Spanish-speakers have been out of luck when searching for top content in their native language - until now. This article showcases the best Spanish websites.
The Spanish language is the second most spoken language in the world, after Mandarin Chinese, yet finding solid web content in Spanish was a chore as no clear list of top Spanish websites existed. That has now changed. This list contains reviews of the top Spanish-language websites on the internet today.
Web Search
- Google en Español – Google’s Spanish-language site is everything you've come to expect from the search engine - quick loading search page, accurate results, and options for searching for images and videos. Google en Español even has an option to have the search return only pages in Spanish, if you so desire, though the default is to return all pages, with Spanish language results at the top of the list.
Web Portals
- Yahoo Telemundo - Yahoo, in association with Spanish television's Telemundo, offers an impressive Spanish-language online suite, including all of its services (movies, sports, music, fiances, groups, etc) in Spanish, free web-based email, and its free Yahoo Messenger client in Spanish. Yahoo email users have unlimited email storage space on their accounts, and Yahoo's "juegos" area provides Spanish-language versions of all of their immensely popular free online social games, so they nab the top spot for all around best Spanish-language internet portal.
- MSN Latino - MSN provides a lush, graphics-filled portal with their MSN Latino website. It features a full Spanish-language version of their regular MSN portal, including links to services like match-making, news, and weather information, plus their own free web-based email, their "MSN Spaces" social networking site, and their free MSN Messenger in Spanish. MSN's messenger has the advantage of being the most-used international instant messenger and boasts a huge community of Spanish-speaking users.
- AOL Latino - Not to be outdone, AOL also offers a Spanish Language version of their portal, though it is a lot less inviting than MSN's offering. They also offer free web-based email and the main services offered by Yahoo and MSN, but their America Online Instant Messenger (AIM) is only truly popular within the US and so they have less Spanish-speaking instant messenger users than Yahoo or MSN.
Social Networking
- Myspace Latino – The Spanish-language version of the world's most popular social networking site. If you set up a new account here, you'll automatically log on to the Spanish version of the site. If you already have an English-language account and would like to switch over to the Spanish-language side of Myspace, you can specify your language preference in your account settings.
- Mi Gente - The first Spanish-language social networking site specifically created for Latinos has been growing since its inception in 2000.
Reference and Language
- Wikipedia - Wikipedia has entries and all of their features translated into Spanish and a host of other languages.
- Wordreference - A multi-lingual, free, online dictionary. It translates back and forth from Spanish to English and also features translations to and from French, Portuguese, and Italian.
Image and Video Sharing
- Flickr - Flickr has set the standard for what a photo site should be, with a beautiful API, easy-to-use upload and organization tools, and a host of privacy features. Now this great website offers full Spanish-language compatibility. Go to the website, scroll down to the bottom, and click on "Español" to enable it.
- Youtube en Español - The world's most popular video site has its own Spanish language version. All that you've come to love (or revile) about YouTube, now in Spanish.
News & Weather
- BBC Mundo – The British come to the aid of Spanish-speakers all over the globe with the best Spanish-language, global news site. It covers international news including sports, culture, and the economy.
- Weather.com/español - The Weather Channel delivers in Spanish. Its website provides weather forecasts for just about anywhere in the world.
- Spanish New York - Spanish New York provides a directory of Spanish-language newspapers from all over the world in this impressive resource, enabling Spanish-speakers to keep in touch with local news even when abroad.
Science and Nature
- National Geographic en Español - National Geographic's website in Spanish is as eye-catching as its English-language counterpart with incredible photography, wonderful stories, and gripping video.
- Tu Discovery - The Discovery Channel now provides science and technology resources in Spanish at their Tu Discovery website.
Shopping
- Ebay.es - The auction heavyweight has stepped into the ring with a site designed for Spanish-speakers. All the options, bidding, and great deals available to English-speakers are now open to the Spanish-speaking public.
- Spanish Book Distributor – Amazon doesn’t have a Spanish-language website, but Spanish Book Distributors does. This book retailer has a bi-lingual interface and claims a library of over 100,000 titles.
The copyright of the article Best Spanish-Language Web Sites in Learning Spanish is owned by Walter F. Rodriguez. Permission to republish Best Spanish-Language Web Sites in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
