Archive for November, 2011

Spanish sport in Spanish schools: A match that brings Spain to a halt

Monday, November 28th, 2011

The match of the year, the confrontation of the century, the Derby, the classic of the Spanish football…many are the names given to this match, a confrontation that all football fans have marked on their calendar and that Spanish students from Spain cannot afford to miss out on.

It will be on Saturday, the 10th of DecemThe match of the year, the confrontation of the century, the Derby, the classic of the Spanish football… a match that Spanish students from Spain cannot afford to miss out on.ber at 10pm, in the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, in Madrid, and it will be shown on the television channel La Sexta, freeview.

The Real Madrid and the Barcelona are the best football teams in Spain, two of the most famous internationally, in fact, currently, they are the teams with the biggest budget in the world, both with numbers higher than 450 million Euros, with an advantage on Manchester United, in third place, with 384 M€ for the 2010/2011 season.

Learn Spanish in Madrid and enjoy the classic of the Spanish football

The Santiago Bernabeu stadium of Real Madrid

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Spanish schools and gastronomy: The pacharán of Navarre

Friday, November 25th, 2011

It is a traditional liquor and it is very consumed in the Navarre region, as well as in some parts of Spain, it was already known and drunk by citizens from the area in the middle ages. It is a drink many students undertaking Spanish classes in Navarre areas, Aragón, La Rioja or the Basque country decide to try.

The pacharán, mainly produced in Navarre, is a drink derived from natural alcohols obtained through sloe maceration into anisette, which has an alcohol content of between a 25% and 30% of the volume. It has a bouquet and fruity taste, sweet and pleasant taste, is red or intense rosé and has an attractive aspect.

Spanish schools and gastronomy: The pacharán

Bottle of pacharán

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How to chose the Spanish course that will adapt best to your needs?

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011

When someone decides to undertake a Spanish course in Spain it is very important to clearly know what the interests and objectives are, as you will then be able to choose the course that adapts best to your needs. Take into account two main factors in the selection, the type of course you would like to undertake and the type of city you would the Spanish school to be in.

There are several types of courses meant for people with different profiles. If you are an businessman, it is most interesting to undertake a specialised Spanish course, such as the business course which focuses its programmes on Spanish needed in the business context. Erasmus students coming to continue their studies in Spanish, need to start or improve their knowledge of Spanish, the basic courses offered by some schools are the most outstanding option.

A group of students in a Spanish course

A Spanish class at a school

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Learn Spanish with music: Alejandro Sanz, an artist who sings with his heart

Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

It is the most internationally famous artist in the Spanish music world. His words are undoubtedly ideal to help you improve your knowledge of Spanish.

From Madrid, he started his musical career when he was only 16 years old. From then on he sold millions of records and received a collection of awards. His first record came out for sale in 1989 and was called Los Chulos Son Pa’Cuidarlos, but this techno-flameco style album was not very successful and he had to wait until his second record, Viviendo Deprisa (1991), for his career to take off. Songs such as “Los dos cogidos de la mano” or “Se le apagó la luz”, were big hits on the Spanish music lists.

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Spanish cuisine to Spanish courses: The best potato tortilla is made in Bentazos

Monday, November 14th, 2011

It is the city’s dish of excellence, it has its own festivity and last 12th of November, the potato tortilla of Betanzos became the best one in all of Spain, so none of the students undertaking a basic Spanish course in the city can leave without trying it.

This prize was awarded thanks to the Galician Alberto García Ponte, who resulted to be the winner of Spain’s XIII Potato Tortilla Championship which took place in Elcheas part of the competition ‘Lo Mejor de la Gastronomía’ (The best of gastronomy).

Un curso de español en Betanzos permite disfrutar de la mejor tortilla de patatas de España

La tortilla de patatas de Betanzos

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Spanish schools and free time: The commercial opening times

Friday, November 11th, 2011

Spanish’ opening times are different from most of Europe, it is therefore very important that students coming to study in a Spanish school in Spain know about it.

One of the main differences between Spaniards and the rest of the world is the usual timetable, people’s daily lives. InSpainit is customary to get up and go to sleep later than in the rest ofEurope, the same goes for lunch and dinner, which are usually not as early. In our country we usually have lunch between 2 and 4pm, and have dinner between 9 and 11pm.

Commercial opening hours for students of Spanish in Spain

Opening hours of a business

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Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish symbol in the world

Wednesday, November 9th, 2011

Born in Alcalá de Henares, the playwright, poet and writer Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, is considered the biggest Spanish writer of all times. His image is so important in Spainthat there are a number of sculptures, buildings, institutions, prizes and events in several cities in our country made in his memory. Cervantes in a real symbol of this language, and his work a very used resource to learn Spanish.

He is the author of “El ingenioso hidalgoDon Quijote de la Mancha” (The ingenious gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha), one of the most famous novels on international and top of the Spanish and universal literature. It is considered by many international writers as the best novel in history, this work from 1605 has a wide impact on all cultures, and was translated in languages such as German, Russian or Chinese, among many others. Also, it was brought to television with a film and series, and thus became a usual resource in the Spanish schools in Spain to help students on their way to learn Spanish.

Miguel de Cervantes and the Spanish language

Statue of the writer in the Plaza Cervantes in Alcala de Henares

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Learn Spanish in Benidorm: The Mediterranean city that never sleeps

Monday, November 7th, 2011

The words that best represent Benidorm are tourism and leisure, as it is one of the most famous cities of the Mediterranean, in Spainand in Europe. It is for many a place to relax for a few days, or a weekend, but Benidorm is ideal to learn Spanish any time of the year.

Its privileged Mediterranean climate helps you enjoy the varied leisure offer all year round. Also, the city was thought to please visitors, so that attending lessons in a Spanish school in Benidorm allows students to enjoy all its services, its gastronomy and the long nights that make it a city that never sleeps.

Learn Spanish in Benidorm and enjoy the city

Levante beach in Benidorm

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Learn Spanish with the culture: Antonio Banderas, the Spaniard who opened the doors to Hollywood

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011

He probably is one of the best Spanish actors, Antonio Banderas became the best image of Spain in Hollywood. He started his career with a lot of work and humbleness thanks to Pedro Almodóvar, great director of Spanish cinema, who asked him to work for one of his films after seeing him in the theatre.

His first films with Pedro Almodóvar were very successful in Spain: “Laberinto de Pasiones” (Labyrinth of Passion), “Matador”, “¡Átame!” (Tie me up! Tie me down) or ”Mujeres” al borde de un ataque de nervios (Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown), which was nominated for an Oscar as best foreign film. We recommend students coming to learn Spanish in Spain see these films.

Learn Spanish with Antonio Banderas films

Spanish actor Antonio Banderas

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