Radio Lingua is 5 years old – and we’re celebrating!

Radio Lingua is 5 years old – and we’re celebrating!

Author: Radio Lingua Network October 18, 2011 Duration: 7:27
It’s five years since we launched the first lesson of Coffee Break Spanish, and since then we’ve served up millions of language lessons to learners around the world through our podcasts, our enhanced lessons and our ebooks. We’re delighted today to announce five new courses, and we’ll also be letting you know about a few exciting projects which are due to be launched early in 2012.
Spanish
¡Empecemos con el español! On the 18th October 2006 we began with Spanish, and we’re doing the same today. Today we’re delighted to launch a brand new Spanish show. When you’re learning a language on your own, or if you don’t have access to a teacher or a native speaker, it’s difficult to get the answers you need to help you make progress. We receive questions almost every day from learners through posts on the website, emails, voicemails, tweets and Facebook, and we decided that the best way to deal with all of these questions would be to launch Q&A Spanish: you ask the questions and we provide the answers. Q&A Spanish will be hosted by teacher and languages expert JP Villanueva and native Spanish speaker Nahyeli Mendivil, so you have the best of both worlds! Each week they’ll help you develop your confidence in Spanish further by providing tips and examples of Spanish vocabulary, usage and grammar. Q&A Spanish starts today, so you can already subscribe to the podcast. Click here to find out more about how you can take part in the show.
French
We’re also delighted to be announcing a brand new French video show. In On Location French you can join Sophie who is a UK student currently studying in Paris. She’s there for a year and she’s agreed to be our “correspondent”, bringing us weekly reports on interesting expressions she learns as she interacts with native speakers every day. Sophie will also be providing some cultural input as she gets to know the city, and we’re really looking forward to finding out more about her experiences in Paris in her weekly videoblog. Find out more and watch the episodes at the On Location French page.
Dutch, Flemish and Arabic
We’re delighted to be launching three new courses in our ever-popular One Minute Languages series. One of the most requested languages over the past few years has been Dutch, and we’ve decided to produce a Dutch and Flemish version of the course. Both languages are very similar – Flemish is the variety of Dutch spoken in Belgium, and of course Dutch is spoken in the Netherlands and in other countries around the world such as Suriname and Aruba. One Minute Dutch launches on Thursday 20th October and One Minute Flemish will be published on Fridays from 21st October. We’ve also been asked many times to produce an Arabic version of our One Minute Languages course. One Minute Arabic will run for ten weeks from tomorrow, Wednesday 19th October. We’re concentrating on Modern Standard Arabic which will ensure that as a learner you’ll be understood across the Arab world, from Casablanca to Kuwait. With these latest additions to the One Minute Languages series, we now cover 26 languages, from Arabic to Zulu making Radio Lingua your first stop for language-learning on the go, literally from A to Z!
What’s coming down the line?
There may be some of you who are looking forward to a third season of Coffee Break Spanish. We’re working on this at the moment and by the time the reruns of Show Time Spanish end in January we should be ready to go with Coffee Break Spanish Season 3...

Building on the foundation of its popular predecessor, Show Time Spanish from the Radio Lingua Network is designed for learners who have the basics down and are ready to engage with the language more deeply. This podcast moves beyond introductory phrases, focusing on practical application and nuanced understanding that you’d encounter in everyday conversations across the Spanish-speaking world. Each episode feels like a natural, continuing lesson, structured to feel more like a chat between friends than a formal classroom lecture. You’ll hear authentic dialogue and explanations that gradually expand your vocabulary and tackle more complex grammar points, all aimed at building genuine confidence. The goal is to make your Spanish functional and fluent, helping you think in the language rather than translate in your head. It’s about getting comfortable with the rhythm and flow of real Spanish as used by native speakers in various contexts. The tone remains encouraging and accessible, recognizing that language learning is a journey best taken without pressure. By consistently listening to this podcast, you train your ear and develop a more instinctive grasp of how to express yourself. Whether you're preparing for travel, seeking a deeper connection with the culture, or simply maintaining your hard-earned skills, the content meets you where you are and pushes you gently forward. Think of it as the next logical step where your study turns into practical performance, hence the show’s thematic name. It’s for anyone who wants their language ability to be ready for its moment in the spotlight, equipped to handle unscripted interactions. The hosts guide you through it all with a clear, patient approach that has become a hallmark of Radio Lingua’s educational style.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

Show Time Spanish
Podcast Episodes
Lesson 22 – Show Time Spanish [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:12
In this week’s lesson, Mark and Alba talk about music. Their discussion includes talk of playing musical instruments and how listening to music is changing because of technology. In the intermedio, José provides a couple…
Lesson 21 – Show Time Spanish [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:24
In this first episode of Season 2, Mark and Alba chat about what they were doing during the vacaciones de Semana Santa. Both Mark and Alba have been travelling, and Mark has some buenas noticias. In the intermedio José p…
Episode 20 – Show Time Spanish (Telenovela) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:03
Episode 20 features the fourth installment of our ‘telenovela’, Verano Español. Find out the latest about the life of Laura and her mother as they spend the summer in Spain en la casa de tía Julia. Will Laura find out a…
Lesson 19 – Show Time Spanish [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:09
In this week’s episode, Mark and Alba discuss some useful techniques for learning languages and share their ideas and advice with listeners. In the intermedio Alba talks about the northern Spanish city of Bilbao, and Jos…
Lesson 18 – Show Time Spanish [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:26
In episode 18 of Show Time Spanish, Mark and Alba talk about the advantages and disadvantages of buying things online, and share their experiences both positive and negative. In this week’s intermedio, Alba presents the…
Lesson 17 – Show Time Spanish [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:20
This episode is dedicated to all fans of the imperfect subjunctive… and to those of you who are terrified of it! After listening to Mark and Alba’s discussion about all things hypothetical, you’ll be 100% confident in us…
Lesson 16 – Show Time Spanish [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:14
Episode 16 features a conversation between Alba and Mark about what they’ve been doing since they last saw each other. Grammar points covered include possessive pronouns, and uses of the subjunctive. This week’s intermed…
Episode 15 – Show Time Spanish (Telenovela) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:51
Episode 15 features the third installment of our ‘telenovela’, Verano Español. Find out the latest about the life of Laura and her mother as they spend the summer in Spain en la casa de tía Julia. How will Laura cope on…
Lesson 14 – Show Time Spanish [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:16
In episode 14, Mark and Alba are joined by David, el novio de Alba. Topics discussed include Galicia, the region of Spain where David is from, St Valentine’s day, romantic Spanish and the imperfect subjunctive. In this w…
Lesson 13b – Extra – Show Time Spanish [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:07
We’ve had an extremely busy week this week so we’ve not been able to put a full episode of Show Time Spanish together. We’re recording next week so we hope to have episode 14 with you by Wednesday 11th February. In the m…