The best Spanish resources for intermediate learners make you listen to real Spanish and then make you speak it. For the plateau where you understand a lot but freeze, our pick is Speak Better Spanish conversation sessions (our own). For listening, try Dreaming Spanish, Hoy Hablamos or Easy Spanish. For reading, LingQ. For lookups, SpanishDict.
This lesson comes from Speak Better Spanish, live one-to-one Spanish coaching for adults with Hannah, Arturo and Jacky. Rated 5.0 on Google. Get a free speaking plan →
Speak Better Spanish is ours, and we are saying so first. We list it first because the intermediate plateau is exactly what our coaches work on every week. For every other resource we checked the facts on its own website on October 25, 2026. Plans and prices change, so check again before you pay.
Key Takeaways
- At the intermediate level, more grammar rarely fixes the problem. More real listening and more speaking do.
- Pick one listening resource you enjoy and use it most days.
- Read things you would read in English anyway, with a tool that helps with new words.
- Speak at least once a week with a real person, even for 30 minutes.
- Use a dictionary and conjugation tool for lookups, not as your main study.
Best Spanish resources for intermediate learners at a glance
| Resource | Type | Best for | Free or paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speak Better Spanish (ours) | Conversation sessions and coaching on Zoom | Getting past the freeze, real Mexican Spanish | Free Roadmap Session, then paid |
| Dreaming Spanish | Video series by native teachers | Lots of listening at your level | Price not shown on its homepage |
| News in Slow Spanish | News lessons by level | Current events at a B1 to B2 level | 7-day free trial |
| Hoy Hablamos | Podcast | Daily listening, intermediate to advanced | Free episodes, Premium $9.95 a month |
| Easy Spanish | YouTube street interviews and podcast | Real people in Mexico City and Barcelona | Free videos |
| LingQ | Reading and listening app | Reading what you choose, with help on new words | Free to start |
| Language Reactor | Chrome extension for Netflix | Spanish shows with dual subtitles | Free to add, with in-app purchases |
| SpanishDict | Dictionary, conjugations and grammar | Quick lookups | Free, with a Premium plan |
| Tandem | Language exchange app | Chatting with native speakers | Free to sign up |
Knowing the rule is the easy part. Using it mid-conversation is where most adults freeze. In a free roadmap session, a coach hears you speak and gives you a plan for what to practice next.
1. Speak Better Spanish: best for the intermediate plateau and the freeze
This is us. Many of our conversation students are intermediate. They know the grammar and follow slow Spanish, but when it is their turn to talk, the words disappear. Our conversation sessions are 30 minutes of real Spanish with a coach who knows you. You pick the topic, or your coach brings one, and you get the recording and notes with the new words from your own conversation.
If you want to learn something new, not just practice, a 60-minute coaching session builds on what you already know. Many students alternate the two. You can practice with Hannah, Arturo or Jacky, and the Spanish is real-life Mexican Spanish. Current prices are on our pricing page.
Pick something else if you want Spain Spanish or you are preparing for an exam. Coaching also costs more than an app.
2. Dreaming Spanish: best for lots of listening at your level
Dreaming Spanish (now at dreaming.com) is built on learning by watching. You pick a series at your level and press play. Its teachers come from Argentina, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Spain and Venezuela, and the series cover topics like cooking, science, true crime and gaming. It is a good way to get hours of Spanish that is just a little above your level.
3. News in Slow Spanish: best for current events
News in Slow Spanish has an intermediate level for B1 to B2 learners, with its own goal of breaking through the listening plateau. You can choose Spain Spanish or Latino Spanish at the top of the site. There is a 7-day free trial, and you can cancel anytime. Prices were not shown on the homepage when we checked.
4. Hoy Hablamos: best for daily listening
Hoy Hablamos is a podcast for learners hosted by Roi and Paco. The main show is for intermediate to advanced learners and puts out 6 episodes a week, and Hoy Hablamos Básico adds 1 episode a week for lower levels. Premium adds transcripts and exercises for every episode and access to more than 2,000 episodes. It costs $9.95 a month or $95 a year, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
5. Easy Spanish: best for hearing real people
Easy Spanish films people on the street in Barcelona and Mexico City and makes videos for beginner, intermediate and advanced learners. It also has a podcast. Street interviews are great practice because nobody slows down for you, and that is what real Spanish sounds like.
6. LingQ: best for reading what you choose
LingQ turns things you import, like YouTube videos, books or songs, into Spanish lessons. Its reader highlights the words you know and the words you are learning, and its library has thousands of hours of Spanish audio with matching transcripts. You can get started for free.
7. Language Reactor: best for learning with Netflix
Language Reactor is a Chrome extension that adds dual subtitles, a popup dictionary and playback controls to Netflix. Its Chrome Web Store page listed 2,000,000 users when we checked and says it offers in-app purchases. Pair it with our list of the best TV shows to learn Spanish so you start with a show at your level.
8. SpanishDict: best for quick lookups
SpanishDict gives you translations with conjugations, pronunciations and examples, plus grammar articles and vocabulary lists. Its Premium plan adds extras like cheat sheets, phrasebooks and a writing coach that checks spelling and grammar. Use it to check a verb, not as your main way to study.
9. Tandem: best for chatting with native speakers
Tandem is a language exchange app where people teach each other. You can download it and sign up for free. It works best once you can hold a simple conversation, because your partner is a fellow learner, not a teacher, and will not plan what you practice.
How we picked these resources
- We looked for resources that give intermediate learners real Spanish, not more beginner drills.
- Every list has to include speaking, because that is where intermediate learners get stuck.
- We only used facts we could see on each provider’s own site on October 25, 2026. We did not give star ratings.
- We left out prices we could not see on the provider’s own page.
Why intermediate learners get stuck
At the intermediate level, most people are not missing grammar. They are missing hours of listening to real Spanish and time spent speaking it out loud. That is why so many learners feel they understand Spanish but cannot answer back. Our guides to moving from A2 to B1 Spanish and why you understand Spanish but cannot speak it go deeper. If you freeze in the moment, start with why you freeze when speaking Spanish. If you feel stuck, read why you may not be improving. For the bigger picture, see our roadmap guide for adult learners.
Frequently Asked Questions
Use one listening resource, one reading tool and one way to speak each week. Dreaming Spanish, Hoy Hablamos and Easy Spanish are strong for listening, LingQ for reading, and SpanishDict for lookups. For speaking, we recommend Speak Better Spanish conversation sessions, which are our own.
Most learners get past it with more real listening and more speaking, not more grammar. Listen to Spanish made for native speakers or for intermediate learners most days, and speak with a real person every week. Small, steady practice moves you further than a big push once a month.
Yes. Dreaming Spanish lets you pick series at your level, with teachers from several countries, so you can find videos that are just a little hard for you. It is a listening resource, so pair it with some speaking practice to turn what you understand into what you can say.
Intermediate usually means A2 to B2 on the European CEFR scale. At B1 you can handle everyday situations and talk about familiar topics. At B2 you can follow most conversations and speak with some fluency. Many adults reach B1 in reading and listening before their speaking catches up.
At least once a week with a real person, and more if you can. A 30-minute conversation every week does more for your speaking than a long session once a month. Between conversations, talk to yourself or record voice notes so the words stay ready.
Choose two resources and start this week
You do not need all nine. Pick one listening resource and one way to speak, and give them a month.
If you understand a lot of Spanish but go blank when someone talks to you, book a free Spanish Roadmap Session. We will look at your level and your goals and tell you honestly what to focus on next.
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