Learning Spanish? How to Smash It (Come to Medellin)

Learning Spanish? How to smash It (come to Medellin).

There’s a lot that people don’t know about Medellin. For me, it’s one of the best places in the world to learn Spanish. Let me explain how.

By Kaveh Paymayesh

Are you serious about learning Spanish? If so, you’ve likely asked yourself the following question:

Where is the best place to learn this beautiful language?

Thanks to a troubled past, only a few of us know just how awesome Medellin is as a place to learn Spanish.

Fluency? Completed it. After coming back and forth to Medellin over 7 years, I am living proof that it is actually very doable.

Let’s just get to it… Here are the reasons why you should learn Spanish in Medellin:

The people - la gente Paisa

One of the biggest barriers to improving your Spanish tongue (or anything else for that matter) is the comfort zone.

It’s easy to find yourself in this state. The comfort zone however comes loaded with excuses and is a certified growth killer.

It’s so hindering that I’d personally consider it one of the biggest things to have in mind when learning Spanish. One should keep tabs on this stunting state of mind.

I’ve seen it a lot; people study the language to no end but are stifled at the opportunity to actually talk. It’s a huge impediment given that the only way to improve speaking is by well, doing just that.

If you find yourself holding back then recognize that this is normal. Learning a language requires constant exposure to vulnerability.

You are constantly communicating to people that speak much, much better than you.

Where am I going with this?

The people of Medellin, known as la gente Paisa are a godsend. Taken as a whole they are: warm and outgoing; patient and modest. Above all, they are rarely proficient in English.

These are the qualities that you want when learning a language. The Paisas of Medellin, likely without realising, foster an environment favourable to learning and improving one’s Spanish.

They have allowed me and many others to transcend that dreaded comfort zone.

Yes, the fact that they rarely speak English is indeed good! It forces people to speak Spanish when they would otherwise be inclined not to. I know because I’ve been in many situations where I would have rather spoken in English.

I know how it feels to be mentally tired and emotionally frustrated. However, it’s in the heat of these circumstances that one realises growth.

The lack of English actually serves as an advantage that Medellin possesses over many cities in Spain. Just 4% of Colombians report being able to speak English compared to 22% in Spain.

This is excellent for those that want to learn Spanish. It’s a sad reality that many people going to Spain are able to comfortably maintain their use of English, thus squandering the chance to really develop their second tongue.

So in Medellin, you’ll often find yourself forced to speak Spanish – great!

Does that sound intimidating?

It could be… if you were in Paris or somewhere similar less forgiving (no offence Parisians). By contrast, the people of Medellin absolutely love conversing with us Spanish-crippled foreigners.

I can’t speak on behalf of everybody but I’ve never been made to feel awkward; I’ve only ever received positive reinforcement for my attempts to speak. It was like this when I arrived with little Spanish just as it is now.

Inversely, when I went to Spain I found that people would be eager to speak in English, even if the conversation had started in Spanish. It’s understandable though; everybody just wants to improve their second tongue.

It’s not helpful though!

For the accent - el acento paisa pues!

Colombia is becomingly increasingly recognised for its plethora of pleasant accents. Pleasant in that they are typically clear, making it easier for learners to understand.

There are exceptions to this; in the north of Colombia the Costeno accent predominates, and it’s very quick and colloquial. That’s beside the point anyhow.

In Medellin, the inhabitants talk with the enviable Paisa accent. English speakers tend to love it for its understandability and Spanish speakers love it for its charm.

The Paisa accent is distinctly rhythmic with Spanish speakers describing it as ‘cantadito’; deriving from the verb ‘cantar’ which means to sing. This is because of the phrasal intonations that can be heard at the end of sentences.

Are you following? For those not so versed in Spanish it may be harder to discern the key characteristics of the Paisa accent.

A good way to notice the features of the accent is to have it compared directly with that of Castilian Spanish (from Spain). Watch a minute or two of each video:

Candidly speaking, the Paisa accent provides a much more friendly entry point for Spanish learners. Not only is it slower but its rhythmic inflections provide that much needed support .

After all, Spanish is very phonetic; transitions from one word to the next are seamless. Inflections are what give learners that little something to grab on to and help gauge what part of the sentence we are listening to.

Simply put, the Paisa accent gifts you the tools needed to work out what you are hearing – time and rhythm.

Respect to Castilian Spanish but I often found myself lost due to its fast tendency and lack of inflections.

For this reason I contend that you should learn Spanish in Medellin.

Rapid growth of infrastructure

Medellin’s potential had long been stifled by conflict. Now that things have changed for the better the city marches onwards and upwards.

