Colombia offers a wide variety of options to learn Spanish. The friendliness of the people will help you learn quickly. The quality and cost of living, as well as the beauty of the country make it a very attractive place to study Spanish.
Learning a new language is often difficult, but necessary, if you want to get the most out of your stay in a foreign country. Try to start the learning process before you move. Practise the language, listen to internet radio stations and read as much Spanish as you can.
If you live somewhere where there are native Spanish speakers, you might want to advertise for a language exchange partner to help you improve. When travelling to any Spanish speaking country, you should become familiar with the local Spanish dialect, since many words mean different things. Often the same thing has different names in different countries. You can understand what you are told, and will be able to communicate if you have studied another style of Spanish, but you may encounter some unusual situations if you are not accustomed to Colombian Spanish.
Practice is the best way to learn the language. As soon as you arrive, mingle with the locals. Talk to as many people as you can. Colombians are easy going, friendly and talkative. Don’t worry about making mistakes when talking; it is from your mistakes that you learn. Listen to the pronunciation and the melody of the language. A lot of vocabulary can be learned through daily contact. Don’t hesitate to ask people to speak slower or repeat themselves, as Colombian Spanish is quite fast.
Do not make the mistake that most language students worldwide make. It is very tempting to speak Spanish in classes, but talk other languages with your fellow students after class. Of course, you should hang out with your fellow students, but if you really want to learn the language, establish contact with the locals too. It might be hard at first, as it takes more effort to communicate, but that is the best way to learn.
There are many language schools and courses you can take to learn Colombian Spanish. The larger cities have more schools and programmes, but small towns often have Spanish academies as well.
The official international certificate of Spanish is the DELE, Diploma de Español Lengua Extranjera. It consists of exams in grammar, vocabulary, conversation, reading and writing. It has different exams, ranging from A1 to C2, inline with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
The institution in charge of this exam is the Cervantes Institute (Instituto Cervantes), and you can find at least one in every country of the world. You can find information online about the closest center to you or in Colombia, as well as about the conditions and dates for the exams. In some countries, other language centers have an agreement with the Cervantes Institute to hold the exam, though it is always externally marked by an official teacher from the Institute.
Before going to Colombia, and depending on whether you are going to study, work or just travel, you may want to obtain information on how necessary this certificate is going to be for you. The higher the level is, the more expensive the test. If it is absolutely required that you have a certain level of Spanish upon arrival, you should prepare with somebody who is familiar with the DELE tests.