Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Mi afición por leer periódicos extranjeros me ayuda a entender mejor la política de otros países. - My hobby of reading foreign newspapers helps me understand other countries’ politics better.

Me gusta leer periódicos extranjeros = “I like reading foreign newspapers.”
Mi afición por leer periódicos extranjeros = “My fondness / passion / hobby of reading foreign newspapers…”

Using the noun afición presents the liking as a characteristic or trait of the person, almost like saying “I’m an enthusiast of reading foreign newspapers,” rather than just “I like it.”

Both are correct; the original just has a more “careful” or somewhat more literary tone than a casual me gusta sentence. In everyday Latin American Spanish, me gusta (mucho) leer… is more common in speech, while mi afición por… is more typical of written or formal style.

What exactly does afición mean here, and is it common in Latin American Spanish?

Here afición means something like:

fondness
liking
passion
enthusiasm
hobby

So mi afición por leer periódicos extranjeros = “my fondness/passion for reading foreign newspapers.”

Some additional points:

afición can also mean “fans” or “supporters” (especially of a sports team):
- La afición del equipo estaba muy contenta. = “The team’s fans were very happy.”
In Latin America, afición with this “hobby/liking” meaning is understood everywhere and is standard.
But in everyday spoken language, people are more likely to say:
- Me gusta mucho leer periódicos extranjeros.
- Soy muy aficionado a leer periódicos extranjeros.

So it’s common and correct, just a bit more formal or bookish than the most colloquial options.

Why is it mi afición por leer and not mi afición de leer?

Because afición doesn’t normally take de to introduce what you’re fond of. It typically uses a or por:

afición a + noun/infinitive
afición por + noun/infinitive

For example:

Su afición a la música clásica es conocida.
Mi afición por leer novelas históricas empezó cuando era niño.

Mi afición de leer… sounds unidiomatic to native speakers. The “correct” options are:

Mi afición por leer periódicos extranjeros…
Mi afición a leer periódicos extranjeros…

Both are accepted; de is the odd one out here.

Can you also say mi afición a leer? Is there any difference between afición a and afición por?

Yes, you can say both:

Mi afición a leer periódicos extranjeros…
Mi afición por leer periódicos extranjeros…

Both are grammatically correct and widely understood.

Nuance:

Many speakers use them interchangeably with no intention of a difference.
Some style guides say:
- afición a is slightly more common with activities or things you do:
  afición a leer, afición a la pesca, afición al fútbol.
- afición por can sound a bit more emotional, like “fondness for,” but in real everyday usage, this distinction is very weak.

In Latin America you will see both; afición a might be a bit more frequent overall, but afición por (as in your sentence) is fully natural.

Why is leer in the infinitive form? Could it be mi afición por leyendo periódicos extranjeros?

It must be the infinitive leer, not the gerund leyendo, because:

In Spanish, after a preposition (like por, a, de, en, etc.), verbs appear in the infinitive:
- por leer
- a entender
- antes de salir
- sin comer

Using leyendo after por in this way (por leyendo periódicos extranjeros) is ungrammatical. So:

Correct: mi afición por leer periódicos extranjeros
Incorrect: mi afición por leyendo periódicos extranjeros

Why doesn’t the sentence say por leer los periódicos extranjeros? What’s the difference with and without los?

Both are possible, but they don’t mean exactly the same thing.

por leer periódicos extranjeros (no article)
→ “by reading foreign newspapers (in general).”
This is generic and not referring to any specific set of newspapers.
por leer los periódicos extranjeros (with los)
→ “by reading the foreign newspapers” – suggesting you and the listener both know which newspapers you mean, or you mean a defined group.

In your sentence, the idea is general: reading foreign newspapers as an activity, not specific newspapers. That’s why there is no los.

Is there a difference between periódicos and diarios in Latin America?

Both can mean “newspapers” and are largely interchangeable, but there are some tendencies:

periódico
- Very common word for “newspaper” across Latin America.
- Neutral, widely understood by everyone.
diario
- Also means “newspaper,” especially a daily paper.
- Some newspapers even include Diario in their names:
  Diario Clarín, El Diario de X, etc.
- In some regions or contexts, diario may sound a bit more formal or tied to the idea of “daily publication,” but this is subtle.

In your sentence, periódicos extranjeros is perfectly natural and probably the most neutral way to say it. You could also say diarios extranjeros with essentially the same meaning.

Why is it me ayuda a entender and not just me ayuda entender?

Because the verb ayudar almost always takes the preposition a before another verb in the infinitive:

ayudar a + infinitive

Examples:

Me ayudas a cocinar. = You help me cook.
Nos ayudó a encontrar la casa. = He/She helped us find the house.
Leer me ayuda a entender mejor… = Reading helps me to understand better…

So you need a:

Correct: me ayuda a entender
Incorrect: me ayuda entender (missing the required a)

Is me in me ayuda a direct or an indirect object pronoun, and where else could it go in the sentence?

