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What are your needs? Why do you want to learn Spanish?

Why do you want to learn Spanish? For fun or for real? Do you just want to learn the basics of the language just for fun? Or do you want to learn to speak, read and write Spanish fluently so that you can live and work in a Spanish speaking country? This is important to the way you approach your Spanish classes and to which classes you choose.

The “just for fun” students

If it’s just for fun – what I call “travel Spanish,” then I would not recommend intensive classes at all. The intensive classes are designed for people, who want to learn a great deal in a very short period of time. These classes are far from fun. Try instead and find a Spanish course that is six to ten hours a week. And start by enrolling for a couple of weeks. That should be enough to get a feel for the Spanish language and learn the basic grammar.

Then when you have done your homework, I would arm myself with a good tourist phrase book and a wide smile and head out into the streets of Barcelona. You will quickly learn a few basics, that you can use for travelling and meeting people, and have a fun time.

The “serious” students

If your goal is to learn to speak Spanish more fluently, usually because you want to live and work in Spain or another Spanish speaking country, then you must take a far more serious approach to your Spanish classes. Here are some tips for getting the most of intensive Spanish classes, so that you will flourish and learn and not crash and burn.

Don’t look for the easy route!

Many people, who come to Spain to live and work, do not really learn Spanish because they “want” to. They learn because they “need” to. So naturally they look for an easy way to learn. A fast way. A painless way. Sorry to disappoint you. There is no easy way. In other words - No pain no Spain. (Ouch… bad pun, but I could not resist it! Here are a few tips for the “serious” Spanish students.

Do it now!

If you are learning Spanish because you need to, then it will never be much fun, so my advice is to get the hard part over with and learn as much Spanish as you can at the beginning of your stay in Spain. Once you are settled in, working full-time and have an active social life, then you will not have time or inclination to take many intensive Spanish courses. Most Spanish schools in Barcelona offer 4 hours a day intensive courses either in the morning or afternoon. Just sign up for 4 or 8 weeks.

Be prepared for hard work.

Do not underestimate the effort needed. The pace is gruelling and you will need to show up every day to keep up. Almost all Spanish schools in Barcelona and Spain use the immersion technique, which means that everything in the classroom is in Spanish, all the time, even for beginners, even on the first day! There are not even explanations in English in the text books. This means lots of concentration and home study every day!

Don’t overlook the grammar.

Speaking a language without using grammar is like building a house without a foundation. A strong foundation of grammar will ensure, that you can keep adding more levels to your “Spanish” building. But a bad foundation makes a house of cards and one day your building will topple. Grammar is kind of boring and hard work. But a “I don’t need grammar” attitude is a short term, lazy solution. Grammar is half the language and you will end up speaking “half” Spanish, if you don’t learn it from the first day.

Prepare for your Spanish course.

Unless you have some knowledge of language similar to Spanish, (Portuguese, Italian, French) or have a good knowledge of your own language and its grammar then I would recommend preparing a little for an intensive Spanish course in Spain.

You could consider having a few Spanish lessons in your home country. The teacher’s explanations and instructions will probably be in your own language, just like in primary school. I would also recommend that you buy a Spanish study book in English (or your own language) that explains Spanish grammar and do a little bit of self-study before your start your class.

When you start your Spanish course in Barcelona, you might invest in a few extra private lessons with a Spanish teacher, who speaks English and who can explain a few basic things in English, if you are having trouble following the course. The Spanish school in Barcelona, that you have chosen should be able to help you with this.

Daily study tips for better results .

Show up for all classes! Make it your goal.

Do your homework. Every day. An effective rule is half the time at home as you spend at the Spanish school.

Compete with yourself, not with your classmates. If you are in trouble or falling behind in your Spanish classes then talk to your teacher.

Clear your head and calendar. Barcelona is a party town and your friends from back home will undoubtedly announce their arrival for fun filled party weekends. Try and postpone most parties until you have finished your Spanish course. There just isn’t time for it if you want to keep up.

Buy the books if possible so that you can make your own notes in them and keep them for future reference.

Buy a good dictionary, but not too big and heavy. A small, but good quality pocket dictionary is better investment, because you will be carrying it a lot!

Be realistic and you won’t be disappointed.

It will feel as if you are hardly learning anything in the beginning weeks no matter how hard you study. This is because Spanish is usually spoken at light speed and your untrained ear for the language and weak conversation skills are just not up to the challenge. Don’t worry. It will come.

