25 Free Printable Spanish E-Books for Adults (2024)

With free printable Spanish e-books, you can harness the power of reading to learn Spanish both efficiently and effectively. Reading truly boosts comprehension in a unique way.

As a learning strategy, reading is more effective than watching TV. Even reading at a slower pace than you do in your native language exposes you to more sentences than the average TV show.

While watching Spanish videos and listening to Spanish podcasts are helpful, it’s important to balance it with reading. The sentences you’ll find in most books tend to be more developed and complex than the casual conversation you typically hear in podcasts, shows, and movies.

Reading teaches you new vocabulary words via context clues, and it’s intellectually stimulating. By finding books and genres that you love, you pique your curiosity and motivate yourself to continue improving your Spanish skills.

Tips for Reading Free Printable Spanish E-books

Before diving into our list of 25 free printable Spanish e-books, here are some tips to help you get started with reading as a Spanish learning strategy!

1. Start Where You Are

Begin with fables, fairy tales, and folk stories with which you are familiar or have already read in English. Having an initial sense of the plot, context, and characters makes it easier to follow along with the story.

Finding interesting Spanish books that are appropriate for beginners can be a challenge, but the key is to find the perfect material for your level. In other words, start where you are and don’t attempt to read texts that are above your level of comprehension.

The truth is, reading in Spanish is only useful if you start with a book you’ll stick with—a book that’s at your reading level with a subject matter that interests you.

2. Alternate Between English and Spanish

When you tire of reading in Spanish, but don’t want to go down a level, opt for reading the chapter in English, then read the same chapter in Spanish. This technique is especially helpful with fantasy and science fiction novels, as those genres tend to involve a lot of new and specific vocabulary.

3. Use a Dictionary

Beginners benefit from using a Spanish-English dictionary to look up unfamiliar words.

For intermediate and advanced learners, it’s ideal to use a Spanish-Spanish dictionary instead to look up the definition of unfamiliar words in Spanish.

If you’re reading on a tablet, you can change the settings on your Kindle app to “Spanish” and restart the application. That way, when you highlight a word, the definition will appear in Spanish.

4. Highlight Words and Phrases

Highlight new vocabulary words and phrases as you read. At the end of each chapter, write them down in your notebook. Go back and review them periodically to commit them to memory.

25 Free Printable Spanish E-Books Organized by Level

All the e-books on this list are free!

Also, check to see if your local public library has digital lending programs, as that’s another great way to find e-books online.

E-books are mobile, compact, and convenient. They can even be printed—all the titles on this curated list are in HTML or PDF format, and they are printable!

This list contains a ton of resources for accessing books from the most basic level to more nuanced literature. It’s divided into books that are ideal for beginner, intermediate, and advanced learners, respectively.

Happy reading!

Free Printable Spanish E-Books for Beginners

So, you’re ready to read your first book in another language! After you begin to read, your understanding of the story will surprise you. Although words and phrases pop up that you don’t know, keep on reading—as you know, practice makes perfect!

1. Cuentos de Hadas by the Brothers Grimm

The original title of these two volumes published in 1812 and 1815 was “Tales for Childhood and Home.” The collection was expanded in 1857 and is popularly known as Grimm’s Fairy Tales. It includes 20 classic fairy tales such as Snow White, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, and Thumbelina.

2. An Elementary Spanish Reader by Earl Stanley Harrison

This free e-book consists of 21 short stories that are perfect for the novice Spanish speaker. It also features a vocabulary index at the end. Because the stories are short, they’re easy and fun to read.

3. La Mitología para los niños by Fernán Caballero

Mythology for Children is an excellent primer to give beginning Spanish learners an introduction to mythology. If you’re already familiar with Greek mythology, these fantastic stories will be more immediately understandable.

4. Fortuna: Historia de un perro agradecido by Enrique Pérez Escrich

Animal lovers, this one’s for you! Fortuna is an interesting account of the adventures of a boy who is kidnapped and rescued by a dog he had befriended. Its clear and simple language makes it appropriate for beginners.

5. Los Extraños Trabajos de Paulino y Eusebio by Eloy Barba Dominguez

This book is about working towards your dreams. Paulino wants to buy a drum set and become a rock star. He and his friend Eusebio have to save enough money to buy the best instrument possible and enter into an incredible adventure in the process. This story is relatively short and great for practicing the past tense.

6. Novelas cortas by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón

Written by acclaimed Andalusian author Pedro Antonio de Alarcón, these novelas were originally published in 1882 and offer insight into Spanish life and history. They are short and easy to follow for a new learner. If you love historical fiction, this is a splendid option!

7. Life of Basil: La Vida de Albahaca by Colin Hann and Pedro Páramo

This illustrated bilingual book tells an easy-to-read story. Basil finds himself in a strange new pot and meets our other chatty potted plants. They think they know it all, but when it comes to animals, they know nothing. One wild assumption followed by another gets them into trouble. Next time they may not be so lucky!

8. Papelucho by Marcela Paz.

Papelucho has been called the South American Dennis the Menace. His adventures are told in simple language with a limited vocabulary. Twelve Papelucho books were published between 1947 and 1974, making the series a classic for children in Chile.

Free Printable Spanish E-Books for Intermediate Learners

Intermediate learners, check out the e-books below to use your improving Spanish reading skills and move toward increased fluency.

9. Su único hijo by Leopoldo Alas

His Only Son centers on the hapless Bonifacio Reyes and his wife Emma. A sharp provincial satire, this free printable Spanish e-book offers two great character portraits in Emma and Bonifacio. It’s a solid and often funny work that is accessible and enjoyable for intermediate Spanish learners.

