Spanish

The Foreign Language Center

Course Descriptions

Why should I learn Spanish?

If you are taking a vacation to Spain, Central America, South America or the Carribean, you

will be able to communicate with the locals.

Communicate with a family member.

Widen your career options. The Spanish language is wide spread throughout the country and

many companies want staff that are able to communicate with a high percentage of

Spanish speaking clientel.

Spanish is an excellent gateway language to other languages, especially the Romance

Languages, having words and phrases from :

French

Italian

Arabic

Native American Languages

How long will it take for me to learn the language?

The timeline to learn languages is different for each person. It depends on:

If you know other languages.

How much do you really want to learn the language?

How much effort you put into it.

However, on average someone can reach level of proficiency (the level of feeling comfortable having a conversation with a native speaker, without having a loss for words) between 2 to 3 years.

Who speaks Spanish?

Spanish is an official language of the United Nations.

Spanish is the 2nd most learnt language as a second language, after English.

Spanish is the official language of the following countries and Dependent Regions of the United States:

Argentina

Bolivia

Chile

Columbia

Costa Rica

Cuba

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Guatemala

Honduras

Mexico

Nicaragua

Panama

Paraguay

Peru

Puerto Rico (a US territory)

Spain

Uruguay

Venezuela

Locations where Spanish is utilized in high numbers, due to the large influx of immigration, but not considered official:

Andorra

Belize

Brazil

France

Gibraltar

Italy

Morocco

United Kingdom

United States

The United States is the 5th largest Spanish speaking population in the world; larger than most countries that claim it as their official language.

Most of the immigration influx to the United States have come from Central America, Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and now Nicaraguans and Salvadorans.

How many people speak Spanish?

About 425 million people.

Approximately 28 million people in the United States speak Spanish.

Spanish is the 2nd most spoken language in the world.

Spanish is the 2nd most spoken European language in the world.

You already know a great deal of Spanish words than you expected. Spanish contributed a multitude of words to the English language, for example some are: cilantro, embargo, jalapeño, mosquito, oregano, etc.

*** The above figures came from the Textbook "Punto de Partida" - 2008 Edition

Current Course Schedule

Spanish Resources

Spain

Our Course Offerings for Adults & Children

Although teens and adults

are grouped together in the following description, there are separate classes for the groups. The difference between the classes is the pacing of the class, and some of the class activities are altered for the specific age group and interests.

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Puerto Rico

The ESL & TOEFL Associates INSTITUTE ALSO OFFERS CULTURE & TRAVEL COURSES IN SPANISH ! CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION!

Travel & Culture

Spanish for Children I

This class was developed for students with no previous background or minimum background in reading, writing and speaking. The class will begin with the alphabet for pronunciation and will progress to include the following:

Greetings
Numbers(0-30)
Colors
Adjectives
Time
Family
Verbs
Culture about the Spanish Language
Some culture about Spain

By the end of the course each student should be able to introduce themselves and others in Spanish as well as create a basic sentence describing a person or an object.

The class activities are puzzles, short videos, music clips, index card games, etc., as a form of learning grammar and vocabulary.

Spanish for Children II

The course is for students with a general background of the language. The students should possess previous knowledge of basic introductions, greetings, and the alphabet. The class begins with a general review of Level I topics listed above. The class will then continue with the following topics:

Classroom vocabulary
Numbers(above 30 to 100)
Creating schedules
Some irregular verbs
Adjectives
Sentences become more complex
Some culture about Mexico

By the end of the course each student should be able to discuss their daily schedule. Also, their sentences structure will have become more complex than "I am American" for instance.

The class activities are puzzles, short videos, music clips, index card games, etc., as a form of learning grammar and vocabulary.

Spanish for Teens and Adults I

This course was created for students with no previous knowledge of Spanish.

