One of the best ways to learn Spanish in Costa Rica is to take an immersive language course at a reputable language school. These schools typically offer small class sizes, experienced teachers, and a variety of activities and excursions to practice speaking and listening skills.
Additionally, living with a host family during your stay can provide you with an opportunity to practice your Spanish on a daily basis, and to learn about Costa Rican culture and customs.
Furthermore, immersing yourself in the local culture through volunteer work, internships, or other activities, such as dance and music classes, can also provide opportunities to practice speaking and listening skills.
I will explain in this article the various ways you can learn Spanish in Costa Rica and the pros and cons of each so let’s get started!
Factors for Learning Spanish in Costa Rica
There are a lot of variables to consider if you want to come back from Costa Rica fluent in Spanish. The most important ones you need to think about are:
- How much one studies or knows before getting to Costa Rica
- How much effort is put into learning Spanish while in Costa Rica
- How much one is able to immerse themselves in the language and culture
- The quality of the school that one chooses to go to
All these factors need to done with maximum effort when you decide to learn Spanish in Costa Rica. Because if you don’t you will not come back home as fluent as you could.
Learning Basic Spanish Before Arriving In Costa Rica
I recommend that you have at least a basic knowledge of the language. Being able to understand basic expressions will not only make your first few weeks and months easier – it will reduce anxiety should you have some type of emergency.
Some ways to learn basic Spanish include:
- Taking a Spanish course at a language school or community college.
- Using language learning apps such as Duolingo, Babbel, Rosetta Stone, etc.
- Practicing with a native Spanish speaker through language exchange programs such as Tandem or HelloTalk.
- Listening to Spanish music and watching Spanish-language movies and TV shows.
- Reading Spanish-language books or comics.
- Practicing speaking and listening through online Spanish tutoring or conversation classes.
It is important to practice consistently, even if it’s just for a few minutes a day, to help retain the information and build fluency. Additionally, it is essential to find the method that works best for you, some people learn better with visual aids, others with audio, and others with interactive methods.
Learning Spanish in Costa Rica on Your Own
To learn Spanish in Costa Rica takes a tremendous amount of self discipline and is not something I would generally recommend. However if you are self motivated enough and combine self study with full immersion into Costa Rica society, you can certainly learn this way and save some money at the same time. The ways to make this work are:
Spanish Books and Courses
If you are moving to Costa Rica or you are going to spend an extend an extended period of time in the country, some people decide to purchase a book, audio course, or online course and progress through the chapters/lessons themselves.
Learning Spanish this way is the least expensive and will take some self discipline. However, the advantage is that you can study on your own schedule and at your own pace.
Keep in mind it is important to include an audio component when deciding to learn this way, otherwise you won’t know how the words are actually supposed to sound.
Online Spanish Classes
This is getting easier and easier but for people that are going to stay in more rural areas of Costa Rica. There are numerous online schools that give one-on-one tutoring with a progressive learning curriculum.
They usually teacher via Skype or similar. You will need good internet connection for this, which could be a challenge in certain areas of Costa Rica.
Live in a Small Town in Costa Rica
This is a great way to go if you have the flexibility and are willing to live in a small town. Most people that learn this way are moving to Costa Rica and want to live in a small town.
If you don’t fall into this category, you can rent an Airbnb and just immerse yourself with the people of the town. More likely then not their only language will be Spanish and you will therefore be forced to learn and communicate with them in Spanish.
You will be amazed at how quickly you will learn Spanish if you decide to this route, especially if you go by yourself.
Live with a Costa Rica Family
This happens when you decide to attend one of the language schools. Its mostly a package deal where the school has a list of family homes that have regisitered and checked out by the school.
You live with the family during the time you are at the school. The families are instructed to only speak to you in Spanish and they provide a room and some meals ( if you choose that option).
You don’t have to attend a school to learn Spanish with a family. You can a look at doing just a homestay program and studying on your own.
Spanish Language Options in Costa Rica
The best Spanish classes are often taken in the larger towns of Costa Rica, for example in San Jose and Liberia although there are classes in the smaller towns like Quepos and Tamarindo.
The quality of the teachers can vary widely depending on where in Costa Rica you decide to go to school and how much you can afford to pay.
If you decide to take classes in these smaller towns, you should ask for the credentials not only of the school but of the teacher as well.
University Courses
Attending a university in Costa Rica to learn Spanish can be a great way to immerse yourself in the language and culture. Many universities in Costa Rica offer Spanish language programs for international students, often with courses designed specifically for non-native speakers. These programs typically include language classes, as well as cultural activities and excursions to help students learn and practice Spanish in real-life situations. Additionally, many universities in Costa Rica offer the opportunity to take regular university courses in Spanish, which can also be an excellent way to immerse yourself in the language.
