Storylearning Spanish Conversations Review: Breaking Through the Intermediate Plateau
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Table of Contents
- 1. Why I Tried Spanish Conversations (Even Being Above its Level)
- 2. What is Spanish Conversations?
- 3. My Experience: Surprising Results as the "Overqualified" Student
- 4. What Results Can You Expect?
- 5. Who Should (and Shouldn't) Take This Course
- 6. Pros & Cons
- 7. Is it Worth $197?
- 8. Spanish Conversations vs Spanish Uncovered: Which Should You Choose?
- 9. Final Verdict
You can handle slow, clear audio from language apps. You might even understand Spanish quite well when reading. But when you turn on a Spanish TV show—suddenly everyone sounds like they're speaking at 3x speed. It’s the same when speaking with natives. You feel completely lost and can’t keep up.
This is the upper beginner-lower intermediate (A2-B1) plateau. It's where most Spanish learners quit.
Spanish Conversations is a course designed specifically to bridge this gap. Here's my experience thoroughly testing it, including unexpected benefits I got despite being above the target level.
📌 Full Transparency
I'm a Storylearning affiliate, which means I earn a commission if you purchase through my links (at no extra cost to you). This obviously creates a financial incentive for me to recommend this course
Here's why I'm comfortable with that: I review many language learning resources and only maintain affiliate relationships with products I genuinely use and recommend. I’ve turned down many affiliate offers because I didn’t like their product, or felt it wouldn't benefit learners looking for something that’s actually effective.
That said, no course or app is perfect. Only you can decide if $197 fits your budget and learning goals. I'll do my best to give you the honest information you need to make that call.
1. Why I Tried Spanish Conversations (Even Being Above its Level)
When starting Spanish Conversations I was already comfortable with fast Spanish and TV shows—so why bother with a course ‘below my level’?
Here’s why: I had been doing lots of listening in Spanish (700+ hours) but not really going deep with any learning material. So I wanted to try the opposite: intense focus on fewer conversations to see how that would impact my Spanish learning.
I'd previously used and greatly benefited from Cantonese Conversations (see my full Cantonese Conversations Review), which features unscripted talks between native speakers. So I was eager to test the updated Spanish version, which features scripted conversations by actors following a story—to see if it would sharpen my skills even further.
My question was: even though I was above this course’s target level, would it still benefit me?
Olly Richards introduces the course methodology, explaining how to use repeated listening and story-based learning to improve your Spanish comprehension.
2. What is Spanish Conversations?
Spanish Conversations is a story-based course aimed at A2-B1 learners wanting to improve their listening comprehension. It’s made for those who are ready to move past beginner materials but natural Spanish and native media is still too fast and difficult.
The course aims to bridge that gap using 20 conversations that use natural, fast Spanish with clear audio.
The story that unfolds over these 20 conversations takes place in Villanueva, a fictional Spanish village, following six characters whose conversations gradually reveal their interconnected lives.
Not learning Spanish? The Conversations courses are also available for learning: English, French, Italian, German, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Cantonese. They all follow the same story format (except Cantonese) and are aimed at A2-B1 learners (Chinese and Japanese are slightly higher and closer to B1). → See All Languages Here
The six Villanueva residents whose conversations form the narrative of the course. The character-driven story keeps you engaged through lots of listening repetitions of each conversation—you actually want to know what happens next
The goal: Understand all of these conversations 100% using the course’s material and methodology.
Unlike most beginner courses that explain grammar explicitly (like Storylearning's Uncovered series, which we will discuss later in this post) Conversations takes a pure immersion approach. You're meant to absorb patterns naturally through repeatedly exposing yourself to the content, while training your ears and ability to notice.
What You’ll Actually Get (Course Contents)
✅ 20 audio conversations (2-3 mins each) with real, fast-spoken Castilian Spanish
✅ Word-for-word Spanish transcripts and full English translations
✅ Rolling target language subtitle videos
✅ List of key vocab and colloquial phrases & expressions (pre-made Anki deck included)
✅ Short ‘study-tips’ videos by Olly Richards throughout the course
✅ Downloadable content (audio, transcripts)
✅ Bonus: 30-minute ‘Listening Skills Masterclass’ by Olly Richards
The 30-minute listening masterclass provides a practical foundation for how to improve listening comprehension using an “outside-in”-approach. He shows how “more” isn’t necessarily better, but getting the right information in a condensed manner.
Each chapter features a 2-3 minute conversation between two characters in Villanueva. Highlighted phrases like 'hace un siglo que no te veo' (it's been forever since I've seen you) show the colloquial expressions included in the vocabulary lists.
