Learn Spanish with The Independent

Cactus’ Language Minis is a Spanish podcast series, developed to offer easy learning on the go. It consists of seven levels, each with 10 downloadable podcast lessons and PDF workbooks, which take you from beginner through to advanced level. The Language Minis series is designed to help you increase your understanding of the Spanish language and equip you with language skills for use in everyday situations.





Two podcasts and PDF workbooks will be available each week, starting with the beginner level, available here. The Independent Spanish podcasts can be downloaded below.

Please download the Spanish podcast workbooks here.

Section 7 - Advanced - "I have a good understanding and knowledge of a wide range of language structures and functions, although I may continue to make minor errors syntactically. I have considerable passive knowledge, but need to expand my active usage. I am ready to learn different ways of expressing ideas, work on the subtle nuances of the language, and expand the range of what I can say and write."

Lesson 10 - Segundo repaso – second review of the higher levels



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Lesson 9 - Primer repaso – first review of the higher levels



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Lesson 8 - Debería haber planificado mejor las cosas – talking about decisions taken in the past and their results, expressing regret, giving a personal history



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Lesson 7 - Si lo hubiera hecho, ahora sería feliz – expressing unreal situations in the past and their consequences, historical accounts



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Lesson 6 - ¡Es una falta total de seriedad! – building an argument or complaint, explaining your motives, asking for action, reacting



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Lesson 5 - Parece que lo único que funciona es el sistema, porque mi portátil no – expressing requirements and unlikely or impossible wishes, complaining and making a claim



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Lesson 4 - No tengo la mínima idea de por qué esté ocurriéndome esto - describing physical state and state of mind, expressing feelings and changing your mind, talking about the consequences of an action



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Lesson 3 - Yo amo a mi abuela, ¡pero te juro que a veces me desespera! – describing the character of a person in detail, expressing needs and tastes



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Lesson 2 - De la noticias por televisión, hay muchas que están de relleno – establishing relations, passing on information given by others: requests, advice, suggestions, orders



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Lesson 1 - Listening to a radio announcement, giving information and a deadline



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Section 6 - Upper Intermediate - " I have a good grasp of all the essential structures and can use them with a reasonable degree of accuracy. Although I have some language gaps and make some errors, I can communicate effectively and appropriately in most situations, including on unfamiliar topics. I am ready to learn more complex forms and more advanced vocabulary."

Lesson 10 - A mi parecer, es importante que todos estemos informados – making a formal argument, organising and expressing ideas, formulating conclusions



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Lesson 9 - Me preocupa que nadie esté tomando medidas sobre este asunto – talking about and resolving our problems



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Lesson 8 - ¿Por qué no comienzas por hacer algunas cosas por ti mismo? – identifying possibilities and giving recommendations how to overcome obstacles



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Lesson 7 - ¡Qué extraño que nunca lo notaras! – expressing surprise and concern about events, trying to explain the past



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Lesson 6 - ¡Qué pena que las cosas hayan resultado de este modo! – expressing sorrow or hurt, justifying situations and actions



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Lesson 5 - Cuanto más lo pienso, menos puedo creer lo que sucedió – describing different moods, hypothesising about the past and giving theories for what happened



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Lesson 4 - Sí que sois aguafiestas… - expressing conditional situations, describing characters



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Lesson 3 - A mí me parece una vergüenza – expressing opinions, agreeing and disagreeing, evaluating situations



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Lesson 2 - ¡Vaya sueño el vuestro! – formulating theories about the future, different degrees of probability, giving compliments



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Lesson 1 - Yo te recomiendo que recorras agencias inmobiliarias – asking for and giving advice, reacting to advice



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Section 5 - Intermediate - "I have a good understanding of simple structures, but lack accuracy and do not feel at ease with them just yet. I need to consolidate what I know and I am also ready to learn new and more complex forms. I can express myself in most common situations and hold conversations on a range of topics."

Lesson 10 - Me encanta que seáis tan espontáneos para todo – social norms, expressing likes and dislikes, surprise and incredulity



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Lesson 9 - Es muy gracioso que allí sea todo lo contrario – describing and giving opinions about customs and behaviour, haggling in a market



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Lesson 8 - Te dejo elegir a ti – organising a date, describing a film



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Lesson 7 - ¡Ahhhh… era un chiste! – telling a joke, talking about the immediate future, describing different circumstances



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Lesson 6 - ¿No sabes la historia del reloj? – telling an anecdote about the past, talking about frequency and duration



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Lesson 5 - Estás en contra de la forma de vida en la ciudad, ¿verdad? – expressing methods of doing something and describing outcomes, arguing a point



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Lesson 4 – No pienso que sea maravilloso – expressing opinions and arguments, agreeing and disagreeing with others



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Lesson 3 - Pregúntale cuándo piensa regresar - communicating through a third person



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Lesson 2 - Me ha dicho que tiene un problema - passing on information, questions and requests



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Lesson 1 - Yo que tú comería menos cuando salgo a cenar fuera – describing problems, asking for and giving advice



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Section 4 - Lower Intermediate- "I can understand and use simple structures fairly consistently, and can ask and respond to a wide range of simple questions. I have a reasonable idea of how the tense system works and have an active vocabulary of around 700 words. I can express myself in familiar contexts, although I still make a quite a lot of mistakes.".

