Discovering Barcelona Through English Language Activities

We all know that Barcelona is a fantastic city to live in. You only need to spend the afternoon wandering around one of the many beautiful neighbourhoods, looking at the historic architecture, the cool boutique shops and unique cafes, to know that Barcelona has a style of its own. Moreover, there is so much to do in this amazing city! However, do you know about the different activities in English that you can do in Barcelona?

Studying a language gives us the power to communicate, and as you’ve seen from your English classes, there are many different topics to talk about! However, one of the best ways to improve your English skills is to take everything you’re learning in the classroom and give it a go in the real world. In this blog, we’re going to look at some of Barcelona’s activities to help you practise your English. You’ll see that immersion will give you the opportunity to use all the great vocabulary and grammar from your English classes.

English guided historical tours

Discovering a city with someone well versed in its history, secrets and interesting anecdotes, is a great way to learn about a new place. Signing up to one of the many guided historical tours is not only a fantastic way to practise your listening skills, but also a good opportunity to consolidate your grammar and vocabulary too.

As the tour guide leads you around the many sites of the city, listen out for vocabulary about architecture and different grammar tenses. Barcelona is a city steeped in history, so there’ll be many opportunities for you to practise your past tenses! Check out the Complete Gaudí Tour or if you’re looking for something a bit different, try the Barcelona Gothic Quarter: History&Legends Comedy Tour. You might have lived in the city all your life, but there’s always more to discover!

English cooking classes

How about taking all the food vocabulary you’ve learnt in the classroom and testing your skills in the kitchen? I think we all agree that the only thing better than talking about food, is eating food! So, why not put your listening skills to good use and start cooking?

Check out what’s on offer at Barcelona Cooking. Just a few moments of looking at their mouthwatering menus and you’ll be ready to try one of their classes. However, remember to cook enough to share with your English classmates!

English language bookshops and literary events

Books are like a doorway to other worlds, and the educational benefits that you can take from reading are numerous. You can learn new vocabulary, consolidate grammar structures and even improve your writing skills.

Why not pop into one of the many English bookshops in Barcelona and see what’s happening? Try Come In or Hibernian and start by looking for an English book that takes your fancy. You could even sign up to the Barcelona Book Club and attend one of their events! Giving your opinion about books and expressing your interpretation is a fantastic way to get ready for writing reviews!

Museum and gallery tours in English

Barcelona has an incredible variety of museums and art galleries, ranging from the modern art on show at MACBA to the classical collections at Museu Picasso, and literally everything in between! Spend a bit of time looking at their websites (in English, of course!) and decide which you’d like to visit.

Once you’re there, make sure you try to do everything possible in English. From booking a guided tour, downloading an app with an audio tour, to reading all of the descriptions in English instead of your own language. You’ll find this experience to be a perfect example of English immersion.

English choir

If you haven’t read 3 Easy Ways To Use Music To Improve Your English yet, you need to do it immediately after reading this blog! We love music for many reasons. It can lift you up when you’re feeling down. It can be the perfect accompaniment to almost every situation. Most of all, the shared feeling of participating in music with a big group of people, is something that is impossible to replicate.

So, aside from going to concerts and listening with friends, what else can we do? How about joining an English choir? Check out the Barcelona English Choir! It goes without saying that singing in English will help you in many ways. It can improve your pronunciation and intonation. It can also make long sentences and phrases much easier to remember.

Most importantly, performing music in a group, and especially singing in a group, is something special that everyone needs to try at least once in their life. You only need to look at the magical reactions throughout their version of David Bowie’s Space Oddity to see that this is an experience worth your time!

English ‘improv’ groups

We all like to laugh – who doesn’t?! But, have you ever thought about being the source of the laughter? Well, why not try attending one of the courses at Barcelona Improv Group? They offer a range of classes and courses which will boost your confidence and improve your public speaking skills. What’s more, you’ll have the opportunity to make new English-speaking friends!

Being able to respond quickly, and naturally, plays a huge part in speaking a second language. We all know how frustrating it can feel to freeze in the middle of a speaking activity. Perhaps an improv group could be your solution! However, if shyness is holding you back, start by attending one of their shows. Remember, we all need to step out of our comfort zones from time to time!

Final thoughts

Whether it’s joining an English improv group, attending cookery classes in English, or acting out your wildest dreams and singing on stage in English, remember that these activities all need the right starting point – find the class to suit your needs!

Glossary for Language Learners

Find the following words in the article and then write down any new ones you didn’t know.

Wander (v): walk around slowly in a relaxed way.

Give something a go (id): attempt something.

Well versed (adj): knowing a lot about something.

Sign up (pv): agree to become involved in an organised activity.

Steep in something (pv): be completely surrounded by.

Mouthwatering (adj): so delicious looking that it creates saliva.

Numerous (adj): many.

Pop into (pv): visit briefly.

Take your fancy (id): make you want to do or have something.

Range from (pv): include a variety of.

Lift someone up (pv): make someone feel happy.

It goes without saying (id): obviously.

Source (n): the place something comes from.

Step out of your comfort zone (id): push yourself past your limits, do something that you wouldn’t normally do.

Key

v = verb

id = idiom

adj = adjective

pv = phrasal verb

n = noun

adv = adverb