Medellin is busy. If you come in 2021 then that is what you will see; a city that is not only playing catch-up, but one that is introducing entrepreneurial talents to the frame.

Unlike in 2016 when there were just three schools, there are now a multitude of them. Some of which are a result of entrepreneurial individuals that fell in love with Medellin and decided to contribute to the industry.

Take for example BaseLang – a new school in Medellin founded by a young American that brings fresh ideas to the language pedagogy. BaseLang promises its customers that they will become conversational in just one month.

Furthermore, they adopt the ‘child’ based approach to learning; learn the way a kid does, with all the immersion and without any of the grammar.

As somebody that learnt Spanish fluently in Medellin without going to school, it’s clear that BaseLang are capitalising on what I would coin:

The Medellin Method.

This refers to the process whereby ones comes to Medellin and is able to quickly learn Spanish through extensive language immersion. It’s an increasingly notable phenomenon! I’ve met many individuals here that learnt intermediate Spanish in a matter of a few months.

For this reason I support BaseLang because their approach plays on the strengths of the city. I know that their purported results are certainly achievable.

P.S. I have no financial affiliation with BaseLang – please do your due diligence. Here’s an interesting review (effective but overpriced?).

Besides BaseLang (which does appear to be gaining traction in the city) there are plenty of other options, many of which are concentrated within the trendy neighbourhoods of El Poblado & Laureles.

Speaking of which, the grandfather of Medellin Spanish schools can be found here. Have you heard of Toucan Spanish?

Founded in 2014, this school truly is the OG of Medellin and boasts to have received over 8,000 students. It’s located less than a stone’s throw from Parque Lleras.

Honestly, I enquired but never actually partook in lessons. The chief reason being cost – expect to pay around £465/$638 for 40 hours (£12/$16 per hour) of private lessons.

Whilst this likely cheaper than what you’d pay outside of Colombia, be aware that you are paying partially for the Goodwill of the company. There are cheaper alternatives if cost is a defining factor.

YouTuber, ‘Where’s Wes’ spent a week at Toucan Spanish and credits it as invaluable step that provided the foundations that he would later build on.

The school does have good reviews and could be a sensible option for those new to the city. It’ll certainly be a place where you meet likeminded people.

Up until recently, it would have been the choice of school. With the entry of new competitors there is now more choice. Hopefully this has a positive impact on the quality of service.

Where there is competition there is quality.

The truth is that the city comes replete with different options for schooling. Given the rate of expansion in the last five years, we can hope to see this trend continue into the future.

I will cover a more systematic review of the different schools in the future – however that’s beyond the scope of this post.

In my opinion, schooling is not as important as you may think. If the mindset is poor then no amount of lessons will make a material difference.

Conversely, if the mind is hungry then there are abundant opportunities to learn Spanish in Medellin.

I’m here to contend (against the will of my financial interests) that schooling is not imperative! If I learnt Spanish fluently in Medellin without it, then you absolutely can, too!

Here’s how my Spanish sounds:

For the cost of it all...

That leads me on to my final point…

A big reasons that you should learn Spanish in Medellin is because of the cost. It’s an incredibly cheap city that offers top-tier living conditions.

There’s a reason why so many people are flocking here from all corners. The price-for-value is unbeatable. There may be cheaper alternatives, but none are able to offer the quality of life that one can obtain here.

No matter your age nor budget, you have the economic flexibility in Medellin to ensure that you get top exposure for minimal costs.

It’s a city that caters for all budgets:

As of 25/10/2021:

£1 = 5,188 COP
$1 = 3,773 COP

If you’re looking to spend the absolute minimum then look at the cost of Airbnb options available (for 1 month):

Don’t worry – you won’t be relegated to staying in the hood.

Take stock of the locations that are available. There are options in both El Poblado and Laureles- the two most desirable neighbourhoods – for less than £150/month.

They won’t be luxurious, but then again maybe you don’t need them to be.

I’m a simple individual and so never one to shy away from a good price, of which there are many in this city.

I mean, you can easily live off of the ‘menu del dia’. This is widely available throughout the city and ensures that you can eat a three course meal with fresh juice for around £3.

That should give you a good idea of how cheaply you can stay here.

By contrast, you can spend a little bit more and eat out with incredible options available in every corner.

Just remember, the longer you’ll be here the more you’ll learn. Simple as that…

So - should you learn Spanish in Medellin?

Yes!

Medellin is an absolutely stunning place to live. That means that learning Spanish will be no chore. It’ll be a natural and necessary part of the exploration process. It sure beats studying conjugation tables like I did when I was younger. That never worked for me, by the way.