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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LAST EPISODE

Un viaje en ruedas (A Wheel...

10.28.2021

In 2011, Mónica Mera survived an accident that left her paraplegic and emotionally devastated. She thought her days of adventure were over, until she received an invitation to join a special journey on the famous Camino de Santiago trail in ...

Duolingo Spanish Podcast episodes:

10.28.2021 Un viaje en ruedas (A Wheeled Journey) In 2011, Mónica Mera survived an accident that left her paraplegic and emotionally devastated. She thought her days of adventure were over, until she received an invitation to join a special journey on the famous Camino de Santiago trail in ...
10.21.2021 Trailer Season 13 The Duolingo Spanish Podcast is back with new episodes on October 28. Listen to the trailer now!
09.09.2021 The Rodin Thief - Art Mysteries, Episode 6 After a famous sculpture by Auguste Rodin goes missing, and then dramatically reappears, a Chilean filmmaker sets out to uncover the motives of the mysterious art student responsible for the theft. A transcript of this episode is available at podcast.duolingo.com.
09.02.2021 The Secret Life of María Lejárraga - Art Mysteries, Episode 5 When two literature professors discover that a woman named María Lejárraga was behind some of the greatest Spanish literary works of the 20th century, they set out to learn why her name was omitted from history, and do everything in ...
08.26.2021 Frida Kahlo’s Secret Room - Art Mysteries, Episode 4 For 47 years after her death, a room in Mexican painter Frida Kahlo’s house remained sealed to the outside world. When it was finally opened in 2004, it revealed amazing insights into the painter and her life. A transcript of ...
08.19.2021 The Fake Matisse - Art Mysteries, Episode 3 After a famous Matisse painting from a Venezuelan museum mysteriously shows up in a Miami art gallery, a journalist investigates and discovers the unthinkable: for years, the so-called masterpiece on display at the museum was a fake. A transcript of ...
08.12.2021 The Picasso in Exile - Art Mysteries, Episode 2 Pablo Picasso’s most famous work, the anti-war mural called Guernica, is returned to Spain under a veil of secrecy after 44 years outside the country during the Franco dictatorship. A transcript of this episode is available at podcast.duolingo.com.
08.05.2021 The Missing Gabriel García Márquez: Art Mysteries, Episode 1 When a first edition of Gabriel García Márquez’s famous book, One Hundred Years of Solitude, disappears from a book fair in Bogotá, Colombia, a devoted bookseller vows to get it back. A transcript of this episode is available at podcast.duolingo.com.
07.29.2021 Trailer Season 12 The Duolingo Spanish Podcast is back with a very special season on August 5. Listen to the trailer now!
06.17.2021 Los lowriders de hoy (Lowriders of Today) Marisa Rosales loved cars as a kid. But it wasn’t until she discovered lowriders as a young woman that she found a car community connected to her Mexican-American identity. A transcript of this episode is available at podcast.duolingo.com.
06.10.2021 El toreo de hoy (Bullfighting of Today) 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 ...
06.03.2021 El tango de hoy (Tango of Today) Tango is Argentina’s most iconic cultural tradition. But for a hundred years, tangos have only been written from the perspective of men. The conductor of “La empoderada” or “The Empowered,” Argentina’s first all-female tango orchestra, is trying to change that. ...
05.27.2021 El mate de hoy (Mate of Today) Uruguay consumes more mate than any other country in the world. But for a hundred years, almost all of that mate has been imported. Now, Rodrigo Patrón is trying to bring back mate production in Uruguay, in a way that ...
05.20.2021 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 ...
05.13.2021 La música andina de hoy (Andean Music of Today) After years of studying classical music overseas, a Peruvian composer returns home and decides to write an opera incorporating classical instruments as well as Andean ones like the zampoña and the quena — both types of flutes. A transcript of ...
05.06.2021 El chocolate de hoy (Chocolate of Today) Cacao was once a cash crop for Costa Rica — until a fungus in the 1970’s wiped out over 80% of the country’s cacao trees. Today, Juan Pablo Buchert is trying to revive the industry, by promoting sustainability and fair ...
