Spanish and Catalan Lessons for Moving to Barcelona
Format: Online, worldwide
Online lessons for people preparing to move to Barcelona or Catalonia, or who've just landed. Spanish and Catalan, tailored to what you'll actually need: bureaucracy, work, everyday life, and enough Catalan to feel like you belong, not just visit.
What actually gets in the way
Most people who come to me before a move to Barcelona aren't struggling because the language is too hard. They're struggling because of everything around it.
They've usually already tried. Maybe an app, maybe a course, maybe a teacher who made grammar feel like a wall instead of a door, all rules and no room to actually speak. Some had a bad experience with a teacher who made them feel small for making mistakes, and that sticks. Some feel self-conscious, especially adults who are used to being competent at their job and suddenly feel like a beginner again. And a lot of people are drowning in information, fifty YouTube channels, three apps, a grammar PDF someone sent them, and no idea what to actually do with any of it. Overwhelm looks a lot like giving up, but it usually isn't. It's just too many open tabs and no guide.
There's also the age question. Yes, cracking a new accent gets harder as you get older, especially compared to a child who absorbs a language unconsciously, without the weight of an existing language already fully wired in. But adults have something children don't: established patterns, more words, more concepts, more life experience to hang new vocabulary onto. Motivation, not age, is what actually predicts whether someone gets fluent. I've seen adult students reach a high level faster than children do, precisely because they knew why they were learning and stayed with it.
In this globalized world, you could survive in a big city with a little English and a lot of hand gestures, which we Spanish people love. But if you want to actually settle, to feel like you belong rather than visit, you need the language.
Plenty of people in Barcelona don't speak Catalan, even people raised there. My own father learned it later in life. But schools are Catalan focused now, and so are universities. If you've moved with family or for studies, this matters. Many interesting university courses are taught in Catalan, though you can usually write your exams in Spanish. Your children will learn it at school and speak it with their friends at recess, al pati.
If you've moved from another part of Spain without a second language, you may have heard people warn you that Catalans won't switch languages for you. That's not really true. Most people in Barcelona will switch to Spanish without a second thought, so you don't feel left out. But they'll be even warmer if they see you try in a language that has around 10 million speakers worldwide, yet very few outsiders ever bother to learn.
Everybody can learn a new language. We'll work on identifying what's actually been holding you back, and build a plan around it. There's no such thing as being good or bad at languages. You're already speaking one, aren't you?
What lessons look like
- Online, tailored to your timeline (before the move, or once you've landed)
- Spanish for daily life, bureaucracy, and work
- Catalan woven in where it matters: local life, school, workplace, community
- A clear plan, not an overwhelming pile of resources
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to learn Catalan to live in Barcelona, or is Spanish enough?
Spanish alone will get you through daily life in Barcelona: shops, restaurants, most bureaucracy. But if you've moved with family or for studies, Catalan matters more than most people expect. Schools and universities in Catalonia are largely Catalan-medium, your children will use it with friends at school, and even university courses taught in Catalan usually let you write exams in Spanish. If you're settling long-term rather than passing through, learning at least some Catalan changes how included you feel, and how included others make you feel.
I'm not good at languages, or I failed before, can I actually do this?
Yes. There's no such thing as being naturally good or bad at languages, you're proof of that already, since you're fluent in at least one. What predicts success isn't talent or age, it's motivation and consistency. If a previous course or teacher made you feel stuck or embarrassed, that's usually a mismatch in method, not a reflection of your ability. We'll start by figuring out what actually got in your way last time.
How soon before my move should I start lessons?
Ideally two to three months before you move, enough time to build a working base in Spanish (and some Catalan, if you're moving with family or for studies) before you land. That said, starting later, or even after you've arrived, is still genuinely useful, immersion accelerates learning quickly once you're there. What matters most is starting, not hitting a perfect window. If your move is already booked, tell me the date and we'll build a plan that fits it.
Can lessons focus on practical things like bureaucracy and paperwork, not just conversation?
Of course. My teaching is based on the communicative method, which puts you and what you need to do at the center, not the grammar itself. A language is a tool. I want to help you use Spanish or Catalan to actually do things: go to the doctor, talk to your children's teachers, go out, make friends. And yes, unfortunately, living life also means navigating bureaucracy, so we work on that too.
Is it too late to start if I'm already in Barcelona?
No. Being in Barcelona is actually an advantage, since you get daily exposure between lessons: overhearing Catalan and Spanish on the street, at the supermarket, on forms and signage. Students who start after arriving often progress faster than those who wait to "be ready" before moving, because real immersion accelerates learning far more than any app or textbook. As we say, más vale tarde que nunca, better late than never, and every week you wait is a week of immersion you're not using yet.