Reading, writing, and speaking will be practiced as a class, with partners and individually. The class will begin with the pronunciation and will progress from that to multiple topics, some of which can be chosen by the student, including:

Greetings
Basic expressions
Verbs
Numbers 0-30
Time
Creating basic sentences
Some culture of the language, and the countries that speak the language

By the end of the course each student should be able to introduce themselves and others, as well as create a basic sentence describing a person or an object.

This class includes conversations and short written assignments, music clips, videos, poems, short newspaper articles, and images.

Spanish for Teens & Adults II

The students should have a general background in Spanish. The class will begin with a general review of the above topics listed under Level I and then continue from that point to include topics such as:

Classroom vocabulary
Numbers(above 30 to 100)
More adjectives
Days of the week
Months
Weather
Verbs
Shapes
Colors

By the end of the course each student should be able to discuss their daily schedule in detail in Spanish. And should be able to label and describe the physical look of an object in Spanish.

This class will include conversations and short written assignments, music clips, videos, poems, short newspaper articles, and images.

Spanish for Teens & Adults III

This course is designed or students with a solid background in Spanish, including creating basic complete sentences. The class will begin with a general review of the above topics listed under Levels I & II and then continue from that point to include topics such as:

Numbers(above 100)
Directions
Commands
Introduce Past Tense (Preterite Tense)

By the end of the course each student should be able to ask and give directions to a location. The student should be able to begin to express themselves in the Preterite Tense (Past Completed).

This class will include conversations and short written assignments, music clips, videos, poems, short newspaper articles, and images.

Spanish for Teens & Adults IV

This course is designed for students with a solid background in the language, including creating basic complete sentences. The class will begin with a general review of the above topics listed under Level I through Level III and then continue from that point to include topics such as:

Food and Restaurants
Continue Past Tense (Preterite Tense)
Introduce Past Tense (Imperfect Tense)

Since this is considered the intermediate level, the students will focus more on reading small passages and writing more complex sentences.

By the end of the course each student should be able to order food at a restaurant. They will also be able to formulate complex sentences at the intermediate level, in the present and past tense. Lastly, they should be able to read small basic exerpts in the language.

This class includes conversations and longer written assignments, music clips, videos, poems, short newspaper articles, and images.

Spanish for Teens & Adults V

The class will be tailored to the students' specific weaknesses and topics that the student would like to learn in Spanish.

This class will include conversations and long written assignments, regarding TV episodes in Spanish, Spanish films, and Portuguese books.

Spanish for Children III

The students should have a solid background in Spanish, and be able to create basic complete sentences. The class will begin with a general review of the above topics listed under Levels I & II and then continue from that point to include topics such as:

Body parts
Numbers(above 100)
Clothing
Irregular verbs
Directions
Commands
Culture of Argentina

By the end of the course each student should be able

to describe their clothing, and be able to name the body parts and explain any ailments that they might have in complete Spanish sentences. The students will also be able to ask and give directions to a location.

The class activities are puzzles, short videos, music clips, index card games, etc., as a form of learning grammar and vocabulary.

Spanish for Children IV

The students must be able to create sentences at an intermediate level. The class will begin with a general review of the above topics listed under Level I to Level III and then continue from that point to include

topics such as:

Food
Animals
Irregular Verbs
Culture of a class picked Spanish

Speaking country

Since this is considered the

intermediate level, the students will

focus more on reading small passages

and writing more complex sentences.

By the end of the course each student

should be able to order food at a

restaurant. They will also be able to

formulate complex sentences at the

intermediate level. Lastly, they should be able to read small basic excerpts.

The class activities are puzzles, short videos, music clips, index card games, etc., as a form of learning grammar and vocabulary.

Spanish for Children V

The class is tailored to address the students' specific weaknesses and the topics the students would like to learn.

Another option for the student is to join the Spanish for Adults III to continue their studies, dependent of maturity level and the completion of an entrance exam to continue their studies.

BUILD YOUR OWN CLASS !

We are always looking for ideas for new classes. Contact us with any ideas you might have.

If you do not see the class you want, then build your own class. Tell us what your specific needs are and we will create a class around them. You will have one-on-one tutoring from our staff !!!