Learning Spanish, Important Lessons for Expats

Information on learning Spanish for foreigners and expatriates. Free options, schools and other ways to learn the local language are all discussed.

The best way to learn Spanish is to fall in love with a Spanish person. If you’re a foreign couple living here, you might have to resort to other techniques. Before I fell in love, I remember trying to watch TV—I’d soon find that my mind was wandering off. So many of the programs require a cultural background before they’re intelligible, and therefore interesting enough to hold your attention. Find a program you really like, or better yet rent movies. DVDs come in multiple languages, so watch it three times in Spanish and once in your language. Subtitles are helpful for learning contextual language as well.

Better yet, of course, make friends and hopefully they won’t insist on practicing their English. Once you’ve lived here a few years, you’ll probably resign yourself to the level you’re at, so work hard while you’re a recent arrival.

One excellent source is Puerta del Sol, a bimonthly subscription to a magazine and cassette. Good for advanced levels and a great way to fill in your cultural knowledge.

Many city governments and provincial governments in Spain offer courses as a service for immigrants, quite often for free. Do some digging at your local city hall. Also there are loads of private organizations offering courses. A great resource is the Instituto Cervantes’ search tool for courses, both public and private. (Instituto Cervantes is the public entity promoting the Spanish language and culture. There are many centers around the world.)

If you’re the self-study type, try StudySpanish.com

If you can’t manage the girlfriend and can’t afford classes…

…Continue reading PART 2 of
Learning Spanish, Important Lessons for Expats, Learn Spanish in Spain

Last updated 18 11 2008