Vocabulary lists feature 15-20 curated colloquial phrases from each conversation. All materials downloadable as PDFs.
3. My Experience: Surprising Results as the "Overqualified" Student
Despite being around B2 and above the A2-B1 target level, Spanish Conversations gave me some unexpected benefits. Though I moved through the course quicker, I came out understanding Spanish TV noticeably better, picking up grammar patterns I'd previously missed, and acquiring natural phrases.
Here’s what I got more specifically:
✔️ Natural word order internalization
✔️ TV comprehension jump (70% → 85-90% when watching Friends dubbed)
✔️ Grammar intuition for subjunctive mood (esté vs está usage clicked)
✔️ Phrases started "echoing" naturally
One of the most satisfying moments was in chapter 17 when one of the speakers said: ‘Suena bien lo de tomar un café’ (“having a cup of coffee sounds good”). I would have said the sentence without the ‘lo de’, but adding that made it sound so much more, well… Spanish.
When you notice these types of patterns they eventually become part of your own Spanish vocabulary. These types of phrases and patterns started to pop up in my own speaking without even thinking about it.
Is the story any good? It’s not like it’s going to win any awards, but it’s interesting enough to stay engaged throughout. There’s drama, humor, secrets, and relationship dynamics that give you actual reasons to want to understand every word. The back and forth conversations-format make it pleasant to listen 20+ times and beyond. You notice new things each listen.
Regarding the timing of my comprehension jump: I had paused watching Friends for six months, doing daily audio immersion with other Spanish content. Then I watched again and noticed a 70% - 85-90% comprehension jump.
So, was that all because of Spanish Conversations? I honestly can’t say for sure. And I could totally have gotten to that place with just more immersion.
That said, I definitely noticed a shift after working through Spanish Conversations. The intensive repeated listening sharpened my ability to hear patterns in how Monica, Ross, Chandler, and the rest talked. It was like my brain got “primed”—I picked up more than before and it stuck better.
How I Used the Course (My Methodology)
I used a listening-heavy approach (as the course suggests) and here’s how I did it:
Stage 1 - Pure listening: At least 8-10 repetitions of each conversation before evening touching the transcript. I uploaded the audio to LingQ for playlist organization and tracking my listening count (if you also upload the transcript LingQ will auto-sync it to the audio—something I didn’t know! So next time I’ll include the transcript.)
Stage 2 - Clearing up the Unknown: Read through the transcripts. Sometimes with the audio, sometimes without. Noted unknown words in Google Sheets (to gather everything, read through them before listening to a chapter, and for future import to other language tools.)
Stage 3 - Targeted review: Went through the course's vocab lists, added key phrases and words to my tracking sheet.
Stage 4 - Acquisition: Once I knew the vocabulary, my brain shifted its focus to how the language was actually used—natural word order, grammar patterns, and native rhythm. This is when real acquisition happens: the language moves from "I understand it" to "I can use it naturally in my own speaking.”
My LingQ playlist for easy on-the-go listening, tracking listening times. For more on this app, see my full LingQ Review
Curious if Spanish Conversations is right for your level? Click here to find out more:
4. What Results Can You Expect?
Timeline: 3-4 months at 30-45 minutes/day
✅ If you’re around A2-B1 you can expect to develop “speaking speed tolerance”, boost your comprehension of Spanish media to around 60% (always tough to say exactly but roughly), learn 300-400 new words and phrases, and gain a natural grammar intuition and stronger ability to notice patterns.
❌ What you WON’T have yet is perfect comprehension (gaps are normal), complete fluency (there’s still a lot to learn), automatic speaking ability (it needs deliberate practice).
Why The Method Works:
Clear audio at natural speed + repeated listening + story engagement (enhances focus) = your brain starts noticing details and recognizing patterns it previously ignored. It accelerates your learning beyond the course (as it did for me), helping you get more out of your immersion.
5. Who Should (and Shouldn't) Take This Course
🎯 Is This Your Situation Right Now?
You should consider this course if:
- ✅ You've been stuck at the same level for 3+ months
- ✅ You understand textbook Spanish but native speakers sound like gibberish
- ✅ You tried watching Spanish TV and gave up because you couldn't follow
- ✅ You have 30-45 minutes daily for the next 3-4 months
- ✅ You're ready to move past Duolingo but don't know what's next
If you checked 3+ boxes, this course is specifically designed for you.
