Quick answer
A Spanish crash course before a trip or move is 1 to 3 weeks of our Intensive course, 20 to 60 hours of class, enough to cover the first one to three units of level A1: greetings, shopping and simple plans. It will not make you fluent, but it gives you working survival Spanish and a realistic plan for what to learn first.
In this article
How many class hours do you actually need for a Spanish crash course?
“Crash course” is not one of our course names, it is what people search for when they have a trip or a move coming up and a week or two to prepare. The closest match on our side is the Intensive course, 20 hours a week, Monday to Friday from 9:30 to 13:30, in groups of 3 to 5 students on average, never more than 7. One, two or three weeks of Intensive is 20, 40 or 60 hours of class, and because our course plan is built in fixed sections, you can know in advance exactly what those hours cover.
| Hours (Intensive) | Weeks | Complete beginner covers | Placed at B1 or above |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 h | 1 week | Unit 1 of A1: “Who am I?” | Half of one 2-week section |
| 40 h | 2 weeks | Units 1 to 2 of A1 | One full section |
| 60 h | 3 weeks | Units 1 to 3 of A1 | One section and half the next |
At A1 and A2, each unit in our course plan is one week (20 hours), and a level is 4 units. From B1 upwards, each section is two weeks (40 hours), and a level is 3 sections. So the same 20, 40 or 60 hours land differently depending on your placement: a complete beginner moves unit by unit, while a returning learner at B1, B2 or C1 moves through larger blocks. Either way, the free level test and the first-Monday check with our academic director decide which of these you actually join, not a guess from home.
What should you learn first in week 1, week 2 and week 3?
If you are starting from zero, this is the order our course plan puts things in, and it is also, in our experience, the order a trip or a move actually needs them.
Week 1 (hours 1 to 20): the basics you cannot travel without - Greetings and introducing yourself - Personal details: your name, nationality, where you live and what you do - The three verbs you need from day one: ser, estar and tener
Week 2 (hours 21 to 40): getting things done - Shopping and asking prices - Ordering in a restaurant or a café - Talking about plans with ir a + infinitive (“voy a llegar el martes“)
Week 3 (hours 41 to 60): daily life and getting around - Daily routines and habits - Likes and dislikes with gustar - Asking for and understanding directions
If you already have some Spanish, your placement test decides your starting unit, and the priority changes: a false beginner (A2) spends these same hours on past tenses and personal stories, while a B1 learner works on reported speech and the future, a B2 learner on the subjunctive and a C1 learner on advanced structures. The order above is specifically for someone starting at zero who wants the most useful 20, 40 or 60 hours before leaving.
What Spanish phrases will actually get you through the first few days?
Classes build real grammar, but a handful of memorised phrases carry you through the airport, the first café and the first awkward moment before your course even starts. These are Spain Spanish. The questions use usted (¿Puede…?, ¿Tiene…?), the safe form with staff, older people and officials; you will hear tú in most everyday situations, so switch when people use it with you.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Hola, ¿qué tal? | Hi, how’s it going? |
| Una mesa para dos, por favor. | A table for two, please. |
| ¿Cuánto cuesta esto? | How much does this cost? |
| La cuenta, por favor. | The bill, please. |
| ¿Dónde están los servicios? | Where are the toilets? |
| ¿Puede hablar más despacio, por favor? | Could you speak more slowly, please? |
| No entiendo, ¿puede repetirlo? | I don’t understand, could you repeat that? |
| ¿A qué hora sale el autobús? | What time does the bus leave? |
| ¿Tiene una habitación libre? | Do you have a room available? |
| Necesito ayuda, por favor. | I need help, please. |
Say these out loud before you arrive, not just read them. In Málaga people often soften or drop the final s, so your ear needs the practice as much as your tongue does.
What does a 1, 2 or 3 week crash course cost in Málaga?
Here is what our group courses cost for a short stay, from our prices page. Our price lists show 1, 2 and 4 week totals, but no 3-week price. So the 3-week column is our own calculation at the 1-week rate, not a quoted price: the booking screen shows the exact total for your dates.
