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 13 – Show Time Spanish [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:00
In episode 13 of Show Time Spanish, Mark and Alba discuss social networks including Facebook and Twitter and their value for language-learning. In addition, in this week’s intermedio, José discusses effective ways to say…
Episode 12 – Show Time Spanish [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:14
In episode 12 of Show Time Spanish, Mark and Alba get all poetic as they celebrate the 250th anniversary of el poeta nacional de Escocia, Robert Burns. Alba learns some Scots and in return she teaches Mark a poem by Span…
Episode 11 – Show Time Spanish [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:49
In episode 11, the first episode of 2009, Mark and Alba talk about the holidays and about their New Year’s Resolutions. Alba presents a review of the film La Lengua de las Mariposas in the intermedio, and José’s topic of…
Episode 10 – Show Time Spanish (Telenovela) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:24
It’s time for our second installment of the Show Time Spanish telenovela, Verano Español. Laura and her mother have just arrived in Spain to spend the summer in the house they’ve recently inherited from tía Julia. In thi…
Show Time Spanish – Episode 09 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:15
In this 10th episode of our intermediate-advanced Spanish course, Mark and Alba discuss Christmas traditions in Spain. José introduces a couple of phrases which you can tell someone not to take something the wrong way in…
Show Time Spanish – Episode 08 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:31
In episode 8 of Show Time Spanish, Alba and Mark discuss smoking laws in different countries. Language points covered include the future perfect tense, eg. “I will have stopped smoking”, the use of soler, and the phrase…
Episode 07 – Show Time Spanish [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:04
In this week’s episode, Mark and Alba talk about the different seasons of the year and about their own favourite times of year. This episode provides an opportunity for learners to learn to use the Spanish phrase o sea,…
Show Time Spanish – Episode 06 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:53
In episode 6 of Show Time Spanish Mark and Alba discuss their recent visits to Edinburgh and will entertain you with some singing! José introduces two phrases to say that things are in a mess, and language points include…
Lesson 05 – Show Time Spanish (Telenovela) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:06
In episode 5 of Show Time Spanish we launch our very own Spanish soap opera, Verano Español, which tells the story of Spanish dad, Antonio, Scottish mum Iona, and bilingual daughter Laura and their adventures one summer…