Argentina - Learning Spanish in BsAs

Hey Everyone,

I was wondering if anyone had any experience with programs in BsAs that teach intensive spanish. I have an education award from Americorps and I think that a 2 month program to learn spanish would be an amazing use of it, especially in bsas...

I've looked around and there are just so many that look great and then have horrible reviews (eg expanish), anyone have any first hand experience?

Thanks!

Would you not prefer to learn in Spain?

The Universidad de Buenos Aires has a program for visitors that want to learn Spanish.... let me see if I can dig up the website and post it here. BRB.....

Here you go.....

http://www.uba.ar/ingles/foreign/spanish.php

Thanks Gaucho, I'll look into that.

HIDDY- I've been to both Spain and Argentina and while spain is cool, I love BsAs. This is just as much an excuse to go back there as it is a quest to learn Spanish.

Gaucho, their summer intensive program looks like it might be exactly what I was looking for. Thanks again.

Thanks Gaucho, I'll look into that.

HIDDY- I've been to both Spain and Argentina and while spain is cool, I love BsAs. This is just as much an excuse to go back there as it is a quest to learn Spanish.

But they talk strange Spanish here and mine is even stranger. :D

Several people recommended http://www.coined.com.ar/ - but they'd gone to the Bariloche location.

But they talk strange Spanish here and mine is even stranger. :D

Strange? It's the most natural sounding spanish in the world! :D:D:D

+1 to strange.

Argentinean Spanish can be regarded as gibberish by Spanish speakers from countries further north. My experience (as someone who learned his Spanish in Central America) is that before heading off all wild-eyed to learn the language, you should actually take a moment to think about where and with whom you will eventually be speaking. If you are an American, you are far better off learning in Mexico or Central America as those are the people you are more likely to be interacting with. If you are British/European then go to Spain. Argentina is fine if you're just doing it for the hell of it, or if you intend to only ever really use it here, but trust me, you will get blank and quizzical looks from native Spanish speakers in other countries when you attempt to use your Argentinean Spanish, as so many of the nouns are unique to this country.

Proper Spanish is spoken in few places...... please dont ask me to elaborate.

But they talk strange Spanish here and mine is even stranger. :D

Me thinks thats cause' the RSJ is doing some of the talking...?! :D

Me thinks thats cause' the RSJ is doing some of the talking...?! :D

Especially when he drinks the SJ that isn't even R :D

Here is my personal experience. I'm what I'd consider highly functional, but not completely fluent. I learned the majority of my español in both Chile and Argentina, with a bit of US education thrown in (including a short time @ Berlitz). The "ideal" in the Americas would be to learn what is considered the most neutral, which is Colombia (so they say). But nothing is really neutral.

Here is what I ended up with. More of my vocabulary is chileno, but most of my grammar is argentino, as well as the cadence of my speech. My earlier travels were in Argentina, then the ones where I really started making friends and having long conversations were in Chile, now, a lot more traveling to Argentina. Both of which have people looking at you when you speak in the US or Mexico (more in the US, than in Mexico), but you will function just fine, save the occasional faux pax because an innocent word in one country is super mal dicho in another. (A couple of examples would be the filling in an alfajor in Mexico is a female anatomical part slang in Argentina, or rush hour in Argentina would be male anatomical part hour in Chile. )

I would suggest you learn español wherever you want to hang out for awhile, because if you like it, you'll be returning. And if you travel around, you'll function just fine, even if you accidentally ask for something inappropriate from time to time, or can't figure out where the food is on the highway when you hear that there are "tacos en la autopista."

you will get blank and quizzical looks from native Spanish speakers in other countries when you attempt to use your Argentinean Spanish, as so many of the nouns are unique to this country.

Virtually every country has its own unique nouns, idioms and slang ..this is not just an issue in Argentina. As a British guy who learnt Spanish in Buenos Aires whilst living there for 6 years, my experience is the complete opposite of what you have posted. I am pretty much fluent now and have had long and interesting conversations with many other Spanish speakers in numerous countries in South America, Mexico and Spain. I obviously grade my language to avoid using slang, lunfardo etc when conversing with non-Argentines but to suggest another Spanish speaker will not be able to understand you or think you're talking gibberish is nonsense

you will function just fine, save the occasional faux pax because an innocent word in one country is super mal dicho in another.

^

Me thinks thats cause' the RSJ is doing some of the talking...?! :D

I learnt some basic stuff in the UK....then came here and found nobody understood what the hell I was saying. :mad:
Many years later and nothing much has changed. One good thing is.....I don't have to converse with the mother in law. I just smile at her which seems to keep her happy.
She probably thinks I'm daft. :D

I attended some classes at Coined in Buenos Aires. The quality of the teachers varies.

I know a great (and very nice) teacher. She gives private classes.

. Argentina is fine if you're just doing it for the hell of it, or if you intend to only ever really use it here

Like I said, love the country and I have some free money.

I attended some classes at Coined in Buenos Aires. The quality of the teachers varies.

I know a great (and very nice) teacher. She gives private classes.


Could you PM me her name/contact info?

I learnt some basic stuff in the UK....then came here and found nobody understood what the hell I was saying. :mad:
Many years later and nothing much has changed. One good thing is.....I don't have to converse with the mother in law. I just smile at her which seems to keep her happy.
She probably thinks I'm daft. :D

I insist the RSJ has something to do with it... perhaps aside from smiling to your MIL you should serve her a glass of the stuff...???? :D

I dont want to start a food fight with some of the folks that have posted things above... but Argentino Spanish will work perfectly in all South and Central American countries.... and it will also work perfectly in Spain. Not to hurt anybodies feelings, but if one learns Argentino Spanish and finds one is getting weird looks its not because of the Argentino, its because your Argentino is not good enough to begin with.

