Spanish Language

What exactly do we learn in the Spanish classes?

Spanish classes are offered at six levels, and all the levels are divided into ten units, each with its own theme or topic. There is a general outcome for the level as a whole, and more specific learning outcomes for each unit. These outcomes are expressed in terms of what you should be able to do in Spanish by the time you reach the end of each unit; various grammar points are covered as they are appropriate to the themes of the units.

 
Level 1

By the end of this course, you will already know enough to “get by” in Spanish: you will be able to cope with the most common everyday situations by asking and answering simple questions, and you will be able to understand people when they speak to you about the situations covered.

• Unit 1 – Greetings – You will be able to greet people in Spanish, give your name and ask how people are.
• Unit 2 – Professions – You will be able to ask and answer questions about your job in Spanish; you will also be able to ask about and give your phone number.
• Unit 3 – Nationalities and languages – You will be able to say where you come from in Spanish and give the language you speak; you will also be able to ask other people about these subjects.
• Unit 4 – Family – You will be able to talk about the people in your family (or, if you prefer, other people’s families) and say how old they are.
• Unit 5 – Time and transport – You will be able to tell the time and give days and months in Spanish; you will also be able to ask for a ticket on public transport.
• Unit 6 – Freetime activities and weather – You will be able to say what you like or don’t like, and also talk about your freetime activities in Spanish; you will also be able to say what the weather is like at the moment or at particular times of the year.
• Unit 7 – Shopping for clothes – You will be able to ask about something in a shop in Spanish, understand and talk about prices, and also describe clothes.
• Unit 8 – Shopping for food – You will be able to talk about different meals, also food and drink; you will know what to say to buy these things from a shop using Spanish.
• Unit 9 – Accommodation – You will be able to book accommodation and check in using Spanish, also know how to ask questions and talk about simple problems.
• Unit 10 – Restaurants – You will be able to understand the main items on a menu and order a meal in a restaurant.

Level 2

By the end of this course, you will have expanded the range of situations which you are able to handle in Spanish, and you will have begun to learn some basic grammar points; you can expect to be understanding more of what people say, and growing in your confidence to respond appropriately.

• Unit 1 – Directions – You will be able to talk about where objects are in relation to one another and ask for directions to different places in Spanish.
• Unit 2 – House and home – You will be able to describe your home in Spanish and say where in the house and in particular rooms things are to be found.
• Unit 3 – Talking about people – You will be able to describe people, in terms of physical appearance and character.
• Unit 4 – Free time – You will be able to talk about common free-time activities in Spanish, and describe their appeal.
• Unit 5 – Places in the world – You will be able to talk about cities and countries and where they are in relation to one another; you will also be able to describe how often you do something.
• Unit 6 – Sickness and health – You will be able to say how you feel physically and talk about common medical conditions using Spanish.
• Unit 7 – At the supermarket – You will be able to describe what you are want to buy at the supermarket; also how to say that you are right or wrong, hot or cold, hungry or thirsty.
• Unit 8 – At the chemist’s – You will be able to talk about things you need at the chemist’s in Spanish, and both ask for and give reasons for wanting something.
• Unit 9 – The big event – You will be able to talk about events and when they take place during the day.
• Unit 10 – At the cinema – You will be able to describe a film in Spanish and relate a simple story.

Level 3

By the end of this course, you will be able to say more in Spanish about your professional and social life; you will be able to use the phone and write simple messages; you will also have a reasonable feel for the main patterns of the Spanish language.

• Unit 1 – Birthdays – You will be able to talk about giving things to people in Spanish, and both ask and answer questions using “how?”.
• Unit 2 – Our office – You will be able to refer to the things you find in an office, and say more about professional life.
• Unit 3 – At the post office – You will be able to use the services of a post office and talk about communications in general.
• Unit 4 – Preparing food – You will be able to talk about things in the kitchen in Spanish and say how you prepare food.
• Unit 5 – Eating out – You will be able to discuss a choice of restaurant using Spanish and make a booking by phone, as well as handling the situation when you arrive; you’ll also be able to talk about having to do something.
• Unit 6 – Accommodation – You will be able to talk about different types of accommodation using your Spanish, make a reservation by phone and talk generally about things you are able to do.
• Unit 7 – Nightlife – You will be able to make, accept and decline offers, especially in relation to going out in the evening, and talk about things you want to do in Spanish.
• Unit 8 – Keeping in touch – You will be able to compose a simple letter or e-mail in Spanish and discuss the kind of points often covered in correspondence with friends.
• Unit 9 – What do you do at work? – You will be able to discuss your job, talk about your preferences and make contrasts between what you like and don’t like.
• Unit 10 – Meeting people – You will be able to meet and introduce people using Spanish in a social or business setting, and exchange simple conversation.