Lesson 10 – En cuanto sepa la hora te llamaré – talking about plans, sequencing events



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Lesson 9 - ¿Un regalo especial? - describing different objects and talking about what they’re used for, talking about gifts



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Lesson 8 - Espero que sigas siendo nuestro amigo – differentiating between real and hypothetical situations, persuasion



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Lesson 7 - Me enfado cuando los hombres hablan así de una mujer – describing someone’s character, talking about hopes and dreams



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Lesson 6 - ¡Cuánto deberé trabajar para terminarlo! – school and school work, expressing emotions



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Lesson 5 - Se mojaron algunos apuntes que ni siquiera habíamos leído – looking back through your past, describing events that happened before other events



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Lesson 4 - Nunca hemos hecho un viaje así – talking about past trips and vacations, planning the next trip



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Lesson 3 - Hablabas tan gracioso que no pude resistirme – your personal past, describing events of the past year



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Lesson 2 - Generalmente íbamos a un café – the past, discussing your background with new friends



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Lesson 1 - Long term past, meeting new people



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Section 3 - Elementary- "I can produce simple sentences and can formulate and respond to simple questions. I have a basic knowledge of grammatical structures, including different tenses and word order, and have enough vocabulary to ‘survive’ in predictable situations."



Lesson 10 – Si se rompe un espejo, tendrás 7 años de mala suerte - making predictions and hypotheses about the future, talking about conditions and consequences



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Lesson 9 – ¿Un regalo especial? - describing different objects and talking about what they’re used for, talking about gifts



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Lesson 8 – Nos levantábamos muy temprano, cuando salía el sol - describing people and places, talking about habitual actions in the past



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Lesson 7 - Un fin de semana divertidísimo - talking about the past, expressing what you did last weekend and appraising past activities and events



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Lesson 6 - Cuando veas que llueve a cántaros - expressing preferences, making comparisons, asking for and giving information about means of transportation and talking about the weather



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Lesson 5 - ¿Me dejas ayudar con tu biblioteca? - asking for and giving permission, asking for a favour and responding affirmatively or negatively



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Lesson 4 - Todavía no hemos encontrado el camino correcto... - describing someone’s life and relating an anecdote



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Lesson 3 - ¿Cómo te fue en el viaje? - talking about the past and relating events from a trip, cultural stereotypes



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Lesson 2 - Cosas que están sucediendo - things that are being done



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Lesson 1 - Esa falda es tan vieja como mi abuela - clothes and clothes shopping



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Section 2 - Beginners Plus- "I have some knowledge of the language, which I would like to consolidate and extend. I can introduce myself and can describe the immediate world around me. I have come across different grammatical structures, but am not confident using them. I have a limited ability to communicate and find it difficult to understand the spoken language."



Lesson 10 - No estoy de acuerdo contigo - personal experiences and expressing your opinions, expressing agreement and disagreement



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Lesson 9 - Perdona por levantarme de la mesa de ese modo - making excuses and giving advice



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Lesson 8 - La especialidad de la casa - in a restaurant, ordering food



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Lesson 7 – Pero tienes que tomar las decisiones responsablemente - discussing the future

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Lesson 6 – No tengo tiempo para ninguna otra cosa - work, school and means of transportation

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Lesson 5 - Creo que nos hizo bien salir - things that have happened in the past

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Lesson 4 - No me trates de usted, trátame de tú - meeting new people and introducing them



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Lesson 3 - Me encuentro fatal - how you feel, making offers



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Lesson 2 - ¡Gracias a Dios es viernes! - habits and weekend activities, frequency



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Lesson 1 - Todos los días son iguales - everyday actions and daily routines



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Section 1 - Beginners - "I have no knowledge or understanding of the language, other than perhaps a few key words and expressions. I have no real idea about the grammar and have a very limited vocabulary."

Lesson 10 - Nos levantábamos muy temprano, cuando salía el sol - describing people and places, talking about habitual actions in the past



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Lesson 9 - ¿Un regalo especial? - describing different objects and talking about what they’re used for, talking about gifts



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Lesson 8 - Searching for a new flat, around the house



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Lesson 7 - Life in the city



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Lesson 6 - Por el mismo dinero que la otra, ¡me llevo dos! – shopping, money, prices



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Lesson 5 - Tantos tíos y primos, todos juntos - describing your family



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Lesson 4 - No me trates de usted, trátame de tú - meeting new people and introducing them



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Lesson 3 – Cuéntame un poco de tu vida - work and study, asking for and giving telephone numbers



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Lesson 2 – ¿De dónde eres exactamente? - talking about nationality, languages, and how to ask for someone to spell out tricky words



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Lesson 1 - ¿Te conozco? ¿cómo te llamas? - greeting someone, introducing yourself, spelling out words and saying goodbye



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To download all podcasts from iTunes, click here

About Cactus Language Training



Cactus helps over 15,000 people learn a language every year, by making learning enjoyable and easy. We run evening courses in 41 locations across the UK, taught in small groups by qualified native speakers, ideal for learning. Choose from 24 languages and a range of courses and levels to suit you. Other learning options include language courses and holidays abroad, private and remote tuition, in-company language and cultural training, and much more. At Cactus, you really can learn a language your way.



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