Yes, there are some nouns that are unique, but if you have proper command of a language then anybody with a basic IQ should be able to work around potential unique nouns though context, tone, etc......

I dont want to start a food fight with some of the folks that have posted things above... but Argentino Spanish will work perfectly in all South and Central American countries.... and it will also work perfectly in Spain. Not to hurt anybodies feelings, but if one learns Argentino Spanish and finds one is getting weird looks its not because of the Argentino, its because your Argentino is not good enough to begin with.

Yes, there are some nouns that are unique, but if you have proper command of a language then anybody with a basic IQ should be able to work around potential unique nouns though context, tone, etc......


Couldn't agree more. ^

Learn Spanish where you would like to learn Spanish, not because of the accent you are trying to obtain. Indeed, over many years of traveling to many Spanish speaking countries the times where words are not the same have only led to funny and interesting discussions and exchanges. Never once have I not been understood because of speaking "one type of Spanish" in another Spanish speaking country.

As to the different accents, my two favorite are Castillian and Argentine. And those two are pretty different.

I have to 2nd the whole "learn spanish where you want to live", if you want a beach go there, city go there. It all depends.

Saying that I just returned from BsAs after spending 6 months down there. I went there witouth knowing any spanish/castellano. I studied with private tutors in Palermo Soho, also at a language academy called vamospanish. Both are very good for early stage learning.

Once you progress in the language you will want to break the class structure and begin to have real conversations. Couchsurfing is great for this. They have a language exchange forum where you meet up with somebody and exchange your language for theirs. You get to learn the language plus make friends with locals, it is actually how I met my girlfriend who is from BsAs.

Good luck with your travels and I hope BsAs will have what you are looking for. I know it did for me, haha.

Hiddy.... you have to get your MIL to cook for you.

Hiddy.... you have to get your MIL to cook for you.

She doesn't/can't cook.

She comes round every weekend and I cook for her. :eek:

She doesn't/can't cook.


Rubbish.... she is being lazy and you are a softie... stand up to your suegrita and have her cook !!!! :rolleyes: :p

As a native Spanish speaker, I find Argentine Spanish to be hard for me to understand at times, especially when it's spoken quickly. When it's spoken slowly, I have few issues other slang words.

I find that my situation is repeated often among other Caribbean Spanish speakers, so it just might be the Argentine accent vs. what we're used to.

Older thread, but within the statutes...

and for those who speak various forms of Castilian / Castellano, which is what we really speak as several languages are spoken in Spain, sit down, make sure you have no liquids (even a good Malbec or Torrontes) in your mouth and watch this musci video to truly understand the challenges (not any worse than a Brit or 'murrikin in 'streyeleeah, AKA Godzone).

http://www.youtube.com/embed/4LjDe4sLER0


Virtually every country has its own unique nouns, idioms and slang ..this is not just an issue in Argentina. As a British guy who learnt Spanish in Buenos Aires whilst living there for 6 years, my experience is the complete opposite of what you have posted. I am pretty much fluent now and have had long and interesting conversations with many other Spanish speakers in numerous countries in South America, Mexico and Spain. I obviously grade my language to avoid using slang, lunfardo etc when conversing with non-Argentines but to suggest another Spanish speaker will not be able to understand you or think you're talking gibberish is nonsense



^

Well, I would not worry about accents. It is a lot of hokkum if someone says "We have the purest accent"or "you will learn better Spanish in our city/country" or "we speak the cleanest Spanish". What is really important is the quality of the instruction, and your own attitude. Location is really a minor consideration when it comes to language learning. I am an English teacher in Argentina, and I hear the same nonsense from people who say native English teachers from one country are better for accents than others.

For those of you who may be interested in learning Spanish in safer, more relaxed and beautiful Mendoza, here is a list of Spanish schools (it is often luck as to what Spanish teacher you end up with) and Spanish Intsructors prepared by a fellow Englsih teacher in Mendoza:
--------------
" Links to Spanish schools and instructors in Mendoza:
Intercultural (aka ArgentinaSpanish, aka Patagonia)
Greenfields (aka COINED, aka Andino, aka DonQuixote, aka Cactus, aka languagecourse.net, aka Enforex)
http://www.coined.com.ar/

ECELA (Chilean chain with branch here)
http://www.ecela.com/esp/index.php

Intercultural (aka ArgentinaSpanish, aka Patagonia, aka Spanishcourses)
http://www.spanishcourses.com.ar/

Spanish in Mendoza Argentina (aka SIMA, aka Ana María Troncoso, new website), more personalized one-on-one or two-on-one lessons,

http://spanishinmendozaargentina.greenash.net.au/


There is also Brazilia, which specializes in Portuguese classes, Spanish instruction but also has Spanish instruction:
http://miguiaargentina.com.ar/empresas/fundacion-brasilia-clases-de--portugues.html

Basically, at the larger schools there are some good teachers, but some stinkers as well. Some of the teachers at the larger places such as ECELA (often spammed) are not teachers at all (some of them have been English students of mine). Again, I do not recommend any particular teachers as most of them are also English teachers (like me) and friends of mine. "

I'd say the (currently) most confusing thing speaking in castellano argentino is that the Argentine word "blue" (used with dólar) most likely means "negro." :eek:

Beware of the significant accent/pronunciation differences between Buenos Aires spanish and central american spanish, if you plan on being able to use your spanish skills around the rest of south/central america you may find people struggling to understand your accent if you learn in BA

Beware of the significant accent/pronunciation differences between Buenos Aires spanish and central american spanish, if you plan on being able to use your spanish skills around the rest of south/central america you may find people struggling to understand your accent if you learn in BA

Welcome to FT and the Argentina Boards.... ^