Reading in Spanish is a brilliant way to build your language skills, deepen your cultural understanding and explore different perspectives. Not only can it help strengthen your vocabulary, but it can also help you improve your comprehension and grasp sentence structures in a natural way.
Whether you’re a beginner or more advanced, incorporating reading into your language learning routine offers an engaging path to fluency. By immersing yourself in authentic texts, you’ll discover the nuances that make the Spanish language so unique.
There are plenty of websites out there geared towards language learning. Even if it’s not specifically for reading practice, most of these sites will have reading opportunities.
Websites also make it easy and convenient to practice your reading, so check these out:
This is one of the best free online resources for learning Spanish and has a whole section of reading comprehension exercises, which are divided into four different levels.
Each level is subdivided into groups of quizzes that contain one or two readings and an exercise to test your understanding.
Each quiz also includes a short vocabulary list to get you started collecting unknown words.
This website provides plenty of Spanish reading practice divided by level all the way through C1 (advanced).
You are able to listen to an audio clip and read a transcript of the reading passage. You can click on any phrase for a translation and links to any related grammar lessons.
You are also able to ask questions at the end of the passage, which are answered by a Kwiziq team member.
Other sites use scripted content. FluentU uses a natural approach that helps you ease into the Spanish language and culture over time. You’ll learn Spanish as it’s actually spoken by real people.
FluentU has a wide variety of videos topics, as you can see here:
FluentU brings native videos within reach with interactive transcripts. You can tap on any word to look it up instantly. Every definition has examples that have been written to help you understand how the word is used.
Plus, if you see an interesting word you don’t know, you can add it to a vocab list.
Review a complete interactive transcript under the Dialogue tab, and find words and phrases listed under Vocab.
Learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentU’s robust learning engine. Swipe left or right to see more examples of the word you’re on.
The best part is that FluentU keeps track of the vocabulary that you’re learning, and gives you extra practice with difficult words. It'll even remind you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. Every learner has a truly personalized experience, even if they’re studying with the same video.
This app offers a basic all-around learning app for Spanish, but if you upgrade to Mosalingua Web, you’ll gain access to learning with real-world reading resources like news sites along with helpful tools.
You can even make your own flashcards for the words and phrases you’re learning in context!
This resource has Spanish stories with line-by-line equivalents in English.
If you’re not sure what a sentence means, all you have to do is look right next to it for the English phrase. Some of the texts are rather complex, so this is best for intermediate to advanced learners.
In this dual-language book, each page in Spanish is followed by a page with the English translation.
It’s composed of 15 captivating stories with increasing difficulty, written by different Spanish and Latin American authors.
The first stories are written in the present tense, while the others use more advanced tenses. The book also features oral and written exercises and a very handy glossary to look up unfamiliar words!
This reader creates a scenario in which you study alongside two high school girls in their Spanish club through colorful stories of Mexico—from los conquistadores (the conquistadors) to the Aztecs and Cortés’s encounters.
It features a word glossary and sorting exercises after each session to help you review what you learned in the different chapters.
This book tells a story about love and friendship in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It mostly features very simple sentences so the difficulty level is just right for beginners.
The novel is available instantly on Kindle or as a paperback.
Purchasing this book will also give you access to a free Spanish-English dictionary you can download and install on your computer.
This book features 15 interesting articles in intermediate-level Spanish on a variety of topics such as history, religion, science, the natural world, travel, food and more.
There’s also a section on key grammatical terms, as well as a list of 63 free websites to help you improve your Spanish!
This reader offers eight classic masterpieces of Spanish literature.
They’ve all been abridged and adapted to suit intermediate-level students’ needs, and they feature ample cultural notes and translations of difficult words alongside the texts.
This is a very good tool for getting in reading practice and gaining some knowledge of Spanish literature at the same time.
This book contains 4,000 Spanish idiomsand more than 1,800 example sentences for guidance in usage.
It also has an extensive English-Spanish index for cross-referencing.
You’ll find humorous and figurative expressions, slang, proverbs and many other types of expressions. It’s bound to please all the Spanish language nerds out there.
