanish has a collection of podcasts for you.
- Insta Spanish Lessons iTunes Feed Web Site
- Weekly comprehension and grammar exercises for students of all levels. One of the more popular podcasts on iTunes.
- Learn Spanish Survival Guide iTunes Feed
- If you’re planning a trip to a Spanish speaking country, and if you don’t know the langugage, this will help get you up to speed.
