Where to study Spanish in Spain?

[Santenello]

Hello,


My girlfriend and I are looking to spend the next three months studying Spanish in Spain. We would like to be near the Mediterranean so Valencia looks good to us, but I also know they also have a different dialect.

We want to be in a place with many things going on since we will be there for three months. Any suggestions are much appreciated.


Thank you,
Peter

[poli]

Hello,


My girlfriend and I are looking to spend the next three months studying Spanish in Spain. We would like to be near the Mediterranean so Valencia looks good to us, but I also know they also have a different dialect.

We want to be in a place with many things going on since we will be there for three months. Any suggestions are much appreciated.


Thank you,
Peter

It's not another dialect, Catalan is a different language. Castillian (the language we often call Spanish) is always spoken in all major Spanish cities, but is sometimes not the primary language. If you wish to go to a semi-tropical city by the sea in Spain where Castillian is the preferred language spoken by everyone, Málaga may be worth considering.

[Santenello]

Polo,

Thank you for your reply. Yes we would like to be immersed as much as possible but I understand in bigger cities that we might run across English speakers and people speaking other languages. We would like to be next to the Mediterranean Sea because it is a dream of ours and it will be warmer.

We are making this decision tonight and we are hoping to get a flight out of Sicily tomorrow. We would also like to be in a place that is stimulating enough for three months and that is why I though Valencia would be a good choice. Is Malaga a stimulating place?

Have you been to Valencia? Is it a good feel there with the people? Are they open to foreigners?

I hope this is enough detail. Any input about where we should go is appreciated. Thank you for your time!

[poli]

I have not been to Valencia, but it is Spain's third largest city. I have found Spanish people to be reserved and professional to strangers. Most likely you will be treated honestly and cooly but people will warm up to you soon. Unlike Latin America you may find few people asking you where you are from until they know you a little better. Enjoy your stay. Spain is very cultural, comparatively inexpensive when compared with most of Western Europe, and the food is good. It's not a huge country, and their system of high-speed trains (AVE) can get you to different places like Madrid Barcelona and Seville quickly and reliably.

[JPablo]

I have only been twice to Valencia for a few days...
(Loved the city and the people...)
Good luck!

[chileno]

JP, please correct me if I am wrong. Since the Mediterranean Sea is much a sought place to go on vacation, it really wouldn't matter if it is a small or a big town, most likely is going to be full of tourists and everybody working there speaks at least 2 languages...

:)

[JPablo]

Indeed... Minimally Spanish, English... French, German, Swedish... (In some places of the Costa Brava there are whole "colonies" of German people... In Mallorca, there are "tons" of Swedish... And if you go to Lloret de Mar in July you could practice practically any European language...

Not so sure of that as you go South, but more and more people in Spain study English... anyhow.

[Santenello]

Thanks for your help!

[JPablo]

You're welcome, Santenello!
Good luck!

[carlosvilas]

I've lived in Madrid all my life.

If I had to choose where to go on holidays, I would probably go to somewhere in the Mediterranean coast... sun and beaches... oh man, I love that. :D

BUT... If you are trying to learn Spanish, try not to go there. In Andalusia the accent is really different and hard to understand (sometimes even for native Spanish speakers), and it's more similar to latin american accent. In Valencia and Catalonia there is a co-official language, Valenciano or Catalan, and it may confuse you a little bit.

The most """pure""" Spanish can be learnt, in my opinion, in Valladolid, Salamanca or Madrid (though no beaches there...)

Hope it helps!!

[Villa]

Hello,


My girlfriend and I are looking to spend the next three months studying Spanish in Spain. We would like to be near the Mediterranean so Valencia looks good to us, but I also know they also have a different dialect.

We want to be in a place with many things going on since we will be there for three months. Any suggestions are much appreciated.


Thank you,
Peter


Hola Santenello. My sister's father-in-law is from Valencia. He is bi-lingual and speaks both standard Spanish and Valencian which is actually a dialect of Catalan. And of course Catalan is not a dialect of Spanish but actually a separate language. Realated to Spanish of course because it comes from Latin. The father-in-law tells and interesting story about when he first came to the U.S. he got a job in an Italian restaurant and was able to speak Italian or communicate with the Italian workers using his Catalan. The Italians said: "Look, a long lost cousin!"

[jazzalbert02]

There are several websites that provide you online courses and Spanish schools in Valencia. I do not recommend any website, you just find a reputable and authentic online website that can assist you learn the Spanish language.

[pjt33]

Missed this one the first time round, and it's too late to help the OP, but other people might find it through Google so I'll chip in a couple of comments.

Have you been to Valencia? Is it a good feel there with the people? Are they open to foreigners?
People in Valencia aren't very open, full stop. It's not just foreigners: I've heard the same thing from an Andaluz.

In Valencia and Catalonia there is a co-official language, Valenciano or Catalan, and it may confuse you a little bit.
This is true to an extent. In the city of Valencia there's quite a lot of written valencià, but it's fairly unusual to hear it spoken except at political events and set phrases at cultural events (Senyor pirotècnic, pot començar la mascletà).

[AdeSlater]

Hi,

I studied and worked in Malaga - pure Andalusian Spanish but with a lot less English speaking people of my age. Also by working I HAD to speak Spanish.

After a six week period I came back with enough Spanish to be able to have a reasonable conversation as long as it was in an area I knew about but that was OK for what I wanted (tourism).

[bilengua]

Try Pamplona. My friends went there in Summer of '13 and loved it.