10. Spanish Tales for Beginners by Louis Reinhardt and E.C. Hills

This collection contains multiple works by acclaimed Hispanic authors, including literature and poetry. Although the title says “Beginners,” the content includes the subjunctive mood and other advanced verb tenses.

11. Vida de Lazarillo de Tormes by Anonymous

This is the first known modern Spanish novel, and its author is considered the founder of the picaresca literary genre. This style of prose depicts the adventures of a roguish hero who lives by his wits in a corrupt society. The story follows a little boy named Lazarillo who serves as an apprentice to a blind man.

12. El Sombrero de tres picos by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón

The Three-Cornered Hat is an 1874 short novel that depicts the tale of a wealthy magistrate who is in love with a miller’s wife. The novel has a theatrical format, and it has been compared with the famous Cervantes novel Don Quijote.

13. El Capitán Veneno by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón

Another book by Alarcón, this is the story of a famous fire-eater. Set in mid-19th century Spain, this historical fiction story follows a captain’s domestication through love during a time of social change. The action takes place in Madrid in 1848, a year of street riots and military rule in Spain.

14. Aura by Carlos Fuentes

Aura is a short fantasy novel with deep psychological themes. In Mexico, it is studied at the middle school level, which shows a level of complexity that might be manageable for a Spanish learner. First published in 1962, this novel contains remarkable descriptions of “dreamlike” themes and a main character with a “double identity.”

15. Juan Salvador Gaviota by Richard Bach

Jonathan Livingston Seagull is an American classic. It uses simple language, making it a great choice to read in Spanish. This is a fable in novella form about a seagull who is trying to learn about life and flight, as well as a homily about self-perfection.

16. Doce Cuentos Peregrinos by Gabriel García Márquez

Strange Pilgrims is a collection of 12 loosely related short stories by the Nobel Prize-winning Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez. Published in 1992, the stories were originally written during the seventies and eighties. This book is the perfect way to introduce yourself into the “magical realism” worlds created by this legendary author.

17. El Principito by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The Little Prince follows a young prince who visits various planets in space, including Earth, and addresses themes of loneliness, friendship, love, and loss. Despite its style as a children’s book, this whimsical book makes observations about life and human nature. It features a simple writing style that makes it an excellent choice to read in a new language.

18. Un Pingüino en el Desierto by Carlos Puerto

A Penguin in the Desert tells the story of Jaima and her penguin. They embark on a journey together and learn meaningful life lessons. Written for tweens, it’s an easy-to-tell story with a deep message.

Free Printable Spanish E-Books for Advanced Learners

As an advanced Spanish learner, you can enjoy the works of Latin American authors in their original language. Consider delving into Spanish literature, novels, and texts that are longer and more complicated.

19. El poder del ahora by Eckhart Tolle

The Power of Now takes readers on an inspiring spiritual journey to find their true and deepest self. Read this book if you seek personal growth, mindfulness, and spirituality—all while learning Spanish to boot!

20. La rana viajera by Julio Camba

La rana viajera is a collection of stories told from the perspective of a Galician traveler who settled in Madrid. It discusses the peculiarities of society, politics, and Spanish thought. It employs irony and sarcasm as it explores the beauty and truth of life.

21. Doña Perfecta by Benito Pérez Galdós

Doña Perfecta (Mrs. Perfect) is a 19th-century realist novel from the first of Galdós’s three epochs in his novels of social analysis.The action occurs in late-19th century Spain, when a young liberal named Don José (Pepe) Rey, arrives in a cathedral city named Orbajosa, with the intention of marrying his cousin Rosario.

22. La Condenada y Otros Cuentos by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez

The Condemned and Other Stories gives the reader a glimpse of Valencia, transporting the reader to a time and a unique space in the author’s homeland. Rafael was imprisoned in a narrow cell for 14 months. His world was those four walls; his sun was the high barred window.

23.Una Mañana de Mayo by Anne Holt

Anne Holt is Norway’s best selling female crime writer. She was a journalist and news anchor who spent two years working for the Oslo Police Department before founding her own law firm. The plot of this book involves the US president being kidnapped while on an official visit to Norway. FBI agent Warren Scifford needs the help of the Norwegian police superintendent to trace any clue and find the president.

24. Naufragios de Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca by Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca

In this book, Cabeza de Vaca narrates the journey of the only four survivors of Pánfilo de Narváez’s expedition to Florida in 1527. They lived among the Indians for eight years as slaves, merchants, and healers, crossing the southwest of the current United States and northern Mexico.

The book contains some of the first ethnographic observations on the indigenous populations of the Gulf of Mexico. It features words taken from indigenous American languages and is considered the inaugural historical narrative of the current territory of the United States.

25. La Isla del Tesoro by Robert Louis Stevenson

Treasure Island is an adventure novel by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, narrating a tale of “buccaneers and buried gold.” This classic novel tells a coming-of-age story and is noted for its atmosphere, characters, and action. It was serialized in the children’s magazine Young Folks in 1881 and 1882 under the title “Treasure Island or the mutiny of the Hispaniola.”

Also for you: Top 10 Science Fiction Spanish Books for Adults

Sign up for a Free Spanish Class!

Of course, you can’t learn Spanish exclusively through reading. Still, e-books make excellent supplementary learning material, and they can help you commit the vocabulary and grammar you are learning to memory. To further sharpen your Spanish skills, sign up for a free class with a native-speaking, certified teacher at Homeschool Spanish Academy!

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