In me ayuda a entender mejor…, me functions as an indirect object pronoun: “(it) helps me”.

Literally: “My fondness for reading foreign newspapers helps me to better understand…”

Pronoun position:

Before the conjugated verb (standard form):
- Mi afición por leer periódicos extranjeros me ayuda a entender mejor…
Or attached to an infinitive or gerund if you restructure the sentence:
- Mi afición por leer periódicos extranjeros ayuda a entenderme mejor la política…
  (This version is actually odd/unnatural because then it sounds like it helps to “understand me better,” so you wouldn’t use it here. Better example:)
- Leer periódicos extranjeros me ayuda a entender mejor…
- Leer periódicos extranjeros ayuda a entender mejor la política de otros países. (no me)

In practice, for this exact idea, you naturally keep me before ayuda:
…me ayuda a entender mejor…

Why does the sentence say entender mejor la política instead of entender la política mejor? Where can mejor go?

Mejor (better) is an adverb, and Spanish is quite flexible with adverb placement.

All of these are grammatically possible:

…me ayuda a entender mejor la política de otros países.
…me ayuda a entender la política de otros países mejor.
…me ayuda a entender la política de otros países mejor. (same as above)
…me ayuda a entender mucho mejor la política de otros países. (adding emphasis)

The most natural and common in this sort of sentence is exactly what you have:

entender mejor la política…

Putting mejor right before the direct object (la política) is smooth and typical.
Placing mejor at the very end (…la política de otros países mejor) is also correct but can sound a bit heavier or more emphatic in speech.

Why is there a definite article in la política de otros países when English just says “politics of other countries”?

Spanish often uses the definite article with abstract nouns where English omits it.

la política (politics)
la libertad (freedom)
el amor (love)
la educación (education)

So:

entender mejor la política de otros países
literally: “to better understand the politics of other countries.”

In English, we usually don’t say “the politics” in a general sense; we say “politics” without an article. Spanish, however, sounds more natural with the article here, because it treats política as a specific domain or field.

What does política mean here, and how is it different from político?

In this sentence, la política is a feminine noun meaning:

“politics” (as a field, activity, or subject)
depending on context, it can also mean “policy”

Differences:

la política (noun, feminine)
- La política de otros países = “the politics of other countries”
- La política económica del gobierno = “the government’s economic policy”
político / política (adjective)
- un partido político = a political party
- una decisión política = a political decision
el político / la política (noun for a person)
- un político honesto = an honest (male) politician
- una política honesta = an honest (female) politician

So here la política clearly means the abstract concept: “politics” or “political affairs.”

Why is it de otros países and not de los otros países?

Because otros países here means “other countries” in a general, non-specific way.

de otros países = “of other countries (in general, any others)”
de los otros países = “of the other countries” → referring to a specific, previously mentioned group of countries that are contrasted with something.

Example:

Me interesa la política de otros países.
“I’m interested in the politics of other countries (in general).”
Estos países son democráticos, pero la política de los otros países es autoritaria.
Here los otros países is “the other countries” in a specific set.

In your sentence, there is no specific set mentioned, so de otros países is the natural choice.

Could you rephrase this sentence in a more conversational way that people in Latin America might use every day?

Yes. The original is fine, but a more everyday, less formal version might avoid afición and use gustar or a simpler structure, for example:

Me gusta mucho leer periódicos extranjeros; eso me ayuda a entender mejor la política de otros países.
Leer periódicos extranjeros me ayuda a entender mejor la política de otros países.
Como leo muchos periódicos extranjeros, entiendo mejor la política de otros países.

These sound very natural in spoken Latin American Spanish, while keeping the same idea.

Is me ayuda a entender mejor different from me ayuda a comprender mejor, or are entender and comprender basically the same?

In this context, entender and comprender are effectively synonyms:

me ayuda a entender mejor la política…
me ayuda a comprender mejor la política…

Both mean “helps me understand better.”

Subtle nuance (very small and often ignored in everyday speech):

Some speakers feel comprender can sound slightly more “deep,” like a fuller, more thorough understanding.
entender is a bit more everyday and general.

But in most real sentences, including this one, you can swap them without changing the practical meaning.

Is there any accent or stress issue I should notice in afición and países?

Yes, both words have written accents that are important:

afición
- Stress is on the last syllable: a-fi-CIÓN
- The written accent on -ción follows the rule for words ending in -n, -s, or vowel:
  - Normally stress falls on the next-to-last syllable,
    but here stress is on the last syllable, so we need the accent mark.
países
- Singular: país (pa-ÍS), stress on the second syllable.
- Plural: países (pa-Í-ses), stress stays on the í.
- The accent mark keeps the stress on that syllable even when adding -es.

Pronouncing them without stress (or putting stress in the wrong place) can make you sound less natural and sometimes can cause confusion, so the accents and stress are important here.