Hi everyone,

First off, I want to say that I just found this forum and I’m loving it.  I do have a small problem that I’m hoping you guys can help me with. 

I currently live in the United States, and I’ve decided to attend a language school in a Spanish speaking country. I would really really like to attend a Spanish language school in Spain, however, I want to make sure that the Spanish I learn, I can use back in the United States with Latin Americans without having much of a problem with accents and dialects. I was told that the Spanish spoken in Sevilla is fairly nuetral. 

What cities would you guys recommend? 

Thank you!  =)

Karine

I wouldn’t say Sevillano was ‘neutral’ - a lot of Spaniards can’t even understand it, although andalusian dialects like that spoken in Seville have some elements in common with Latin American Spanish. The nearest to the literary standard is probably from central university cities like Salamanca.  In Madrid they understand the concept of an “international” Spanish because of immigration from the Americas and the importance of the media industry etc.  Obviously avoid places with two languages - Barcelona, Galicia, possibly the Basque Country (although you wouldn’t get Basque and Spanish mixed up). To be honest I don’t think it matters that much.  If you learned standard English in Texas, they would still understand you in Scotland or South Africa, maybe with a little effort at first.  Spanish is the same.

Thanks for your input Martin.  I think you’re probably right about it not mattering too much.

I am sure its not that critical as well, but for what it’s worth my Spanish teacher in the UK, who was from Madrid, told us that Valladolid was considered to have the most ‘correct’ Spanish.  Whether this means the most widely spoken or understood I really couldnt comment, probably no more so than ‘BBC English’ - but wherever you end up in Spain you are bound to pick up local accent and vocabulary influences so might as well just jump in I guess!

Maya