04.29.2021 La lucha libre de hoy (Lucha Libre of Today) Growing up, José Luis Hernández disliked lucha libre, the famous style of Mexican professional wrestling. So he never imagined that someday, he would be one of its biggest stars. A transcript of this episode is available at podcast.duolingo.com.
04.22.2021 Trailer Season 11 The Duolingo Spanish Podcast is back with new episodes on April 29. Listen to the trailer now!
03.11.2021 Extrañamente idénticas (Strangely Identical) When a family friend told Dolores Fernández that she’d seen her on television, Dolores was sure there must be a mistake. But then Dolores saw the program for herself…and there she was. Except Dolores had never been on television. So ...
03.04.2021 El perro que protestó (The Dog Who Protested) María Campos falls in love with a stray dog who has a knack for leading protests — and becomes a global symbol of unity and strength in Chile's historic social uprising. A transcript of this episode is available at podcast.duolingo.com.
02.25.2021 Reforestación inteligente (Smart Reforestation) After experiencing climate change-fueled wildfires in person, a young Spanish businessman searches for a solution to reforest the planet, with help from a tree-whispering monk. A transcript of this episode is available at podcast.duolingo.com.
02.18.2021 Irse de Venezuela (Leaving Venezuela) Pushed away by growing insecurity and political unrest in her country, a Venezuelan woman follows her dream of moving to Georgia, USA. There, she faces a tough reality of the language barrier and harsh work conditions…obstacles she meets with a ...
02.11.2021 Terapia de tatuajes (Tattoo Therapy) A tattoo parlor in Barcelona helps survivors of domestic violence start a new chapter in their lives. A transcript of this episode is available at podcast.duolingo.com.
02.04.2021 Buscando a los 33 (Finding the 33) Eleven years ago, a young geologist named Sandra Jara became an unsung hero in the high-stakes race to rescue 33 trapped Chilean miners. Now, she’s telling her story. A transcript of this episode is available at podcast.duolingo.com.
01.28.2021 El nopal es el nuevo cuero (Cactus is the New Leather) After a fortuitous encounter in Taiwan, two Mexican friends decide to transform their national symbol into an ethical alternative for the fashion industry. A transcript of this episode is available at podcast.duolingo.com.
01.21.2021 Una cancha para ellas (A Field of Their Own) In one of the poorest neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, a soccer coach helps girls fight for their right to play, building a feminist soccer league that becomes an example of inclusion in sports. A transcript of this episode is available ...
01.13.2021 Inside "El gran robo argentino" In this special episode, we go behind the scenes of “El gran robo argentino,” the first special mini-series from the Duolingo Spanish Podcast. Host and executive producer Martina Castro reveals the most intriguing secrets from this one-of-a-kind show — with ...
12.03.2020 Part 6: El juicio (The Trial) The robbers are forced to face the consequences of their crime, and find themselves up against potentially lengthy prison sentences. While the evidence against them is damning, they hope to make the case for leniency by arguing that they were ...
11.19.2020 Part 5: El golpe (The job) It's the version of the heist you haven't yet heard: the day of the robbery, from the thieves' point of view. Hear the play-by-play of what really happened inside the Río Bank on January 13, 2006. With everything planned down ...
11.12.2020 Part 4: El plan (The Plan) The mysterious mastermind assembles a band of thieves to rob a bank without firing any shots. For a year, the gang thinks through every single detail. But can they really trust one another to pull off such an elaborate scheme? ...
11.05.2020 Part 3: Las detenciones (The Arrests) An unexpected betrayal leads to the downfall of the robbers. But police still struggle to answer a central question: Who is the man who dreamt up this audacious plan that made fools of them? A transcript of this episode is ...
10.29.2020 Part 2: La caza (The Hunt) The police have finally put together how the robbers vanished with the loot. Yet despite several leads, agents are struggling to arrest any suspects. While the police try to keep their investigation secret, the reporters will learn that the thieves ...
