Are you interested in learning Spanish but don’t know where to start? Well, you’re in luck! In this article, we’re going to take you on a journey through the best free Spanish online courses available. We’ll provide you with a comprehensive list of courses that are perfect for those just starting or those looking to improve their skills further with authentic material. So, let’s get started on your Spanish learning journey!

Class Central recommends the fundamentals Spanish course in 4 hours by Ana in her Beginner Spanish course. If you want to go beyond the basics and practice listening with authentic material, Dreaming in Spanish has a catalog with thousands of videos for all levels, 100% in Spanish, and a variety of accents and topics to choose from.

If you want a well-structured university-level course full of learning tools, the Basic Spanish courses from the Universitat Politècnica de València will get you from complete beginner to lower intermediate in no time.

If you want to read in more details, here are the main categories for our favorite courses:

Why Should You Learn Spanish?

In today’s world, being bilingual can give you a competitive edge, and Spanish is one of the most popular languages to learn. With over 493 million Spanish speakers worldwide, it’s a language that’s both useful and fascinating to learn. From exploring the Spanish speaking  countries to enhancing your professional opportunities, there are countless benefits to being able to speak Spanish.

The best part? With the rise of technology, you can now learn Spanish from the comfort of your own home, and for free! Whether you’re a complete beginner or an intermediate learner, there are plenty of online courses available that fit your needs. From YouTube tutorials to university-level courses and podcasts, the options are endless.

Research Methodology

I built this ranking following the now tried-and-tested methodology used in previous Best Courses Guides (you can find them all here). It involves a three-step process:

1. Research: I started by leveraging Class Central’s database with 100K online courses and 200K+ reviews. Then, I made a preliminary selection of Spanish courses by rating, reviews, and bookmarks.
2. Evaluate: I read through reviews on Class Central, Reddit, and course providers to understand what other learners thought about each course and combined it with my own experience as a learner.
3. Select: Well-made courses were picked if they presented valuable and engaging content and they have to fit in a set of criteria and be ranked accordingly: comprehensive curriculum, affordability, release date, ratings and enrollments.

Best Spanish Courses for Beginners on YouTube

In Beginner Spanish, Spanish Level 1, A1, B1 by Butterfly Spanish, you will learn the fundamentals of Spanish with an engaging instructor, Ana. In this series, you will learn about grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, tips & tricks, and cultural aspects of the language.

This course is divided into 21 videos of about 5 to 30 minutes each, with over 4 hours of total workload. You will learn by watching the instructor and taking notes for yourself. However, please note that this course does not provide any reading materials or quizzes.

The Most Comprehensive Course for Beginners on YouTube

In this comprehensive course, Spanish Lessons for Beginner Learners by the Language Tutor channel with Danny Evans, you will learn everything you need to get started with Spanish and become a confident communicator in the language. The course covers pronunciation, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, tenses, and conversation. Students will also learn about pronouns, verbs, adjectives, contractions, and more.

The course is divided into 128 bite-sized lessons, totaling 23 hours of workload. You will learn by watching the instructor and taking notes for yourself. To assist you in your learning journey, you can download study guides from The Language Tutor website.

Fun Facts:

• You can listen to Danny Evans’ podcast and learn Spanish on the go.
• Danny served in the US Marine Corps and took part in Operation Desert Storm. After the war, he began college to major in music but later switched to Spanish Education.

Best Collection of Authentic Material in Spanish for All Levels

Dreaming in Spanish provides a collection of playlists with authentic materials for all levels to practice listening skills and increase vocabulary with real situations, different accents, and a variety of topics. Their content is 100% in Spanish, so if you are a complete beginner, you might find it difficult to follow.

There are four main categories to start learning according to your level:

• Superbeginner Dreaming Spanish (107 videos)
• Beginner Dreaming Spanish (444 videos)
• Intermediate Dreaming Spanish (298 videos)
• Advanced Dreaming Spanish (71 videos)

This course provides over 900 bite-sized, 5- to 10-minute videos. You will learn by watching the instructor discuss a topic. For the most basic levels, you will receive clear instructions and visual aids to follow along, and it gets more challenging as you progress. You can also browse their videos through their own platform and sort them by level, dialect, instructor, and topics at www.dreamingspanish.com.

Authentic Interviews in Spanish for Advanced Learners

Easy Spanish – Learn Spanish from the Streets! by Easy Languages provides hours of authentic Spanish interviews from the streets of Spain, Mexico, and Argentina. You will have the opportunity to practice your listening skills and increase your vocabulary with real people answering questions on various topics, with subtitles to help you follow along.

This series of interviews covers a variety of topics, from politics to holidays, food, sports, cultural differences of Spanish-speaking countries, and more.

The course is divided into 265 bite-sized videos, with a total of over 32 hours of material. You will learn by watching the interviews, taking notes of new vocabulary, and practicing it whenever possible.

Best University-level Spanish Course for Beginners with Universitat Politècnica de València

The free-to-audit courses from the Universitat Politècnica de València cover a broad range of topics related to the Spanish language. Students will learn about pronunciation, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, tenses, and conversation, with a focus on work life, family life, city life, and outdoor life.

