Archive for the ‘Spanish language courses in Spain’ Category

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Culture of Spain for Spanish classes: The flamenco, a feeling converted into art

Friday, February 17th, 2012

The flamenco is the most famous Spanish music style in the world. It is a mixture of music and dance that became art, a way of expressing feelings and passion through dance and singing. Its international recognition is so important it was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage by Unesco in 2010.

The flamenco genere was born in the XVIIIth century in Andalusia and, years passing by, it changed until becoming something unique, a show that any person coming to Spain for idiomatic tourism should not miss.

Flamenco, a common activity in the Spanish schools

A flamenco show

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Pedro Almodóvar, the director who brought Spanish cinema to the world

Wednesday, February 15th, 2012

The screenwrighter, producer and director Pedro Almodóvar is a cinema genius and one of the major exponents of the Spanish cinema on international level. His films made him win many prizes and gain recognition in many countries, it is therefore ideal for you to watch them and enjoy them if you are studying Spanish.

Almodóvar started his career in the 80s, becoming one of the icons of the movida madrileña, cultural movement which started during those years in the Spanish capital, with titles such as “Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón”(Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls Like Mom) and “¿Qué he hecho yo para merecer esto?” (What Have I Done to Deserve This?). He was first truly recognised with his film “Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios” (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown), in 1988, not only in Spain but within an international scope, he was awarded 16 nominations at the Goya and a nomination for best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars.

Learn Spanish with the films of Pedro Almodóvar

The film directors Pedro Almodovar and Tim Burton

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Why choose Spain to learn Spanish?

Monday, February 13th, 2012

When a student decides to initiate his learning of the Spanish language there is always a doubt: to study in a Spanish school in their country or to go out to a Spanish speaking place?

One of most recommended countries to start or continue the adventure of Spanish learning is Spain, a fun country that happily receives students from any country to undertake a Spanish course. Also, it is the place where Spanish was born and from where it extended to the entire world.

Students in a Spanish class

Students in a Spanish class

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Spanish Schools and gastronomy: The Gazpacho

Thursday, February 9th, 2012

When we talk about Spanish gastronomy we all think about the paella, the tortilla de patatas and the jamón (ham), but there is another traditional dish from the Spanish food, internationally known: the gazpacho. A sort of cold soup made with a mixture of vegetables (cucumber, tomato and pepper), and with old bread, olive oil, salt, garlic and vinegar. Students from the Spanish schools in Spain usually love it.

There are different varieties for this dish but the most famous one is the one named gazpacho andaluz, as it is from Andalusia and it is most consumed over there. It is one of the tourists’ favourite dishes in the south of Spain, mainly for its great flavour and for its ingredients from the Mediterranean cuisine.

Gazpacho is a great dish of Spanish gastronomy

A dish of Gazpacho Andaluz

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Enjoy the Carnival festivities and learn Spanish

Friday, February 3rd, 2012

Like every year, in February, Spain starts preparations to celebrate one of its most enjoyable festivities, the Carnival. It is one of the most colourful and entertaining celebrations in our country and although it was originally religious, it became a big show for tourism and entertainment over the years, it is thus usual to see streets filled with people from all Spanish towns and cities.

The show, celebrated between the 16th and the 19th of February this year, will allow participants and visitors to have a good time, to have a laugh, dance and be someone else for a while. If you come to Spain to learn Spanish do not hesitate to go enjoy this great festivity.

Enjoy the carnival and learn Spanish in Tenerife

Election of the Queen of Tenerife carnival

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What is the DELE exam?

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

One of the main objectives for any Spanish student is to achieve a level of knowledge of the language allowing him to communicate without problems. The best way to know if the level is achieved is to pass one of the examinations from DELE.

The Diplomas of Spanish as a Foreign Language (DELE) are official certificates given by the Spanish Ministry of Education that certify your level of knowledge of Spanish. These diplomas have a great international prestige, not only because they provide a guarantee of a good understanding of Spanish, but because they help your access to work in Spain and in other countries.

The DELE exam is performed worldwide

A group of students conducting a review

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El Ratoncito Pérez (tooth fairy), the tale of a rodent with Spanish background

Monday, January 30th, 2012

He was born almost 120 years ago, but the story of the Ratoncito Pérez, this small rodent that was leaving presents and coins for the children who lost a tooth and let it underneath their pillow at night, is still alive today for the little ones.

This character was created by the writer and Spanish journalist Luis Coloma in1894 inhis children’s book for Alfonso XIII when he was 8 years old, because one of his teeth fell out. The writer then invented the story of a small mouse who showed to the king Budi (stage name for Alfonso XIII) the misery in which the poor children from Madrid where living, and who he was giving a present to when their teeth fell out. We recommend you read this fairytale if you are learning Spanish at a basic level.

Doodle of Ratoncito Pérez de Google

Doodle of Ratoncito Pérez de Google

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The toros (bulls), a great Spanish tradition

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

The toros is one of the most popular and ancient shows in Spain, and one of our country’s most famous traditions in the world. It started in the XVIIIth century, involving a man on foot who has to lidiar (battle) a fighting bull in a precinct called Plaza de toros. It is one of the events you cannot miss if you are undertaking a Spanish course in Spain.

The corrida is divided in three distinct stages or thirds. The first part, or lancing stage, involves the lidia of the bull with the objective to check the animal’s strength and behaviour. This is when the cape’s good luck is put to test, the most famous techniques are the verónica, the chicuelina or the porte gayola.

