Why study Spanish

Spanish is often the foreign language of choice after English and is a popular second or third language. With some 400 million speakers, Spanish is the fourth most commonly spoken language in the world (after English, Chinese and Hindustani).

Spanish is a "Romance" language, meaning that it is based on Latin, the language of the ancient Roman Empire. Many English words also have Latin origins, so when you learn the Spanish vocabulary you will be expanding your English word power whilst enhancing knowledge of your own language heritage at the same time. Spanish is very nearly phonetically perfect, so you can look at any Spanish word and immediately know exactly how to pronounce it. This characteristic makes Spanish one of the easiest languages to learn. When it comes to learning additional languages such as French and Italian, already knowing Spanish is a huge advantage because these, too, are Romance Languages.

We integrate active communication skills with the grammatical structure of the language. Students develop proficiency in the language by using it in realistic situations and enjoyable activities. Awareness of cross-cultural communication is also addressed as this is an important factor in language learning.

Areas of study:

• Introductions, greetings, leave-taking etc
• Giving personal details such as address, phone/fax number, occupation
• Small talk, weather, health etc
• Basic telephone skills, ordering food and drinks
• Catching a taxi and using public transport
• Asking for and understanding directions
• Prices, quantification, booking a hotel
• Inviting guests home, dates, months etc
• General knowledge of common practices and customs
• The etiquette of social and formal functions
• Cross-cultural awareness skills