But don’t overestimate the results of a few weeks of intensive Spanish classes either. Many people assume they will be able to speak fluent Spanish a matter of weeks. They usually book a 4 week Spanish course. Sorry to burst that bubble too. In 1 month you can really learn a lot, especially if you put in the work and show up every day. At the end of that period you will be able to have short conversations and understand a lot. But to speak really fluent Spanish? 6 months to a year is more realistic, and 2 months is the minimum for a really good start!

Suerte!

Peter Williams is a long time resident of Barcelona and the editor of www.barcelonayellow.com a popular information website for residents and visitors. He was previously a founding partner in a leading Spanish School in Barcelona. Click here for a list of Spanish schools in Barcelona with price comparisons.

Travel Fun Time, Intensive Spanish Classes, Spanish Grammar

Millions of tourists visit Spain every year. Some of them are regular visitor. Tourists like this country most because of its different culture. The way of entertainment, celebrating festival, events and sports with the spirit of People of Spain is different from other parts of world. It is famous for bullfights and flamenco dancers. Spain is a beautiful place to live for years and to make home. There is huge demand of Spanish property all over the Europe. Spain has mild and pleasant climate all over the year. If you want to settle abroad then Spain is the best suited place for you. There you will have problem in accommodation and permanent settlement. You have no difficulty, even if you want to buy a property or want a room on rent. Spanish property agents will provide all the facilities anMillions of tourists visit Spain every year. Some of them are regular visitor. Tourists like this country most because of its different culture. The way of entertainment, celebrating festival, events and sports with the spirit of People of Spain is different from other parts of world. It is famous for bullfights and flamenco dancers. Spain is a beautiful place to live for years and to make home. There is huge demand of Spanish property all over the Europe. Spain has mild and pleasant climate all over the year. If you want to settle abroad then Spain is the best suited place for you. There you will have problem in accommodation and permanent settlement. You have no difficulty, even if you want to buy a property or want a room on rent. Spanish property agents will provide all the facilities and help you in buying property. Whatever you want to buy a luxury apartment or villas many other options are for you, at affordable rates you can have lavish flats. There are many options for everyone as per your budget. Contact a property agent, he will provide you all types of property as per your test and budget.

Living in Spain is like in heaven. You will feel cool weather with little shiny sun whole year. There are beaches, parks, cuisine, etc for fun loving people. The biggest part of your money goes in lodging. If you want to stay in Spain only on breakfast and bed or in hotel room, there are all kinds of accommodation facility for tourist. If you go for bed and breakfast service, then you would be able to save 60% less than you would pay for the most Spartan of hotel accommodation. Bed and breakfast are usually served by Catalonian family. It is cheap as compared to lavish hotels rooms. You can see local culture and sounds in a natural condition. It is found beside the landmarks of the city. Beaches will be walking distance from your residence. Booking of bed and breakfast in Spain can be done also online because during peak season it is very difficult to get a booking.

If you want to rent an apartment in Spain with all luxuries then you must prefer agency. Paying to someone for just providing an apartment on rent is little awkward but this is best way to get rent in Spain. You can visit online to agency for rent. Although you can also get rent in some of Spain without agency, but you will have to work hard. The fee of agency is affordable. You can have one bedroom or two bedroom flats with all luxury and facility as per your need and requirement. If you want a room mate you can search online. Before booking a rent in Spain you must keep some information. Ask for a copy of lease before signing any apartment on rent. If you are with your group or room mates decide first who is going to be a negotiator. Negotiate with landlord only for a rent. If you want a beach rental house get sure you will get all luxury with fun in your vacation.d help you in buying property. Whatever you want to buy a luxury apartment or villas many other options are for you, at affordable rates you can have lavish flats. There are many options for everyone as per your budget. Contact a property agent, he will provide you all types of property as per your test and budget.

Living in Spain is like in heaven. You will feel cool weather with little shiny sun whole year. There are beaches, parks, cuisine, etc for fun loving people. The biggest part of your money goes in lodging. If you want to stay in Spain only on breakfast and bed or in hotel room, there are all kinds of accommodation facility for tourist. If you go for bed and breakfast service, then you would be able to save 60% less than you would pay for the most Spartan of hotel accommodation. Bed and breakfast are usually served by Catalonian family. It is cheap as compared to lavish hotels rooms. You can see local culture and sounds in a natural condition. It is found beside the landmarks of the city. Beaches will be walking distance from your residence. Booking of bed and breakfast in Spain can be done also online because during peak season it is very difficult to get a booking.

