Learn Spanish with Movies and Series
1. La casa de papel (Money Heist)
An organized gang of robbers sets out to commit the heist of the century at the Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre. Five months of preparation are condensed into eleven days to successfully carry out the grand robbery. This is perhaps the most famous series in the world that was filmed entirely in Spanish. If you plan to live in Spain one day (or if you already do), you will certainly need to familiarize yourself with the Spanish accent, which sometimes even forces native Spanish speakers to turn on subtitles to clearly understand everything that is said. And that's a good thing, because Spaniards naturally tend to speak so fast that you don't even realize how many words they say in a single sentence.
Suitable for ages 16 and up. Spain, 2017 - 2021.
In the Roma neighborhood of Mexico City, two domestic workers help a mother raise her four children while her husband is away for long periods. One of the young women, Cleo, looks after the children as if they were her own, even while going through a difficult time herself. This film, along with classics like Y Tu Mamá También and El Laberinto del Fauno, is an essential example of the rich Latin American cinema. With 3 Oscars, 2 Golden Globe Awards, and 4 BAFTA Awards, it is an icon in Latin America and a must-see film if you are learning Spanish.
Suitable for ages 12 and up. Mexico, 2018.
Macarena is a fragile and innocent young woman who is imprisoned for embezzlement and awaiting trial. In prison, she will enter a dangerous and completely different world from the one she knows, which forces her to evolve through violence. If you have seen and liked Orange is the New Black, this series is probably for you. Here, the Spanish protagonists wear yellow.
The series is one of the most positively reviewed and a great success. Vis a Vis tells the story of Macarena and her entry into prison, where she meets good and bad company and many problems.
It's a good series for learning Spanish, especially slang expressions that are far from the Spanish of previous generations. If you have already seen La Casa de Papel, you will surely recognize Nairobi (Alba Flores) in the role of Saray Vargas.
Suitable for ages 16 and up. Spain, 2015 - 2019.
A young Colombian girl may be her family's last hope when she discovers that the magic of Encanto, an enchanted place that blesses children with unique gifts, is in danger. Disney's beautiful Colombian animated film transports us to a colorful and diverse world that alludes to the magical realism of Colombian Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez. The Madrigal family spends their days in the huge family home, and all members possess superpowers, except for the protagonist.
This film, which won the Oscar and the Golden Globe for Best Animated Film, showcases rich Colombian culture, proverbs, food, music, beliefs, and even historical events in Colombia. The voice of one of the main characters is done by the talented actor from Gael García Bernal's films, which adds another layer of authenticity.
Suitable for all audiences. Colombia, 2021.
Las Encinas is the most exclusive school in Spain, a place where the children of the upper class study and where three teenagers from a dilapidated public school have just been admitted.
This series is groundbreaking in every way, as it openly addresses topics that are still taboo in society, such as homosexuality among teenagers and drug use. With this series, you can certainly practice your Spanish while also learning the slang and new words that are common among young Spaniards today.
Suitable for ages 16 and up. Spain, 2018 - 2022.
Miguel is a boy who dreams of becoming a musician, but his family forbids it because his great-great-grandfather, a musician, abandoned them. Miguel's family has destined him to become a shoemaker and thus learn the traditional profession of the entire family. On the Day of the Dead, Miguel accidentally finds his way into the Land of the Dead.
However, he can only leave the Land of the Dead if a deceased relative gives him their blessing. His great-great-grandmother, whom he meets in the Land of the Dead, refuses to let him return to the living unless he promises to give up his dream of becoming a musician. Because of this, Miguel flees from her and sets out to find his great-great-grandfather...
This film, featuring the voice of Gael García Bernal, is an excellent example of Vocabulary through cinema, particularly for vocabulary related to family and tradition.
Suitable for all audiences. Mexico, 2017.
7. Las chicas del cable (Cable Girls)
Shortly before the stock market crash of 1929, the first national telephone company opened in Madrid. Many women hoped to get a job there, which represented not only a profession but also the progress and modernity of the time.
One of the themes of this series is friendship, which shows how the protagonists stick together and support each other at all times despite all the problems that arise. Another important theme is the fight for gender equality, as we can see them repeatedly striving to make the equality of both genders clear.
Suitable for ages 16 and up. Spain, 2017 - 2020.
