TLDR? You can learn Spanish in Medellin, but as long as you have a few words under your belt, you should have no problem getting around.
As you probably already know if you’ve had your eye on a visit to Medellin for a while, the national language in Colombia is Spanish.
Now, if your high school Spanish feels far away, fret not!
There are plenty of ways to travel without knowing the language. Or, if you want to brush up a bit on your Spanish game, check out this guide for a few useful Spanish travel phrases to help you get around.
Medellin is one of the best cities to learn Spanish in Colombia, thanks to the numerous language exchanges, abundant language schools, and friendly people to practice with!
If you want to get a headstart, however, there are a couple of useful phrases to know about.
Here are a couple of phrases that will help you get around.
Let’s start with a few basic greetings.
A couple of the greetings you’ll most typically hear around Medellin include:
These are all easy ways to say hello when meeting someone new!
Besides greetings, it helps to know things like please and thank you.
Here are a few handy phrases to help you show off your good manners:
Once you’ve got past the basic greetings, it helps to have a couple of phrases to get to know your new friends.
Here are a few easy phrases to help you get to know someone or carry on a conversation.
Besides greetings and getting to know you phrases, it sometimes helps to have a couple of phrases to help you navigate a conversation in Spanish.
A few handy things to know include:
One of the best things to do in Medellin is check out the many malls around the city. You can score some great deals and get to know a bit of the culture while you’re at it!
To help you out around the shops, here are a couple of phrases to know:
Although getting around Medellin is pretty straightforward, it can pay off to have a few Spanish phrases under your belt to help you out.
If you just need some assistance navigating the city, the below phrases can be pretty useful.
For these questions, the answers usually look something like this:
If you book a room at any of Casacol’s properties, the staff is fully bilingual. They all speak both English and Spanish, so you’ll have no trouble communicating.
However, if you want to impress the reception team with your Spanish skills, feel free to bust out any of these phrases:
Note that when checking in and out, you can also use the English words ‘check in’ and ‘check out,’ which are commonly used in Spanish also!
There’s been a huge boom in tourism in Medellin and in Latin America in General over the years. Part of that’s because of cheap prices for Western tourists, while others come to brush up on their Spanish.
If you’re after the latter, here are the best cities to learn Spanish around Latin America.
Medellin was recently named the #3 city to visit thanks to the warmth of its people, good parties, ecotourism, delicious food, luxury hotels, international events, and great weather.
However, it’s also a fantastic place to learn Spanish!
Not only are there tons of workshops and events where you can pick up Spanish, but Colombian Spanish is one of the best dialects to learn.
It’s relatively easy to pick up, and you get exposure to tons of different accents.
Argentina is known for meat, wine, tango, soccer, and more. Buenos Aires is one of the southernmost countries in America where, in addition to speaking Spanish, they have a very particular and charming accent!
If you head to Argentina, you can learn a pretty unique blend of Spanish with a quirky accent. If you can nail the Argentinian accent, you can nail any accent!
The capital of Chile is distinguished for being modern and very beautiful. It’s a cosmopolitan city that is constantly on the move.
However, it doesn’t lose that historical, cultural, and enveloping side of Latin American cities, where you can read anecdotes anywhere.
In Satiago de Chile you can get a unique experience and learn Spanish while you’re at it!
One of the neighboring countries of Colombia, and more similar in terms of culture, people and accent, is Ecuador.
The climate here is similar to that of Medellin, and there’s a rich history and culture to enjoy.
In Quito, Spanish is quite neutral, so it’s pretty easy to pick up.
If you’ve chosen to learn Spanish in Medellin (good pick!)
There are plenty of places where you can learn Spanish.
If it’s language exchanges you’re after, here are the best picks:
On the other hand, if you’re after a more formal Spanish class, these language schools are also excellent places to check out:
Medellin might just be the perfect place to learn Spanish. The accent is easy to understand, the people are welcoming, and there are tons of venues where you can brush up on your old español.
With these phrases under your belt, you should have no problem learning Spanish and getting around Medellin like a pro.
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