(30-Day Money-Back Guarantee)
✅ You'll also benefit (though less dramatically) if:
You're B2+ looking to acquire natural speaking patterns and colloquial expressions
You want to "prime" yourself before immersion (TV shows, an immersion trip to Spain)
❌ Skip this course if…
You're a complete beginner (the speed will overwhelm, try Uncovered Beginner or Rocket Languages first)
You need Latin American Spanish specifically (this is Castilian—”Spain Spanish”—only)
You're on a tight budget and $197 strains your finances
You can‘t commit to working through the 20 conversations thoroughly
6. Pros & Cons
✅ Pros:
Crystal clear, high-quality audio
Smart vocabulary choices — effective for acquisition and useful for speaking
Fills critical “post-beginner-gap” where most learners quit
Effectively trains your ears to understand fast Spanish
Story format helps you pay better attention, even when it’s challenging
Acquire grammar naturally, without studying it (subjunctive, verbs, etc.)
30-day money-back guarantee
❌ Cons:
Reliant on students on motivation, no interactive support
Soundcloud account needed for downloads (minor nuisance)
"150-200 hours of content" claim is a bit optimistic for Spanish, more like 80-120 hours.
Students wanting grammar explanations, instead of an intuitive learning approach
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Download Free Guide7. Is Spanish Conversations Worth $197?
If you're A2-B1 and stuck: This is one of the best $197 you can spend on Spanish. You're at the exact level this was designed for, and the methodology genuinely works to bridge the gap to native content.
How Spanish Conversations Stacks Up
| Investment | What You Get |
|---|---|
| Spanish Conversations | $197 = 80-120 hours of structured practice |
| Private tutoring | $197 = 6-8 hours of lessons |
| Textbook + app | Doesn't help you understand real, fast, colloquial Spanish from natives |
| Free YouTube | Requires extreme discipline, hard to find right level |
| Doing nothing | Stay stuck at plateau, eventually quit |
If you're B2 like me: The value drops to being optional, not essential. I got better pattern recognition, natural phrases, a noticeable 70%→ 85-90% Friends TV show comprehension boost. Those are real benefits. But I was also making progress before it, and would have continued progressing without it.
If you're on a tight budget: Just be honest with yourself. If $197 causes financial strain, you can improve listening with YouTube + discipline or other paid options that cost less (see my post 7 Best Intermediate Spanish Apps, Courses and Tools for options.)
Bottom line:
A2-B1 learners: 8/10 value
B2+ learners: 6/10 value (helpful but not as essential)
Absolute beginners: Skip for now
30-day money-back guarantee removes the risk if you're genuinely unsure but would like to try it.
8. Spanish Conversations vs Spanish Uncovered: Which Should You Choose?
Both of these courses are Storylearning products but they serve a bit different purposes. As someone who have done both, here are the main differences:
Spanish Conversations
This course (listening focused)
Spanish Uncovered
Comprehensive course (all skills)
My take:
✔️ Choose Conversations if you want a focused listening comprehension boost using an intuitive approach
✔️ Choose Uncovered if you want a complete, structured path to fluency with explanations
Both improve comprehension but Conversations uses a bit more colloquial language. Uncovered also has higher levels (Advanced + Mastery). Conversations is at Uncovered’s Intermediate levels (around Level 3 out of 6).
I like both. I’m going through Spanish Uncovered (currently on Level 4) and even though I’m not an “explanations-guy” I’m liking and benefiting from it more than I expected.
You can obviously do both the way I did—Conversations first and then continuing with Uncovered. But honestly you can’t go wrong with either. It’s just a matter of what approach you prefer and what you specifically want to work on.
A Quick Note on Conversations 2.0
There's also a Conversations 2 with 20 more conversations in a new story (a prequel to Conversations 1). It has more study tip videos from Olly and slight visual enhancements. Story is a bit goofier and I personally preferred the story of the first one, but it’s still solid.
Recommended if you loved the first course and want more practice to improve further using the same format, but not essential.
9. Final Verdict
If you’re someone who has moved past the beginning materials, or have been stuck in no-longer-beginner-not-quite-intermediate no-mans-land this course is one of the best investments you can make. It accomplishes what it sets out to do without the extra fluff of many other courses.
The going deep-with-the-material approach works, audio quality is excellent, and the story format with different characters keeps you engaged. The method helps you acquire the language and improve your listening comprehension of fast spoken Spanish.
The question isn't whether this method works (I have used it in two languages several years apart and would strongly consider it for a third), but whether you'll actually do the work. If you're ready to commit 30-45 minutes daily for 3 months, this is your bridge to native content.
The 30-day guarantee means there's zero risk—if it doesn't work, you get a full refund.
For Conversations in 8 other languages→ click here
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