SPANISH classes in medellin

Learning Spanish is a great way to immerse yourself in the local culture and improve your comfort and safety in Medellin, Colombia. When you speak the local language, you open up a world a possibilities.

Here is some basic information about Medellin and Colombian Spanish, to get you started:

  • Medellin, Colombia belongs to the department of Antioquia. Antioquians (antioqueños), the people who live in the department of Antioquia (including Medellin), are referred to as “paisas”.

  • Paisas have a reputation for being kind and helpful. This kindness can be felt in their way of speaking, such as often responding to “gracias” (thank you) with “con gusto” (with pleasure) instead of “de nada” (you’re welcome).

  • When speaking Spanish, the pronunciation of each letter or combination of letters does not change. Each letter or combination of letters has a unique sound that is the same for all words, with very few exceptions. This is very different from English, for example, which requires knowing when to use a different pronunciation for each letter or combination of letters when the letter(s) appear in different words or before or after other letters.

  • “Tuteando” (from the verb “tutear”), using the “tú” form when conjugating verbs instead of the “usted” form, is generally done with people you already know, have mutual trust with, and/or have a closer relationship with. For example, “¿Cómo estás?” (How are you?) may be used instead of “¿Cómo está? when speaking with a friend, boyfriend or girlfriend, or close acquaintance. If you would like to be more formal and/or respectful, such as a child speaking with an adult or someone of any age speaking with someone of authority, such as a teacher or government official, you may choose to use the “usted” form.

  • Colombians often use diminutives, such as ending words with -ica, -ica, -ito, -ita, which gives a softer, more affectionate tone to their conversation and/or slightly changes the meaning of the word. For example, “gato” (cat) may be “gatico” (kitty), “niño” (boy) may be “niñito” (little boy), “amigo” (friend) may be “amiguito” (little friend), “ahora” (now) may be “ahorita” (later), etc.

  • Colombians use lots of slang (jerga) in their day to day, informal conversations, such as ¿Qué más?, ¿Qué hubo?, ¡Ave María!, parce o parcero, dar papaya, mañe, pararse bolas, tragado(a), genial, berraco(a), teso(a), hacerse caso, gonorrea, asco, codo, etc. For a list of Colombian jargon, words and meanings, see www.dancefree.com.co/diario/jerga-en-colombia.

  • One great way to meet people, practice your Spanish and share your English is by participating in local language exchanges (intercambios de idiomas). Several times a week, DANCEFREE hosts one of the most popular language exchanges in Medellin. For more information about our language exchanges (date, time, etc.), view our calendar of events at www.dancefree.com.co/calendar. You may just show up for our language exchanges. No reservation is needed. Adults only. Bring ID.

  • Some tips for pronouncing words in Colombia:

    • 2 consecutive l’s (ll) and a single “y” are pronounced as the letter “j”, such as the sound of the “j” in the word “jeans”.

    • 2 consecutive r’s (rr) are pronounced as a rolling “r”.

    • When a word begins with a single letter “r”, the “r” is pronounced as a rolling “r”, the same pronunciation as 2 consecutive r’s (rr).

    • The letter “z” is pronounced as an “s”.

  • In Colombia, an “umbrella” is referred to as a “sombrilla”, a “drinking straw” is referred to as a “pitillo”, and a “hangover” is referred to as a “guayabo”.

  • One of the principal authorities of the Spanish language is Real Academia Española, which can be found at www.rae.es.

DANCEFREE offers private Spanish classes (tutoring), in person in Medellin, Colombia, and online via Zoom and Google Meet. Our in-person classes are 7 days a week and our online classes are on weekdays only, subject to availability. We have experienced Spanish language instructors and teach students of all levels, from new (no experience) to expert. If you would like to take private Spanish classes, click here to view the steps for beginning private classes.