Best Safe South American Country to learn Spanish (best cities, homes)

[ydoering]

If you want to learn good Spanish go to Bogota, Colombia. In general, the language usage is superior there. People in Bogota, Colombia take pride in speaking well. Just listen to the news casters and compare with other countries. They have an even accent. They speak clearly and correctly. As far as the safety, they have a worst reputation than they deserve. As in any place, just stay out of places that look suspicious. Choose your friends and your host family well. Colombians are lovely, friendly, and corteus people.

[c_laura1978]

You will love Buenos Aires as soon as you get there. It´s a very friendly comunnity, so you will feel as home, and do local friends very fast. But it is true that here we speak a special dialect, just like Americans and Brithish. I will recomend Argentina and Chile. Those are the safer countries to go.

[SuperMario]

Most people say that Colombians and other south American countries speak good spanish, but me being Dominican, cant understand them. I think Dominicans in terms of accent speak the best spanish. People say that we talk bad spanish because we drop the r's and the s in many words. For example, in certan regions of the country, instead of "puerta" we say "pueita", in other regions we drop the r in place of an l, like "mardito" become "maldito", also "estupido" is "etupido" etc.....people say we talk to ghetto and too fast. I agree with that. But we have the best accents because we are the only latin american country that do not sing our spanish. We are the most clear.

DR is has alot of African heritage in it. You would fit right in. Our accent is also the most unique and recognizable of all the latin American countries. That is why you have all these other latinos trying to mimic our way of speaking.

[DBCC]

Try the not-for-profit The Chase Education Foundation. Their eMail is info AT tcef.org. They have programs for Graduate/Post Graduate and high school students in Chile, Argentina and USA. They have a good record of looking after students and provide host families. Better out of Buenos Aires and in the interior, provide counseling and tours.
Good luck with your search. If you are in the USA, best to speak with Susan Chase, President, who is originally from Argentina

[Neutre]

Originally Posted by ydoering

If you want to learn good Spanish go to Bogota, Colombia. In general, the language usage is superior there. People in Bogota, Colombia take pride in speaking well. Just listen to the news casters and compare with other countries. They have an even accent. They speak clearly and correctly. As far as the safety, they have a worst reputation than they deserve. As in any place, just stay out of places that look suspicious. Choose your friends and your host family well. Colombians are lovely, friendly, and corteus people.

It's true that Colombians speak clear Spanish, but the over-use of usted -especially in Bogotá- can be quite confusing.

[OyCrumbler]

To those who recommended learning Spanish in Cuba, I have to say--what?

While Spanish certainly varies over the many countries where it's spoken, Spanish in the Caribbean sounds way different from the Spanish elsewhere. Cuba is especially idiosyncratic, but the DR and PR are in that same milieu, too.

[minibrings]

Originally Posted by Full-Blooded American

Argentina is about 97% Caucasian, so I'd consider it for its low crime rate.

Why does caucasian = low crime rate?
Reeks of racism.
What about the caucasian countries with high crime rates? How do you explain those countries?

BTW I have been told Colombia Spanish is the purest form in SA. Whatever 'pure' entails.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by minibrings

BTW I have been told Colombia Spanish is the purest form in SA. Whatever 'pure' entails.

Colombian Spanish (away from the coastal cities) is the most formal Spanish in SA. Even animals are referred to as "usted". That seems to go with Colombian culture being so obsessed with formality and manners - which is ironic considering Colombia being known as the most violent country in South America.

In the coastal cities like Cartagena the language is more Caribbean.

[DFWgal]

Originally Posted by Neutre

Chilean Spanish is one of my favorite Spanish accents, yet I have to disagree that foreign movies are translated (you mean dubbed?) into a Spanish accent that sounds a lot like Chilean Spanish. I think the closest accents -and with this I refer merely to the pronunciation, apart from the slang- to a LA dubbing would be those of Costa Rica, Colombia, and Mexico.

Yes, actually I was thinking of "dubbed".

Well, I was thinking of educated chilean accent. Tourists are exposed to the one you can have at the street and of course it's different. And about colombian, mexican, etc., I don't think they sound like "International Spanish" at all, but again, maybe I've just heard their slang.

I would like to know who says a particular spanish is better or "purer" than other, considering there isn't any type of official agreement about the subject. At most, it could be matter of personal opinion.

Just my two cents.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by DFWgal

Yes, actually I was thinking of "dubbed".

Well, I was thinking of educated chilean accent. Tourists are exposed to the one you can have at the street and of course it's different. And about colombian, mexican, etc., I don't think they sound like "International Spanish" at all, but again, maybe I've just heard their slang.

I would like to know who says a particular spanish is better or "purer" than other, considering there isn't any type of official agreement about the subject. At most, it could be matter of personal opinion.

Just my two cents.

Mexican Spanish varies tremendously, considering that Mexico is a pretty large country with a large population. Educated Mexican Spanish is pretty international considering the massive influence of the Mexican entertainment industry. Colombian Spanish also varies - in cities like Cartagena it tends to be more Caribbean and less "prim and proper" than inland.