The Best Spanish Comprehensible Input Channels

You can't talk about Spanish comprehensible input without bowing to the king. Pablo Román started posting basic videos of himself in 2017 and has gone on to turn Dreaming Spanish into a CI juggernaut, with a talented and charismatic team, high production values, and companion app. While growing their business, they've continued to be extremely generous with the amount of content they share completely for free.

You can find content here for every level of Spanish - from complete beginner, through intermediate and native-level conversation.

Juan Fernández is the charming Spanish grandpa you always wished you had. Behind his ostensibly repetitive rambling is a master at work. I've never seen anyone so intuitively understand how to slow down, repeat, and emphasize their sentences for the benefit of language learners.

And it's no wonder - Juan spent years teaching Spanish in places like University College London and writing heaps of language learning books. He'll play the buffoon in one video laughing at his own bad joke, then wax poetic about the meaning of life as he strolls through the park in the next. I love this guy.

Laura built out a van and has been living the nomad life while recording videos and vlogs aimed at Spanish learners for years. Watching her move from place to place and deal with the challenges of van life while trying to grow her Spanish teaching business is a treat - let's be thankful that she decided to narrate it all in clear, basic Spanish so we can follow along.

She also has a confident, soft-spoken vibe that can make learning the words for spoon and fork feel like a meditation session.

Andrea originally got her comprehensible input chops as a contributor to Dreaming Spanish, and she's since struck out on her own. She's definitely got a knack for it - everything she makes radiates warmth and positivity.

She's extremely good at using her animated face, props, and big gestures to make content for beginners. She also has a weekly podcast where she reminisces about life at a very understandable intermediate level.

Natalia just started making content last year. Her videos still ooze that small creator charm as she shows off Bogotá in crystal clear Colombian Spanish.

While Ali has a lot of different Spanish learning videos, my favorites are those in which she's out and about in Mexico visiting new towns, going to a restaurant, hanging with family, or interviewing people on the street. Her vlogs are very well-produced, and she shares Mexican culture with an enthusiasm that's infectious.

Juan and Pamela specialize in scripted conversations that usually focus on a grammar point, scenario, or targeted vocabulary. Their videos are well-suited for children learning Spanish, with loads of repetition and exaggeration.

They have an extremely deep library, so if you enjoy their more structured approach, you've got plenty to keep you busy.

Most of Vicente's videos focus on colloquial vocabulary and expressions in specific situations - like going to the barber or getting surgery. He's a good one to follow if you're a confident intermediate obsessed with saying everything as naturally as possible.

I love Daniela's videos because it really feels like she just turns on her camera and starts yapping (her word, not mine) about whatever's on her mind. Her videos feel like chatting with a friend who is politely making their Spanish as understandable as possible.

Martín narrates his gaming sessions in clear, slow Argentinian Spanish while cracking jokes and explaining what's happening in-game.

Andrea makes great videos targeted at beginners, punctuating her sentences with huge gestures and targeted subtitles to make sure everything she says is understandable even to those new to Spanish. She makes videos for more advanced learners, too.

My favorite videos of César's are his thoughtful podcast-style essays on thinky topics. He's recently pontificated on the paradox of choice, online addiction, and the role sexism played in María Moliner's accomplishments.

He speaks in a clear cadence for learners, but doesn't shy away from more advanced vocabulary and sentence structures. This is the perfect bridge when you're bored of basic beginner content but still struggling with native level stuff.

Easy Spanish does a great job showing off real native conversations - either between their own staff or with Mexican and Spanish locals they interview on the street. Even though there are plenty of tools that can do this for you now, their dual Spanish-English subtitles along the bottom of every video are helpful.

Lucía is a great person to follow if you're looking for more structured advice on how to improve your Spanish. Most of her videos are just her talking to the camera, but she does a great job identifying useful topics and explaining more technical subjects in clear intermediate-level Spanish.

If you're like me, you can find it extremely motivating to watch other non-native speakers who have succeeded in learning Spanish to a high level. Juan interviews people who learned to speak Spanish fluently (but not always 100% perfectly) and asks them how they did it.