Self-study with regional television, radio, apps and dictionaries

Key rules

• Cost: Public TV and radio, government online courses and the official dictionaries are free to use.
• Official dictionary: Use the academy or government dictionary for your language, not a general translator, when you want the standard form.
• Web addresses: Course site addresses change, so find them through your regional government's language policy website.

Course names, app availability and web addresses change often, so confirm them on your regional government's language policy website before relying on them.

You can build a solid self-study routine for free. Each region with its own language has a public broadcaster, online courses run by its government, and an official dictionary. Use all three: listen, study, look things up.

Watch and listen: public TV and radio

Public channels are free and stream online in Spain. Start with news and children's programmes, where the speech is clearer and slower.

• Catalan: TV3 and Catalunya Ràdio, run by the Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals (3Cat).
• Valencian: À Punt.
• Balearic Islands: IB3.
• Galician: TVG and Radio Galega, from the Compañía de Radio-Televisión de Galicia.
• Basque: ETB1 and Euskadi Irratia, from EITB.
• Navarre: Nafarroa Telebista and Euskalerria Irratia.

The national broadcaster RTVE also carries some content in regional languages.

Study online for free

Regional governments run free online options, so you can keep going between classes or without a class.

• Catalonia: Parla.cat, run by the Consorci per a la Normalització Lingüística, and Aprenem, which has a self-study route. The Consorci also runs Voluntariat per la llengua, where a volunteer chats with you to practise.
• Basque Country: HABE's online courses, including Ikasbil and Euskaraz Bizi.
• Galicia: the Xunta's Galego online and Normalización Lingüística resources.
• Valencia: the Generalitat's Aprén valencià resources.

Website addresses change, so search for the course name or open your regional government's language policy website. App names and availability also change. Check the app store for the official course apps before paying for anything.

Dictionaries and translation

Use the official dictionary of the language you are learning. The free tools box below lists each one with its web address, including Optimot for Catalan queries and Elhuyar for Basque.

A simple weekly routine

1. Put the regional news on once a day, even as background.
2. Do two or three short online lessons a week.
3. Look up every new word in the official dictionary.
4. Join a conversation exchange if your region offers one.

The questions below cover common doubts about free channels and apps.

Free tools for reading and translating Catalan, Galician and Basque

• Institut d'Estudis Catalans, Diccionari de la llengua catalana (dlc.iec.cat): Look up Catalan words in the standard Catalan dictionary.

• Optimot, Generalitat de Catalunya (optimot.gencat.cat): Ask spelling, grammar and vocabulary questions about Catalan.

• Traductor Gencat, Generalitat de Catalunya: Translate Catalan text to get the gist of a letter or notice. It is not suitable for official documents.

• Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua (the official website): Look up Valencian words in the standard Valencian dictionary.

• Real Academia Galega (academia.gal/dicionario): Look up Galician words in the Galician dictionary.

• Euskaltzaindia, the Basque language academy (euskaltzaindia.eus): Look up Basque words in the Hiztegi Batua, the standard Basque dictionary.

• Elhuyar: Use the Elhuyar dictionary to look up Basque words and translate to and from Spanish.

• Basque Government, Itzultzaile: Translate between Spanish and Basque to get the gist of a text. It is not suitable for official documents.

• Apertium and Opentrad free translation projects: Translate between Spanish and Catalan or Galician with Apertium, and between Spanish and Catalan, Galician or Basque with Opentrad. Use it to understand the gist, not for official documents.

Frequently asked questions

Which free TV and radio channels can I use to hear each regional language?

Each region has a public broadcaster with free content in its language. Catalan has TV3 and Catalunya Ràdio, Valencian has À Punt, the Balearic Islands have IB3, Galicia has TVG and Radio Galega, and the Basque Country has ETB1 and Euskadi Irratia. Navarre has Nafarroa Telebista, and the national broadcaster RTVE also offers some content in regional languages.

Do regional governments offer free online courses for learners?

Yes, Catalonia, the Basque Country, Galicia and Valencia all offer free online resources run by their governments. Catalonia has Parla.cat and Aprenem, the Basque Country has Ikasbil from HABE, and Valencia has Aprén valencià. Galicia has online resources from the Xunta, the regional government.

Can I keep learning between classes without paying for an app?

Yes, the free regional courses and public broadcasters are enough to keep studying without paid apps. Use an official online course for structure, then add TV or radio for listening practice. Specific app names and availability change, so look at your regional government's language website for the current list.

Where do I find the right dictionary for a single regional language?

Each language has an official academy dictionary online. Catalan uses the DIEC2, Valencian uses the Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua dictionary, Galician uses the Real Academia Galega dictionary, and Basque uses Euskaltzaindia's Hiztegi Batua. The Elhuyar dictionary is also widely used for Basque.

References

1. aval.gva.es