Buenos Aires

Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, is a South American city with European flare, offering a range of cosmopolitan cuisines and a riveting nightlife. One cannot escape dancing in the birthplace of the passionate tango, where tango houses or “milongas” litter the city.

Home to more than three million people, Buenos Aires is located on the southeastern coast of the continent. Bordered by the Rio de la Plata and the Riachuelo, the city’s inhabitants are frequently called “portenos,” emphasizing the city’s role as a major port.

As for the language, Spanish learned in Argentina will be understood worldwide, however, there are a few subtle differences. According to Professor Monica del Milagro Plaza, the director of Bien Argentino, Instituto de Idioma y Cultura Argentina, “All of the varieties of Spanish are correct Spanish. Since Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, regional particularities are to be expected. If you learn all your Spanish in one place (Argentina, Ecuador, Spain, etc.), you will understand Spanish speakers all around the world. However, the [Argentine] differences are lexical. For example, [Argentines] use voseo instead of tu and they use only one “s” sound, as in “song,” for words with s/z/c.”

Academia Buenos Aires is dedicated exclusively to teaching Spanish as a foreign language, with emphasis on academic excellence, professional service, and complete immersion. Located in an exclusive, completely restored historic building in downtown Buenos Aires, on central Plaza de Mayo, the Academy caters to students from around the world in search of a high-quality academic experience. Motivated teachers with degrees in linguistics, specially-designed study materials, and years of experience, have earned the academy a cooperation agreement for university credit with the prestigious Universidad de Buenos Aires. The professional service at Academia Buenos Aires is guaranteed through multilingual staff available 24 hours a day. The complete immersion approach is based on rich study materials, the possibility to live in homestays or shared apartments with Argentines, and the extracurricular program of the Academy — at least twice a week, staff accompany students to museums, exhibitions, different barrios, concerts, tango classes, asado dinners, wine tastings, etc. All activities are free of charge. The Academy has recently opened up a second school in Montevideo, Uruguay, based on the same approach and study materials, allowing students to switch destinations seamlessly. Montevideo is a three-hour boat ride from Buenos Aires across the Rio de la Plata.

Located a few yards away from Plaza de Mayo and Puerto Madero, Alem Spanish School offers a relaxed and comfortable ambience for learning Spanish. Each class is balanced with vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, conversation, reading, and writing exercises. Students are given numerous opportunities to practice their Spanish in a wide variety of formats. Aimed at maintaining quality programs for its students, Alem offers private lessons as well as group lessons with no more than five students.

Argentina Idioma Español, with four locations in Argentina: Buenos Aires, Patagonia, Cordoba, and Ushuaia, is the only Spanish language school in Argentina that specializes in teaching Spanish for adults and professionals. All of the school’s professional teachers hold a university degree in Spanish as a Foreign Language, which guarantees intensive and solid learning progress in a minimal amount of time. AIE offers a wide variety of immersion Spanish programs in a private or group setting as well as a Business Spanish Program, a Medical Spanish Program, internships and volunteer programs.
With locations throughout Argentina, including Buenos Aires, Argentina I.L.E.E. Spanish Schools provide the same levels of instruction at all their locations in order to provide consistent instruction for students who want to transfer to a different location.

All teachers at I.L.E.E. hold a University of Buenos Aires Master’s degree in either Literature or Education, and have taught Spanish as a foreign language for more than three years.

Bien Argentino has two locations in Argentina, one in Buenos Aires and one in Salta. While most readers may only be familiar with Buenos Aires, Salta is located in the foothills of the Andes mountains in Lerma Valley. Also known as “Salta La Linda” or “Salta the Beautiful”, tourists visit it every year for its magnificent landscapes, architectural wonders, and museums.

Because of Argentina’s rich culture, the school emphasizes the importance of culture in its programs. The school offers three main kinds of programs: Spanish language, Argentine culture, and cultural immersion. For its cultural immersion program, Bien Argentino arranges cultural immersion activities in groups of four led by experts in Argentine art and history.

