Which is the best region of Spain in which to study Spanish?

Question

I have previously studied Spanish in Guatemala and now would like to move to Spain to study further, hopefully to an advanced level. Eventually I intend to work in Madrid, however wonder if it might be better to start off in a different town or city... Does anybody have any advice?

Answer 1

Perhaps Granada to start-there is a large student population there and the pace is slower, then moving onto Madrid, where you can learn Spanish at the pace of a big city. I wouldn't recommend Barcelona, because you will learn Spanish with a very strong accent which may prove difficult for others to understand outside of Barcelona.

Answer 2

Salamanca of course. They speak a beautiful Spanish., no provincial accent.  Much better then in Madrid or Barcelona. I have studied Spanish there in my holidays. There are many institutes because learning Spanish there is popular. It is a beautiful town. I have enjoyed it much.

Answer 3

Andalucia (the south) is best because the people are friendliest and the accent is heaviest. If you get used to the heavier accent, the normal ones will be easy!

Go to Sanlucar de Barrameda or Cadiz, both beach towns.

Answer 4

Well my parents are from Guatemala and I was born and raised in NYC - so my "spanish" is more Guatemala style( I have been traveling there since I was a little girl) . I went to study it in Sevilla - and its the BEST thing I could have done, the Andaluz spainsh is more like the Latin American Spanish (which made it a little easier) ,everything thing there reminded me of Guate. (except is way cleaner in sevilla), the people too ( they are soo friendly).

Answer 5

Cant beat Barcalona. You can learn Catalan as well there.

Answer 6

Let's see, I'll tell you some things about Spanish regions:

- Galicia: Heavy accent and they also speak Galician, but in great cities as La Coruña or Santiago, the accent is not so difficult. Very beautiful land.

- Asturias: Heavy accent, not so much in Oviedo. Very beautiful.

- Cantabria: Clear accent in the main cities: Santander and Torrelavega. It's very beautiful but not well connected to Madrid.

- Basque Country and Navarra: They speak Basque (less in Navarra), lots of political conflicts, but clear accent.

La Rioja and Aragon: Clear accent. I reccomend Zaragoza and Logroño.

Catalonia and Balearics: Clear Spanish accent, but they speak too much Catalan for a student of Spanish. Barcelona and Palma are great, the problem is Catalan, mainly in Barcelona.

Comunidad Valenciana: Valencia is great, they speak Valencian but not too much. I also reccomend Alicante. Very clear accent. Castellón is not reccomended, too much Valencian.

Murcia, Andalucía, Melilla, Ceuta, Extremadura,Canary Islands: Very heavy accent, but very beautiful land.

Madrid, Castilla´y León, Castilla-La Mancha (mainly the northern provinces): The best places to study Spanish because of the clear accent (usually called Standard Spanish), the most lively cities are Madrid, Valladolid, Salamanca, Toledo and León.

Answer 7

It depends what spanish you learnt. Like in the UK different parts have different (and very strong) dialects. For example in galicia, its pretty much a different language, in cataluna they speak catalan. If you're learning castellano (which i'd assume that you are since thats the bog standard spanish) i'd strongly advise sticking to the centre of spain ie madrid and surrounding areas. The further away from the centre you get, the stronger and stronger the accent/ dialect.

Answer 8

Anywhere around Madrid would be fine; I did notice regional differences in accents and vocabulary in various parts of Spain. Asturias was a bit different and of course Barcelona. Andalucia seemed more or less Castillian. I have heard that Galicia is very different as well. Good luck

Answer 9

If you want the best schools, then Madrid of course.  You will also have purer more academic Spanish, less provincial accents, most educated people (in Spanish), and build networks for work prospects later.

Answer 10

In the French Quarter dimbulb!  C'est effrayant!

Answer 11

Considering all the various answers you got, I would say anywhere in Spain is good, but would suggest the outskirts of Communidad Madrid.  B/c honestly, there are way too many english speakers in that major city and if you don't watch it, you'll speak more english than what you want.  Same goes with Sevilla.  I lived in Cantabria and barely anybody spoke English, so I learned a lot. But the kicker is that after I left, I had a crazy lipse which if you go to any other spanish-speaking countries is ... well effeminate, so I had to get that accent beaten out of me.

Answer 12

Sevilla is beautiful with a great university.

Answer 13

Hi! I am from Spain and teacher of Spanish as a Foreign Language. The best places to learn it due to the accent and way pronuntiation are Madrid, Castilla Leon, Castilla La Mancha. In the north i could suggest Santander and if you go to the south, their pronuntiation is crazy!

Any other options will have the typical way of speaking from those regions so that is my bet.

By the way, I usually have problems speaking spanish in Cataluña and have to use English to make me be understood...Maybe I did not find the right people, but that is what it ususally happens to me.

Answer 14

Don't listen to anyone who says Barcelona- because although people there understand Spanish / Castillian, they speak Catalon on the streets and in their daily lives.  That's no way to improve your Spanish!  Madrid is a great city for young people, with lots of things to see and do, and tons of nightlife.  If you're willing to be away from the coast, I would suggest starting there.  You'll meet lots of cool people and maybe meet some travel buddies.  If you want to be by the coast, I've heard great things about Valencia but haven't visited it myself.

Answer 15

I know a few people who have done this, and from what I can work out is that it doesn't matter where you go. You will pick up the language quite fast just walking around. My brother went to Costa Rica for 3 months, without knowing any Spanish when he went out, and when he came back he could speak pretty fluently. Go to the place that looks the most fun.