Easy-to-understand English programs for Spanish-speakers
Though there are lots of recommendations for Spanish TV shows and such for English-speaking learners of Spanish available in different places on this site (questions in the forum, Paralee's reference article, etc.) I noticed there aren't a lot of such recommendations for the people who are learning English here and do so much to help all of us who are here learning Spanish. Admittedly, there is no shortage of English language media and many Spanish-speakers may be exposed to or aware of more English-language programs because of the popularity of American cultural exports abroad, but much of it is directed at native speakers, spoken at a relatively quick pace, with lots of idioms, or unclear pronunciation. So I thought it might be helpful to our under-appreciated Spanish natives learning English here to compile a list of things like TV shows and radio programs and such that learners of English (particularly beginners) will find especially easy to understand.
Here is a short list of what I've come up with so far. I would appreciate any suggestions you may have. Thanks.
NPR (National Public Radio) - A nonprofit organization that makes news and cultural programs in every clear, well-spoken English. There are stations that broadcast NPR programs in almost every major American city, and they have podcasts on iTunes and their programs can be heard on their website. It is not specifically designed for learners (it is considered a bit intellectual by some) but it is nonetheless very appropriate for that purpose. I listen to it all the time.
I Dream of Jeannie - An old TV show from the 60s about an American astronaut who finds a genie in a bottle who comes to live with him. The genie is called 'Jeannie' and I recommend the show not because it is particularly great (much of it has not aged very well, including some rather embarrassing views about women which were fairly common at the time. I would recommend charging on through the first few episodes, though, as you get used to its general atmosphere and premise eventually), but because Jeannie speaks so clearly. I mean, really clearly. Though English is not the character's native language, she has no accent. Most importantly, she always pronounces each word carefully and separately, and never uses contractions. Though this makes her sound just a bit odd to native English speakers, she never makes grammar or pronunciation mistakes and is probably very easy to understand. The only thing to be careful of is that she uses the archaic "thou," "thee" etc and their respective verb endings sometimes, which are no longer used by anyone but Shakespearean actors, so I wouldn't recommend imitating her in that way. It can be watched for free on Hulu. Speaking of Hulu, I know that rights for TV shows and such are different in different countries, so I'm curious to know if the show or even Hulu in general is available in your country. Please let me know.
Voice of America News - Despite the outrageously propagandistic name and premise, I have to admit that this site, run by the US government, is very easy to understand. It's a good place to start if NPR is a bit of a challenge. It broadcasts news stories in Special English, with a vocabulary of about 1,500 words. The stories are written out on their website and you can have them read aloud as you read along on the page. The voice speaks very clearly and slowly, placing a space between each word. This is sort of like News in Slow Spanish, except run by the Feds.
2 Answers
I'm a big fan of audio books. I would love to trade some of my English books for some that are in Spanish. Enjoying a series by Griffen set in Argentina. Honor Bound or something like that. Sorry, rambling.
I like that I can back it up a track when necessary to pick up something I missed, instead of asking someone to repeat themselves.
But at my level, it has to be a story that I already know. At this stage, I like the reinforcement as well as the challenge.
I had never heard of Hulu ... interesting. But I have used Fontanero's suggestion, when learning German and now, working on Spanish.
Great question, its only fair we should help.
I can only suggest childrens books, basic english to spanish books will work both ways.