Living in a university dormitory or with a host family can also provide opportunities to practice speaking and listening skills on a daily basis. Furthermore, universities in Costa Rica often have clubs and organizations that you can join and interact with locals, which can also be a great way to practice your Spanish.
It is important to check the specific Spanish language program offered by each university and to verify if they meet your expectations and learning style.
Language Schools
Learning Spanish with a language school in Costa Rica can be an effective and efficient way to immerse yourself in the language and culture. Many language schools in Costa Rica offer Spanish language programs for international students, with courses designed specifically for non-native speakers. These programs typically include a combination of language classes, cultural activities, and excursions to help students learn and practice Spanish in real-life situations.
Language schools usually have experienced teachers, small class sizes, and a variety of resources to support your learning process, such as audio and visual aids, and interactive methods. Additionally, many language schools offer the opportunity to live with a host family during your stay which can provide you with an opportunity to practice your Spanish on a daily basis, and to learn about Costa Rican culture and customs.
When looking for a language school, it’s important to check their reputation, the qualifications of their teachers, the size of the classes, the materials and resources they offer, and the extracurricular activities they provide. Also, it is recommended to check if the school is accredited by a reputable organization.
Private Tutoring
Getting a private tutor in Costa Rica to learn Spanish can be a great way to receive personalized instruction and tailored to your specific learning needs. Many private tutors in Costa Rica are native speakers of Spanish, and they can provide you with instruction on grammar, vocabulary, and conversation skills.
You can find private tutors through language schools, online tutoring platforms, or by asking for recommendations from other students or from local expats. It’s recommended to interview potential tutors to find out their qualifications and teaching style, and to check for references. A good private tutor should be able to create a lesson plan that meets your learning objectives, to give you regular feedback and adjust the class to your pace.
Having a private tutor can also provide you with the opportunity to practice speaking and listening skills in a comfortable and stress-free environment. Furthermore, private tutors can also help you to learn more about the culture, customs and colloquial expressions of Costa Rica.
Tips on Learning Spanish in Costa Rica
This could apply to before getting to Costa Rica but if you want to learn Spanish more quickly, then incorporating these additional strategies from Brianna Richardson in addition to your day-to-day Spanish lessons will help immensely.
Grammar
Go to the library or look on Amazon for some reference books on Spanish grammar. Reference books give far more details and explanations than most textbooks and are structured in a way that makes it easier to look up whatever specific grammar concept you want to learn about without wading through other chapters of information.
Vocabulary
I’m not big on using apps to truly learn how to speak, but resources like Duolingo are good for learning vocabulary early on. Word Reference is a great website/app for looking up individual words. Reverso Context and Lingee are great for looking up words/phrases in a real world context.
Reading
Read what interests you. Find blogs, magazine articles, and news websites that interest you in Spanish and use them regularly. These reading options allow you to take in vocabulary about a variety of topics, plus the length of the writing pieces aren’t terribly long and overwhelming.
Aside from reinforcing vocabulary it also helps with reinforcing grammar concepts and how to apply them in real life.
Listening
Use YouTube, Netflix and other online video streaming services to practice listening. I would wait to do this until you have a solid reading level. That way you can watch videos (I started with kids shows) with Spanish subtitles to learn pronunciation.
As time goes on you’ll get better at recognizing words without the subtitles and can slowly transition to watching/listening to harder dialougues and phasing out subtitles all together.
Writing
Lang-8 and italki are my go to websites to practice writing. Write a short blurb about your day or something that fits with whatever new words you’re learning and get feedback from native speakers on how to correct your grammar mistakes and sound more natural.
Now I write answers in Spanish on Quora to practice my writing. It pushes me to express thoughts on complex topics in a way I don’t ever typically have to in real life and many native speakers are happy to give grammar corrections if my answers have any.
Speaking
I think the easiest way to learn a new language at an advanced level without living in a country where it’s spoken is to practice with native speakers on Skype. Make a profile on a language exchange site, find a partner you vibe with and is serious about practicing on a regular basis and set a schedule to practice and help each other.
When I was learning I found 2–3 partners who were willing to practice long term that helped me immensely. We spoke an hour in English, an hour in Spanish and at the end of each part the native speaker of then language being spoken gave corrections to the learner. I prefer Skype over meetups because you can strucure how the sessions go much more and you HAVE to talk.
Moreover, both people are getting something out of the exchange instead of bugging/taking time out of someone’s day who perhaps knows your target language, but isn’t interested in being bothered to listen to you struggle through basic conversation.
If you can integrate your improving language skills into your job and other day to day activities (ex. eating at a Costa Rica Soda where the menu and all the staff only speak in Spanish), even better.