The toros, spanish tradition

A torero performing a veronica

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Learn Spanish by cooking dishes from the Spanish cuisine

Friday, January 20th, 2012

Spanish is a language that can be practised in many different ways, by reading books, watching films in Spanish, listening to songs… but one of the most enjoyable and entertaining ways to learn Spanish in Spain is to do so while you cook a typical dish from the Spanish cuisine.

This activity is very common in Spanish schools, and many have it as a special section in the course program. This type of exercise is very important for students to be able to learn Spanish and the Spanish culture outside school classes, by doing it in a more enjoyable way: by cooking.

Learn Spanish cooking is a great activity

Two Spanish students in a cooking course

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The Spanish Language Foundation launches the website of the First International Expo Spanish

Thursday, January 19th, 2012

The Spanish Language Foundation (Fundación de la Lengua Española) has launched the website of the First International Expo Spanish, with information about the event to organize in Valladolid from 10 to 13 May 2012.

Website: http://www.fundacionlengua.com/expo

The Spanish cinema is getting prepared for the Goya Awards

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

All countries have their cinema awards: the Oscars in United States, the BAFTA in the UK and the César in France. In Spain we also have ours, the Goya, the annual awards from the Arts Academy and the Cinematographic Sciences for best directors, actors and films from Spanish cinema.

This year we celebrate the XXVIth edition of awards that will take place on the 19th of February in the Palacio Municipal de Congresos (a convention centre) in Madrid. So, if you are in the city to undertake a Spanish course, use the opportunity to see the best Spanish actors on the Spanish cinema’s red carpet.

Learn Spanish with the film Goya Awards

Pedro Almodóvar y Penélope Cruz

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Live the beginning of 2012 and learn Spanish in Spain

Tuesday, December 27th, 2011

Twelve strokes, twelve grapes and a lot of joy, this is how you welcome the new year in Spain. Less than a week is left before we leave 2011 behind and start 2012, the celebration is very stylish in Spain, so if you are undertaking Spanish classes in a Spanish city, you should get ready to enjoy this big night.

It is a tradition to eat 12 grapes in Spain, one for each month, at the sound of every stroke that sounds at midnight on the 31st of December. It is common to celebrate this moment on the town house square or some other central square in the city, the most famous New Year’s Eve in Spain is the one celebrated in the Puerta del Sol in Madrid, an ideal destination to go to and spend a night if you are undertaking Spanish classes in Spain.

Enjoy the end of the year and attend classes in Spanish in Spain

Puerta del Sol in Madrid

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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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Practical vocabulary to learn Spanish: Taxi service in Spain

Monday, 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

30 Spanish expressions that Spanish students in Spain should know (Part 3)

Wednesday, July 27th, 2011

Today we finish the list with typical expressions from Spain. It has been a long journey with many sentences that can be of great help for those who visit Spain to study Spanish, and we hope you will not miss any detail from the last expressions:

21. Más vale tarde que nunca: Is used when we refer to the fact that it is important to do certain things, and better late than never. “No importa cuando empieces a estudiar español, más vale tarde que nunca”

22. Me estás tomando el pelo: Try to mislead someone, laugh at him or make him believe something he believes is not true. “Siempre que hablo con Ricardo, parece que me esté tomando el pelo”

23. Ni me va ni me viene: When something is not important at all, when it doesn’t matter or it doesn’t make any difference to me. “Todo lo que diga esa persona ni me va ni me viene”

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30 Spanish expressions that Spanish students in Spain should know (Part 2)

Friday, July 22nd, 2011

After listing the 10 first expressions students in Spain learning Spanish should know to pass unnoticed and have Spanish ways, we continue with new series:

11. El que algo quiere, algo le cuesta: Is used to explain that who wants to get something from life, needs to put an effort to get it. “Si quieres aprender español tienes que estudiar, el que algo quiere, algo le cuesta”

12. Estar como una cabra: Be a little crazy. “Hoy he visto una persona por la calle que estaba como una cabra”

13. Al pan, pan y al vino, vino: This expression is used to say that you have to call everything by its name, call things as they are. “Javier es un estúpido, no puedo decir otra cosa, al pan, pan y al vino, vino”

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30 Spanish expressions that Spanish students in Spain should know (Part 1)

Monday, July 18th, 2011

Spainreceives more than 200.000 students every year spending some time to study Spanish or to continue their learning, but their arrival is never easy if they do not have an extensive knowledge of the language. We want to teach you the most used sentences and expressions in our country, so that any student coming to undertake a Spanish course in Spain can use them and better manage inSpain:

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How much time is needed to learn Spanish?

Wednesday, May 11th, 2011

With the times we live in, immersed in an economic and social globalisation, nobody can discuss that to speak a second language is something important, independently from your career or your future occupation. Unfortunately many people do not start the learning finding excuses such as a lack of time, and that’s why we ask how many hours do we needs to learn another language?

First we have to clarify that not all people learn a language at the same speed. There is an age when it is easier to gain new knowledge, the same way some people find it easier than others, but this does not mean it is so difficult for others they won’t be able to speak a foreign language. A Foreign Service Institute (FSI) study from the United States’ Department State, responsible for foreign affairs in the country, affirms that, basing their statements on a native English speaker without any previous knowledge of Spanish and with a good capacity to learn foreign languages, will need 600 hours to learn Spanish. This data was published as part of the FSI report, which classifies languages in categories depending on their learning difficulty from English:

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