How do I prepare for the DELE A2 listening exam?
The DELE A2 listening test uses everyday Spanish, and every recording is played twice. The voices come from Spain and from across Latin America. Many people take DELE A2 for Spanish citizenship.
The best free way to get ready is to listen to a lot of real Spanish at the A2 level. There is a free pack of A2 videos below, at a speaking speed close to the test.
Why this level
Why do people take DELE A2?
People commonly take DELE A2 for:
Spanish citizenship by residence (the DELE A2 plus the CCSE test about life in Spain)
Long-term residence and some jobs, where basic Spanish is asked for
A proof of your Spanish that is valid for life and does not expire
Free · 96 videos · 4 hours 36 minutes
Your free DELE A2 listening pack
Here are 96 short videos by real native speakers at the A2 level, at a speaking speed close to the exam (around 155 words a minute). The voices come from Spain and across Latin America, just like the test. Most of the words are inside the 96% most common spoken Spanish words, so they match the kind of language the test uses. Together they are about 4 hours 36 minutes of listening practice for the DELE A2. They are all free to watch below.
Play the whole pack in the app
Recorrido por el supermercado en Colombia
Preparando la comida especial para mis gatos
Tres mercados imperdibles en Ciudad de México
Intentando escapar de una multa de tráfico
Rutinas semanales en Valencia para principiantes de español
Mi hija dramática al cruzar un puente
Ensalada de papa con pollo paso a paso
Cómo preparar bolón de verde ecuatoriano suave
Descubriendo el barrio más moderno de Seúl
Camino por la calle y supero mi miedo a grabar
Ir al cine y comprar pororó
Cómo preparar guacamole rojo en molcajete
Vlog en el supermercado: vocabulario para hacer la compra
Queso fundido con chorizo y rajas paso a paso
Carne deshebrada estilo ranchero con papas y nopales
Manualidades navideñas: bolas y portafotos para el árbol
Compras de supermercado en Argentina y vocabulario útil
Viajando en tren y descansando de hacer vídeos
Vocabulario de pizza en una pizzería en Chile
Visita a un restaurante de hamburguesas en Concepción
Licuado de banana rápido en mi cocina
Mi rutina diaria en español para principiantes
Mi rutina de la mañana en español fácil
Paseo nocturno por Granada y vuelta a Londres
Entrevista con un chico de Madrid sobre su vida
Cómo celebramos los cumpleaños en España
Cómo hacer melon pan gigante en casa
Cómo es la cocina en la Estación Espacial
Vlog de vocabulario: regalo para el cumpleaños de mi papá
Niños jugando béisbol y animando a Sophie
Recorriendo el mercado 10 de agosto en Cuenca
Recorrido por Santiago de Chile y sus lugares principales
Cómo seco mis chiles jalapeños en el rancho
Ir al cine en Islandia con intermedio
Atardecer ventoso en Reikiavik y verano con nieve
Qué gorro me pongo para salir a la calle
Mi primera vez volando en primera clase
Luisito y el baño sucio sin agua ni luz
Vaquero cuestiona las comodidades modernas y el trabajo
Obras en el Bernabéu y el Camp Nou
Mi hermano no sabe matemáticas y me estafan
Cuando el frío llega a toda la casa
Encuentro incómodo en el sexto piso
Cambio de nombre de la estación de Atocha
Pronóstico del tiempo para Buenos Aires, 10 de marzo
Jerusalén, el pueblo más caliente de Colombia
El amigo que te espera para jugar fútbol
Zonas de transporte en Barcelona explicadas de forma sencilla
Experiencia de buffet en Bogotá y cuánto cuesta
Mi ciudad Zamora y vuestras ciudades en concurso
Navidad en una urbanización española: talleres y cena
Rutina diaria de una madre en casa
Vocabulario de la playa para tus vacaciones en España
Visitando la librería más linda de Buenos Aires
Paseo en bicicleta por Concepción y vocabulario básico
Top creatorTrabajar de camarera en bodas en un castillo
Regalitos de Navidad y ejercicio de comprensión auditiva
Recorrido por un departamento elegante en Manhattan
Vocabulario del baño en español con ejemplos
Desinfectamos los pies antes de entrar con los pollitos
Perro aventurero que hace rafting en Islandia
Curiosidades y cuidados del chihuahua, el perrito más mexicano
Vocabulario de viaje: valijas, maletas y bolso de mano
Noche de encendido navideño en Viejo San Juan
El vecino que nunca tiene nada
Recordando nuestro viaje en tren por España e Inglaterra
Una hija agradece el esfuerzo de su mamá
Horarios y tipos de comidas en España
Reto de 5 preguntas inteligentes por teléfono
La primera cita de Luis con Silvita
El vecino que paga el almuerzo y las cervezas
Top creatorHorario típico del colegio en España
Paseo en moto y vocabulario práctico en español
Consejos básicos para viajar a Colombia con seguridad
Papá reacciona al perfil de citas de su hijo
Top creatorVolver de viaje y deshacer la maleta
Cómo funcionan los apellidos en España
Atraco fallido por culpa de los perritos
Un examen de talento muy creativo en clase
Un desayuno familiar y el recuerdo de mamá desaparecida
Cuando el hijo le cuenta a mamá que tiene novia
Mi experiencia con el covid contada en español fácil
Isabela se esconde porque le teme a las inyecciones
Cortando nopalitos para el guiso de mi viejita
Trinitarias que me enamoran en Puerto Rico
Leyendo el libro infantil del pollo Pepe
Pronóstico del tiempo para Córdoba, lunes 2 de marzo
Mi infancia jugando con mis vecinos
Mensaje emotivo para mamá en el día de la madre
El animal más agradable: curiosidades del tapibara
Discusión en casa por la polera y el juguito
Hablar como nativo según tu nivel de español
Cuál es la mejor hora para cenar
Anuncio de mi boda y vida entre España y Tailandia
Orgullo venezolano tras ganar el clásico de béisbol
Resumen fácil del libro Manolito Gafotas
The test
What does the A2 listening test look like?
