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Best place to learn Spanish
03-01-2011, 04:22 PM
I'm sure this topic has been up before - I've seen recommendations for places like Cuernavaca, Medellín, and the like.
I've got some good basic Spanish, and usually learn pretty quick. I'm looking for maximum immersion, fun and nice weather, which is why Cuernavaca sounded nice.
I have heard good things about Calí. I generally prefer European looking women, or more European looking Latinas, although I'd never say no to an African girl if she was just plain hot.
I'm thinking I'm going to use couch-surfing for whatever city I hit up. A local is just better
Other suggestions appreciated.
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Best place to learn Spanish
04-08-2011, 03:52 AM
I have the habit of learning different languages. Can anyone provide some best and resonable ways to learn Spanish?
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Best place to learn Spanish
04-09-2011, 02:25 PM
Far and away the best way to learn a language is through immersion in a country that speaks that language. Go live in a Spanish-speaking country for 6 months to a year, have as little contact as possible with people who speak your native language, and you'll probably come out fluent or near-fluent depending on what your level was going in.
As far as a specific country to go to to learn Spanish, I maintain that if all you want to do is get good at speaking Spanish there's no better place to be than Chile. Few people speak English so you're forced to interact in the target language, and the Chilean accent is so nasty and hard to follow that once you master it every other accent feels like a cakewalk. I wouldn't recommend going somewhere like Colombia where people speak relatively slowly and clearly because you won't be able to understand a lot of Spanish speakers even after you get good at interacting with Colombians.
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Best place to learn Spanish
04-13-2011, 11:02 PM
Spanish from Colombia uses the formal second person (USTED) that's only used in Colombia so...not that good. Also they speak really slow.
Mexico has the most Spanish speaking population in the world, Cuernavaca is nice but the accent is not so neutral, Queretaro-Guadalajara stuff like that is more neutral.
Chile, hate that accent so gringochileno is right.
Argentina is horrible too, don't even think about it.
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Best place to learn Spanish
04-14-2011, 04:04 PM
Learn the language is about learn the culture.
Pick you favorite kind of music. Research it in the language chosen. Search classic books... and so on.
Deixa que essa fase é passageira, amanhã será melhor você vai ver a cidade inteira seu samba saber de cor!
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Best place to learn Spanish
04-14-2011, 11:21 PM
I would have to say the best place to learn how to speak spanish is hands down Bogota, Colombia. I had this question about 3 years ago myself. I chose Colombia (Bogota specifically) and I never looked back. In hearing other spanish speakers, I believe that it was the best decision I made.
Now if you are looking for the best way to understand spanish, then it would be to go to a place like Chile, Cuba or the DR where the accent is so heavy that it is at times far from the original spanish.
Keep in mind that where ever you learn, that is how you will talk and how you will be known for speaking. If you go to Chile, you may be able to understand everyone but some people (many outside of Chile) may not be able to understand you (which doesn't really help if you are trying to communicate).
Pound for pound I'd have to say Bogota, Colombia. You will learn faster than if you were in a country with a heavier accented spanish and you will still have enough basics and syntax to understand the more difficult accents. An analogy is that if you speak typical American english, you may be able to understand a Irish man but some words may not be clear and you may often need clarification, but you can still have a full conversation and they will not have a problem understanding you because you speak slower and more clearly. I would say that spanish in Bogota is equivalent to english in the US (midwest and pacific northwest) and Canada; Cuban and Dominican spanish would be equivalent to Jamaican and Trinidadian english; of course spanish in Spain would be equivalent to the English in England; from what I hear, spanish in Chile would be nearly the equivalent to the English in Australia (I don't know how accurate that one is).
I also hear that Guatemala and Costa Rica are also great places to learn how to speak very good and clear spanish.
Most news anchors and communications experts on regional or international spanish stations are Colombian due to their clear and neutral accents. Try looking at international spanish speaking news or television and google the host/anchor, etc. In most cases they are Colombian (I've tried it). I'd personally rather be known for speaking very clear spanish and having everyone I'm trying to communicate with understand me with no problems. If I can't do that, what is the point?
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Best place to learn Spanish
04-15-2011, 09:53 AM
There is no best place to understand Spanish.
EVERY place has their own particularities, their own words, expressions, and mannerisms.
Case in point: I have lived in both Mexico and Colombia, two countries frequently cited for having clear, neutral spanish.
Both have heavily local language that you have to learn when you go there, but isn't applicable in any other country. Bother have tons of slang that foreigners wouldn't understand.
But that is the case in every country. There is no such thing as a neutral accent, they're all distinct.
The best thing is to just choose the country that interests you, for whatever reason, there is no way to avoid learning a local dialect, just embrace it.
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Best place to learn Spanish
04-15-2011, 10:23 AM
I haven't been but talking to some other travellers Guatemala sounds like great value. There are apparently two main places to go, unfortunately I don't have the names of these, maybe somebody else who's been there can shed some light on this.
People have told me you can live with a host family, have a one on one tutor and food for $100 a week.
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Best place to learn Spanish
04-19-2011, 02:31 PM
Gringochileno,
I am trying to study abroad in Santiago next spring. how long did it take you to become fluent in spanish?
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Best place to learn Spanish
04-20-2011, 05:35 PM
Thanks for the advice. I was leaning towards living in a residencia or getting my own apartment because I wouldn't want a host family to stop me from going out and coming back late. So you would now consider yourself fluent?
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Best place to learn Spanish
06-21-2013, 11:28 PM
I plan on studying Spanish abroad in January. The problem is that it costs over $10,000 for a semester through an agency. However, if I were to go it alone I could probably save $3-4,000. Does anyone have any recommendations for specific schools in Latin America? I am sort of set of Colombia or the Dominican Republic. So far I found UNIBE in Santo Domingo and EAFIT in Medellin to be the most promising.
If anyone has any experience studying Spanish in Latin America could you please share your experience.
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Best place to learn Spanish
06-22-2013, 05:53 AM
Spain
Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats. - H L Mencken
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Best place to learn Spanish
06-22-2013, 07:22 AM
Colombia does have the clearest accent. I chose to go to Uruguay and Argentina in January for a month and take classes. Right now, if you travel around the Spanish speaking world, the Argentine accent is in vogue -- especially in Spain.
Like learning Japanese, speaking "standard language" (ie Tokyo dialect) isn't very cool, but it will get you by. Learning another dialect like Kansai-ben will set foreigners apart from the rest. I can't tell you how many time I would get compliments from Japanese women on my Kansai-ben.
Anyway, moral of the story is don't worry about which is the clearest. It might help you learn initially, but you should strive to make your language speaking ability unique from others as best you can.
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Best place to learn Spanish
06-22-2013, 08:21 AM
Bounce--
Check out Academia Buenos Aires. I studied at their sister school in Uruguay for 2 weeks and they housed me for about 20 days. It cost around $1,000.
In Santiago, Chile, Escuela Bellavista has a really good reputation. You can even do DELE prep there as well.
For really cheap, look at language schools in Guatemala or Honduras. I have a friend who did two weeks of classes for under $200 total in Guatemala.. I don't know what school, but could probably get the name if you wanted it.
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Best place to learn Spanish
06-23-2013, 06:00 AM
Madrid or Valencia,Alicante,Malaga...