
Pronunciation Tip: Try to pronounce letters “d” and “t” in between your teeth when you sing “ Despacito. Grammar: In spoken Spanish, it is very common to use the verbs “ir” and “estar” as auxiliary verbs to build the presente continuo (ir: Me voy acercando y voy armando el plan, mis sentidos van pidiendo más, nos vamos pegando, ya me estás gustando más de lo normal, yo sé que estás pensándolo, esa beba está buscando de mi bom, bom ). Vocabulary: True friends ( metal-metal, pulso-pulse, normal-normal, favorito-favorite, manuscrito-manuscript, ritmo-rhythm, salvaje-savage, malicia-malice, delicadeza-delicacy, zonas-zones ) Luis Fonsi is a Puerto Rican singer who revived his career with this Reggaeton beat featuring Daddy Yankee (and also Justin Bieber, in the bilingual version). Pronunciation Tip: Verbs in the pretérito imperfecto (preterite imperfect) always have their stress on the last syllable ( cono cí, encon tré ) in most case (except the second-person plural conjugations, or “we ”)Ĭultural Aspect: Spanish and Arabic share some vocabulary because of the conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in the 8th century by the Umayyad Caliphate.Ĭhallenge: Where is Bahrain? Despacito - Luis Fonsi (feat. Grammar: Pretérito imperfecto ( conocí, vi, fui, encontré ) Vocabulary: True friends ( santo-saint, prisión-prison, entero-entire, Polo Norte-North Pole, camello-camel ) In this song, she creates musical hooks common in Middle Eastern music, which she also alludes to with some belly dancing in the music video. Pronunciation Tip: It is common to shorten the preposition “ para ” as “ pa ”: Un pasito pa’lante, un pasito p’atrás (One step to the front, one step to the back).Ĭultural Aspect: María is one of the most common female names in Spanish-speaking countries.Ĭhallenge: Can you count past “three” in Spanish? Ojos Así - Shakira

Grammar: The verb “ser” (“ Ella es una mujer especial ,” “ Ella es un laberinto carnal ,” “ Así es María ,” “ Ella es veneno, ella es un pecado mortal ”)

Vocabulary: Easy numbers ( un(o/a), dos, tres ) and true cognates, or “friends” ( planeta- planet, especial- s pecial, laberinto. Ricky Martin is a Puerto Rican singer who’s become very successful singing in English, but “María” was his first international hit. Turn your favorite artists into personal tutors with Babbel’s beginner Spanish playlist!īeginner Spanish Playlist, Explained María - Ricky Martin We also want you to connect with the culture of the language, so we’ve included some cultural aspect mentioned in each song, as well as a language challenge to point you in the direction of what to learn next. In this article, we’ll focus on songs that are ideal for those who have just started their learning journey with every song in the beginner Spanish playlist, we’ll provide you with key vocabulary, grammar structures and pronunciation tips. One of the most intimidating aspects of language learning for beginners is that it’s difficult to understand everything that’s said either in a text or in a conversation. You’re more likely willing to listen to songs over and over again rather than repeating boring grammar drills. Music is also helpful because it contains one of the key elements in language learning: repetition. That’s why we we have the perfect beginner Spanish playlist!

With music, you can get a taste of the sounds, word games, rhymes, idioms, proverbs and other aspects of the language that aren’t necessarily addressed as much in traditional classroom settings. It’s also about exploring the cultural expressions of the people who speak your target language natively. Learning a language involves more than just grammar and vocabulary.