The listening part (comprensión auditiva) has four tasks and 25 questions, and takes about 40 minutes. Every recording is played twice, with time to read the questions. Here is what you hear:
Task 1
Short everyday dialogues, for example in a shop, a station or a restaurant. You pick the right picture.
Twice
Task 2
Short radio clips, like news, adverts or notices about events. You answer one question on each.
Twice
Task 3
One longer conversation between two people who talk about their everyday life. You match each statement to the right person.
Twice
Task 4
Short announcements, instructions and answering-machine messages. You match each message to a statement.
Twice
The Spanish comes from Spain and from across Latin America, so you hear more than one accent.
It is spoken at a normal everyday speed, but the words and the situations stay simple. The topics are everyday life, like shopping, travel, food and family.
Every recording is played twice, so you get a second chance to catch the details.
Level and words
What level and how many words do I need?
Listening needs far fewer words than reading. Research shows that about 3,000 common words cover roughly 95% of normal speech, and the first 1,000 words cover most of what people say.
At A2 you do not need a big vocabulary at all. You need the most common everyday words and a lot of listening practice at your level. Video helps, because the pictures help you guess the meaning.
Watch videos with visual cues, on YouTube or here on Reelang.
Based on research
Nation (2006) About 3,000 common word families cover roughly 95% of everyday spoken English; reading needs far more.
Webb (2021) The most frequent 1,000 words alone cover most of what people say in speech.
Durbahn et al. (2024) Video is easier to understand at a given vocabulary size, because the pictures help you guess.
Ways to practice
Common ways people practice
There is no single right way. People use a mix of these, and the free pack above works as a companion to any of them.
A class or a teacher
Slow and clear Spanish podcasts, like Españolistos or News in Slow Spanish
Spanish radio and news, like RTVE or Radio Nacional de España
Watching real Spanish videos at your level
Start watching now, no email needed
Explore Spanish videos by accent: Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and more
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
How was this DELE A2 pack chosen?
We did the searching for you. We check thousands of Spanish videos and measure each one: its level, how fast it is spoken in words a minute, and how many of its words are common. For this pack we kept videos at the A2 level in a mix of accents from Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and more, at a speed close to the test (around 155 words a minute), where about 96% of the words are among the most common in spoken Spanish. Then we read the transcripts by hand to keep the everyday topics the test uses, and we put the clearest, most visual videos first. About 3,000 common words already cover roughly 95% of normal speech (Nation 2006), so this kind of content matches the test well.
What kind of videos should I practice with for DELE A2 listening?
Use real Spanish spoken at a normal everyday speed, with voices from Spain and across Latin America like the test uses. Pick the everyday topics the test uses, like travel and transport, daily life, food, leisure and social life, money and shopping and family. You do not need rare words. About 3,000 common words cover most of normal speech (Nation 2006), so content built from the most common spoken words matches the test well. A good mix is short everyday conversations, a brief news clip, and an announcement or message, because the test uses all of these. That is exactly how the free pack of 96 videos above was put together.
Does the DELE A2 listening audio play once or twice?
Twice. In the DELE A2 listening test every recording is played two times, with a short pause in between, so you get a second chance to catch the details.
Is DELE A2 enough for Spanish citizenship?
For Spanish citizenship by residence, the language requirement is DELE A2 or higher, taken together with the CCSE test about life in Spain. If you are from a country where Spanish is an official language, you usually do not need the DELE, but you still take the CCSE. Rules like these can change, so check the current rule with the official sources before you book an exam.
Does the DELE certificate expire?
No. The DELE is valid for life and does not expire. That is one reason people choose it as a long-term proof of their Spanish, for things like residence and work.
Which accents are used in the DELE A2 listening test?
The test uses voices from Spain and from across Latin America, because Spanish is spoken in many countries. The free pack above spreads across these accents, so you get used to more than one.
Can I prepare for free?
Yes. The most exam-like free practice is the official DELE A2 sample exam (modelo de examen) from the Instituto Cervantes, with the real audio, answer keys and transcripts. After that, the best free thing you can do is listen to a lot of real Spanish at your level. Start with the videos above, or watch more on YouTube or here on Reelang.
How is video different from textbook audio?
Textbook audio is often slow and very clear, with actors who speak carefully. Real video uses normal speed and real voices from different countries, which is closer to the test. The pictures also help you guess words you do not know yet.