Learning Spanish In Bogota

Who Should Be Learning Spanish in Bogota?

1.  It’s the capital city.  With this brings a lively arts scene.  A diversity in food, music, and people.  Also a big city “vibe”.  If a big city is what you’re looking for, then Bogota is the Colombian city that you’re looking to study in.

2.  It’s the most neutral version of Spanish in the country. The Capital in most countries (other than Chile) is where the neutral version of the language resides. The Caribbean is pretty much a different language. Colombians from the interior don’t understand them half the time.

3.  The most job opportunities are there, so if you are looking to work while studying, you’ll have a better chance to do that in Bogota.

4.  Bogota has more direct flights to international destinations than any other Colombian city.  This makes it much easier to get home if you need to, or to explore other parts of South America and the world.

Who Shouldn’t Be Learning Spanish in Bogota?

1. People looking to study in a tropical paradise.  The most common thing I hear about Bogota from Colombians is: “que fria” or “what cold”.  The temperature will get down to single digits Celsius in the evenings, and only reach the low 20s during the day.  It also rains more than some other major cities in the country.

2. People who can’t stand the thought of traffic should stay away from Bogota.  The traffic here is legendary within the country.  It’s commonplace to spend an hour in traffic to reach your destination within the city during rush hour.

So You’ve Chosen to Study Spanish in Bogota.  Now what?

I personally chose to take private lessons.  I think it’s the best way to learn quickly.  There’s plenty of high quality instructors in the city that will teach you at a reasonable price.  You can arrange to meet them somewhere, or for them to come to your home.  Otherwise, the top picks for universities in Bogota to study at are: Universidad Nacional and Universidad Pedagogica.