Duolingo Spanish Podcast

By Duolingo

Society & Culture Education

What's Duolingo Spanish Podcast about?

True stories for English speakers learning Spanish. From the makers of Duolingo, the most popular language-learning app, comes a new podcast that delivers fascinating real-life stories in easy-to-understand Spanish with English narration. These are not language lessons; they’re life lessons through language. Hosted by Martina Castro, co-founder of NPR’s Radio Ambulante.

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El ciclista nómada (The Bik...

11.30.2023

Ever since he was a kid, Rafa Millan-Garcia got through tough times by getting on his bike and pedaling alone for miles. But after one very long bike ride took him 1,700 miles from his home in Mexico City to ...

Duolingo Spanish Podcast episodes:

11.30.2023 El ciclista nómada (The Bike Nomad) - Revisited Ever since he was a kid, Rafa Millan-Garcia got through tough times by getting on his bike and pedaling alone for miles. But after one very long bike ride took him 1,700 miles from his home in Mexico City to ...
11.23.2023 El toreo de hoy (Bullfighting of Today) - Revisited Juan Pablo grew up fascinated with bullfighting, a tradition in his home country of Spain. But when he discovers recorte — the art of bull dodging — he sees it as a thrilling, more humane alternative. He throws himself into ...
11.16.2023 Mexico City - Perros de La Condesa - Revisited Photographer Aldo Gracia shows us why the leafy, relaxed enclave of La Condesa has become the canine capital of Mexico City. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3SJQhjf.
11.09.2023 Washington y George en las Islas Galápagos (Washington & George in the Galápagos) - Revisited The giant Galápagos tortoise is one of the most endangered animals in the world, and Lonesome George was the last of his particular species when he met conservationist Washington Tapia. They would go on to develop a bond that would ...
11.02.2023 Piji y yo - Revisited In Perú, writer Marco Avilés and his dog Piji were inseparable. But when Marco decided they should pursue better lives in the United States, and Marco found himself working for a top chef, their bond and sense of adventure would ...
10.26.2023 Trailer Season 19 November marks National Pet Awareness Month, a time to celebrate our furry and four-legged friends. The Duolingo Spanish Podcast is bringing back our favorite tales of these companions and their owners. Our new season kicks off on November 2nd! Listen ...
05.25.2023 Mi abuela la curandera (My Grandmother the Healer) - Revisited As a child, Dr. Linda Valencia was fascinated by her grandmother, a traditional healer in Guatemala. But after choosing a different path and becoming a medical doctor, Linda realized that she could integrate the best parts of her grandmother's practices ...
05.18.2023 Tejiendo un legado (Weaving a Legacy) In El Salvador, waist loom weaving is a revered craft, historically undertaken by women — until Ronald Vega had to take over the job from his sick mother, becoming the first man in his family, and his country, to practice ...
05.11.2023 Una victoria en la cancha (A Victory on the Soccer Field) - Revisited In May 2019, twenty Paraguayan soccer players traveled from their hometown to Asunción, the nation’s capital, to play the most important game of their lives. Led by their captain, José Elías Argaña, they were the first indigenous team to qualify ...
05.04.2023 Las mamás del río Amazonas (Mothers of the Amazon River) - Revisited Dr. Magaly Blas trades the security of a city hospital job for a post in the Amazon, where she serves pregnant women who don't have access to modern healthcare. But when Magaly discovers that she, too, is pregnant, her work ...
04.27.2023 Las cholitas de hoy (Cholitas of Today) A group of indigenous women from Bolivia go to great heights to show the world that mountaineering is for everyone — including cholitas who wear their traditional skirts and shawls with pride. A transcript of this episode is available at ...
04.20.2023 Rap originario (Indigenous Rap) A young Mexican man discovers that he can use rap as a tool to help save his native language. But can he convince a new generation to love this new form of rap, too? A transcript of this episode is ...
04.13.2023 El paraíso del chef (The Chef’s Paradise) Rodrigo Pacheco worked in some of the world's best restaurants, but he never truly felt like the chef he aspired to be until he found himself far from the culinary scene on the Ecuadorian coast. That's where his quest to ...
04.06.2023 El héroe de libros (The Book Hero) In 2013, a Peruvian photographer visits his parents’ village and unexpectedly becomes dedicated to improving literacy in rural Peru. A transcript of this episode is available at http://bit.ly/4385i17.
