The blog of the Spanish schools in Spain

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

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 Spanish class at a school

►…continue reading about how to chose the Spanish course that will adapt best to your needs

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

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.

►…continue reading about Alejandro Sanz

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

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

►…continue reading about the best potato tortilla is made in Bentazos

Spanish schools and free time: The commercial opening times

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

►…continue reading about the commercial opening times in Spain

Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish symbol in the world

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

►…continue reading about Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish symbol in the world

Learn Spanish in Benidorm: The Mediterranean city that never sleeps

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

►…continue reading about Benidorm, the Mediterranean city that never sleeps

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

November 2nd, 2011

Probably He 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

►…continue reading about Antonio Banderas, the Spaniard who opened the doors to Hollywood

Spanish sport in Spanish schools: Rafa Nadal, a tennis player for history

October 31st, 2011

Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, Björn Borg, Boris Becker… all are on the list of best players in tennis history, Rafael Nadal has to be added to this list now. A sportsman you must have heard of during your Spanish lessons in the Spanish schools in Spain.

He became one of the biggest symbols of Spanish sports history and one of the best tennis players seen on the tennis court. He was born in Mallorca 25 years ago and has beaten many records during his short sports career with a lot of work and humbleness.

Sport is a great activity to learn Spanish

The Spanish Rafael Nadal during a match

►…continue reading about Rafael Nadal, a tennis player for history

Spanish courses and free time: Going for pinchos in the Basque country

October 26th, 2011

Walking through the old town streets, seeing its main monuments and ending up with your friends in the bars of the town centre to have some pinchos is one of the best things students undertaking Spanish courses in San Sebastian, Bilbao or Vitoria can do.

A pincho, as conceived, is a slice of bread with, a portion of food on top. Food is now eaten with and without bread. The most usual ingredients are the typical Basque ones, such as hake, cod, Spanish omelette, stuffed peppers, mushrooms, etc. In the Basque country it is very typical to have it with a chiquito, a glass of red wine, or a zurito, which is a small glass of beer.

Unos platos con diversos pinchos

►…continue reading about pinchos in the Basque country

Spanish culture in Spanish schools: Javier Bardem conquers Hollywood

October 24th, 2011

He is part of one of the Spanish cinema’s most famous families, Javier Bardem is not only one of the most important actors in Spain, he also knew how to slowly conquer Hollywood, and his films are therefore a very good resource to use to learn Spanish for the Spanish schools in Spain’s students.

He had small roles on television as a child, and his first big appearance on the cinema screens came when the director Bigas Luna directed him in the film “Jamón, jamón” in 1992, inwhich he starred together with his actual wife Penélope Cruz and Jordi Mollà. From this moment on he started playing in many films for which he received numerous awards such as the Goya he received in 1994 for the film “Días contados” and one year later the Goya again for “Boca a Boca”.

El actor español Javier Bardem

►…continue reading about Javier Bardem

Spanish Schools and gastronomy: The pulpo á feira, the most famous in Galicia

October 21st, 2011

In some Spanish schools in Santiago de Compostela as well as in other cities of the Galicia region: Vigo, La Coruña, Betanzos… Spanish students do usually prepare typical dishes from the Spanish cuisine, and one of them is the pulpo a feira.

It may be the most famous dish of the magnificent Galician gastronomy and it is better known in the rest of Spain as pulpo a la gallega. Although it may be the traditional dish from this autonomous region, its consumption has spread through Spain as a tapa, so if you are undertaking a course in any of the many Spanish schools in Spain you can not miss the opportunity of trying it.

Two women preparing the octopus

►…continue reading about the pulpo á feira, the most famous in Galicia

Learn Spanish and discover the culture: Antonio Gaudí, the poet of stone

October 18th, 2011

He is considered as most representative of architecture modernism and one of the most famous figures of world’s architecture history. He revolutionised the construction world with his work, looking for perfection and originality in everything he was doing.

His ability to look outside the box and create solutions looking for a new architecture language gave Barcelona its modern character, and every student undertaking a Spanish course in one of the many Spanish schools in Barcelona has therefore the opportunity to enjoy the extensive work of Antonio Gaudí.

Portrait of Antonio Gaudi

►…continue reading about Antonio Gaudí, the poet of stone

Practical vocabulary to learn Spanish: Taxi service in Spain

October 17th, 2011

One of the actions that all students will have to make at any time during your stay to learn Spanish at one of the Spanish schools in Spain, will be to get a taxi.

In our country you can take a taxi in three ways: call for city taxi service, go to a taxi rank or stop a taxi on the street, like in the movies. We will are going to teach you a series of words and phrases to practice Spanish in this situation:

General Vocabulary:

Taxi: taxi City centre: centro ciudad

For hire: libre Occupied: ocupado

Taxi rank: parada de taxis To stop: parar

►…continue to learn Spanish with our vocabulary practice

Learn Spanish at your leisure: The roar of the Lion King in Madrid

October 14th, 2011

Considered one of the most extraordinary Broadway shows, the Lion King musical arrived at the Teatro Lope de Vega in Madrid and will stay in the city for an indefinite length time. So, if you are undertaking a Spanish course in Spain you can not miss it. It is the biggest musical production ever made in our country and it will open on the 21st of October.

