chrisphx

I am hoping to head down for the Cow Do next month and figured I may try a Spanish class as well. I took 12 hours of private lessons in Mexico in May and want to improve my skills.

I can go down a week before the Do to study. So do I stay in BA or head up to Montevideo? The reason for the latter is that it gives me a chance to explore elsewhere, as 10+ days in one city seems like a lot. But is Montevideo interesting enough to spend 5-6 days or so?

Also, I am concerned re: use of vos vs. tu, as well as the accent, as practically all of my time in Spanish-speaking countries is in Mexico. However, I would like to explore S. America more and head back to Spain one day. Should I be too concerned, or is it no big deal?

Finally, can anyone recommend a school? If so, what made you like this?

Thank you in advance.

Marambio

Can't recommend any school as I'm a native speaker, but because of that I can say you shouldn't worry that much about the whole tú vs vos thing. I don't think they teach voseo at foreign language academies, plus after a while you understand the shift and it becomes normal and logical to your ears.

Montevideo is nice yet small. 5-6 days sounds too much just for the city but you can always explore the Uruguayan countryside as well. And don't worry about the difference between Buenos Aires and Uruguayan accents, it can only be told by either Porteños or Uruguayans, even Chileans don't notice it.

yakito

"Vos" is more informal and widely use, in Buenos Aires you will rarely hear anyone using "tu".

As Marambio said, Montevideo is nice but very small. 5/6 days is too much just for Montevideo. You could explore other parts of Uruguay which is beautiful like Punta del Este all the way to the border with Brazil.

I can't help with schools, although I am sure there are lots in Buenos Aires and some in Montevideo.

HIDDY

I'd go for the Montevideo option as well just for a change. Being smaller in some ways makes it nicer than Buenos Aires. I like it.

As for the language....unless you're a perfectionist don't worry about it. I've lived permanently here for 8 years and have still to get a grip of it. Even the locals don't always get it right.

Gaucho100K

Both cities will teach you "proper" Spanish, although EZE will certainly be "more proper" than MVD.....

Gaucho100K

Also, don't worry too much about the accent, as long as you try to communicate folks will hear/see your effort and they will help you get your message across. Good for you for wanting to learn the Language, it will take you a long way in all your future travels to Spanish speaking destinations.... ^ ^ ^

Marambio

I've always dreamed about moving to Montevideo. Its mixture of small city, nice people and a certain nonchalance make a very interesting combination. Reminds me of the Buenos Aires of my childhood.

chrisphx

Before I posted this thread, I kind of figured that a week in Montevideo would be too much. However, given the fact that I would be in class 4 hours per day and will have an hour or two of homework per day on top of that, maybe this would be the right amount of time.

Everyone's input has been quite insightful. Decisions, decisions, decisions...

Eastbay1K

As my mother might have once said, "If you don't have anything nice to say ... "

Any proper school will teach you proper usage, and try and neutralize the accent. Colombia or Peru tend to be the neutral standard. I'd expect your school experience to be similar in either Argentina or Uruguay. However, if you are a wine drinker, your overall experience (outside of school) will not be similar.

Speaking outside of school should also be similar, although I don't how much lunfardo infiltration exists in Uruguay.

If you have a decent enough ear, accent and "vos" issues will not be issues. The big few rules are that irregular verbs become "regular"-ish in the vos form, with the accent on the last syllable. Poder - podés. Tener - tenés. Command words have an accent shift to make them non-accented (i.e., the natural second to last syllable - "Pudrite en el infierno" where in mexican, it would be "Púdrite en el infierno." When you get that, and the zheismo, you're 90% there.

GatoAndaluz

I'd go with Montevideo ... actually, I did go with Montevideo for a semester of grad school. Not sure how easily distracted you are, but Buenos Aires has a lot to distract a person from studying. Montevideo is like a much smaller BsAs, with more laid-back locals. The accent is Rioplatense in both cities, with very little variation between them. Rioplatense has a cadence very similar to Neapolitan, in contrast to the more level tones of other Spanish dialects.

Keep in mind that Rioplatense Spanish is quite divergent from more standard dialects of Spanish - to my ear (accustomed to Mexico City and highland Colombian Spanish), only Chilean is more divergent. A good language school should be more focused on a standard dialect, but outside of class you will be immersed in the local dialect.

M60_to_LGA

Personally, I love Montevideo. It's very relaxed, the people are friendly, it's got some neat architecture, and the food is great. It's by no means a frenetic big city like BA - but it can be a great place to just chill out for a few pleasant days.

I'd make just one correction to the vos vs tú debate: it's not really that one is more formal than the other; it's that in Argentina the vos is basically used instead of the tú.

In Uruguay, though, the use of vos isn't quite as complete. You'll occasionally see ads that use the tú form, and I've found that sometimes Uruguayans will even employ both conjugations in the same conversation.

Anyway, wherever you go to study, you'll almost certainly have a great time. Both BA and Montevideo are wonderful cities!