03.30.2023 Trailer Season 18 The Duolingo Spanish Podcast is back with new episodes starting April 6, 2023. Listen to the trailer now!
02.16.2023 The Mystery of the Itata - El último viaje (The Final Voyage) Ricardo Bordones and Carlos Cortés are caught in a huge storm and fear they may suffer the same fate as the passengers of the Vapor Itata. How much will they risk to find the sunken shipwreck? A transcript of this ...
02.09.2023 The Mystery of the Itata - La búsqueda (The Search) Carlos and Ricardo set out on a journey to find the remains of the Vapor Itata, a century after it sank. They receive an important tip about its location, which sends them to the high seas, where a storm gets ...
02.02.2023 The Mystery of the Itata - Las secuelas (The Aftermath) Following the sinking of the Vapor Itata, Jorge X and others make it to a beach near the coastal village of Los Choros. A transcript of this episode is available at http://bit.ly/3JSFj6X.
01.26.2023 The Mystery of the Itata - El naufragio (The Shipwreck) As a violent storm descends on the Vapor Itata, Jorge X realizes he and his fellow passengers are in great danger. A transcript of this episode is available at http://bit.ly/3Hc5lyK.
01.19.2023 The Mystery of the Itata - El engaño (The Deception) In this episode we’ll travel back to Chile in 1922 to witness the Vapor Itata’s last voyage. There, we’ll follow Jorge X, a journalist who was heading north to cover a story that would expose the injustices in his country. ...
01.12.2023 The Mystery of the Itata - El libro perdido (The Lost Book) Ricardo Bordones, a Chilean sociologist, discovers that a century ago, a ship sank off the coast of his country, taking over 500 lives with it. When Ricardo starts to investigate the shipwreck, he realizes that almost no one knows about ...
12.15.2022 Season 17 Trailer The Duolingo Spanish Podcast is back with a special season on Jan 12. Listen to the trailer now!
10.13.2022 Mexico City - A comer…¡tacos! In Mexico City, tacos run the gamut, from late night snack to haute cuisine. As a chef and food tour guide, Yimnah Rosas has tried them all and uses this iconic street food to reveal a deeper side of Mexican ...
10.06.2022 Mexico City - Paseando por La Roma In 2005, Brenda Sánchez Freixanet moved to La Roma in Mexico City and fell in love with its charm and culture. But it was the neighborhood’s community and people that made her stay. A transcript of this episode is available ...
09.29.2022 Mexico City - Tenochtitlán, una ciudad oculta A writer and historian give us a tour of Mexico City’s centro histórico, the area connecting the city of today with the ancient city of Tenochtitlán. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3SKXTPx.
09.22.2022 Mexico City - Perros de La Condesa Photographer Aldo Gracia shows us why the leafy, relaxed enclave of La Condesa has become the canine capital of Mexico City. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3C0LpNW.
09.15.2022 Mexico City - Mujeres muralistas Feminist author Plaqueta takes us on a journey into the world of Mexico’s mighty muralistas, the women who shaped the nation’s identity through art. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3dhQgAS.
09.08.2022 Trailer Season 16 The Duolingo Spanish Podcast is back with a special season exploring Mexico City. It starts on September 15th. Listen to the trailer now!
07.28.2022 Climate Heroes - Building Reservoirs in Peru When the glaciers in Ayacucho, Peru started disappearing, intense water shortages made life in the region unsustainable. Until two sisters revived the ancient practice of building sacred water reservoirs in the mountains. A transcript of this episode is available at ...
07.21.2022 Climate Heroes - Protecting Bears in Bolivia A Bolivian scientist sets out to study a species of bears critically endangered by drought and loss of habitat. Along the way, she shows the local community how helping the bears can protect their livelihood and the forest against climate ...
07.14.2022 Climate Heroes - Harnessing Solar Energy in Puerto Rico After Hurricane Maria knocked out power on Puerto Rico for months, Ada Ramona Miranda Alvarado worked to protect communities on the island against future outages, using solar power. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3OjofW2.
07.07.2022 Climate Heroes - Harvesting Rain in Mexico Industrial designer Enrique Lomnitz wanted to use his creativity for good. When he learned that climate change was making water scarcity even worse for Mexico City’s low income residents, he tried to harness a natural resource: rain. A transcript of ...
