Spanish courses in Barcelona

Is Barcelona the best place to study Spanish? You've done your research on schools, but you're aware Spanish is a second language for lots of people in Barcelona?

I'd be interested in hearing locals' views on language. In my experience, most people will speak Catalan amongst themselves unless speaking English to a foreigner. Everyone is fluent in Spanish too of course.

Everyone is fluent in Spanish and there are many people from other parts of Spain and there are courses.
That said, I'd go to Madrid for my language learning or better yet, Granada which has a University and a younger vibe.

Barcelona first language is Catalan and certain people get touchy about the language there.

Barcelona first language is Catalan and certain people get touchy about the language there.

I found that this is a popular misconception among foreigners. Actually in Barcelona only about 30% of the population speak Catalan habitually. While about 50% of the population use Castellano as their main language. Barcelona is an international city, with much immigration from around the world and other parts of Spain. By far Castellano is still the lingua franca in the city.

I think Barcelona is fine if you want to study Castellano, but personally I think Salamanca is a better place to learn.

https://www.caminobarcelona.com

The above one choice (of many) in Barcelona.

My wife and I took classes in malaga for a month. The students were a mix from all over Europe and I suspect you'll find the same in Barcelona. General rule is 1 month immersive = 1/2 year of college Spanish. If you have already had college Spanish, they place you at your right level. There are standardized levels (w/ tests) as results. The programs typical have after class activities, can arrange housing (shared/unshared), can be several classes a day, can be group or individual, etc.

Age range in the Malaga school was young (20s) to a few retired folks. All were welcome.

Just about all major Spanish cities have these language schools. Read the local reviews before choosing.

Good luck!

No personal experience, but as an adult Spanish learning student in the US, we were told that Salamanca was the "best" place to search for a Spanish school for foreigners wanting a short term course in Spain. Apparently, several school options and the "purest" accent.

I have known several European citizens (not Spain residents) who have taken summer courses in Salamanca. I'll try to find out which school and post again.

I have been to Barcelona and also speak Spanish. Language can be a sensitive subject there, but if you are clearly not Spanish, the chances are vanishingly small you will have any issues. This is doubly so because as a short-term visitor you are unlikely to encounter many of the the areas in which the issue of language is most sensitive -- e.g. the choice of language(s) in education, dealings with the government, use with European institutions or in workplaces, etc.

I don't think any four-week course will give you a formal qualification you could put on a résumé or CV -- on the other hand, if it equips you sufficiently to take a standardized language test of Spanish as a foreign language (such as the DELE), that's something I would put.

Yes, I was quite surprised about the stats around Catalan speaking in Barcelona. I'd looked them up before I replied above but I wanted to see Carlos or Enric reply.

All the street signs are in Catalan and, yes, I did learn how to say "Eixample" and I was in the habit of using bon tarda and adeu. I did notice a lot of Catalan being spoken, but that was maybe slightly slanted by the places I was going and the people I was around.

As far as josh.u.are's original question, I'd agree that four weeks study of language at a school doesn't really count for much in the scheme of things on paper. Aside from learning French to an OK level in school, little bits of Spanish, Dutch, Turkish and Catalan I've picked up have just mainly been through being in the country or knowing people that have those as their first language here in the UK. I think you could possibly improve your Spanish better in another city with four weeks on the ground.

That said, I did a TON of hanging out in Barcelona in my 30's. Can't be beat on the hanging out front.

Barcelona is NOT the best place to come to learn Spanish, nor is any other city in Catalonia for that matter. Catalan is the native language of Catalonia, and although Spanish is also spoken (both are co-official languages) and in some towns (or among certain circles), Spanish might be equally or more commonly spoken than Catalan, the reality is that one of the keys to learning a language is being able to immerse yourself in it "outside" of school, in various aspects of daily life. In an environment where many people primarily use Catalan in their daily lives, achieving complete immersion in Spanish is difficult.

In Catalonia, there's an "unwritten social rule" that has been in place for decades, even during the dark years of Franco's dictatorship when Catalan was banned in public life and Spanish imposed, which aims to achieve "social harmony": everyone speaks the language they are most comfortable with without pressuring the other party, relying on the fact that all people educated in Catalonia are required to know both languages (among other reasons, because if not, they won't pass primary school).

Schooling in Catalonia is primarily and predominantly conducted in Catalan, with some additional subjects (besides the Spanish language subject) taught in Spanish. This has been the case since the return of democracy in 1977 and the restoration of some powers to Catalonia's legitimate government, the Generalitat. In principle, this means that practically all those born in Catalonia in the last 60 years, regardless of their origins, have learned Catalan (and Spanish) and are capable of speaking, writing, and understanding both obtaining similar scores on both too (regardless of one's background, whether it is from a Spanish speaking family or a Catalan speaking family). Depending on their family's background—there were various waves of immigration from Spanish-speaking regions to Catalonia in the 20th century—and their level of integration, each person decides which language they feel more comfortable expressing themselves in and may choose to speak one or the other, or both.

Therefore, it is very common for each person in a conversation to use the language they feel most comfortable with, and the conversation can flow in two different languages without the speakers even noticing because both understand the other’s language perfectly. This custom respects each person's linguistic preference, and that's the key of it all: RESPECT!

To a foreigner, it may seem strange that in a conversation, one person speaks Catalan and the other responds in Spanish, and it flows as if they were speaking the same language, but this is perfectly normal and socially acceptable. This means that someone seeking immersion in Spanish outside of school may often find themselves in conversations where many people speak Catalan, regardless of whether the other party is speaking Spanish. Obviously, this does not help someone who wants to practice only Spanish.

I just got back from doing a Spanish course at Speakeasy BCN in Barcelona.

https://www.speakeasybcn.com/en

I went by myself and took an intensive class, and got the DELE qualification for A2 Spanish within 12 weeks. But I knew Spanish already – maybe like you? A lot of people are mentioning here about Barcelona native language being Catalan. But this school was right in the city centre and I never had a problem practising my Spanish out an about. I think that like people can tell if you're a foreigner or not and won't demand you speak Catalan – communicating is enough! So I wouldn't worry about that.

What was cool about Speakeasy was the weekly activities...we visited a bunch of towns and music nights and day trips and practised our Spanish. The classes were great but it was the speaking out-and-about element that really helped my level up my game.

There were younger students, but a mix. My class was only 9 people aged from about early 20s a guy in his 40s. Mix of US students, UK, China, Azerbaijan and then me (UK). But everyone was serious – it wasn't like a summer camp.

Check out the reviews on Google – one is mine!

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did & get the DELE qualificaiton.