Music is an important part of the language learning process. Not only is it great way to connect with Spanish culture but by actively singing and memorizing the songs you can practice listening comprehension as well as pronunciation. It also gives you the ability to bust out some songs to impress your Spanish speaking friends at karaoke.
We've put together a list of simple Spanish songs as well as some tips on how to use music and karaoke to learn Spanish. Don't worry there is no nursery rhymes here. We chose from some of the most popular Spanish pop songs. We took notes on the difficulty of each song, what Spanish grammar you can learn from the song, and some key vocabulary you can focus on.
How to use karaoke songs and music to study language
While listening to music can be great your brain might not take much away from it you need a way to study music. Here is our recommendation for how to use music and karaoke songs to learn Spanish – or any language.
- Listen to the song
- Listen to song again and write down the words you recognise
- Listen again but this time with lyrics
- Research any new words or verb tenses that are new to you
- Its time for karaoke! Sing along with the song and see how you do. You can use Singa to have a Spanish karaoke session on your phone or computer.
- Take not of anywhere you had pronunciation problems and practice those parts.
- Keep repeating steps 5 and 6 until you are master the song.
- Bonus step: If your brave find a karaoke venue near you and practice in front of a live audience or book a private karaoke room with your friends! It's important to practice your language in real world situations!
5 best karaoke songs to learn Spanish
Now that you know you how to use music and karaoke to study Spanish, here are some simple song suggestions to get you started:
1. Vivir Mi Vida – Marc Anthony
This song is a classic Spanish learning song used by many Spanish teachers! Not only is Marc Anthony a huge star, but the simple lyrics make it easy for anyone to sing along. The song is perfect for learning the near future tense: ir a + infinitive (voy a bailar – I am going to dance).
The chorus of the song is quite simple and will help you master the near future tense quite easily. You may need to study the verses some, but the rest of the song is quite easy to pick-up. Marc Anthony's other songs may be a bit more difficult to start practicing with but they are still worth a listen or sing along.
Difficulty: Easy
For learning: the near future tense, verb infinitives
Key vocabulary: reír – to smile, gozar – to enjoy, sufrir – to suffer
Sing Vivir Mi Vida karaoke here.
2. El Mismo Sol – Alvaro Soler
Alvaro is hands down one of the best singers for practicing Spanish! All of his songs are easily understandable, but still enjoyable. For this he has become a huge hit internationally hit. He even caught the attention of J.Lo who features on one version of the song. The song is great to practice listening comprehension as well as prepositions in Spanish. Some prepositions or location words in the song include: bajo – under, a – at/to.
The song itself is quite simple, easy to understand, and catchy. It is really a great karaoke song that you can learn to sing along with. I can recommend all of his songs for learning Spanish, but Sofia is another great song with simple lyrics and a very catchy chorus.
Difficulty: Easy
For learning: listening comprehension, prepositions
Key vocabulary: bajo el mismo sol – under the same sun, mano a mano – hand to hand
Sing El Mismo Solo karaoke here.
3. Rosas – La Oreja de Van Gogh
La Oreja de Van Gogh is a band from Spain who have captivated the world with their beautiful and deep meaningful songs. They are especially popular for karaoke too! Their song Rosas is a heartfelt song about love and letting go. The song is lyrical, which can be a challenge as there is a lot lyrics. But the vocabulary and grammatical structures are quite simple. It uses both the simple past (pediste – you asked) and the present perfect past (he vuelto – I left). If you are learning the differences between the past tenses it is a great song to practice with.
It is a great song if you already have some Spanish knowledge and are looking to improve your listening comprehension. If you liked Rosas, but want a more simple and upbeat song to study Spanish with you can try singing their song Pop.
Difficulty: Medium
For learning: simple past, present perfect
Key vocabulary: rosas – roses, la carita empapada – pouty face, pensar – to think
Singa Rosas karaoke here.
4. 11 PM – Maluma
Maluma is a huge reggaetón hit maker and this song is no exception! While reggaetón can be sometimes difficult songs to study for beginners, 11 PM is a great song for learning Spanish time expressions: once de la noche - eleven at night. While the verse of this song may require you to study some to get them perfect, the chorus and bridges are easy to learn and memorise. One thing to keep in mind when listening to Spanish music, especially reggaetón is that para - for/to is often shorted pa'.
If you enjoy reggaetón you will enjoy this song. Maluma has a wide range of music. If you are a fan of Maluma, but want to sing along to a more classical sounding Spanish song you can try singing 100 Años.
Difficulty: Medium
For learning: time expressions
Key vocabulary: once de la noche – eleven at night, una de la mañana – one in the morning, dos de la mañana – two in the morning
Sing 11PM karaoke here.
5. Madre Tierra (Oye) – Chayanne
Originally from Puerto Rico, Chayanne has made a huge name for himself in latin music, so his music is a must know. Madre Tierra (Oye) is a high energy song and will get you moving for sure. The song is primarily uses the imperative mood, so it is great for learning and practicing your commands in Spanish. Some imperative tense examples: abre (open!) – abrir (to open); disfruta (enjoy!) – disfrutir (to enjoy).
The song itself is quite simple with a lot of repetition. The chorus has a lot of la la la-s, which make it easy to jump back in if you get stuck any where. If you are a fan of Chayanne you can work up to performing more difficult songs like Torrero, which is a real pronunciation challenge!
Difficulty: Easy
For learning: Imperative mood (commands)
Key vocabulary: madre tierra – mother earth, abre tus ojos – open your eyes, tambor – drum.
Sing Madre Tierra (Oye) Karaoke here.
That's our list of 5 easy songs to learn Spanish with. If you want to sing more Spanish karaoke, you can search our song selection here or practice more Spanish by reading about the most popular Spanish karaoke songs.