Oído Listening levels

B2 · Independent listening

B2 Spanish listening practice

At B2 you can follow most Spanish spoken at natural speed, including people talking to each other rather than to you. Longer speech, the news and most films in standard Spanish are within reach, even when the argument is complex.

Try a B2 clip

Three friends weigh up renting a car for a weekend trip. Read the questions, listen, then answer.

Ready when you are1:06
Replay as often as you like
1. Why is one speaker's credit card currently near its spending limit?
2. What condition does the speaker set for providing their payment card for the security deposit?
3. When discussing travel comfort, what does the relative pronoun «que» refer to in the clause «que ya no rinde»?
Transcript and translation

— Oigan, estuve mirando lo del auto para ir a San Rafael el viernes. Si lo sacamos en la agencia del centro nos sale en setenta dólares por los dos días, que entre tres…

— Listen, I’ve been looking into the car for going to San Rafael on Friday. If we get it from the agency downtown, it comes to seventy dollars for the two days, which split three ways…

— Setenta en el papel. Es que no estás contando el seguro ni la gasolina. Cuando fuimos a las cabañas terminamos pagando casi el doble por la garantía retenida.

— Seventy on paper. You’re not counting the insurance or the gas. When we went to the cabins, we ended up paying almost double because of the deposit they kept.

— A ver, tiene razón con el depósito, pero el bus sale a las seis de la mañana y nos deja lejísimos del alojamiento. O sea, allá tendríamos que pagar taxi.

— OK, he’s right about the deposit, but the bus leaves at six in the morning and drops us miles from where we’re staying. So we’d have to pay for a taxi there.

— Exacto. Y por mucho que el pasaje parezca económico, son cuatro horas apretados, salvo que paguemos el servicio ejecutivo, que ya no rinde. Con vehículo propio paramos donde sea.

— Exactly. And however cheap the ticket looks, it’s four hours squashed in, unless we pay for the executive service, and then it isn’t worth it anymore. With our own car we can stop wherever we like.

— Ya, pero un viernes a esa hora nos vamos a quedar atorados dos horas en la autopista sur. Además, ¿quién maneja? Porque yo después del trabajo no pienso…

— Sure, but on a Friday at that time we’ll be stuck for two hours on the southern highway. And who’s driving? Because after work I’m not going to…

— Manejo yo de ida. Lo que me hace dudar es que pidan tarjeta con cupo alto para la fianza. La mía está al límite por la reparación de la heladera.

— I’ll drive there. What makes me hesitate is that they want a card with a high limit for the deposit. Mine is maxed out from getting the fridge repaired.

— Pongo la mía, no te preocupes, siempre y cuando me transfieran su parte apenas carguemos el primer tanque.

— I’ll put mine down, don’t worry, as long as you send me your share as soon as we fill up the first tank.

— Bueno, supongamos que resolvemos eso. Aun así, el estacionamiento en el pueblo se cobra aparte y no baja de quince por noche.

— Fine, say we sort that out. Even so, parking in town is charged separately, and it’s at least fifteen a night.

— Fijate que hablé con la posada y tienen cochera libre para huéspedes, en principio. Salvo que hayan cambiado de criterio este mes.

— Actually, I talked to the inn and they have free parking for guests, in principle. Unless they’ve changed their policy this month.

— ¿Lo ven? Nos conviene por todos lados. Reservemos de una vez antes de que aumente la tarifa.

— See? It works out for us whichever way you look at it. Let’s book now, before the price goes up.

What a B2 listener can follow

  • Conversations between native speakers at natural speed.
  • Most TV news, interviews and current-affairs programs.
  • Most films in standard Spanish.
  • A line of argument, when the topic is reasonably familiar.

What’s still hard at B2

  • Strong regional accents and slang.
  • Several people talking over each other.
  • Humor, irony and what’s left unsaid.

How to practice listening at B2

  • Watch films and series without English subtitles.
  • Listen to native podcasts and talk radio, not learner material.
  • Mix accents: Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and the Caribbean all sound different.
  • Follow discussions, not just monologues: who agrees, who changes their mind, and why.

Is B2 your level?

One clip can’t tell you. The listening check plays a few short clips, each harder or easier depending on how you did on the last, and places you between A1 and C2. It’s free, takes five to ten minutes, and you don’t need an account.