You will learn with various tools, including videos, texts, audios, glossaries, quizzes, and grammar cards, as well as opportunities for oral practice with other students. Students can monitor their progress through performance tests and a final achievement test. Additionally, the course offers recommendations for external internet resources to continue learning Spanish. By completing the three courses, you will have an A2 proficiency level (elementary).

• Basic Spanish 1: Getting Started
• Basic Spanish 2: One Step Further
• Basic Spanish 3: Getting there

This course has also been featured in The Best Free Online Courses of All Time.

Great University-level Spanish Vocabulary Course for Beginner with the University of California

The Learn Spanish: Basic Spanish Vocabulary specialization by the University of California is intended for beginners who wish to learn Spanish for personal, travel, or business purposes, or to build cultural awareness. The course uses a topical approach to develop vocabulary sets that will provide a foundation for a broad understanding of the language.

You will start with the basics of pronunciation, grammar, and common expressions, then progress to building a functional vocabulary of the 1500 most commonly used Spanish words. The specialization comprises 4 free-to-audit courses that progressively build on previous skills, culminating in a project that allows learners to apply their knowledge and language skills.

• Course 1: Spanish Vocabulary: Meeting People
• Course 2: Spanish Vocabulary: Cultural Experience
• Course 3: Spanish Vocabulary: Sports, Travel, and the Home
• Course 4: Spanish Vocabulary: Careers and Social Events
• Course 5: Spanish Vocabulary Project

Great University-level Cultural Spanish Course with The Open University

In Getting Started with Spanish 1 course by The Open University with a free certificate, you will learn the basics of Spanish with greetings, pronunciation practice, and the most essential verbs. This course will also teach you some cultural differences between Spanish speaking countries.

In this introductory course to Spanish, you will learn the vowels with listening and speaking practice. You’ll also learn the pronunciation of the ‘h’ consonant and how to greet people at different times of the day. The second week will cover how to introduce yourself, formal and informal form of address, giving information about the people you are introducing, and the intonation of questions.

After completing this course, you can jump right into the next one in this series: Getting started with Spanish 2 where you will learn how to tell time and present tense of regular verbs, and finally, Getting started with Spanish 3 where you will learn vocabulary for events, tone and intonation, telephone expressions, and different phrases for Spain and Chile.

The Open University has other Spanish courses for intermediate and advanced learners: Advanced Spanish: Art in Buenos Aires, Advanced Spanish: Arts and crafts, Advanced Spanish: Language in context, Intermediate Spanish: A trip across Latin America, and Intermediate Spanish: Understanding spoken Spanish.

Best Audio-based Course with Coffee Break Spanish

The Coffee Break Spanish Podcast by Coffee Break Languages is a high-quality podcast that is divided into seasons based on your language level. This podcast provides you with everything you need to prepare for your next trip to Spain. The episodes are the perfect length to listen to while you’re doing the dishes or going for a walk. The podcast covers a wide variety of topics from food to travel and even soap operas. All of the lessons are very practical, so you can communicate in real-life scenarios after just a few lessons.

Each season consists of 40 episodes, each 20 minutes long, with over 50 hours of material in total. Coffee Break Spanish also offers a premium (paid) version of the podcast that includes additional materials such as lesson notes, transcripts, and bonus audio.

The platform offers four main seasons of Spanish learning:

• Season 1 teaches the basics of Spanish for communication purposes.
• Season 2 focuses on constructing language with an emphasis on verbs, conjugation, reflexive verbs, adjectives, and tenses.
• Season 3 involves cultural relevance and learning Spanish through various topics such as holidays, travel, and music.
• Season 4 is the most advanced level, mostly in Spanish, covering idiomatic expressions, grammar, and vocabulary.

Some other series on this platform are also worth checking out: The Coffee Break Spanish Magazine and CBS Travel Diaries (for intermediate learners).

The Most Recommended Audio-based Course on Reddit

The Complete Spanish course by Language Transfer is one of the most recommended audio courses on Reddit. It focuses on teaching the foundations of Spanish using the Thinking Method, which is an approach to language learning that emphasizes the importance of developing a thinking process while learning a language, rather than just memorizing vocabulary and grammar rules.

This course is divided into 90 lessons, each 7 to 15 minutes long, with over 14 hours’ worth of material. You will learn by listening to the instructor and a learner talking about a specific aspect of the Spanish language while discussing its Latin roots and how it compares to English.

Additional Resources

Having support from a strong community can really help us in our language learning journey. The r/Spanish community on Reddit is a very active and supportive community, and they also have an awesome wiki full of learning resources. There is quite a handful of things to check out, but I’m going to share my personal favorites:

• In Basic Spanish Vocabulary by Spanish Playground, you will learn basic conversations in a soap opera format.
• Spanish Listening Comprehension for Advanced Learners by SpanishPod101 provides listening exercises for advanced learners in a variety of topics.
• Learn Spanish Grammar at StudySpanish.com is my go-to free online Spanish grammar textbook.

If you have any other recommendations, please leave a comment below.