Where to Learn Spanish in Buenos Aires

If you’re going to spend anytime in Argentina it is a great opportunity to study Spanish.

While most Argentines do study a little bit of English in school, relatively few speak it fluently. Visitors are inevitably forced to use Spanish or sign language to communicate at some point.

The more Spanish you speak as a visitor, the more people you can chat with locals have fun you’ll have while visiting.

And did you know learning a second language at any age and being bilingual is good for your brain?

Even if you already speak Spanish, you may want to take a couple of classes to learn about the regional use of ‘vos,’  Argentinismos and a bit of Lunfardo, the unique slang used extensively throughout the country, and especially in and around Buenos Aires and the River Plate.

Learning Spanish in Buenos Aires:

Public Schools

• Laboratorio de Idiomas, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA)

The University of Buenos Aires Language Laboratory is an obvious option for very inexpensive and high-quality Spanish classes. Here you get a feeling for what its like to be a university student in Argentina — classes are excellent and the bar is set high. The drawback is that as a public university the inscription is a bit chaotic, the classrooms have paint falling off the walls, and it’s a miracle if the bathrooms have toilet paper.

Students are not given the course material, but in charge of making their own photocopies of the study aids at a nearby copy shop.

Regular courses begin in March and August every year and have four hours of instruction per week for one semester.

Their ‘super-intensive’ one-month courses, with 15 hours of instruction per week, are a little more expensive. The university can also provide a certificate confirming that you passed either the basic, intermediate or advance Spanish to provide for school or work.

For those with advanced Spanish they also offer excellent courses in Spanish for foreigners including, ‘Spanish through Cinema,’ ‘Literature of the Rio Plate,’ ‘Culture and Conversation’ and ‘Immigrants in Buenos Aires.’

Language Laboratory of La UBA
25 de Mayo 221
Microcentro
Tel: 4343 1196 / 4334-7512 / 4342-5922

• Instituto de Enseñanza Superior en Lenguas Vivas ‘Juan Ramón Fernández’ (Lenguas Vivas)

Founded in 1904, the Instituto de Enseñanza Superior en Lenguas Vivas, commonly called ‘Lenguas Vivas’ is a school set in a beautiful historic building in the Retiro neighborhood. It functions as a secondary school and provides adult education.

They offer two-month courses with eight hours of instruction per week or four-month courses with four hours of instruction per week. These courses are great for those who speak well enough to get around, but want to keep improving at a steady pace. They also offer more advanced classes than the University of Buenos Aires, which only goes up to ‘level seven’ Spanish.

Their Spanish classes, taught by ex-University of Buenos Aires professors, tend to be slightly less expensive than the university. As with many state institutes, the professors are excellent but the administrative department is a disaster.

Lenguas Vivas
Carlos Pellegrini 1515
Retiro
Tel: 4322-3992 /96/ 98

Private Spanish Schools in Buenos Aires

—this section graciously sponsored by Wanderlust Spanish —

Private Spanish schools are a good option for those who don’t want to deal with the bureaucracy of a state school or whose schedules don’t fit with the classes offered at those institutes.

Additionally, private schools tend to offer a smaller class size for more personalized instruction, extracurricular activities, and creature comforts such as nice chairs, classrooms with heat and air conditioning and beverages.

One alternative Spanish school in Buenos Aires, with high quality, personalized learning is Wanderlust Spanish.

Located in the heart of the city’s leafy Palermo neighborhood, the school is housed in a typical Buenos Aires mansion, with a lovely outdoor terrace for classes in the open air.

With a focus on creating a relaxing, informal environment, the three-year-old school aims to break out of the boring mold of traditional learning, where students stare at a blackboard and take notes while the teacher delivers the lesson.

Here the classes are small, informal group classes that play to each student’s individual learning style. Their first goal for beginners is to make students comfortable with the basics of the language. Once the basics are covered, students can build on that with vocabulary, learning typical Rio Plate-style Spanish expressions.

They are eager to share with students not only Argentina’s unique style of Spanish but the country’s customs, music, history, culture and lifestyle.

Based on the idea that the perfect Spanish course book for everyone doesn’t exist, Wanderlust created their own learning materials that includes familiarizing students with inclusive ‘Latinx’ language.

The student body here includes digital nomads, expats and backpackers. The school can also arrange accommodation as well as extracurricular activities that will allow students to improve their language skills while having fun.

In 2021 they are adding additional classes for advanced learners on topics such as tango, Argentine literature and feminism.

Tell them Wander Argentina sent you and get a free introductory class in person or online!

In-person classes

Wanderlust Spanish offers an intensive Spanish course of 20 hours per week (four hours per day), a semi-intensive Spanish course of 10 hours per week (two hours per day), a Light Spanish course of nine hours per week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and private lessons.

Online classes

They also offer private online classes with a range of teachers that includes native speakers from all of the countries in Latin America.

Each variety of Spanish has a distinct identity and understanding these differences is important for language learners. Even for advanced speakers, a refresher course on regional differences in Spanish can be a good way to prep for a pleasure or work trip to a new region.
Students can purchase packs of classes in increments of five, 10 or 20 and up, learning at their own pace.

Wanderlust Spanish

Raúl Scalabrini Ortiz & Córdoba

Tel: +54 9(11) 338-44056

Another option is to sign up for a good online course that you can do at your own pace to Learn Spanish Online.

→ Read our guide on how to learn Argentine Spanish online on Wander-Argentina.org

→ also see ‘How to Speak Spanish like an Argentina‘ on Wander-Argentina.org

Do you want your private Spanish school listed here? Get in touch to arrange a visit.