This book offers about 100 works from various well-known Latino/a authors along with pre-reading notes, footnotes of difficult words with English translations and post-reading questions.
Note that the texts are all unabridged and in their original length and form, so it could be a good challenge for you.
This monolingual Spanish dictionary provides you with one of the most authoritative references of Spanish slang, with more than 12,000 entries.
This one is for very advanced students, since it’s written solely in Spanish. Note that it puts the emphasis on slang from Spain.
You can find this and other great Spanish dictionaries available on Kindle so you can conveniently look up new words while reading!
News Sources for Spanish Reading
Reading Spanish-language newspapers will improve your knowledge of both the language and culture. Plus, it will keep you up to date with current events.
Here are some of the best Spanish news sources you should look into:
This Puerto Rican news publication will help you bolster your Spanish reading skills while also digesting the current information in the world of fashion, politics, technology and more.
Beginners should check out this site which provides news articles about politics, sports, celebrity gossip and all manner of current events in basic Spanish.
It even has definitions of vocabulary words that may be new.
And you can hear an audio reading of the articles and take quizzes on the content once you’re finished.
The Spanish CNN has much of the coverage you’ve come to expect from this prominent news outlet, with regular coverage of the latest in U.S. politics and current events, as well as major international stories.
There are also videos accompanying many of the stories, for those who’d like a multimedia approach.
This newspaper publishes free, high-quality information in Spain.
It usually features national, international, economic, sports, technology and art news.
It’s designed to be consumed rapidly (in 20 minutes or less), so it features articles that are light enough that you can get informed in relatively simple Spanish.
Clarín is the largest newspaper in Argentina, and the electronic version of the paper is one of the most visited Spanish language newspapers on the Internet.
This newspaper will allow you to get insightful information about Argentinean daily life while working your Spanish reading skills.
El País is the highest-circulation daily newspaper in Spain.
It’s characterized by the large amount of space it gives to international news, culture and information regarding the economy, as well as Spanish news.
It also features specific columnists who contribute to the democratic and pro-European editorial line of the newspaper.
El Diario is the oldest Spanish-language daily newspaper in the United States and the largest in New York City.
It covers local, national and international news, as well as human interest stories, politics, business, technology, health, entertainment and sports.
You’ll probably find some subjects that you’ve already read about, making it easier to understand.
38. Regional News Sources
You can look up other major news outlets from specific Spanish-speaking countries to read about regional stories that might be missed in the international coverage.
This will be especially helpful if you’re planning to travel to a Spanish-speaking country or want to learn a specific dialect of Spanish.
For example, try El Universal (The Universal) of Venezuela or El Faro (The Lighthouse) of El Salvador.
El Jueves is a Spanish satirical magazine published weekly in Barcelona.
It regularly features real-yet-unusual stories, giving you an opportunity to learn interesting vocabulary that other, more serious magazines might not use. And it’s funny!
It’s probably best suited for advanced beginners to intermediate Spanish students.
Muy Interesante is a popular science magazine published monthly.
It includes fun facts and news about various areas of science such as physics, astronomy and nanotechnology. Come here to learn about new investigations and discoveries while improving your Spanish.
This magazine is read by lots of young people so its vocabulary isn’t too difficult to understand.
Mujer Actual is a women’s magazine out of Tijuana that aims to share ideas and advice with women in Mexico, Southern California and beyond.
It features content on health, relationships, fashion and more.
They also have a YouTube channel with lots of content including a look behind the scenes of their photoshoots and guided cooking videos so you can learn Spanish and a new recipe at the same time!
Emprendedores is a monthly magazine featuring information about management, marketing, business opportunities and events for entrepreneurs and more.
It features excellent operative vocabulary for the corporate world. If you’re likely to work in a corporate Spanish environment, reading this magazine regularly will absolutely help you to pick up some good language to express yourself.
América Economía is the first Latin American business magazine, founded in 1986 in Chile.
It analyzes business, economics and finance in Latin America and displays an extensive coverage of the development of international business from the South American perspective.
This is another good reading resource if you’re in the corporate world.
Fortuna is the Mexican version of the American business magazine Fortune, which competes with Forbes and Bloomberg Businessweek in the national business magazine category and distinguishes itself with long, in-depth feature articles.