8. Todo sobre mi madre (All About My Mother)
This film by Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar, starring Penélope Cruz, is about Manuela, a woman who suffers a great tragedy and decides to escape the present by retreating into the past. She travels to Barcelona, where she became pregnant eighteen years ago.
She sets out to find Esteban, the father of her child, who never knew Manuela had become a mother. This is the first Spanish film to win both the Golden Globe and the Oscar, and the only one to win both awards and the BAFTA, as well as 2 awards at the Cannes Film Festival.
Suitable for ages 18 and up. Spain, 1999.
In Narcos, Netflix takes on the Medellín Cartel, following the rise and fall of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar and the DEA agents who tried to catch him. Narcos tells the story from two perspectives. On the one hand, the story is told from the perspective of Escobar himself, and on the other, the viewer follows the events from the perspective of Steve Murphy, a DEA agent from the US who was sent to Colombia to confront the Medellín Cartel.
While Narcos tries to tell the story as close to real events as possible, it occasionally falls into typical Hollywood tropes like American Heroism. Nevertheless, Narcos is a suitable series for learning Spanish with a thrilling plot.
Suitable for ages 16 and up. United States, 2015 - 2017 (set in Colombia, 1973 - 1998).
This Spanish comedy (2022, with a second season in 2024) is a great option if you're interested in more everyday, colloquial Spanish. This humorous series about men struggling with changes in society is an ideal resource for learning the living language used daily.
Suitable for ages 16 and up. Spain, 2022 - 2024.
Conclusion
We all know that thanks to digitalization and the technology available to us, new methods and ways of learning a language are emerging every day. That's why we should take advantage of the benefits that platforms like Netflix and others offer us, as they are important factors for mastering a foreign language.
Not everything you learn has to be boring and monotonous; you can also practice a language with fun and relaxation in your free time. It's important that you don't lose your motivation and that you can pay some attention to the new Vocabulary through the cinema you encounter.
We are sure that with every new film or series you watch, you will learn many new Spanish words, phrases, and grammatical structures. You can even use tools like Language Reactor or create personal Vocabulary lists to maximize your learning.
Choose your favorite series and/or movie, relax on your couch, and start improving your Spanish for free!
1. La casa de papel (Money Heist)
An organized gang of robbers sets out to commit the heist of the century at the Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre. Five months of preparation are condensed into eleven days to successfully carry out the grand robbery. This is perhaps the most famous series in the world that was filmed entirely in Spanish. If you plan to live in Spain one day (or if you already do), you will certainly need to familiarize yourself with the Spanish accent, which sometimes even forces native Spanish speakers to turn on subtitles to clearly understand everything that is said. And that's a good thing, because Spaniards naturally tend to speak so fast that you don't even realize how many words they say in a single sentence.
Suitable for ages 16 and up. Spain, 2017 - 2021.
In the Roma neighborhood of Mexico City, two domestic workers help a mother raise her four children while her husband is away for long periods. One of the young women, Cleo, looks after the children as if they were her own, even while going through a difficult time herself. This film, along with classics like Y Tu Mamá También and El Laberinto del Fauno, is an essential example of the rich Latin American cinema. With 3 Oscars, 2 Golden Globe Awards, and 4 BAFTA Awards, it is an icon in Latin America and a must-see film if you are learning Spanish.
Suitable for ages 12 and up. Mexico, 2018.
Macarena is a fragile and innocent young woman who is imprisoned for embezzlement and awaiting trial. In prison, she will enter a dangerous and completely different world from the one she knows, which forces her to evolve through violence. If you have seen and liked Orange is the New Black, this series is probably for you. Here, the Spanish protagonists wear yellow.
The series is one of the most positively reviewed and a great success. Vis a Vis tells the story of Macarena and her entry into prison, where she meets good and bad company and many problems.
It's a good series for learning Spanish, especially slang expressions that are far from the Spanish of previous generations. If you have already seen La Casa de Papel, you will surely recognize Nairobi (Alba Flores) in the role of Saray Vargas.
Suitable for ages 16 and up. Spain, 2015 - 2019.
A young Colombian girl may be her family's last hope when she discovers that the magic of Encanto, an enchanted place that blesses children with unique gifts, is in danger. Disney's beautiful Colombian animated film transports us to a colorful and diverse world that alludes to the magical realism of Colombian Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez. The Madrigal family spends their days in the huge family home, and all members possess superpowers, except for the protagonist.