If you want to rent an apartment in Spain with all luxuries then you must prefer agency. Paying to someone for just providing an apartment on rent is little awkward but this is best way to get rent in Spain. You can visit online to agency for rent. Although you can also get rent in some of Spain without agency, but you will have to work hard. The fee of agency is affordable. You can have one bedroom or two bedroom flats with all luxury and facility as per your need and requirement. If you want a room mate you can search online. Before booking a rent in Spain you must keep some information. Ask for a copy of lease before signing any apartment on rent. If you are with your group or room mates decide first who is going to be a negotiator. Negotiate with landlord only for a rent. If you want a beach rental house get sure you will get all luxury with fun in your vacation.

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Travel Heaven, Luxury Apartment, Room Rent

One of the reasons I chose to travel to Cuernavaca this past April was that it is one of the world’s centers for Spanish teaching. Cuernavaca has in excess of 40 language schools and attracts language students from all over the world to this beautiful city with the near perfect climate. After all, Cuernavaca is “La Ciudad de la Eterna Primavera”, the City of Everlasting Spring.

During my first week in Cuernavaca I had the oportunity to study Spanish at the Ideal School for Spanish and I enjoyed my one-on-one instruction with Estela, one of Ideal’s most experienced teachers. With humour and patience she put me through the usual torture of the Spanish subjunctive, of “ser y estar” and many of the other grammatical nuances that the Spanish language tosses at us non-Latinos.

During my stay at Ideal I really enjoyed the atmosphere, from our first guided walk with one of the teachers through downtown on our first day (with first-hand instructions on how to use the bus system), to our field trip (to a gallery opening), to the coffee breaks, to some of the tasty authentic Mexican snacks served (e.g. chilaquiles), to various birthday and going-away celebrations. The ambience was very personal and enjoyable, almost family-like.

The school itself is located in a beautiful residential neighbourhood with a tropical inner courtyard. My classroom was outside, under a “palapa” (a palm-leaf-thatched Mexcian sun umbrella) and learning Spanish open-air, amid blooming bugainvillas and chirping birds was an experience in itself.

Let me present to you Hermilo Brito, the creator of the Ideal School for Spanish, and also the president of the Association of Spanish Language Schools in Cuernavaca.

1. Please tell us a bit about yourself and your personal background. How did you get involved in the field of language teaching?

Now many years ago, on the 60’s, I had the great opportunity to work in the first Spanish teaching center in Cuernavaca. This center was established by Ivan Illich, a philosopher and catholic priest; the center was named CIDOC (Centro Cultural de Documentación). It actually wasn’t a school, it was a center, well known in the university and intellectual circles, to discuss innovative ideas about the end of the past century. Among the activities at CIDOC were the sending of volunteers to countries in Latin America; those volunteers were required to learn Spanish, so CIDOC had an important Spanish teaching department. In CIDOC, I acted as Spanish language teacher, Coordinator, Director of the Spanish Programs and General Manager.

In 1975, Ivan Illich decided to close the center, this represented an opportunity to establish IDEAL (Instituto de Estudios de America Latina) just like a Spanish school, following the path that I had initiated in CIDOC doing what I like: teach my language.

Over all these years I continued training myself to improve my skills in the language-teaching field, taking courses and attending conferences related to this subject. My concern has been to improve and develop our methodology, in order to become a leader in our area.

2. You are also the President of AIPEC, the Association for Spanish Language Schools in Cuernavaca. Please tell us about the association and Cuernavaca as a language learning destination.

The association of Spanish Language Schools in Cuernavaca was organized 11 years ago; 12 schools concerned with turning our city into a global center of Spanish learning got aid from the Mexican government to promote Cuernavaca. After 11 years, Cuernavaca’s overall cleanliness has improved, we have more tourist services available to foreigners, the city is safer, we have talked with our colleagues from the tourist services to coordinate our efforts to offer the best to our visitors, we have organized shows and cultural events for all Spanish language students, and we are in contact with different government offices to promote Cuernavaca as “The World Center for Spanish Teaching” among other activities and challenges.

Cuernavaca is the world’s second most important city teaching Spanish as a second language. The success of Cuernavaca’s language schools, in addition to the development of an appropriate teaching methodology also resulted from the city’s excellent location; we are 1 ½ hours away from the largest city in the world, Mexico City, and very close to various places where students of Spanish language and Mexican culture can get to know the different facets of this country, through activities which range from cultural visits to museums and archeological sites to recreational destinations such as Acapulco. Visitors can choose from among a wide variety of places to visit.

