Top 10 Songs to Learn and Practice Spanish

Learning any language can be an exciting and rewarding journey. It is important to set clear goals to stay motivated and find quality resources to help you in your journey. The psychologist, Richard Mayer, developed The Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning, which focuses on how learners process and understand the information presented through different multimedia modalities, such as text, visuals, and audio.

How can this theory be applied to learning songs in another language?​

According to this theory, presenting information through both auditory (song lyrics) and visual (music videos, lyrics on screen) channels can enhance learning and comprehension. By accessing a song's auditory and visual components, learners can reinforce their understanding and memory of the language. This combination of elements is called ‘Dual Coding’ or ‘Dual Channel Assumption.’ Visual representations can provide additional context, which helps in understanding new vocabulary or expressions to reinforce the meaning of the words in another language. Nevertheless, the selection of songs should align with your language proficiency level so that it can be understood.
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You can leverage the combined effects of auditory and visual inputs in songs to strengthen your comprehension, memory retention, and overall language acquisition. Here are 10 songs that can help you to learn, practice and improve your Spanish!

Beginner

When you start learning a language, it is important studying the basic tenses, vocabulary, and some expressions; this helps you develop the skills to have basic conversations in Spanish. The following list of songs can guide you through that:

1. Limón y Sal by Julieta Venegas uses some regular and irregular verbs conjugated in the present tense, connectors and conjunctions which are linking words, and expressions such as Tengo que confesar (I have to confess); No entiendo (I don’t understand); No hace falta (It’s not needed); Te quiero (I love you).
2. Eva María by Los Fórmulas V is a great song to learn vocabulary about the beach, how to formulate basic questions, along with how to use the past tense, which works to talk about things that happened in the past and gerund tense, and this used to talk about things that are or were happening.
3. Oye como va is a catchy song that can help you learn informal words such as rumba (a rhythmic dance), vacilar (partying), and tumbao (rhythm) and expressions like “Hay que meterle candela al jarro,” which means ‘Insist until you get what you want.’
4. Cielito Lindo by Pedro Infante is a song about Mexican culture. You can learn some verbs in the present tense and some parts of the human body.
5. Vivir mi Vida by Mark Anthony is a very upbeat song that makes some analogies about life, such as “A veces, llega la lluvia para limpiar las heridas” (Sometimes the rain comes to clean the wounds), which conveys the idea that complex or challenging experiences can bring healing and renewal.

Intermediate Level

If you’re at the intermediate level, you can challenge yourself and try to learn songs with more words and deeper meanings.

1. Hijo de la Luna by Mecano is a beautiful song about a gypsy legend where you can try to understand a deep story about incantation, sadness and misunderstanding. You will learn new words and practice the imperfect tense in a poetic context.  
2. A Dios le pido by Juanes is a song that can help you learn more vocabulary about life, things and situations you might wish for and ask God for them. This song presents many imaginary scenarios in the subjunctive tense.
3. Corazón Partío by Alejandro Sanz can be challenging to learn because it combines long phrases with a middle tempo; however, it will help you develop an understanding of how questions are structured and learn vocabulary about heartbreaking situations.

Advanced Level

You have more freedom to choose songs according to your preferences the more advanced you become in the language. Here are two songs that you can check out:

1. La Bicicleta by Shakira and Carlos Vives is a classic of reggaeton with easy sentence structure and fast words in the moment of the rap that you need to practice for fluid pronunciation. The lyrics offer vocabulary about leaving sad moments in the past and enjoying the present using a bike while dreaming, loving and having fun.  
2. Hasta la Raíz by Natalia Lafourcade is a popular and poetic song that captures the complexities of love and the deep connections it forms within us. It has long phrases with many analogies about feelings and nature, such as “Yo te llevo dentro, hasta la raíz” (I take you inside to the root), which refers to an intense emotional attachment between two people, indicating that they carry the other person within them at the deepest level.

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All these ten songs will help you to improve your Spanish level and to find the motivation to practice. Make sure to choose the right level for you and have fun. Overall, incorporating songs into language learning can be a beneficial supplementary tool that boosts vocabulary, pronunciation, listening and writing skills, besides a cultural understanding in an enjoyable way.

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KAREN RODRIGUEZ

Writer
Music & Language Learning Center