Learning Spanish

Schools, apps, and reference links that go with Chapter 30. Checked October 2026.

In the book: Chapter 30

The chapter covers the language side of the move:

• How much Spanish you'll really need, and when to bring a fluent speaker or a bilingual professional
• Salvadoran Spanish: "vos," "tú," and "usted," and the local words that catch newcomers off guard
• Ways to learn and practice, from classes to shows you already know by heart
• How kids pick up Spanish, and what has worked for our girls
• Getting by while you learn, and when a document needs a translation made before a notario

Spanish schools for foreigners (as of October 2026)

Listed for reference, not as endorsements. Prices are from each school's own website; confirm them before you book.

• CIS Spanish School (Escuela de Idiomas Mélida Anaya Montes), San Salvador: group classes in person, and private classes in person or online. Avenida Bolívar #103, Colonia Libertad, San Salvador. Phone 2226-5362 or 2235-1330; [email protected]. In-person classes $150 a week (Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to noon).
• SAY ZONTE!, El Zonte, La Libertad: group classes in El Zonte, and private classes in El Zonte or online. Teaching since 2016. [email protected]. A private 50-minute lesson is $25.
• Pájaro Flor Spanish School, Suchitoto: classes in person or online, since 2006. Av. 15 de Septiembre #37, Barrio Concepción, Suchitoto. Phone 7230-7812 or 2327-2366; [email protected]. One-on-one classes $15 an hour (from January 1, 2026).
• UCA Language School (Escuela de Idiomas) (in Spanish), Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas, Antiguo Cuscatlán: custom Spanish courses for one to three people, in person, blended, or online. Phone 2210-6600, ext. 923; [email protected].

Online tutors (as of October 2026)

• italki: private online lessons with Spanish tutors
• Preply: private online lessons with Spanish tutors

Language-partner apps and sites (as of October 2026)

• Tandem: app that pairs you with native speakers who want to practice your language
• MyLanguageExchange: language-exchange partners by chat, voice, or in person

Apps and dictionaries (as of October 2026)

• Duolingo: language-learning app, free to use, with an optional paid upgrade (Super Duolingo)
• Google Translate: translate signs with your camera and use it offline
• Diccionario de la lengua española (in Spanish), Real Academia Española
• Diccionario de americanismos (in Spanish), Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española: words as they're used in El Salvador and the rest of Latin America
• "Voseo" in the Diccionario panhispánico de dudas (in Spanish), Real Academia Española: how "vos," "tú," and "usted" are used in Central America

For children (as of October 2026)

• National Library of El Salvador (BINAES): services, including the early-childhood area (in Spanish), Ministry of Culture: an area for children up to age 7 with more than 6,000 books in Spanish, English, and Náhuat, plus storytelling (as of November 2023)