SPANISH COURSES
Get course dates & prices
Real reply from our team, usually same day. No spam.
| Course (hours a week) | 1 week | 2 weeks | 3 weeks (calculated) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-intensive (10 h) | €140 | €280 | about €420 |
| Intensive (20 h) | €200 | €400 | about €600 |
| Super Intensive (20 h group + 5 h private) | €299 | €598 | about €897 |
None of these include an enrolment or materials fee: there isn’t one. If your crash course falls in a week with two public holidays, Intensive drops to 15 hours at €160 for that week instead of 20 hours at €200; the short weeks on the Málaga course calendar are 7 to 11 December 2026, 22 to 26 March 2027, 16 to 20 August 2027 and 6 to 10 December 2027.
Private lessons are not sold by the week: you choose a single hour or a pack, and the price per hour drops as the pack grows. These are the packs closest to a 1 to 3 week stay:
| Pack | Price | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| 5 hours | €160 | €32 |
| 10 hours | €300 | €30 |
| 20 hours | €560 | €28 |
| 30 hours | €780 | €26 |
A single hour is €35, and the 50-hour pack brings the rate down to €24 an hour.
Ready to pick your weeks: Book 2 weeks of Intensive · Book a private 10-hour pack · WhatsApp us
Is a private crash course better than a group course?
It depends on what “crash” means for you. A group course gives you 20 hours a week of structured, sequential content, a fixed timetable, and other students to practise with outside class. A private pack gives you fewer total hours for the same money, but every hour is built around your own trip or move: the exact phrases for your appointment, your job, or the conversation you are dreading.
Private lessons run Monday to Friday between 9:00 and 20:00, in sessions of 1 to 3 hours, and you choose the number of hours a week yourself, from 1 up to 30. That flexibility matters most when your trip is shorter than a week: a 5 or 10 hour pack can be booked and finished in a few days, where a 1-week group course is fixed at 20 hours over five mornings. If you can already name what you need Spanish for (a work trip, a specific appointment, confidence before you fly), private hours are usually the better crash course. If you want structured basics and do not yet know what you will need, the group Intensive course is the more complete 20, 40 or 60 hours.
Super Intensive combines both: the same Intensive mornings plus 5 private hours a week in the afternoon, for €99 more a week than Intensive alone. Those private hours are extra, not a shortcut: they do not move you through the group course plan any faster, they add personal attention on top of it.
Does a crash course help if you are moving to Málaga, not just visiting?
Yes, and it is the right first step either way. The 20, 40 or 60 hours above are the same whether you fly home afterwards or stay and start building a life here: they are general Spanish, not trip-specific or move-specific vocabulary. What changes is what comes after the crash course.
If you are visiting, a 1 to 3 week course plus the phrases above will carry you through most of a trip, and Can you learn Spanish in 2 weeks? goes into more detail on exactly what two weeks gets a beginner or an intermediate learner.
If you are moving here, treat the crash course as week one of a longer plan rather than the whole plan. Once the basics are in place, the next priority is usually task-based Spanish for the paperwork and the everyday life that follows: the empadronamiento, the health centre, school meetings if you have children, and small talk with neighbours. We set out a full 12-week version of that in Just moved to Málaga? A 3-month plan for learning Spanish, which pairs well with a crash course booked right before or right after you arrive.
What are the honest limits of a short Spanish course?
We would rather tell you this now than have you feel disappointed on day three. One to three weeks is 20 to 60 hours of the 640 class hours in our full A1 to C2 plan, 32 weeks at Intensive pace. A complete beginner finishes at most the first three of four A1 units: you will be able to greet people, shop, order food and talk about simple plans, but you will not follow a fast conversation between two locals, understand the radio, or talk about the past with any confidence. Those come later in A1 and in A2.
A few other honest limits worth knowing before you book:
The first longer-stay saving is at 4 weeks. On our price list, 4 weeks of Intensive cost €740 instead of €800 (€185 a week). Our pages show no 3-week price, so check the exact 3-week total on the booking screen before you choose between 3 and 4 weeks.
Private hours do not speed up the group course plan. Whether you add 5 private hours a week (Super Intensive) or book a separate private pack, those hours give you extra, personalised practice. They do not let you skip ahead in the group units.
