Studying abroad in Spain: the Spanish you’ll actually hear
Classroom Spanish gets you through lectures, but studying abroad in Spain also means fast, informal Spanish: vosotros from lecturers and flatmates, university words like asignatura, apuntes and aprobar, slang such as vale, tío and quedar, and, depending on the city, a strong southern accent or a second official language.
Why it sounds faster than your classes
You may find you read and write far better than you follow a conversation in a café. That is normal. Classroom audio is slow and careful; real conversation runs words together, drops sounds and assumes you know the context.
The good news is that listening improves quickly with exposure. The first few weeks are the hardest, and the gap closes faster if you know in advance which forms, words and accents you are about to meet.
Vosotros, from the lecture hall to your shared flat
In most of Spain, a lecturer talking to the class or a flatmate talking to you and a friend uses vosotros: ¿Habéis terminado? (Have you finished?), ¿Os venís? (Are you coming?), Mañana tenéis examen (You have an exam tomorrow). If you studied with ustedes only, these forms are the first thing to learn to recognise.
How students address lecturers varies by university and by person. Many lecturers are addressed as tú, and others prefer usted. Start with usted and follow their lead; nobody will mind either way.
University and flat-share vocabulary
Spanish universities have their own everyday words, and some of them are not the ones a textbook gives you. You will need these in your first week.
Lunch (la comida) in Spain is usually eaten around two or three in the afternoon and dinner (la cena) often around nine or later, so quedamos para cenar can mean a late start. Many restaurants offer a menú del día, a set lunch menu, on weekdays.
| Spanish | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| la uni | university (informal) | ¿Vas a la uni mañana? |
| la facultad | faculty, and the building it uses | Nos vemos en la facultad. |
| el/la profe | teacher or lecturer (informal) | La profe ha cambiado el examen. |
| la asignatura | subject, course | Tengo cinco asignaturas este cuatrimestre. |
| el cuatrimestre | semester, term | El segundo cuatrimestre empieza en febrero. |
| los apuntes | lecture notes | ¿Me pasas los apuntes? |
| aprobar / suspender | to pass / to fail | He aprobado todo menos una. |
| el compañero de piso | flatmate | Mi compañera de piso es de Sevilla. |
| la fianza | rental deposit | La fianza es de un mes. |
Slang on nights out and in group chats
Your Spanish classmates will use colloquial words constantly. The most common are vale (okay), tío and tía (mate), guay and mola (cool), quedar (to meet up), venga (come on, or bye), flipar (to be amazed), mogollón (loads), majo (nice, friendly) and chungo (dodgy or difficult). You will also hear guiri, the informal word for a foreigner, and you may be called one. On a night out you will also hear colega (mate), tapear (to go for tapas), cachondeo (joking around, or a shambles), liarla (to mess things up) and a tope (packed or full).
You do not need to use slang to make friends; understanding it is enough. Each page below explains one word with examples of when it fits and when it would sound odd.
- What does ‘vale’ mean in Spain?
- What does ‘tío’ or ‘tía’ mean in Spain?
- What does ‘quedar’ mean in Spain?
- What does ‘mola’ mean in Spain?
- What does ‘flipar’ mean in Spain?
- What does ‘mogollón’ mean in Spain?
- What does ‘majo’ mean in Spain?
- What does ‘chungo’ mean in Spain?
- What does ‘guiri’ mean in Spain?
- What does ‘colega’ mean in Spain? Mate or colleague
- What does ‘tapear’ mean in Spain? Going for tapas
- What does ‘cachondeo’ mean in Spain? Fun and joking around
- What does ‘liarla’ mean in Spain? To mess things up
- What does ‘a tope’ mean in Spain? To the max, or packed
Your city changes what you hear
In Madrid, Salamanca and most of central and northern Spain, you will hear the th sound for z and soft c and a strong jota. In Seville, Granada, Málaga and much of Andalusia, many people use seseo or ceceo, soften or drop an s at the end of a syllable and shorten words, so pescado can sound like pescao. It takes a few weeks to tune in, and then it becomes part of the charm.
Some regions have a second official language. In Barcelona and the rest of Catalonia you will hear Catalan, and some university courses are taught in it; Valencia has Valencian, the Basque Country has Basque and Galicia has Galician. Everyone also speaks Spanish, but it is worth checking the teaching language of your courses before you choose them.
Prepare your ear before the semester
A little listening every day before you fly makes the first weeks much easier.
- Learn to recognise vosotros forms of common verbs.
- Learn the university words: asignatura, apuntes, aprobar.
- Watch short scenes made in Spain, ideally from your host region.
- Look up each slang word the first time a classmate uses it.
- Say yes when someone asks ¿quedamos?: conversation is the fastest teacher.
Study abroad in Spain questions
Is the Spanish in Spain very different from what I learned in class?
The grammar is the same. The differences are vosotros, the th sound in most of Spain, some everyday vocabulary and the speed and slang of informal speech, which are mostly a listening challenge.
Should I call my lecturers tú or usted?
It depends on the lecturer. Many are addressed as tú, others prefer usted. Starting with usted is always safe, and most lecturers will tell you if they prefer tú.
Will my classes be in Spanish?
Usually, but not always. In Catalonia, Valencia, the Basque Country and Galicia some courses are taught in the regional language, and many universities also offer courses in English. Check each course’s teaching language when you enrol.
Research and sources
- Real Academia Española & ASALE, Diccionario panhispánico de dudas — vosotros — Vosotros is the informal plural in most of Spain; the Americas, the Canary Islands and western Andalusia use ustedes.
- Real Academia Española & ASALE, Diccionario panhispánico de dudas — seseo — Seseo is general across Latin America and parts of Spain, and is fully accepted in the educated norm.