
Duolingo Spanish Podcast
True stories for English speakers learning Spanish. From the makers of Duolingo, the most popular language-learning app, comes a new podcast that delivers fascinating real-life stories in easy-to-understand Spanish with English narration. These are not language lessons; they’re life lessons through language. Hosted by Martina Castro, co-founder of NPR’s Radio Ambulante.
Latest episodes

9 snips
Aug 5, 2021 • 28min
The Missing Gabriel García Márquez: Art Mysteries, Episode 1
When a first edition of Gabriel García Márquez’s famous book, One Hundred Years of Solitude, disappears from a book fair in Bogotá, Colombia, a devoted bookseller vows to get it back. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3s4cGJe.

Jul 29, 2021 • 2min
Trailer Season 12
The Duolingo Spanish Podcast is back with a very special season on August 5. Listen to the trailer now!

Jun 17, 2021 • 26min
Los lowriders de hoy (Lowriders of Today)
Marisa Rosales loved cars as a kid. But it wasn’t until she discovered lowriders as a young woman that she found a car community connected to her Mexican-American identity. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3IPIsk3.

Jun 10, 2021 • 25min
El toreo de hoy (Bullfighting of Today)
Juan Pablo grew up fascinated with bullfighting, a tradition in his home country of Spain. But when he discovers recorte — the art of bull dodging — he sees it as a thrilling, more humane alternative. He throws himself into the dangerous sport, risking his life every time he faces a bull. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3ufOHcE.

Jun 3, 2021 • 26min
El tango de hoy (Tango of Today)
Tango is Argentina’s most iconic cultural tradition. But for a hundred years, tangos have only been written from the perspective of men. The conductor of “La empoderada” or “The Empowered,” Argentina’s first all-female tango orchestra, is trying to change that. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3KVdoRI.

May 27, 2021 • 22min
El mate de hoy (Mate of Today)
Uruguay consumes more mate than any other country in the world. But for a hundred years, almost all of that mate has been imported. Now, Rodrigo Patrón is trying to bring back mate production in Uruguay, in a way that respects both the environment and the famous tea’s origins. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3KYGvDx.

May 20, 2021 • 22min
Las cholitas de hoy (Cholitas of Today)
A group of indigenous women from Bolivia go to great heights to show the world that mountaineering is for everyone — including cholitas who wear their traditional skirts and shawls with pride. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3geYAzo.

May 13, 2021 • 24min
La música andina de hoy (Andean Music of Today)
After years of studying classical music overseas, a Peruvian composer returns home and decides to write an opera incorporating classical instruments as well as Andean ones like the zampoña and the quena — both types of flutes. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3gcZyMr.

May 6, 2021 • 25min
El chocolate de hoy (Chocolate of Today)
Cacao was once a cash crop for Costa Rica — until a fungus in the 1970’s wiped out over 80% of the country’s cacao trees. Today, Juan Pablo Buchert is trying to revive the industry, by promoting sustainability and fair trade. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3s7B1Os.

Apr 29, 2021 • 25min
La lucha libre de hoy (Lucha Libre of Today)
Growing up, José Luis Hernández disliked lucha libre, the famous style of Mexican professional wrestling. So he never imagined that someday, he would be one of its biggest stars. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3HjrhHh.