A short week can be shorter than you plan for. A week with one public holiday keeps its 20 hours, moved to the other days. A week with two public holidays is only 15 hours. Check the course calendar against your dates before you book a 1-week crash course specifically.
Placement still decides your actual starting point. The priority list above assumes a complete beginner. If you have studied Spanish before, even years ago, your real starting unit may be higher or lower than you expect, which is exactly what the free level test and the first-Monday check are for.
How should you prepare for your crash course before you arrive?
Take the level test now, not on the plane. The free online level test takes about 6 minutes and gives you a first estimate; our academic director confirms it with a short written test and interview on your first Monday.
Check the public holidays before you pick your week. If your dates are flexible, avoid the short weeks listed above so your crash course gets the full hours.
Decide group, private, or both before you land. If you cannot yet name a specific goal, start with group Intensive; you can always add private hours once you are here.
Practise the phrase table above out loud, ideally with the sounds, before your first class. It is a head start, not a substitute for the course.
Frequently asked questions
Can I learn Spanish in 1 week before a trip?
You can learn the basics. One Intensive week is 20 hours of class, the first unit of A1 in our course plan: greetings, personal details and the verbs ser, estar and tener. It is a genuine head start for a trip, not fluency.
What is the fastest way to learn survival Spanish before moving to Spain?
A short Intensive or private course covering greetings, shopping, food and directions, plus the phrase table in this post, practised out loud. Once you arrive, the practical, task-based Spanish for registration and appointments is a separate stage: see our 3-month plan for newcomers to Málaga.
How much does a 1-week Spanish crash course cost in Málaga?
€200 for Intensive (20 hours), €299 for Super Intensive (20 group plus 5 private hours) and €140 for Semi-intensive (10 hours). Private lessons are priced by pack instead: €160 for 5 hours or €300 for 10.
Can I start a group crash course in the middle of the week?
No. Group courses start every Monday. If you arrive later in the week, you can begin with private lessons and join the group the following Monday.
Do I need to take a level test before a crash course?
Take it if you can: it is free, takes about 6 minutes online and helps us plan your first class. Our academic director then confirms your level with a short written test and interview on your first Monday, and that check decides your starting unit.
What is the difference between Intensive and Semi-intensive for a short stay?
Intensive is 20 hours a week, Semi-intensive is 10 hours a week. For the same number of weeks, Intensive covers twice as much of the course plan; Semi-intensive leaves you more free time to explore Málaga between classes.
Can I add private hours to a short group course?
Yes, either as Super Intensive (5 private hours a week added to the group course, €99 more a week) or as a separate private pack for a specific block of hours. Neither moves you through the group course plan faster; both add personal attention on top of it.
Will I be fluent after a 3-week crash course?
No. Three weeks is 60 hours of class, out of 640 hours in our full A1 to C2 plan, about 32 weeks at Intensive pace. A complete beginner finishes at most three of the four A1 units: real, useful basics, not fluency.
What if my trip is shorter than a week?
Consider a private pack instead of a fixed 1-week group course. A 5 or 10 hour pack can be scheduled across just a few days, at times that fit around your trip, rather than the fixed Monday to Friday timetable of a group week.
Does a public holiday shorten my crash course?
One public holiday in your week does not: the hours move to the other days and you keep the full week at the same price. Two public holidays in the same week do shorten it, to 15 hours for Intensive at €160. Check the course calendar against your dates before booking.
Ready to book your crash course?
Start with the free level test so we know where you actually start, then pick 1, 2 or 3 weeks and book the course that matches your goal. Questions first? Call +34 951 120 697 or e-mail malagacourses@vamospanish.com.
Related reading - Can you learn Spanish in 2 weeks? What 2 weeks in Málaga really gets you - Just moved to Málaga? A 3-month plan for learning Spanish - How long does it take to learn Spanish?
Sources: prices, hours, course plan and holidays from our own pages, checked on 28 October 2026: Málaga prices, Intensive course plan, Super Intensive course, private 1-on-1 lessons, course calendar 2026-27.
Updated 28 October 2026.