Cuernavaca, by itself, offers numerous cultural and tourist attractions. Above all, Cuernavaca offers the opportunity to admire and learn about the different times of Mexican history. Above all, Cuernavaca is best known for its weather; local temperatures are between 20 and 30 ºC (68 to 86 ºF) almost throughout the entire year.

3. Please tell us about the history of your school, Ideal Latinoamerica.

Our school, IDEAL, was established on 1975, after the CIDOC (Centro Cultural de Documentación) project ended. The CIDOC trained many teachers and people to teach Spanish as second language. I was one of the people involved with the Spanish-teaching activities and, jointly with a colleague, we established IDEAL (Instituto de Estudios de America Latina). With the enthusiasm of the first years, we reached our goal to create a place where students from all over the world could meet each other to learn Spanish and discover Mexican culture.

In 1996, due to the distinctive didactics and philosophy of the School, I continued this project by myself together with my son, who follows the tradition of Spanish-teaching. We both have in mind to develop the best method that will allow students to learn the language in the best and most dynamic way.

4. Please tell us about your Spanish language classes, your class facilities, your weekly schedule and your teaching faculty.

The purpose of our courses is to introduce students to Spanish as a second language, as many have studied it as a foreign language in their countries of origin. Another goal is to encourage immersion not only into the language but in culture and everyday life.

Our program at IDEAL begins with individual Spanish of no more than 5 students and optional extracurricular activities which are a highly recommended compliment to the program. Every week these include charlas (informal talks) and conferences, round table discussions, songs and movies in Spanish as well as cooking classes, dance classes, coffee social and excursions to cultural and historical sites among many other options.

We teach 9 levels of Spanish; each level emphasizes communication and language practice as appropriate for each student’s level of proficiency, using various interactive techniques that allow the student to speak and communicate in Spanish from day one.

IDEAL has 5-student capacity classrooms (plus teacher); some of them are in the garden (palapas, small areas only covered by palm-tree roofs). IDEAL has 2 conference rooms with a capacity for 18 and 60 students, respectively. The meeting area at IDEAL is the cafeteria, where students socialize and enjoy the “Hora del Café”, the time when the school offers coffee and some snacks (at 11 am), Monday through Friday. Students are invited to enjoy the gardens and areas within IDEAL once classes are through, they can also watch TV, watch a movie or navigate on the Internet (wireless) which are included in the services offered.

A fundamental part of IDEAL is our teachers, who will accompany you every step of the way in the adventure of learning Spanish and discovering a new culture.

IDEAL’s teachers are specialists with university training or many years’ experience teaching Spanish to foreigners or both.

When teachers start working at IDEAL, they receive a course in “Techniques for teaching Spanish as a Second Language”, which covers the fundamentals of the method we use at IDEAL. All year we provide training courses in which teachers learn new techniques and theories, discuss existing teaching methods, and reinforce the teaching methods we use.

However, what distinguishes our teachers is their spirit of teamwork and enthusiasm for teaching and making the atmosphere at IDEAL pleasant and supportive.

5. Please tell us about your Spanish language teaching methodology and your pronunciation improvement programs.

The method of IDEAL is directed towards the development of the student’s ability to communicate in Spanish, especially in the spoken world. From the very first day students will able to immerse themselves in the language and culture. In this way students will become familiar with how we live, our beliefs, our history, our politics, our fiestas and why we celebrate them, and much more regarding the Mexican culture and social life.

According to Stephen Krashen (http://www.sk.com.br/sk-krash.html): “One can learn or acquire a second language informally, the same way one acquires the first. Formal, structured lessons represent another learning process and are not indispensable in the process.” For this reason our method is based on this “Natural Approach” (http://maxpages.com/thena/The_Natural_Approach), and we try to channel the teaching - learning process in this direction, so that students learn by interacting: teacher - student, student - teacher, student - student, student - surroundings.

Also our work is focused on maintaining an atmosphere of courtesy and confidence in the classroom and in the institution in general. Here the teacher’s part is fundamental, as it consists of creating an environment in which students feel relaxed and at ease, which, in our opinion, is the best way to learn an language.

At IDEAL we place special interest in the process of immersing students in culture, for the accessible points of reference it offers them. For a student to develop sound communication skills, she needs to assimilate cultural elements of the country or region where she learns a language. Moreover, language and culture are inseparable.

