Should I Go Abroad To Study Spanish?

Who hasn't heard the idea that if you really want to master the Spanish language, then you've just got to go to a Spanish-speaking country and take a course there? In fact, this opinion has become so common that it's almost heresy to believe that you're going to be able to speak Spanish if you never leave your own country.

Although it may be true for most people, in most circumstances, there are some cases when, in fact, spending a period in a Spanish-speaking country will not necessarily help a student to make more rapid progress.

This is particularly true of those just beginning to learn Spanish. If you’ve just started studying Spanish - or if you haven’t studied Spanish at all - going to study Spanish in a Spanish-speaking country will not usually help you to progress any faster. And it’s much more expensive than staying in your home town and studying Spanish there!

Why do we say this? Well, when you go to a Spanish-speaking country, the main benefit you'll find is being able to hear Spanish all the time, not just in your classes. But, if you’re not in a position to understand any of it, as is the case with students with a very low, or non-existent, level of Spanish, then, unfortunately, you’re not going to “soak up” much of it, if any at all!

Indeed, a stay in a Spanish-speaking country for students at this level may disillusion them so much that they feel they are simply not cut out to speak Spanish and that they’ll never learn it.

But we're definitely not saying that you should not consider a trip abroad to a Spanish-speaking country to study the language - we recommend it wholeheartedly! For students who have reached a minimum intermediate level, any kind of visit to a Spanish-speaking country can be extremely beneficial. What we are saying is, if your level is not good enough for you to understand the gist (not the whole) of a general conversation in Spanish, your progress may be more disappointing than you hoped for.

So, if you have at least an intermediate level, you should definitely consider taking a Spanish course abroad. And you can check out the best courses on our website Learn Spanish Abroad.