Everything you need to know to learn Spanish and Catalan in a simple way while living an academic year in Barcelona

Spending an academic season in Spain is the best opportunity to learn the local language too.

Barcelona is a perfect city to learn Spanish and Catalan, thanks to the great offer that exists due to the number of people who come to live from all over the world. And it is because Barcelona hosts thousands and thousands of foreign students every year, many of them only speak English and do not know how to speak Spanish at first, much less Catalan.

For this reason, today at Xior The LoftTown we share a complete guide for all who are looking for simple and real ways to learn Catalan or improve their level of Spanish in a fun and 100% effective way.

Do you dare to check it out with us? Then, we show you a list of courses, schools and other ways to learn Spanish and Catalan in Barcelona that will really interest you. Welcome to our blog of tips for university students!

Option 1: Private lessons

Learning a language for free and at a good level is almost a utopia. Therefore, if you have an extra budget, we recommend you take a private lessons from native teachers with experience. Therefore, it is common for these private classes to be preferred by foreigners who already have a basic knowledge of Spanish and Catalan, so they need to improve it with the help of a private teacher.

In general, the prices of private lessons are around 25€ per hour, depending on the teacher’s experience. In some cases, they can go up to 50€, either for travel or some extras.

Our recommendation to find the ideal teacher for you is that you consult the official portals of linguists and language teachers or on the board of your university.

Option 2: Classes in language schools

If there is a traditional way of learning Spanish or Catalan, it is in language schools. In Barcelona you will find a wide range of schools, for all types and budgets, which will help you a lot to delve into these languages with total satisfaction. Regarding fees, each school has its own in particular. Usually, image that in an intensive week of 20 hours per week, the price can be between 150 € and 400€.

However, if you need to extend the learning time in a school, you should bear in mind that in some places they offer special prices on an annual basis. Consequently, the price will be higher, but in the long time will it be cheaper due to the discounts they will offer you.

Finally, we also recommend that you verify the certification level of the Instituto Cervantes with the schools that you are thinking of enrolling.

Option 3: Complementary courses at the university

 If you already speak Spanish or Catalan, it’s time for you to take the initiative and enroll you in a course at your faculty that is taught in these languages. In addition to learning languages more academically and effectively while studying the subject of your profession, in the course you will be surrounded by other local students who will help you speed up your language learning so you will be in constant communication with them.

One thing is forbidden, leave English behind and really immerse yourself in the local languages so that you can really learn without the adventure of mixing another language.

On the other hand, it is common to find notices of Catalan and Spanish courses in universities in Barcelona, given the large number of Erasmus students who come to the city each year.

Option 4: mobile apps

If you prefer there is also the option for mobile apps. Even more in these times when there is social distancing and nothing is like before, perhaps it is the perfect time to choose this way of learning.

That is why with the great relevance that smartphones have in our daily lives, in the market many apps have been created to learn languages quickly and at any time wherever you are.

Should be noted that these apps are enough complete and interactive, they have different levels of learning, even games and voice recognition for greater fluency.

Option 5: International linguistic meetings 

In Barcelona you will meet many people from all over the world. Much more now due to the great impact of social networks in our daily routines.

For this reason, in Barcelona there are thousands of groups of volunteers who help people to find themselves among foreigners and to speak Spanish or Catalan as a requirement.

And the best of all, that the experience is very nice because it is usually around a drink in a trendy bar, practicing sports, sightseeing or even dancing to your favorite rhythm.

In that sense, any activity is the perfect excuse to meet new people and improve languages.

Our recommendation is that you be alert to the groups of foreigners that exist in Barcelona in each of the social networks, we assure you will learn languages but also make new friends.

Option 6: Find friends who speak Spanish and Catalan

We know that the secret to learning a language is to practice it a lot. Therefore, we recommend that you make local friends to help you practice the language to the fullest.

The idea is not making a group of friends in their own language, a common case for foreigners when they arrive in Barcelona, something that prevents them from mixing with the rest, staying in their comfort zone.

Consequently, you will spend the entire academic semester among people from the same country doing touristy things and not getting the most out of your stay by learning the local languages.

Remember that the people of Barcelona are very friendly and are always willing to help foreigners who are trying to integrate through the language.

We hope that with this post you will know a little more about how to learn Spanish and Catalan in Barcelona safely and effectively. Remember that at Xior The Lofttown we want your experience in Barcelona to last a lifetime and that is because we want to become the best student accommodation in Barcelona for you.

We look forward to seeing you here to become a new #TheLoftowner!

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Have a great day!