It’s most notably known for its ranking of companies by revenue that it’s published annually since 1955.
This the Spanish version of HuffPost, the online news aggregator and blog which covers politics, business, entertainment, environmental issues, technology, popular media, lifestyle, healthy living and local news, among other things.
If you’re a fan of HuffPost, try it out in Spanish and see how much you can understand!
This is the Spanish version of a luxury lifestyle magazine, featuring products and topics like automobiles, real estate and watches, mainly for high-net-worth individuals.
Even if you’re not living a life of luxury, reading this magazine can help you pick up some vocabulary you’ll likely hear or use at some point.
They also cover topics such as beauty, sports, economics, home, health and technology.
Poetry for Spanish Reading
Poems are short and sweet and a good way to experience the flow of the Spanish language, alongside gaining a new, Spanish cultural perspective.
Poems are incredibly diverse, so you can explore until you find a style you like. Here are some great spots to start looking:
If you just can’t get enough poetry, then this is the site for you.
You’ll find 100 poems about various topics. 50 of those poems are by celebrated authors like Victor Hugo and Gabriel García Márquez and the other 50 are submitted by the users.
Finding something you like isn’t hard on this site since there are a number of categories to choose from.
Blogs and Social Media for Spanish Reading
Nowadays, we would be remiss not to mention social media in our lineup of opportunities to learn Spanish reading.
Here are some great Spanish blogs and social media pages you can check out to read casual posts on what you’re interested in:
This Twitter account from La Real Academia Española (The Royal Spanish Academy) posts short snippets about Spanish words and their meanings and origins.
If you feel like something a little more extensive, you can always dive deeper into the rabbit hole and follow the links to the articles they share.
As the name suggests, this is a Facebook account geared toward Spanish learners with informative and interesting posts in Spanish.
Not only will you find short snippets of information in Spanish, but you’ll also discover links to different activities and other resources to improve your Spanish.
If you’re just starting out reading recipes in Spanish (or you’re like me and not the best cook), you’ll want to start with easy recipes, like desserts you can make in the microwave.
This blog is perfect for that! These recipes are simple to make and easy to understand. Plus they come with videos!
This is a blog of Mexican recipes from a mom who wants to show the beauty of her country.
Mexican cuisine is famous the world over, so reading up on how to recreate Mexican dishes in your kitchen makes for not only excellent reading practice, but also a fine cooking challenge!
Why Practice Reading in Spanish
Many people don’t realize how essential it is to learn how to read in Spanish.
It’s useful for so much more than just reading a Spanish novel you picked up on a whim in a local bookshop.
It’s one of the easiest ways to expand your Spanish vocabulary, in general as well as on specific topics.
Finally, reading is a gateway to exploring Spanish-speaking cultures. From literature to history to current events, there’s always something new to unlock through reading.
Not to mention, if you plan on visiting a Spanish-speaking country any time soon, being able to read at least basic Spanish will definitely come in handy.
Try navigating an airport in Guatemala without being able to read Spanish. Trust me, it’s not easy!
How to Practice Spanish Reading
Learning a new language can be a daunting task, especially when one of the first things you do is pick up a chunky Spanish novel.
Here’s how to make your path to reading much easier:
Don’t bite off more than you can chew. If you’re a beginner, start learning to read in Spanish with very small, bite-sized texts.
Focus on understanding the text or sentence as a whole, rather than stopping for every word you don’t know. Often, translating a text word-for-word leads to confusion and inaccuracy.
Build a vocabulary list as you read. Make note of key words and add them to your vocabulary list.
Do the comprehension exercises. Many texts designed for Spanish learners also include exercises to test your comprehension. Don’t skip these!
Turn reading into a multipurpose exercise. Read the text out loud to work on your pronunciation and fluency.
To reinforce what you learn after you read, it can be really helpful to listen to Spanish audio or videos about the same topic (if you can find them).
Soon, you’ll find yourself zooming through Spanish texts like Harry during a particularly exciting game of Quidditch. Isn’t reading great?
1. Lingua
1. 
