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View Full Version : Is it easy to learn Spanish whilst living in Tenerife?



antwob
15-07-2012, 18:22
I hope this is the right thread to post in.

One of our main reasons for wanting to relocate to Tenerife is to learn Spanish, as well as better weather and scenery. At the moment, we live in mainland Spain, and the town where we live is overrun with British and German folk, which makes life easier in many ways, but also bad if you are wanting to be forced to use Spanish, and wanting to experience a new culture/way of life. I've often heard this place referred to as "Little Britain" :lol:

Lots of the British here don't speak Spanish and by the sounds of it don't try and even need to, so often many of the locals will simply answer you back in English when you try and speak Spanish. I've found that outside of the town, very few actually speak English and are very happy when you try and communicate in Spanish. However, moving outside of town isn't really an option, because of housing, and facilities available, plus we don't own a car.

My question is in regards to Tenerife, what is it like there? Which is the best place to go where there isn't too much tourism, where its possible to mingle with the locals.

woodchip68
15-07-2012, 18:39
There are some nice Spanish towns north of the airport. Start with El Medano and work your way up. If you still want to be near some english resources without the occupation, you could try Adeje old town, San Miguel etc. Basicaly towns in the south that are on the side of the motorway away from the sea

KirstyJay
15-07-2012, 18:50
moving outside of town isn't really an option, because of housing, and facilities available, plus we don't own a car.

My question is in regards to Tenerife, what is it like there? Which is the best place to go where there isn't too much tourism, where its possible to mingle with the locals.To be honest, if you don't have a car and live in the villages out of town, you'll have the same problem here!

antwob
15-07-2012, 18:52
To be honest, if you don't have a car and live in the villages out of town, you'll have the same problem here!

Thanks for the honest answer, it's as I suspected.

junglejim
15-07-2012, 19:37
I would have thought Adeje Town would be ideal , good infrastrucure , buses, sports facilities , mainly Canarians , lots of local bars etc, only about 15 minutes from Tourist area on bus .Just it's on a hill like most places!
Cultural Centre also runs many courses including Languages -Spanish, German French English

CIM
16-07-2012, 00:41
Its there if you want to and have time to learn it but much the same here - you dont need to if you live in certain areas.

ribuck
16-07-2012, 13:58
If you want to learn Spanish, stick to the North. In towns like Icod de los Vinos you will hear 99% Spanish, and provided you're within walking distance of the Icod bus station there is great public transport to the rest of the island.

In terms of travel time, it's about as far away from the airports as you can get, which is probably why there's so little English or German spoken there.

timmylish
16-07-2012, 14:53
El Medano and here in San Isidro you,ll need to learn Spanish, and fast! 5 minutes from airport in the South and 15 minutes to LC and PDLA. If you want up in the hills a bit then the former main town in the South, Granadilla.

tracy hampshire
16-07-2012, 15:48
If you want to learn Spanish, stick to the North. In towns like Icod de los Vinos you will hear 99% Spanish, and provided you're within walking distance of the Icod bus station there is great public transport to the rest of the island.

In terms of travel time, it's about as far away from the airports as you can get, which is probably why there's so little English or German spoken there. i´ve lived in icod de lo vinos for a few months & it is a lovely little town & very spanish, the locals are really friendly & will always stop you in the street & chat, it is very self contained with all the shops you would need so no need to travel for your shopping, & yes the bus service is great, my spanish has really improved since coming hear, sat with my canarian neighbours last night chatting & enjoying a glass of wine, something i wouldn´t have been confortable with before moving here, i also love the climate here, a bit cooler than the south, very happy i took the plunge & moved here x

antwob
16-07-2012, 16:48
i´ve lived in icod de lo vinos for a few months & it is a lovely little town & very spanish, the locals are really friendly & will always stop you in the street & chat, it is very self contained with all the shops you would need so no need to travel for your shopping, & yes the bus service is great, my spanish has really improved since coming hear, sat with my canarian neighbours last night chatting & enjoying a glass of wine, something i wouldn´t have been confortable with before moving here, i also love the climate here, a bit cooler than the south, very happy i took the plunge & moved here x

That's excellent, this is the sort of situation I'm looking for. Where we live now, all of our neighbours are fellow Brits or Germans.