Top 30 songs for learning Spanish, per level
What would life be without music?
It would be a lot more boring, right?
Music excites us and entertains us.
But, do you know what?
It is also a brilliant way to learn Spanish.
Today we are going to talk about the top songs for learning Spanish.
Listen up and learn spanish through music. 😁
Why music is an effective way to learn Spanish
Music is a great way to learn spanish.
Want to know why?
Let me tell you...
Famous Spanish songs
Spanish is a language that it is spoken in many countries and that's why there are so many popular Spanish songs.
I'm going to cite three famous Spanish songs that are listened to and played all over the world.
- Does Bailandoby Enrique Iglesias ring a bell?
- Or how about Vivir mi vidaby Mark Anthony?
- Right now the song that is played non-stop is Despecháby Rosalia.
Which one do you prefer?
Spanish song lyrics
You've most likely sung along to a Spanish song before, without even understanding the lyrics.
Most Spanish songs have a catchy rhythm and lyrics that are easy to remember , with upbeat and groovy melodies.
Some of these songs have become popular across the globe through an endless number of genres: pop, rock, reggaeton, trap, salsa, ballad…
Spanish karaoke songs
Would you dare sing along to a Spanish song?
Don't worry if you don't know the lyrics.
There are many places where you can find the lyrics to the song.
Or, better yet... Why not sing the songs live at karaoke.????
Take a look at 'karaoke de Madre Tierra' , by Chayanne.
It's a song that I play a lot in my classes during the Spanish coursesat Hispania, escuela de español.
Go ahead and sing along! It is a really upbeat song.
Benefits of learning Spanish through music
We have already seen that the Spanish music is very popular all over the world and that there are many great songs for learning Spanish.
Now take a look at some of the benefits of learning spanish through the music.
Student sing-along
Listening to Spanish songs in class is a listening comprehension exercise.
You'll need to pay attention to understand what the singer is saying.
If students are into it, they'll even sing along.
Which will help them remember the lyrics and any new pieces of vocabulary.
Listening to an audio with music is always more exciting that listening to someone speak.
Listen and read the lyrics
When we work with music to learn spanish in class, we use the transcriptions of the lyrics.
Therefore, students are able to listen and read the lyrics at the same time .
This is great because it provides the opportunity to analyse the gramatical structures and verb tenses used in the songs.
You'll also be able to learn new, every-day vocabulary and expressions .
Choose songs that students like
As we have seen before, there are many famous songs in Spanish loved by people all over the world.
If you are a teacher, you'll find your students asking to work on the lyrics of famous Spanish songs.
Let them do so, they'll study comfortably and pick up some interesting grammar or vocabulary.
Top 30 songs for learning Spanish, per level
Without further ado, let's start our list of the top 30 songs for learning Spanish, per level.
What do you think they'll be?
Let's take a look! 😄
Songs for learning Spanish at level A1
We start with the level A1. It is the initial level.
Spanish song lyrics in this category should be easy to understand and include simple vocabulary and grammar.
Limón y sal, Julieta Venegas
Limón y sal (2006), by the Mexican singer-songwriter Julieta Venegas, is perfect for introducing new students to Spanish music.
The most common tense is the present indicative.
Furthermore, the lyrics are sung slowly and sweetly.
El talismán, Rosana
El talismán (1996) it is one of the best songs for learning Spanish verbs.
This song by Rosana also includes some interesting words like “talismán”, “tentaciones” and “caprichos”.
Bailando, Alaska
Bailando released in 1982 by the group Alaska y los Pegamoides.
Is one of the most symbolic songs for the "movida madrileña" (the scene in Madrid).
You do not know what the "movida madrileña" is?
It was cultural movement thats main form of expression was through music.
This song is interesting way to learn Spanish because it is sung slowly and because it uses the gerund.
Me gustas tú, Manu Chao
Are you having trouble with the verb "gustar"?
Listen to the song Manu Chao, Me gustas tú (2001), I'm sure it will help you.
It is one of the best songs for learning classic Spanish .
The song is a recital of examples of the verb "gustar", using both nouns and infinitives.
Un buen día, Los planetas
Un buen día (2000) from the rock group Los planetas, is a song that goes through all the actions of the day: from morning to night.
So what tense do you think is used?
The pretérito perfectoof course.
This is a great song for revising conjugations in this tense and how to talk in the recent past.
Songs for learning Spanish at level A2
Lets keep going with songs for learning basic Spanish at : level A2.
Here we will come across different tenses in past, future and conditional.
Despite this, they continue to be easy songs to sing in spanish for beginners.
El universo sobre mí, Amaral
Want to hear some pretty Spanish song lyrics?
Well look no further.
What's highlighted the most in El universo sobre mí (2005) is the use of verbal periphrasis and frequent expression of wishes: want + infinitive
Furthermore, it's always a pleasure to listen to Amaral.
Her enchanting voice will put you under a spell
Se fue, Laura Pausini
What tense is the verb "se fue" in?
It's in the pretérito indefinido from the verb "irse" (to go).
You'll be able to revise this irregular verb form in the past tense during this song.