The musical is based on the famous Disney film, The Lion King, which started in 1997 on Broadway stages, more than 50 million people have seen it over the last 14 years (it’s the fourth most seen musical in history) and it has received many international awards. It did finally arrive to Spain for its first performance in Spanish, which is of course a great opportunity for students to learn Spanish in Spain while enjoying a great show.

►…continue reading about the Lion King in Madrid

Learn Spanish with the music: David Bisbal, the success of humility

October 13th, 2011

His songs are known all over the world and he has been piling up success after success in and outside Spain, so it is certain that any student who comes to undertake a Spanish course in Spain has heard some of his songs.

David Bisbal started his career in the music world when he was18 ina famous orchestra in Almería called Orquestra Expresiones. It is in 2001 when he started to be famous after his participation in the first edition of Operación Tiunfo, a television competition where the face of Spain at the Eurovision would be selected between 16 competitors, and David Bisbal finished second.

David Bisbal y K'Naan, interpretes del tema de Coca Cola para Sudáfrica 2010

David Bisbal y K’Naan (haz clic en la imagen para ver el videoclip de su canción)

►…continue reading about David Bisbal, the success of humility

The best breakfast against the cold,hot chocolate and churros

October 11th, 2011

It is one of the traditional dishes from the Spanish cuisine, mainly when it gets cold and we have to warm up in the morning before going out, or to enjoy a sweet treat in the afternoon. Hot chocolate with churros is one of these Spanish habits that any foreign student coming to learn Spanish in a Spanish school in Spain does usually enjoy during his stay.

It is a tradition which is closely linked to Madrid, the Spanish city where it is consumed most, where having churros and hot chocolate for breakfast goes back to the XIXth century. History says that this tradition first started in Cataluña, or that the Arabs brought it to the peninsula, but in reality nobody really knows when and where this pair got popular for breakfast, in Spain.

Hot chocolate with churros

►…continue reading about the best breakfast against the cold,hot chocolate and churros

Traditions in Spain for Spanish classes: The tip in Spain

October 7th, 2011

In today’s post we are going to talk about a subject that is always problematic for foreign students coming to learn Spanish in Spain, the tip. This habit is very usual in many countries, it is even compulsory in some (even though there is no written law for it), but it is not like that in our country.

In Spain, leaving a tip is considered as a reward for excellent service from the waiters and for the quality of the product, but it is never compulsory and always is a personal choice. So, if you are undertaking a Spanish course in Spain, you do not have to feel any pressure or feel bad if you don’t leave a tip, as this is your personal decision to reward or not for the good or bad service.

A plate with tip

►…continue reading about the tip in Spain

Traditions in Spain for Spanish classes: The siesta, a habit to learn

September 30th, 2011

If a student takes something away from his stay to learn Spanish in Spain it is the siesta. This habit is popular and loved within our country and by foreigners who visit the peninsula and is ideal to have a moment of relaxation after food or before going to your lectures in the Spanish school.

This habit, named only in Spanish, is practised not only in Spain but in many countries such as Germany, Austria or France. Many businesses in United States and Japan have even introduced a short time in their employees’ working days for them to practice this habit as it increases performance.

Two students napping

►…continue reading about the siesta, a habit to learn

Spanish Schools and gastronomy: The Iberian ham, king of Spanish gastronomy

September 26th, 2011

The Spanish product by excellence, the best delicacy for the palate, the king of Spanish gastronomy, beneficial for the health…is the Iberian ham. It is possibly one of the most consumed products in Spain and the most searched for by tourists coming to our country.

To understand the differences between hams is not easy and one of the first things to know is to differentiate jamón ibérico and jamón serrano. The jamón ibérico or dry-cured ham is the one made from native swine from the Iberian Peninsula and it has a minimum content of 50% pure Iberian pork, while the Serrano ham refers to meat from a white race of swine, which is cured in a cold and dry climate. When you go to eat out in a restaurant after your Spanish class in the Spanish school, do not get confused when ordering the ham, which can be identified by its dark skin and its black foot (pata negra).

Iberian acorn ham

►…continue reading about the Iberian ham, king of Spanish gastronomy

Practical vocabulary to learn Spanish: Speak at the restaurant

September 23rd, 2011

In today’s post, we teach a series of words and phrases to practice everything you learned in your Spanish courses in Spain. It is very important to be able to speak in public without fear of failure and practice and practice Spanish at any time will help you in your learning.

Go to lunch or dinner at a restaurant is very common in your stay in Spain, so knowing the words and phrases used in a restaurant is critical. Here are the most necessary for a good meal in Spain:

General vocabulary

Ingredients: ingredientes Waiter / Waitress : camarero/ camarera

To order: pedir Meal: comida

Starters: entrantes Main course: plato principal