Buenos Aires Spanish School, which is located two blocks away from the National Congress, offers a variety of courses including an immersion program which consists of 20 hours of instruction per week, a semi-immersion program (10 hours a week), private classes, and Spanish language classes for children. Group courses consist of no more than six students per class and courses begin every Monday of the year. The school is a member of the Asociación Argentina de Centros ELE, an organization which ensures that students are receiving quality instruction.

DelPlata’s Casa de Idiomas, located in Recoleta, offers different private and group Spanish courses, including programs for beginners to prepare them for a trip through Argentina. The school also provides each student with intensive advice before booking a course, individual guidance during the learning process, reliable organization, and frequent teacher supervision.

ECELA Spanish Immersion Schools is the perfect opportunity to improve your Spanish while enjoying what Latin America has to offer. Combine different destinations (Buenos Aires, Bariloche, Santiago, Lima and Cusco) and learn about the local cultures. Having fun while you learn is possible al ECELA!

Íbero Spanish School was established in Buenos Aires in 1999. The school is recognized by the Cervantes Institute, the Argentine Secretary of Tourism and the Secretary of Education, and is a member of the Language Schools Association of Argentina. Íbero offers a fully-customizable program of Spanish classes, and works directly with educational and cultural exchange programs around the world.

Spanish classes are offered year round and and taught by fully certified, native, bilingual instructors. Classes are divided into eight different levels, with three weeks to complete each level. The most popular courses are the school’s small-group classes. These classes are offered for four hours in both the mornings and afternoons, and are limited to between three and seven students. Also offered are private one-on-one instruction, semi-private classes (two students to a teacher), and combination classes (four hour group class followed by a two hour private lesson).

Every class emphasizes grammar as well as conversation and listening skills, and multi-media materials are regularly incorporated into the program. New to the school’s line-up are the Spanish for High Schoolers Program, the Semester Abroad Program, and the TEFL certification+ Spanish program. This means students can get TEFL qualified and learn or improve their Spanish at the same time.

The school is located in an historic building in the center of Buenos Aires. It offers a variety of extra-curricular activities, housing accommodation options, airport pick up, weekly planning of activities, travel advice, and a high degree of flexibility to fit into any travel schedule.

Instituto de Español Rayuela is located in Buenos Aires’ oldest barrio, the San Telmo, which is full of colonial houses and cobblestone streets. Founders decided to call the school “Rayuela,” which also means “Hopscotch,” as a tribute to Julio Cortázar’s famous novel, and as a reminder that teaching and learning a language should always be an enjoyable game of communication. In addition to the traditional Spanish courses, Instituto de Espanol Rayuela also offers online Spanish courses for the convenience of their students.

The University Language Center, part of the University of Buenos Aires, currently has more than 1,500 overseas students enrolled in its Spanish language program. Due to its affiliation with the University, the language center is also able to provide different courses, such as Business Spanish. Assistance is given to overseas students with housing and obtaining visas.

VerBaires Spanish School, which is also located in San Telmo, offers the perfect blend of antique and bohemian households, with modern lively cafés, bars and restaurants.

The school offers various courses: from a three-day survival course, to regular, semi- and intensive programs, five days a week. Courses are tailored to each student after their level of Spanish has been assessed by a placement test.

Also located in the Recoleta barrio, VOS Buenos Aires incorporates the cultural beat of Buenos Aires into its daily activities for students, such as visiting milongas to dance the tango, restaurants to taste Argentine food, and museums to learn about the different artistic styles and movements of the country. Included in the language programs, VOS Buenos Aires offers tours that are different from the typical tourist fare.

Lessons are task-based, which means students learn by doing. During class and according to each student’s level, students go shopping, order food, ask for directions, make a documentary, or invent a magazine to learn Spanish in a practical setting, in addition to formal language training. Students can choose a variety of programs, including private lessons, intensive courses, and Spanish immersion programs.