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Guide for Expats in Spain Learning the Language in Spain
Guide for traveling in Spain Health Care for Tourists in Spain
See also: Madrid Restaurant Menus
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Learning to speak the languages of SpainLife will be a lot easier for you if you know at least the basics of the Spanish language before coming to Spain. I didn’t know any Spanish before moving here, but years of studying French helped me understand quite a bit. I bought a dictionary shortly after arriving, but since I bought it in Spain, it was more geared towards Spanish speakers studying English. I recommend buying a good dictionary before coming here and, if you’re new to the Spanish language, a basic Spanish phrase book.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Spanish (castellano) is the official language of Spain, and you should be able to get by with castellano if you're traveling in different regions of Spain. However, depending where you plan to live, you may need or want to pick up the local language: catalán (in Cataluña); valenciano (in Valencia); gallego (in Galicia); euskera (in the Basque Country); mallorquín in the Balearic Islands; and asturiano (in Asturias, mainly in villages).
Ways to learn Spanish, Catalan, and other languages in Spain Once you’re in Spain, you’ll have many opportunities to learn, practice, and improve your Spanish (or other local language). Here are some of the methods and resources you can use to enhance your language skills while living in Spain.
Classes Most mid-sized or large cities in Spain have language academies where foreigners can study Spanish. The quality of teaching varies greatly – not just from academy to academy, but even from teacher to teacher. I had an amazing Spanish teacher for an intensive course at one school, so I decided to stay there for the next course. Unfortunately, my next teacher was incredibly lazy (so much so that she would often come in, look at her book, and say, “It’s just that I really don’t feel like doing this today…”) If you want to make sure you’ll have a good teacher, ask to sit in on some classes before signing up. Or ask other foreigners you meet to suggest good teachers.
If you’ve got a lower level of Spanish, look for a place that offers additional activities for the students. For example, at my first academy in Madrid, all of the classes took a break at 11 a.m. to have coffee in the bar across the street. This was extremely useful to those of us in the beginners’ class – we got out of the classroom and were forced to speak Spanish to the waiters, the others teachers, and the students in the higher levels, but in a much more relaxed environment. I studied at another Spanish school that had several free classes each week that were open to students of all levels. The academy also organized excursions to sites in and around Madrid (with tours in Spanish) and nights out. Again, this gave students a less stressful environment in which to practice their Spanish.
Intercambios (Language exchange) Without a doubt, I have learned more Spanish conversation and vocabulary through intercambios than I have through classes. While classes are important for learning grammar, the best way to improve your listening and speaking is through language exchange. There is no set format for intercambios. I have done exchanges with more than 20 people during my time here, and each one has been different. Some people meet for an hour a week and speak in English for 30 minutes and Spanish for 30 minutes. Some prepare “classes” for each other in their respective languages. In big cities, you can also find group intercambios that meet weekly. I’ve never been, and rumor has it they can be more like a singles’ party than a language exchange, but it may be worth a try.
In addition to sharpening your Spanish speaking abilities, language exchanges are also a great way to meet Spanish people. You have something in common off the bat – you are both interested in learning about another language and culture. And the Spaniards you meet through intercambios will often be eager to introduce you to their other friends, take you home to meet their parents, and show you everything they can about Spain and Spanish culture. My closest Spanish friends all started out as language exchange partners. They have taken me to Cadiz, Almería, Malaga, and Salamanca to meet their friends and families. They have encouraged me to try foods I never would have ordered on my own (congealed blood, fried intestines, and blood sausage to name a few). And they have taught me words and phrases that will never appear in a Spanish course or typical Spanish phrase book.
One word of caution (especially for women): Many people approach intercambios with ulterior motives. When I first got to Madrid, I posted an ad in InMadrid (an English-language newspaper) saying I was an American women looking for Spanish language partners. I received hundreds of calls, almost all from men. And many of them didn’t even hide the fact that they weren’t interested in speaking English – they just mistook an intercambio ad for a dating ad.
To find people seeking English language partners or to post your ad, try the following sites: InMadrid (Madrid only), Loquo.com (most major Spanish cities), and Lingo Bongo (Madrid and Barcelona only).
TV and films I find Spanish TV incredibly dull, but when I first started learning the language, I forced myself to sit through one or two hours of TV per day. I now know far too much about the intimate lives of Spanish celebrities, but I can’t ignore the fact that watching Spanish television greatly improved my listening skills. I also forced myself to go to the cinema and watch Spanish movies without subtitles. I saw my first film – Hable con Ella by Pedro Almodóvar – on my second night in Madrid, before starting my Spanish classes. By the end of the film, I knew two or three words in Spanish. But, more importantly, I started to understand the rhythm of the language. What initially sounded like a string of unending gibberish to me had turned into a string of words. I may not have understood their meanings, but I was able to separate one from the other.
Newspapers Many of the larger cities have one or more free daily newspapers that are great for learning the local language. The articles tend to be short and easy to read. I used to pick up copies to read on the Metro in between classes. I would circle the words I didn’t know and look them up in the dictionary at night. Reading them on a daily basis is also a good way to reinforce the grammar you learn in classes. Once you have a higher level of Spanish, you can try to tackle the national papers.
Free daily newspapers include: Available in A Coruña, Alicante, Avilés, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cartagena, Córdoba, Gijón, Granada, Lorca, Madrid, Málaga, Murcia, Oviedo, Santiago de Compostela, Sevilla, Valencia, Valladolid, Vigo, Zaragoza.
Available in A Coruña, Álava, Albacete, Alicante, Ávila, Badajoz, Barcelona, Burgos, Cáceres, Castellón, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Elche, Gijón, Girona, Guadalajara, Guipúzcoa, Huesca, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, León, Lleida, Logroño, Lugo, Madrid, Málaga, Orense, Oviedo, Palencia, Palma de Mallorca, Pamplona, Pontevedra, Salamanca, Santander, Santiago de Compostela, Segovia, Sevilla, Soria, Tarragona, Teruel, Toledo, Valencia, Valladolid, Vigo, Vizcaya, Zamora, Zaragoza.
Available in Barcelona and Madrid.
Regular newspapers (you’ll have to pay for them, but they often come with some sort of goody or a coupon for a cheap book, CD, or DVD) include ABC, EL PAÍS, EL MUNDO, and La Razón.
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