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Spanish Language Schools in Costa Rica

As with everybody who moved to Costa Rica, I had to learn the language. That means I have some experience in this area. If you would like to read about how I finally did it, and what I would do differently, read Learning Spanish.

There are a ton of language schools in Costa Rica, and many are really quite good. Some use classroom study, some use a full immersion program where you live with a Tico family full time for periods of a week to as long as several months and some use a combination of the two (best in my opinion). Some cater to college students who wish to come here for a time to polish their Spanish skills and earn college credit.

Your ability to learn Spanish, at any age, really depends on just how serious you are. To go to a class, even for a few hours per day and then return home to watch CNN (in English), your favorite TV shoes (in English) and speak to all your friends (in English) will delay the learning process significantly. You want to really learn the language? Immerse yourself!

One important thing. Your ability to adjust and truly ENJOY the Latin culture depends greatly on whether you can speak the language. I am not referring here to being able to order dinner, go shopping or tell a taxi drive where you wish to go (i.e. Survival Spanish). I am talking about being able to communicate to the point where you can make friends! It makes all the difference!