One recommendation we give to all our students is to listen to the language they’re learning. Reading and writing Spanish will typically come more easily, but listening (and speaking) can be a real challenge.
For this reason, we encourage students to listen to podcasts in Spanish. One of the best we’ve heard is the Duolingo podcast. Their podcasts focus on interesting, real-life topics. They include sections of English and Spanish, and they speak a little more slowly to help you follow along. In addition, they provide a transcript of each episode which is extremely useful.
You can find their free podcasts at podcast.duolingo.com. And the best part is you can listen to them anywhere on your phone, tablet or laptop.
If you’re tackling a new language, make sure you add listening to your studies!