06.30.2022 Climate Heroes - Marching for Change in Argentina A young Argentinian is inspired by Greta Thunberg to create one of Argentina’s most influential environmental organizations. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3yxSweY.
06.23.2022 Climate Heroes - Preserving the Forest in Peru When Julio Cusurichi saw loggers push deeper and deeper into the Amazon, he realized they threatened both the fragile rainforest and the traditional way of life for Indigenous communities in Peru. So he decided to make it his life's work ...
06.16.2022 Climate Heroes - Biking in Spain When primary school teacher Helena Vilardell’s students told her they wanted to ride their bikes to school, she came up with the idea of the “bicibús.” It quickly took off as a movement to take back the streets, helping create ...
06.09.2022 Climate Heroes - Saving Food in Uruguay A college student in Uruguay finds a way to salvage food that would otherwise be thrown away. With the help of friends, he manages to not only provide healthier food options for vulnerable communities, but also fight climate change. A ...
06.02.2022 Trailer Season 15 The Duolingo Spanish Podcast is back for a special season, with new episodes on June 9th. Listen to the trailer now!
04.21.2022 Costumbres - Casitas in the Bronx Leonor Torres finds a sense of community and a way to preserve customs from Puerto Rico at El Flamboyan garden and its casita in the Bronx, but it almost gets destroyed. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3K3yUC0.
04.14.2022 Costumbres - Chapitas in Venezuela Growing up in Venezuela, Gyorgy Aponte played a makeshift version of baseball, “chapitas,” using bottle caps and a broom. With his family and baseball buddies dispersed around the world, he decides to pass on the custom to his son in ...
04.07.2022 Costumbres - La once in Chile Journalist Kalú Downey and her friend worried that Chilean teatime known as “la once” was fading, so they launched a social media project to celebrate it, only to discover deeper meanings behind the custom. A transcript of this episode is ...
03.31.2022 Costumbres - Quinceañeras in the U.S. As the daughter of recent immigrants from Ecuador, Francis Gortaire didn’t get to have a traditional quinceañera when she turned 15. But, for her 30th birthday, she decided to host the quinceañera she never had and shared an important announcement ...
03.24.2022 Costumbres - Piñatas in Mexico Julián Meconetzin Rangel Sosa learned how to craft piñatas when he was a kid. So when he launched his own business, he also taught children in schools how to make them, passing the custom onto the next generation. A transcript ...
03.17.2022 Costumbres - Asadoras in Argentina An asadora — a woman grill master — in Argentina breaks into the male-dominated field of barbecuing, creating an entire movement. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/34V2nzO.
03.10.2022 Costumbres - Monigotes in Ecuador In Quito, entrepreneur Paúl Mendez updates his community’s New Year’s custom — burning effigies, or monigotes — to make it healthier for the environment. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3MELryi.
03.03.2022 Costumbres - Siestas in Spain When a Spanish mayor signs a yearly proclamation requesting everyone respect the hours of the siesta, his small town suddenly makes headlines around the world. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3MkEW3B.
02.24.2022 Trailer Season 14 The Duolingo Spanish Podcast is back for a special season, with new episodes on March 3rd. Listen to the trailer now!
12.16.2021 El don del lenguaje (The Gift of Language) For almost a decade, Leydis Lopez put her career in education on hold. Until one day, she finally decided to lean into her native Spanish language to give children the gift of bilingualism. A transcript of this episode is available ...
12.09.2021 Operación Pedro Pan (Operation Pedro Pan) At eight years old, Margarita Lora Prats left Cuba in a plane full of children, thinking she was headed on a vacation. But she was actually one of thousands of children airlifted to the United States during the Cuban Revolution, ...
12.02.2021 Barbacoa sin fronteras (Barbacoa Beyond Borders) After fleeing her hometown of Capulhuac, México, Cristina Martínez starts all over in Philadelphia, where she rises to fame as a barbacoa chef. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/35xJz9v.
11.25.2021 Los gemelos bailarines (The Dancing Twins) Growing up in Venezuela, identical twin brothers Emilio and Orlando Tovar Gil had to lean on each other to survive. After working hard to pursue an international dance career, will a series of setbacks cause them to break up? A ...

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