At the beginner’s level, pronunciation is not a great issue, since we only focus in correcting pronunciation when it turns into an obstacle to communication. In the more advanced levels of our program, pronunciation is more important, because intermediate and advanced students need to improve the way they pronounce the words and the way they modulate when they speak Spanish. Above all, Ideal is able to develop a specific program to improve pronunciation if a student or a group so requests. We had worked for many years on pronunciation before I realized it is not essential when speaking Spanish as second language.

6. Please explain your “Spanish for Professionals” program to us.

Each year our student body includes managers, attorneys, doctors, nurses, school teachers, law enforcement officers, firefighters, engineers, ministers, seminarians, nuns, and people in many other professions for whom it is essential to learn the specific vocabulary of their respective professions.

This program includes 4 hours of group Spanish lessons, designed to reinforce general language skills, and a 1 hour private lesson to study professional Spanish. Professional Spanish consists of vocabulary, aspects of Mexican culture, visits to places of professional interest for the student, analysis and discussion of documents and written information when needed, and meetings with professionals in the student’s field, if deemed necessary.

7. You also offer a “Family Program” in your school. What is this program all about?

Well, this program has now passed to a second term now, since we are pushing new programs: Basic Program (only 4 hours), Basic + Private Program, Cuernavaca - Cancún Program, and Volunteers Program, among others.

The “Family Program” is oriented to host full families (parents and sons) offering a complete solution to their needs such as classes for children, kid-friendly host families, child-oriented activities, and others. The Family Program has not yet had the success we expected, however, should families attend IDEAL to study we are able to provide them the best.

For the entire article including photos please visit

http://www.travelandtransitions.com/interviews/ideal_school.htm

Susanne Pacher is the publisher of Travel and Transitions (http://www.travelandtransitions.com), a popular web portal for unconventional travel & cross-cultural connections. Check out our brand new section featuring FREE ebooks about travel.

Travel Inner Courtyard, Spanish Language Schools, Sun Umbrella

Located at the Iberian Peninsula, Spain is a prominent member of European Union. The country shares the peninsula with another enchantment of Europe- Portugal. An abode of best-kept heritages of the world, Spain has the honor to be the second country, which houses largest number of UNESCO World Heritages.

Considered an exotic temptation in European continent, Spain is famed for its warm hospitality, unhurried lifestyle, tempting savories, sparkling nightlife, grand fiesta and many more captivations, which are not listed here. Remarked as a lazy country, Spain is yet energized…

Cities of Spain-

The capital city of the country, ‘Madrid’ is among the most thriving cities of Europe while the costal city of Barcelona is amazingly colorful.

Barcelona- The capital city of Catalonia (cosmopolitan area of Spain), Barcelona exhibits tints of early years of 20th century and its rich cultural legacy. If you want to spoil yourself in unlimited captivation of museums, exhibitions, outdoor sculpturing, theatrical temptation and dancing allurement, you must plan a trip to Spain. A planned

Spain trip will let you enjoy the best of European diversity.

Madrid – The dazzling Spanish city is famed for its festivity and fervor for music. The music-loving city offers a great nightlife to get spoiled. One of the most sough-after heritage cities of the world, Madrid calls one to sweat out until night while thriving on musical notes.

Things to do in Spain –

Coastal areas of Spain are famous all across the world. Its powdery sand bed is nothing but captivating. In a lazy ambiance, these serene beaches call everyone for relaxed basking…But, if you are an adventure loving being, you can plunge into hundreds of oceanic exhilaration offered. White water rafting, paddling, diving in azure water, boating and many more adventurous activities are offered for those, who suffer from access of adrenalin shot. Nevertheless, such activities leave your heart pumped but these are most enticing for many tourists, as they plan a trip to Spain just to indulge in such activities.

If you are looking for frosty enticement, checkout snowy terrain of Spain, the country is supposed to be a great place for ski classes. There are 35 ice-ski centers around the country. Every centre is equipped with latest facilities.

Exhilaration is not bound in Spain. You had great fun while playing with ice and water, now its time to checkout some striking heritages of the world, which are located in Spain.

Hotels in Spain-

The striking land of Spain is among most visited places on the planet. The nation sees more than million tourist influx every year. To provide an impeccable service to all those, who come Spain to love it and be loved, the country offers numbers of hotels. Spain hotels are available in almost every range. You can get it in accordance with your own choice. Opt for the one that suits your taste best. For online bookings in Spain hotels, you can take help of online Spain travel guide.

By: - Nancy Eben
Hotels in Spain

Please Visit:-
http://www.a1spainhotels.com/hotels.html

Travel City Of Barcelona, Things To Do In Spain, Travel In Spain