If you’ve ever thought about fully immersing yourself in a Spanish-speaking city, Valencia’s sunny plazas may well be the place to do it. While many look to Spain’s larger cities, Valencia has a great balance that keeps things authentic, without being overwhelming.
The city offers lots of opportunities to speak to locals and make friends, all while enjoying the local culture and understanding the reasons behind the use of some language. With an understanding of the culture, it’s difficult to truly master a language.
The “goldilocks” city for language learners
Valencia is the perfect balance for Spanish learners, with it often being described as a “Goldilocks” city. Although there are some things you have to do right, like anyway, Valencia provides a great foundation for genuine immersion. Daily life unfolds mostly in Spanish, but there is just enough English speaking to help get by and assimilate.
Locals aren’t worn out by tourism, and many will be understanding of expats practicing their linguistic skills – some may even be impressed or take a great interest in helping. Valencia isn’t so monocultured that you can’t integrate easily, because it has a diverse international community, including quite a few expats. This keeps things in balance between being authentic yet approachable.
Choosing your Valencian language school
While immersion is what you’re here for, structured learning alongside that is going to be important. One of the most underappreciated ways of learning a language is by attending classes, and Valencia has many. Españolé School is a clear stand-out school that offers both intensive courses and a university pathway. And, for those looking to work in Spain, there are business-focused classes too.
Perhaps best of all, such a school can help organise student accommodation. This is where things really pick up for you, because it’s a time to meet and live amongst others who are in the same boat, looking to learn Spanish. This kind of friendship building early on will give you a better likelihood of staying for a longer time, and this is key to learning the language.
Engaging with Valencia’s people
True learning picks up when you integrate Spanish into daily life. You can begin by going to the Mercado Central, which is a great atmosphere that’s perfect for practicing food vocabulary and numbers when asking prices. Always be polite and throw in some conversational phrases to see where it goes, too. Immerse yourself in local fiestas like Las Fallas (March) or smaller neighbourhood celebrations, and the smaller the better for conversation. Ask about the ninots or festival traditions to show an interest in learning, which will get people talking.
To make the most of your time, try to set realistic language goals but also to not fear mistakes. Take what you learn in class that day and try to apply it in the real world, this is the perfect way to solidify those memories and attach memories and emotions to them.
¡Aprende y disfruta!
Valencia is the ideal, balanced environment to learn Spanish in. With their warmth and understandable dialect, there’s a great opportunity to apply what you learn on your language course (there are many!), yet indulge in a unique culture with lots to offer.
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