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Spanish Lessons in the 21st century

5/5/2014

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We all know what the benefits are of having a Spanish lesson with a private tutor face-to-face or in class. A qualified and experienced tutor will actively involve the student in the lesson, so the student can interact and can be confident when speaking.

It’s the 21st century and we are aware of the different gadgets that allow us to work, study and be in contact with colleagues and friends. Nowadays you can save travelling time, make the most of your lunch break or save money in classes packed of students; this is way learning online is suited for some people.

There are plenty of online Spanish resources on the Internet, which allow you go through the language when and where you want.  But you need to take into account that the majority of those courses don’t have an experienced teacher or tutor who is there to interact and support you when needed. We can’t forget that the speaking is a key element when learning a language. And when you are speaking your tutor needs to pay attention to what you say, so that you make progress and improve your skills.

When learning a new language, most students prefer to develop their speaking skills as much as possible, because this skill is what is needed most. While online resources can be a good way to support learning a language, they don’t focus on developing conversation or speaking skills. In order for students to be confident when speaking, it’s important to address the pronunciation in detail. However, we still recommend students use online resources to practice when they are not having lessons in person.

Our Skype lessons are a good option for those who are willing to have lessons remotely. You just need a good Internet connection! We will build rapport with you and will invite you to take part in our social events. If you are interested we can also organise a lesson where we will invite another student to participate and you will both be able to practice speaking Spanish!

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How can I learn Spanish? - ¿Cómo puedo aprender español?

16/4/2014

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Our lessons are the key to learning Spanish - and of course practise is very important too! Living in a country like Australia might not give many people the chance to practise their Spanish. Most students don’t like spending time reading grammar books or listening to audio courses. Therefore you might wonder what the best way is to keep practising when you are not having the lesson with your tutor. 

Watching Spanish documentaries, movies or news is a great way to keep the flow into your Spanish skills. There’s a huge variety of movies available, suited to all levels of Spanish. Even if you are at a beginner level, you can try watching children’s movies to help familiarise yourself with the Spanish language. Leave movies with a more advanced vocabulary for when you have made more progress. No matter what level you have, you will improve your skills!
Ideally you should watch the TV in Spanish without subtitles. However, you might also have the option of subtitles to help you understand it. This can be very beneficial because you can read in Spanish while listening to audio. You will learn new vocabulary, become more aware of phrases and idioms and know when to use them. You will also associate images with sentences. If you are more into music you can use YouTube and play Spanish video clips that include the lyrics of the songs. 

We can advise you about the best movies to watch and music to listen to depending on your level - just ask us!

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To be - ¿Ser o Estar?

4/3/2014

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Many people find it frustrating to understand the difference between Ser and Estar. Below is the present tense conjugation for the verb "to be" – Ser or Estar – in Spanish.


I am

You are      
He/she is                  
We are 
You are (plural)
They are 

SER

Yo soy
Tu eres
El/Ella es
Nosotros somos 
Vosotros sois
Ellos son
ESTAR

Yo estoy
Tu estás 
El/Ella está
Nosotros estamos
Vosotros estáis
Ellos están


Our explanation should help you understand the differences are between Ser and Estar. We have summarised the general rules below!

SER:

Ser is used for: time, origin, description, characteristic, occupation and relationship.

Time: Mañana es la boda de su hermana. Tomorrow is her sister's wedding.
Origin: Los profesores son de España. The teachers are from Spain.
Description: Soy alto. I’m tall.
Characteristic: Su padre es extrovertido. His father is outgoing.
Ocupation: Eres estudiante de Español. You are a Spanish student.
Relationship: Vosotros sois mis familiares. You are all my relatives.

ESTAR:

Estar is used for: emotion, position, location, action and condition.

Emotion: Estáis contentos con los resultados. You are happy with the results.
Position: Ellos están sentados en el banco. They are seated on the bench.
Location: El coche está en el garaje. The car is in the garage.
Action: Tus amigos están corriendo en el parque. Your friends are running in the park.
Condition: Hoy no estoy enfermo. Today I’m not ill.


EXCEPTIONS:

Ser:
Religion: Mi novio es muy religioso. My boyfiend is very religious.
Location for events: El festival es en el norte de la ciudad. The festival is in the north of the city.

Estar:
Death: Su abuelo está muerto. His grandfather is dead.

Some words can be used with both Ser and Estar. However, depending on the verb they take on different meanings. See examples below.

SER

ser aburrido
ser bueno 
ser cansado 
ser grave 
ser listo 
ser malo 
ser orgulloso 
ser moreno 
ser pálido 
ser pesado 
ser rico 
ser seguro 
ser verde 
ser viejo 
ser vivo


to be boring 

to be good 
to be a tiring person to be serious 
to be clever 
to be bad 
to be conceited or vain 
to be dark-skinned 
to be pale skinned 
to be heavy 
to be rich 
to be safe 
to be green 
to be old 
to be sharp
ESTAR

estar aburrido
estar bueno
estar cansado 
estar grave 
estar listo 
estar malo 
estar orgulloso
estar moreno 
estar pálido 
estar pesado 
estar rico 
estar seguro 
estar verde 
estar viejo 
estar vivo


to be bored

to be tasty/attractive 
to be tired
to be seriously ill 
to be ready 
to be ill 
to be proud 
to be tanned 
to be pale 
to be tiresome 
to be tasty 
to be certain 
to be unripe 
to look old
to be alive
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The definite article - El artículo definido

19/2/2014

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In Spanish, there are 4 different forms of the definite article ('the'). In order to know which form you need to use, you need to look at the noun and find out whether the noun is masculine, feminine, singular or plural. The definite article always matches the gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) of the noun. Therefore, if the noun is masculine and plural, the article has to be masculine and plural. 

Here are some examples:

Singular masculine:
Su hijo está en el colegio de lunes a viernes. His child is in the school from Monday to Friday.
Singular feminine: 
Ayer compré la mesa que viste en mi habitación. Yesterday I bought the table that you saw in my room.
Plural masculine:

Los billetes de autobus son baratos. The bus tickets are cheap.
Plural feminine:

Tengo que ir al banco para recoger las tarjetas de crédito. I have to go to the bank to get the credit cards.

To know all the exceptions and take a quiz:
http://www.spanishdict.com/topics/show/5




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    Author

    Manuel Alvarez

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