How to Turn YouTube Into Your Spanish Tutor (Without Moving to Spain)
So you’ve decided to use YouTube to immerse yourself in Spanish.
Maybe you searched for “Spanish lessons YouTube” and expected your feed to suddenly be full of language-learning gold.
You change your YouTube language to Español, set your location to Spain or Mexico, and open the app expecting a glorious lineup of Spanish-speaking creators.
Instead?
– English podcasts
– UK vloggers.
– A video called “What I Eat in a Day (Influencer Edition).”
Nice try, YouTube.
Here’s how to avoid that and I’ll show you my method to actually train your YouTube feed to support your Spanish-learning journey.
Why YouTube Still Shows You English Stuff
Option 1: The Clean Slate Method
Changing your language and location settings only tweaks the menus and nudges a few new suggestions. But YouTube’s algorithm still runs on:
Your watch history
Your search history
Your liked and subscribed channels
Even if you start a new channel under your Google account, the master algorithm still pulls from your habits.
Translation: YouTube remembers everything. And unless you break the pattern, it’ll keep feeding you English content, especially if you keep watching English content.
If you want a completely fresh, Spanish-only experience, this is the move:
Create a new Google account
Treat it like your “Spanish immersion mode” login. Call it “Yourname learns Spanish” for exampleSet your YouTube language to Español
Choose your location: Spain, Mexico, Argentina or whatever fits your dialect goals.Start fresh:
Watch only Spanish-language content.
Try searches like:“vlogs en español”
“comedia latina”
“noticias en español”
“aprender español con subtítulos”
“Spanish lessons YouTube for beginners”
Avoid English videos completely
Even one or two can tilt your algorithm back. (Tap the “not interested selection in on the 3 dots in the top right)Engage fully
Like, comment, and subscribe to Spanish-speaking channels to reinforce your new content habits.
This method is the fastest way to make YouTube act like your personal Spanish tutor.
Option 2: Rehab Your Existing Account
Don’t want to juggle two logins? You can still retrain your current account it just takes a little intentional clean-up on your side.
Step 1: Reset Your History
- Go to YouTube History Settings
Clear your watch and search history
(Optional) Pause history temporarily while retraining the algorithm
Step 2: Feed the Algo What It Needs
- Watch only Spanish-language content
Search for videos using terms like:
“Spanish lessons YouTube”
“Spanish stories with subtitles”
“Español para principiantes”
Or search for terms in previous section
Hit “Not Interested” on English videos that show up (3 dots in top right)
Subscribe to Spanish-speaking creators to reinforce your feed direction and like their videos.
Spanish YouTube Starter Pack
Want to kickstart your immersion?
Here’s a go-to list of channels I subscribed to thats perfect for learning Spanish on YouTube whatever our learning level and to add to your learning stack.
Easy Spanish – Real conversations, subtitles included
Luisito Comunica – Culture + travel content, high energy
HolaSoyGerman – Classic YouTuber, all in Spanish
RTVE Noticias – Native-speed news from Spain
Why Not Spanish? – Great for learners, immersive topics|
SpanishPod101 – Fast vocab + everyday phrases
This mix of beginner-friendly and native-level content will help train your YouTube to become an actual language learning tool, not just a black hole of algorithm chaos that you get lost in and waste time on.
TL;DR – How to Make YouTube Work for Spanish Learning
- Changing language and location doesn’t reset your recommendations
The algorithm is built on your watch/search history
Create a new Google account for a clean slate or clean up your current one
Search intentionally: “Spanish lessons YouTube”, not just random entertainment
Avoid English content like it’s a trapdoor
Final Thought
YouTube is one of the most underrated tools for learning Spanish but only if you train it right. Whether you start fresh or tidy up your current feed, your goal is the same:
Build an algorithm that serves you Spanish, every single day.
Learning a language is already hard enough. Your feed shouldn’t be working against you.
Make it easy to get your CI in each and every day.
¡Vamos!
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