Level 4

By the end of this course, you will be able to talk in Spanish about travel and a range of outdoor leisure activities; generally, you will be handling most everyday situations and also understanding a lot of native speakers in these contexts.

• Unit 1 – Special events – You will be able to talk about special events in your life, and the dates when they take place.
• Unit 2 – Fit in the city! – You will be able to talk about keeping fit and also give information about places and directions in a city.
• Unit 3 – Describing your company – You will be able to introduce your company, using Spanish, much as you would in a business setting.
• Unit 4 – A weekend in the country – You will be able to talk about nature, ask permission and make requests in Spanish, and also describe generally what is allowed and not allowed.
• Unit 5 – By the sea – You will be able to talk about what you see at the coast, and also use Spanish to discuss with more subtlety the activities which you like.
• Unit 6 – In the mountains – You will be able to talk about activities in the mountains, understand a weather forecast and also give instructions.
• Unit 7 – The daily routine – You will be able to talk about your daily activities in Spanish and relate these to particular times of the day.
• Unit 8 – Relationships – You will be able to discuss relationships and understand simple texts concerned with relationship issues.
• Unit 9 – At the station – You will be able to use Spanish to handle travel by train or metro, from getting information to finding your seat; you will also be able to talk about plans for the immediate future.
• Unit 10 – Taking a flight – You will be able to deal with airports and flights in Spanish, also talking about how long something has been going on for.

Level 5

By the end of this course, you will be able to refer to future and past events in Spanish and describe some of these in sequence; your range of Spanish vocabulary will have increased to include some areas outside the everyday.

• Unit 1 – Now and in 50 years – You will be able to talk about future events, also predict the form of certain “international” words.
• Unit 2 – Making promises – You will be able to make promises and also explain in Spanish what will happen if something else happens.
• Unit 3 – From bad habits to good – You will be able to talk about never or no longer doing things, also give and understand various measurements.
• Unit 4 – The theft – You will be able to use Spanish to describe a simple event in the past, more specifically, talk about crimes.
• Unit 5 – Yesterday – You will be able to describe in Spanish what you did the previous day, and use a range of expressions relating to past events.
• Unit 6 – Making a report – You will be able to describe what has been happening in your company, talk about things improving or deteriorating, and also issue warnings.
• Unit 7 – The interview – You will be able to ask and answer questions in Spanish as if in an interview situation; you will also be able to talk about the key events in your life.
• Unit 8 – The news – You will be able to understand simple news reports in Spanish and also summarise these yourself; you’ll also be able to use more vocabulary relating to the media.
• Unit 9 – Moving house – You will be able to discuss types of accommodation and make comparisons; you will also know how to talk about letting and renting accommodation.
• Unit 10 – On the road – You will be able to describe driving by car in Spanish and also ask for help with breakdowns.

Level 6

By the end of this course, you will have mastered the basics of the Spanish language, both grammar and vocabulary; you will have learnt enough either to go off to a country where Spanish is spoken and pick it up there, or possibly to embark upon more formal study.

• Unit 1 – The accident – You will be able to use Spanish to describe an accident and also offer help; you will also revise a lot of the material covered at the previous level.
• Unit 2 – Using a gadget – You will be able to talk about simple operations in Spanish, asking and describing how things work.
• Unit 3 – Student days – You will be able to talk about your education and describe what you used to do when you were younger.
• Unit 4 – Murder at sea! – You will be able to talk about travel by sea, and about a series of events in the past.
• Unit 5 – If I won the lottery… – You will be able to use your Spanish to speculate on what you would do if something else were to happen.
• Unit 6 – Parents and children – You will be able to discuss family relationships, and you will know how to give advice and make recommendations in Spanish.
• Unit 7 – The world of art – You will be able to describe pictures or photos in Spanish, and also talk about things happening in the distant past.
• Unit 8 – Lives of the famous – You will be able to understand and give descriptions of people’s lives in Spanish, and also talk about the lives of famous stars.
• Unit 9 – Reading material – You will be able to talk about books and newspaper articles which you’ve read, and begin to understand passages of written Spanish; you will also be better equipped to make intelligent guesses about meanings.
• Unit 10 – Your country and mine – You will be able to make comparisons between countries, and you will also have looked at some of the harder points of Spanish grammar not covered in these courses, so that you can recognize them in the future.