This film, which won the Oscar and the Golden Globe for Best Animated Film, showcases rich Colombian culture, proverbs, food, music, beliefs, and even historical events in Colombia. The voice of one of the main characters is done by the talented actor from Gael García Bernal's films, which adds another layer of authenticity.
Suitable for all audiences. Colombia, 2021.
Las Encinas is the most exclusive school in Spain, a place where the children of the upper class study and where three teenagers from a dilapidated public school have just been admitted.
This series is groundbreaking in every way, as it openly addresses topics that are still taboo in society, such as homosexuality among teenagers and drug use. With this series, you can certainly practice your Spanish while also learning the slang and new words that are common among young Spaniards today.
Suitable for ages 16 and up. Spain, 2018 - 2022.
Miguel is a boy who dreams of becoming a musician, but his family forbids it because his great-great-grandfather, a musician, abandoned them. Miguel's family has destined him to become a shoemaker and thus learn the traditional profession of the entire family. On the Day of the Dead, Miguel accidentally finds his way into the Land of the Dead.
However, he can only leave the Land of the Dead if a deceased relative gives him their blessing. His great-great-grandmother, whom he meets in the Land of the Dead, refuses to let him return to the living unless he promises to give up his dream of becoming a musician. Because of this, Miguel flees from her and sets out to find his great-great-grandfather...
This film, featuring the voice of Gael García Bernal, is an excellent example of Vocabulary through cinema, particularly for vocabulary related to family and tradition.
Suitable for all audiences. Mexico, 2017.
7. Las chicas del cable (Cable Girls)
Shortly before the stock market crash of 1929, the first national telephone company opened in Madrid. Many women hoped to get a job there, which represented not only a profession but also the progress and modernity of the time.
One of the themes of this series is friendship, which shows how the protagonists stick together and support each other at all times despite all the problems that arise. Another important theme is the fight for gender equality, as we can see them repeatedly striving to make the equality of both genders clear.
Suitable for ages 16 and up. Spain, 2017 - 2020.
8. Todo sobre mi madre (All About My Mother)
This film by Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar, starring Penélope Cruz, is about Manuela, a woman who suffers a great tragedy and decides to escape the present by retreating into the past. She travels to Barcelona, where she became pregnant eighteen years ago.
She sets out to find Esteban, the father of her child, who never knew Manuela had become a mother. This is the first Spanish film to win both the Golden Globe and the Oscar, and the only one to win both awards and the BAFTA, as well as 2 awards at the Cannes Film Festival.
Suitable for ages 18 and up. Spain, 1999.
In Narcos, Netflix takes on the Medellín Cartel, following the rise and fall of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar and the DEA agents who tried to catch him. Narcos tells the story from two perspectives. On the one hand, the story is told from the perspective of Escobar himself, and on the other, the viewer follows the events from the perspective of Steve Murphy, a DEA agent from the US who was sent to Colombia to confront the Medellín Cartel.
While Narcos tries to tell the story as close to real events as possible, it occasionally falls into typical Hollywood tropes like American Heroism. Nevertheless, Narcos is a suitable series for learning Spanish with a thrilling plot.
Suitable for ages 16 and up. United States, 2015 - 2017 (set in Colombia, 1973 - 1998).
This Spanish comedy (2022, with a second season in 2024) is a great option if you're interested in more everyday, colloquial Spanish. This humorous series about men struggling with changes in society is an ideal resource for learning the living language used daily.
Suitable for ages 16 and up. Spain, 2022 - 2024.
Conclusion
We all know that thanks to digitalization and the technology available to us, new methods and ways of learning a language are emerging every day. That's why we should take advantage of the benefits that platforms like Netflix and others offer us, as they are important factors for mastering a foreign language.
Not everything you learn has to be boring and monotonous; you can also practice a language with fun and relaxation in your free time. It's important that you don't lose your motivation and that you can pay some attention to the new Vocabulary through the cinema you encounter.
We are sure that with every new film or series you watch, you will learn many new Spanish words, phrases, and grammatical structures. You can even use tools like Language Reactor or create personal Vocabulary lists to maximize your learning.
Choose your favorite series and/or movie, relax on your couch, and start improving your Spanish for free!