10.22.2020 Part 1: El robo (The Robbery) In January 2006, a group of thieves entered a bank in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in what appeared to be just a regular theft. But soon, it became clear that this would be unlike any crime Argentina had ever seen. In ...
09.27.2020 Trailer Season 9 The Duolingo Spanish Podcast is back with new episodes starting October 22, 2020. Listen to the trailer now!
08.20.2020 Una rana llamada Romeo (A Frog Named Romeo) A Bolivian biologist studies a lone frog named Romeo,, who's in danger of extinction — until she makes him a dating profile and starts an international fundraising campaign to find his Juliet and save the species. A transcript of this ...
08.13.2020 La abuela superstar (Grandma Superstar) Irma Silva was born on a ranch, married young, and raised a large family — the traditional life of a rural Mexican woman. At 80 she thought that was it for her…until her grandson made an offer she couldn't refuse, ...
08.06.2020 Un tesoro internacional (International Treasure) There are two places Teresa Valcarce calls home: Spain and the United States. But after discovering that one of her countries never fulfilled a centuries-old promise to the other, Teresa sets out on a mission to track down a missing ...
07.30.2020 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 ...
07.23.2020 Las mamás del río Amazonas (Mothers of the Amazon River) 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 ...
07.16.2020 El arte del café (The Art of Coffee) Alejandro Méndez's new boss, café-owner Federico Bolanos, is obsessed with one thing: training Alejandro to compete in the world's toughest barista competition. But can a country like El Salvador hold its own against prevailing champions like Australia and the United ...
07.09.2020 Un exiliado en Rusia (An Exile in Russia) In 1973, 16-year-old Víctor Yáñez travels from his home in Chile to the former USSR to study agriculture. But when a military coup strikes at home, he's stranded in Communist Russia…for the rest of his life. A transcript of this ...
07.02.2020 Libros tras las rejas (Books Behind Bars) Growing up in a house without books, Ana Sicilia always dreamed of having her own library. Years later, after teaching a writing workshop in a nearby prison, her dream would come true — just not in the way she'd imagined. ...
06.25.2020 Trailer Season 8 The Duolingo Spanish Podcast is back with new episodes starting July 2, 2020. Listen to the trailer now!
06.18.2020 Ask Martina Anything: Your Listener Questions Answered In this special episode, we answer your most burning questions about the Duolingo Spanish Podcast! Listen as host and executive producer Martina Castro takes you behind the scenes of this one-of-a-kind podcast — with a little help from some friends. ...
05.21.2020 Los niños de los desaparecidos (The Children of the Disappeared) As the child of adoptive parents in 1980s Argentina, Tatiana Sfiligoy knew her family situation was unique. But it would be another decade before she uncovered the truth about what happened to her biological parents — including the role her ...
05.14.2020 La vida en los tiempos del coronavirus (Life in the Time of Coronavirus) Like many others around the world, Spanish speakers on both sides of the Atlantic have responded to the coronavirus pandemic with exceptional acts of courage and kindness. In this special episode, we’ll hear stories of people who have stepped up ...
05.07.2020 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 this ancestral ...
04.30.2020 Un cocinero para la gente (A Cook for the People) After an impressive career of cooking in some of the world's best restaurants, Marco Quelca decided to dedicate his life to bringing gourmet cooking to lower income communities in his native Bolivia, pioneering a new kind of performance art: high-end ...
04.23.2020 Mi abuela la curandera (My Grandmother the Healer) 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 ...
04.16.2020 Un hogar en tierra prohibida (A Home on Forbidden Land) When María Elena Paz moved to a plot of land on the outskirts of Mexico City, she was shocked to find no water, electricity, or roads. She and her neighbors weren't even supposed to live in the ecologically protected zone. ...

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