Language lessons in Manchester

Voted one of the best cities to live in the UK, Manchester is a fascinating city. With a large population of 2.7 million estimated residents in Greater Manchester, it’s the fastest-growing city in the UK according to the 2011 census. People from all over the world are drawn to the city, so it comes as no surprise that 22% of its city residents are foreign-born.

The biggest communities within the diverse immigrant population come from India, Pakistan, Poland and Bangladesh. Their influence on the local culture can be found everywhere, like in the many foreign restaurants, in the art scene and in the many stores decorated with flags from other countries. But apart from seeing other cultures, you’ll hear them, as the city is home to more than a hundred languages.

If you truly want to appreciate the complex multicultural local society, learning a language is the way to go. Being able to communicate fluently in some of the most commonly used languages in the city - Urdu, Polish, Bengali and Punjabi - or any other language you might like, will not only help you see immigrant communities in a different light, but it will also allow you to connect more deeply with a big part of the local community.

Where to study foreign languages in Manchester

At Manchester City Council libraries, you’ll find a plethora of useful resources like dictionaries, grammar books and course books in many languages, but also novels, films and music that will help you expand your knowledge of the culture where your target language is spoken. If you enjoy poetry and are interested in the French language, Selected Poems from Les Fleurs du Mal is a great chance to read some of Charles Baudelaire’s most captivating poems in English and French. On the other hand, if you’re looking to immerse in Polish music culture, there’s a great biography of Krzysztof Komeda, a Polish composer who made more than 40 famous film scores in iconic movies like Rosemary’s baby. In addition to exploring his life, this book will help you understand the development of Polish jazz music in the 20th century.

Language exchange groups in Manchester

Meeting other language learners in the city is a great idea to boost your language skills and make friends from all over the globe. In Manchester, you can attend one of the events held by Manchester Language Exchange, a big community of more than five thousand language enthusiasts who meet regularly to chat in many languages. Their language exchange event is free and welcomes learners of all levels and languages. It takes place in different local bars, on Thursday, so if you’re interested, you can check out their virtual group here.

Is your Swedish getting rusty? Then you should attend one of the events held by the Manchester Swedish Language Meetup Group. They currently meet online and offer all sorts of free events. If you’re a complete beginner, then Beginners Online Swedish Meetup is just for you. At this event, which takes place every Tuesday on Zoom, there are many games in Swedish to help say your first sentences in the language. Everyone speaks mainly in English, so you don’t need to be fluent to attend. In contrast, If you can already have full conversations in Swedish, then the Online Swedish conversational Meetup, which takes place on Wednesdays, is the perfect chance to chat with native and other proficient speakers.

Cultural institutions and events in Manchester

Manchester is home to one of the most exciting events that celebrate Spanish and Latin American culture, the ¡Viva! Spanish & Latin American Festival. This annual event takes place in March and features a programme with the most exciting cinema from countries like Spain, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and Mexico. On top of being able to watch great films in cinemas across the city, there are Q&A events where you can meet some of the directors and actors that are part of these movies, a great chance to listen to native Spanish speakers.

If you want to explore South-Asian cuisine, you’ll be glad to know that Manchester is home to the Curry Mile, the largest concentration of South-Asian restaurants outside the Indian subcontinent. This street, whose actual name is Wilmslow Road, is located just a five-minute taxi ride or ten-minute bus from the city centre, in Rusholme, and it’s the perfect place to taste dishes from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It has a perfect mix of award-winning restaurants and fast food curry houses, so it has something for everyone.

Language jobs in Manchester

Are you trying to become more employable in the city? If so, learning a language is the smartest thing you can do. This is especially true if you want to get a job in one of the biggest industries in the city, tourism. As the second most visited city in England after London, Manchester welcomes many visitors every year, so there are many available jobs for bilinguals in the hospitality sector such as German Speaking Customer Relations Advisor for Booking, Spanish speaking Hotel Team Leader and French Speaking Commis Chef at the Hilton Hotel.

Get started now!!!

If you’re looking for face-to-face lessons at your home or office in Manchester, the best choice is Listen & Learn. Our qualified native teachers will create a language course tailored to your skill level and interests, all you have to do to start learning with us is take one of our free 15 minutes level tests and once you get a score, just send us a quick enquiry so that one of our team members can contact and answer all the questions you might have. If you move a lot or just prefer online lessons, don’t worry, you can choose to have your lessons on Skype or Zoom.