Se fue (1994) is about a breakup and Laura Pausini gives it a poignant drama.
You'll need your tissues at the ready incase you shed a tear.
Me enamoré, Shakira
Me enamoré, was released in 2017 by Shakiraand is our most current song on this list so far.
Everyone's heard of Shakira before!
The Colombian artistiana has been writing hit songs all over the world for decades.
In this song, the singer uses the pretérito Indefinido to recount the story of how she met the former love of her life.
Descriptions in the pretérito imperfecto, past tense are also included in this song.
Mi gran nocheRafael
Mi gran noche (1967) is the oldest song on our list of top songs for learning the Spanish language.
In addition, it is one of the true Spanish music diva, Rafael's most iconic songs.
His upbeat character and passionate voice will captivate you in this fun song that is never a miss at a big party.
The singer recounts how amazing his night will be through the use of the futuro imperfecto.
Mis ojos, Maná
I love using Maná's songs in class during my Spanish classes.
His clear pronunciation, style of singing and poetic language means that students can easily understand the lyrics and learn new vocabulary at the same time.
Mis ojos (1995) is a brilliant example of all of the above.
Songs for learning Spanish at level B1
Let's move onto ELE music. We're going to take a look at 5 songs for learning B1 level Spanish.
This is an intermediate level of Spanish so songs include the subjunctive and different past tenses.
A Dios le pido, Juanes
Juanes has produced some extremely famous songs.
A Dios le pido (2002) was one of his first.
The subjunctive plus rock and roll all together in one great song.
What more could you ask for!
¿Te gusta el rock?
If you take a look at some of Juanes’ songs on YouTube you’ll find many rock songs subtitled in Spanish.
Piensa en mí, Luz Casal
Piensa en mí (1991) of Luz Casal we could include this song on our list of Spanish for beginners due to its simplicity and slow rhythm.
The reason why we've included it at B1 level is because of it's use of the subjunctive in the chorus: “Piensa en mí, cuando sufras.”
Could you explain why we need to use the subjunctive in that sentence?
It is what we call in Spanish a "oración temporal": cuando + subjunctive + imperative.
Whenever we see this structure, we need to use the subjunctive.
Te he echado de menos, Pablo Alborán
Pablo Alborán is one of the most beloved Spanish singer-songwriters of today.
Te he echado de menos (2011) was one of the songs that launched him to stardom, and it's hardly a surprise.
His romantic and poetic songs and lyrics will completely captivate you.
Resistiré, Dúo dinámico
Did you know that this 1988 song became THE song during the difficult times in quarantine in Spain?
Each days at 20 pm, people went out to the balcony to sing Resistiréby Dúo Dinámico.
The song talks about enduring some of the hardest moments faced in life.
Again, grammar focuses on the "oración temporal": cuando + subjunctive + future.
Ojalá que llueva café, Juan Luis Guerra
It's impossible to stop yourself from dancing along to the beat of the song, Ojalá que llueva café (1989) by Juan Luis Guerra.
You'll never forget how to use the ojalá + subjunctive to express wishes during this song.
Songs for learning Spanish at B2 level
Let's jump up a little and move onto B2 level grammar.
At this level, music is a little more complex… but it can also be more interesting.
Infidelidad en la era de la informáticaby Jorge Drexler
The best part about Infidelidad en la era de la informática (2006) of Jorge Drexler when it comes to learning Spanish, is the language used in the song.
We found complex words such as: críptico, lapso, clandestino, atragantar, desatinar…
An interesting song and of course, an unusual topic.
Buscando en la basura, La fuga
En Buscando en la basura (2005) includes a lot of comparative sentences using the connector 'como'.
Although the grammar is quite simple, students may find the vocabulary quite complex.
Also, the comparative sentences in La fuga are quite interesting and some of them even rhyme.
No importa que llueva, Efecto pasillo
The singer of Efecto pasillo states in the chorus of this song: “No importa que llueva, si estoy cerca de ti.” (It doesn't matter if it rains, if I'm close to you).
He's using the subjunctive conjugation of the verb.
There are other interesting things in No importa que llueva (2013), like the use of conditional sentences or the slang phrase: pa'+ infinitive, which is the shortened version of "para" + infinitive.
La del pirata cojo, Joaquin Sabina
Joaquín Sabina is one of the most charismatic singers our country has ever had.
His lyrics are like street poems, dealing with the life of ordinary people in cities.
En La del pirata cojo (1992), there is a long list of words that students most likely won't know
He also talks about one of the topics to learn spanish most common: the jobs, but this time a little more atypical.
Búscame, Carlos Vives and Kany Garcia
Perhaps Búscame (2020) is not the most famous song by Carlos Vives.
But it's perfect for practicing locational relative clauses that use the word ‘donde’.
The whole song revolves around B2 level grammar.
Songs for learning Spanish at level C1
At advanced C1 level, the ELE songs use higher level lexicon and even the subjunctive.
At this level, you will have to listen to these songs more than once to understand them well... 😄
Cheque al portamor, Melendi
Melendi's story is worth taking a look at.
When he became famous in the early 2000s, his songs were very naughty and talked about taboo subjects like drugs or sex.
