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

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 2

I loved Sevilla. I studied AT the Universidad de Sevilla. I had several years of study under my belt before going, and found that studying alongside, and having the opportunity to actually TAKE classes WITH the students FROM Spain, was exactly what I wanted. (I actually took several classes within the university during the second semester). PURITY of accent? Absolutely NOT! Purity of culture, however, totally YES. Sevilla is the capital of the most Romantic, and truly what you think of when you think of Spain culture/art/architecture, etc. It is gorgeous, and you will love it. As for the purity of accent? Well, they are VERY difficult to understand there. I had professors that I had to struggle to understand. YOU can modify your accent as you learn, however. And the end result is...if you can understand and keep up with the people from Andalucía, you can probably handle just about anyone. People talk about how difficult it is to understand the Argentinians...I have no trouble at all. They, in fact, sound very close to Andaluces. If you want to develop a truly clear Spanish accent, imitate the people from Madrid...much of what you hear in the movies and any Spanish television is Madrileño. If you want to be able to understand anybody...go to Andalucía.

Answer 3

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 4

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 5

Hi!
I'm from Mexico and I would like to tell you that the best way to learn how to speak the Spanish spoken in Madrid is no other than going straight to the point.
The reason why I'm telling you this is that every state or province in Mexico speak on a different way the Spanish language and you are not going to find a different situation once you arrive to Spain. ( they have Andaluz, Catalan, Vasco )
I can't imagine myself learning English here in Chicago and then move out to Australia! I don't think so. ( I can't understand squat, they have 1000 different words and a German-south African accent).
I've been here in the States for 11 years, my English may not be perfect but is quite understandable, at least here in Chicago. ( good enough )
if you go to Mexico city somebody may welcome you with something like this: 'on tablas carnal? yo creiba que estabas mortero?
Did your Spanish from Guatemala teach you what is this supposed to mean? no, right?
well, that proves my point.
there's no way around dude!

Answer 6

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 7

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 8

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 9

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 10

I can highly recommend to study Spanish in Alicante. It is a very nice city on the coast. There are no dialects. I have studied in Elcano Spanish school. There are good teachers, the prices of the courses are very favorable. They also organize a lot of activities and trips and they can offer you accommodation in a shared flat or in a family.