Spanish to communicate and Spanish to feel like a local

My first direct interaction with Colombians and Spanish language was in 2012 when I went to the US for a summer job and to sightsee. During that summer, all the people I lived with, worked with, and hung out with were Colombians and even though we communicated in English, there were many moments when I felt like becoming invisible when they would start speaking Spanish to each other. But since I was the only “extranjero” among them, they were always trying to teach me Spanish words and short sentences with great interest. And, of course, most of the first words taught were slang words and curses in Colombian dialect. Such as… Or let’s pass for now.

Whichever language you are beginning to learn, it is said that the first things that your language-speaking friends will teach are curses. At first, even though this seems funny and maybe even useless, as your language learning process progresses and your speaking abilities become more fluid; knowing some words that some very well-meaning friends warned you that “you should never learn!” builds an important basis for internalizing the language and having a richer understanding and speaking ability. Especially if you are living in the country where that language is spoken.

My story

I came to Colombia for a month in 2013 after having taken Spanish lessons in Turkey for a few months, and in 2014 I met many Spanish people with whom I practiced the language while I was an Erasmus exchange student in Portugal. However, because I had learned Castilian Spanish, I spoke using ¨vosotros¨ and with Castilian pronunciation and so the first reaction of many Colombian people when they heard me was the same: “What’s up with this guy?”

Living among the locals

It is a great feeling to be able to speak some Spanish, and to communicate with the people of Colombia who live their everyday lives as usual. It was one of the greatest reasons that I fell in love with Colombia: the feeling you get among the people and their lives: “You are in Latin America! And this is Colombia!” Instead of living like a witness to a play and only sometimes getting in and interacting with its characters, by learning their colloquial language, you can truly become one of the characters in the play. If you want to fully get to know the Paisas, and be able to better empathize when they are happy, sad, angry or excited; learning their dialect, even just a little bit is crucial.

Grammar Bases

At this point, the help of courses with a methodology that admits that there is no need for proper Spanish all the time and that Spanish can vary a lot according to the country or even the city, is incredible. For me the turning point was when I found El Dorado Cultural Center by chance and registered to take a few lessons in the end of my first year in Medellin. In addition to teaching Spanish as grammar and usage as it should be taught, Spanish teachers added a great deal of flexibility to the use of Spanish by dissolving the Colombian Spanish, and especially the Paisa Spanish, in their lesson plan without ever overlooking their differences in slang and accents. Moreover, it’s great to find new materials to be helpful both in and out of the classroom. The Facebook page Spanish Lessons Medellin is one of them. The page posts Paisa slang words and idioms daily that you can use in your everyday life.

Do you think the taste of Colombian dream can be fully enjoyed without learning a few little words that come out of the heart of Medellin? ¡Oigan a este!