However, in the last 15 years his style has evolved to include more serious and romantic lyrics.
Cheque al portamor (2012) is one of these songs.
We've included it on our list of songs for learning Spanish because of the idioms included in the song and it's poetic style.
Nuestro amor será leyenda, Alejandro Sanz
Another Spanish music classic.
Alejandro Sanz is probably the most famous Spanish male singer at present.
We have chosen the song Nuestro amor será leyenda (2009) for its use of relative clauses: no hay + sustantivo + que + subjuntivo.
For example: "No hay persona que me entienda.”
La mordiditaRicky Martin
This is an example of a super funky and upbeatsong for learning Spanish.
The fun part about La mordidita (2015) is the constant use of the diminutive 'ita': mordidita, pequeñita, boquita…
And be careful again with the abbreviations pa' and vamo' ('para' and 'vamos').
Just because singers use them in their songs doesn't mean it's grammatically correct. 🙊
Cuando me vaya, Melocos and Natalia
Cuando me vaya (2007) is one of my favourite romantic Spanish songs.
I play it a lot in my lessons, both in-person lessons and online Spanish courses here at Hispania, escuela de español.
I'm ranking this song at C1 level for its grammatical complexity in the chorus:
“Que cuando me vaya, no caiga una lágrima por mí”.
La raja de tu falda, Estopa
La raja de tu falda was a complete hit in the early 2000s.
Follow the rhythm of your singer and the stroyline is quite a challenge.
Once you understand the lyrics, you will see how fun they are and you will have the opportunity to learn colloquial vocabulary which you can use with your Spanish friends.
Songs for learning Spanish at level C2
We've come to the last level: C2.
Only the bravest will dare to listen to theseSpanish songsbecause they're just so difficult.
Ready?
¡Vamos!
Como en casa, Tote King
Como en casa (2008) is the first rap song in our article.
As you can imagine as a rapper, the singer speaks extremely fast making it very difficult to keep up with them.
If you like rap and have a very advanced level of Spanish, listening to Tote King songs might be a good idea.
Despechá, Rosalia
I could not miss Despechá (2022) off this list.
The song of the moment is, in addition to being lively and international, extremely difficult to understand. 🤣
I would suggest taking a look at the lyrics and try to figure out which words are being used.
Only Rosalia can sing this song.
Vente pa’ca, Ricky Martin and Maluma
It's Ricky Martin again, only this time accompanied by Maluma.
Vente pa’ca (2016) is one of the biggest pop hits in recent years and one of the best Spanish songs for dancing.
This song screams party, cool vibes and good times.
I would say that Maluma's part is a little more difficult to understand, only because of his raspy voice and the speed in which he sings.
Pesadilla, Estopa
Estopa surprised everyone with this dream based song.
As its name says, Pesadilla (or nightmare in english) (2008) is a song about a terrifying dream.
The lyrics are perfectly accompanied by unsettling music.
The song truly manages to immerse you in a world of dreams.
Also, you will learn a lot of vocabulary and all about the different past indicative tenses .
This song, is highly recommended.
Efectos vocales, Nach
The last song on our list is another rap.
But it's not just any rap.
The funny thing about Efectos vocales (2008) is that all each word only include one vowel: a, o, e.
In the first part, Nach only raps with words that have the vowel 'a' in them.
In the second part, he only uses words that contain the vowel 'o'.
In the last part, he raps with words that only have the vowel 'e' in them.
Unbelievable, right?
the best bit is, the lyrics actually make sense, it doesn't seem like he's just saying random words.
This song seems like a true language success.
You will, of course, learn lots of new words.
Games to complete songs in Spanish
What do you think of our 30 songs to learn in spanish?
I have tried to offer you a very varied list:
- modern spanish songs and old.
- Songs of different genres.
- Songs from Spain and Latin America.
But, do you know what?
Today I am generous and I am going to give you more music through another list of Best songs to learn Spanish with Spotify.
You're welcome. 😌
With all these songs you could already be an expert in the Spanish language.
how about we do two activities with songs?
This is how we put your listening comprehension into practice with song lyrics in spanish
Let me know how it went in the comments. 😉
Activity 1
The universe above me, Amaral (A1-A2)
This exercise is intended for a basic Spanish level.
You just have to listen to the song andlenar the gaps with the words that the singer says.
You can do it in the following link
Solutions Activity 1
- pie
- we look
- property
- vivir
- correr
- just
- people
- vivir
- correr
- vivir
- toys
- parties
- are not allowed
- freedom
- feel
- vivir
- correr
- universe
- see her
Activity 2
A Dios le pido, Juanes (B1-B2)
Was activity 1 very easy for you?
It's okay, we went up in difficulty. 💪
This activity is focused on intermediate-high level.
Fill in the missing words while listening to the song.
Notice that there are many verbs in the subjunctive. ????
Solutions Activity 2
- wake up
- die
- stay
- rest
- nights
- offspring
- leak
- rest
- heart
- second
- eyes
- mother
- remember
- go
- sky
- give you
- stay
- sea
- voice
- I fall in love
See you soon!
Article written by Carlos Martínez for Hispania, escuela de español
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