SPRING SPANISH COURSES FOR ALL LEVELS

We are back with more Spanish courses for the Spring term. 8 week courses to get you ready for your holidays to a Spanish-speaking 

country, all focused on practical, real-life Spanish. 

Location

Atlantic Technological University (ATU) (formerly Sligo IT).

Times and Duration of classes

All classes are from 7.30pm to 8.45.

All classes are 1 hour and 15 minutes long.

All courses are for 8 weeks.

Price

€110 for 8 weeks.

Discount €90 for the unwaged or students. Please email spanishinsligo@gmail.com for the discount.

(Please note that our prices are exactly the same as pre-pandemic prices. In fact, they have not gone up in 10 years.)

COURSE GUIDE

We have six levels....

1.     Complete Beginners 2.     Beginners 2 3.     Beginners 3

4.     Elementary 5.     Pre-Intermediate 6.     Intermediate

1. BEGINNERS: For those who are starting from the beginning, a course that covers the basics – personal info, time, days of the week, food, directions etc. Wednesdays from April 19th.

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Book a place on Eventbrite (booking fee)

2. BEGINNERS 2: For people who have done one or two courses before in Spanish, who have a little knowledge of the language but who want to learn more. Continuation of our Beginners course from last year. Tuesdays from April 18th. 

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Book a place on BEGINNERS 2 course on Eventbrite (booking fee)

3. BEGINNERS 3: A continuation of our Beginners 2 course from last term. For those who have done a number of Beginners courses in the past. Mondays from April 17th. 

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4. ELEMENTARY: For people who have done a few courses before in Spanish, who have some knowledge of the language but who would like to advance. A continuation of our Beginners Plus course from last year. Wednesdays from April 19th. 

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5. PRE-INTERMEDIATE: For those who have been studying for a while, who can converse to a certain extent in Spanish but who need help with fluency and accuracy. Mondays from April 17th. 

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6. INTERMEDIATE: For those who can already converse in Spanish, who have been studying for a few years or who have spent time in a Spanish-speaking country. Our highest level, needs a certain degree of confidence. Tuesdays from April 18th.

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ELEMENTARY COURSE, 2023, CLASS 9

 This week we looked at the prepositions of place on page 23:

 

encima de - on top of

entre - between

detrás de - behind

al lado de - beside

delante de - in front of

debajo de - under

¿Dónde está el conejo? - Where is the rabbit?

El conejo está delante de la caja - The rabbit is in front of the box

El conejo está debajo de la mesa - The rabbit is under the table

El conejo está entre la caja azul y la caja roja - The rabbit is between the blue box and the red box

El conejo está entre las cajas. - The rabbit is between the boxes

El conejo está encima de la caja. - The rabbit is on top of the box

El conejo está detrás de la caja. - The rabbit is behind the box

 

We did the activity on page 26:

La silla está al lado de la mesa - The chair is beside the table

El gato está encima de la silla. Falso. - The cat is on the chair. False

El gato está debajo de la silla - The cat is under the chair

El perro está debajo de la cama - The dog is under the bed

El hombre está delante del sofá. Falso. - The man is in front of the couch. False

El hombre está detrás del sofá - The man is under the couch.

 

We looked for the differences between the images A and B on page 27:

1.En la imagen A, la maleta está encima del armario, pero en la imagen B, está entre el armario y el sofá. - In photo A, the suitcase is on the wardrobe but in image B, it is between the wardrobe and the couch.

2.En la imagen A, el florero está delante de la ventana y en la imagen B, está encima de la mesa. - In image A, the vase is in front of the window and in image B, it is on top of the table.

3.En la imagen A, las fotos están encima del estante y en la imagen B, las fotos están delante de la ventana. - In image A, the photos are on the shelf, but in image B, the photos are in front of the window.

4.En la imagen A, las revistas están debajo de la mesita y en la imagen B, están en el suelo. - In photo A, the magazines are under the table but in image B, they are on the floor.

5.En la imagen A, la planta está encima de la mesita pero en la imagen B, está en el estante. - In image A, the plant is on top of the table but in image B, it is on the shelf.

6.En la imagen A, hay un cuadro en la pared, pero en la imagen B, hay un espejo en el mismo sitio. - In image A, there is a picture on the wall but in image B, there is a mirror in the same place.

 

To wrap up the lesson, we briefly described a room in our house and where the furniture is located. A sample:

 

En mi salón hay un sofá entre la lámpara y el sillón - In my living room there is a sofa between the lamp and the armchair.

Hay una mesita delante del sofá - There is a coffee table in front of the couch

Hay fotos y libros encima del estante - There are photos and books on top of the shelf

¡Me encanta mi salón! - I love my living room!

BEGINNERS COURSE, 2023, CLASS 9

 This week we continued on the topic of places. We learnt about directions.

A la izquierda de – on the left

A la derecha de – on the right

Siga –continue ; Siga todo recto – Go straight

Gire – Turn

Suba – go up

Tome – take

Cruce – cross

Baje – go down

La primera calle – The first street / road

La segunda calle – The second street / road

La tercera calle – The third street / road

La cuarta calle – The third street / road

We worked on the map on page 21. The transcript is the following:

1.Por favor, ¿dónde está el museo de arte moderno? – Please, where's the museum of

modern art?

Sigue esta calle todo recto, y toma la segunda a la derecha y el museo está a la izquierda –

Go straight ahead, take the second road on the right and the museum is on the left.

¿Y puedes decirme también dónde se encuentra la catedral? – And can you also tell me

where the cathedral is?

Está en la primera calle, a la izquierda, al final de la calle. It is on the first road, on the left, at

the end of the road.

Oye por favor ¿dónde está la estación? – Excuse me, where is the station?

Siga esta calle todo recto y tome la tercera a la izquierda. Siga hasta el final de la calle, y a

la derecha se encuentra la estación. Go straight on this road and take the third one on the

left. Go straight until the end of the road and the station is on the right.

Oye, por favor, ¿puedes decirme dónde está el restaurante Pepe? ¿Está por aquí? –

Excuse me, can you tell me where restaurant Pepe is? Is it around here?

Sí, tome la primera a la derecha, continúe todo recto hasta el final y ahí está el restaurante

Pepe, a la derecha. – Yes, take the first road on the right, go straight until the end and the

restaurant is there, on the left.

Escucha y repite dialogues on pages 22-23.

-Perdone, señor, ¿dónde está el casco antiguo? –Excuse me sir, where’s the city’s old part?

-Está muy cerca. Está a cinco minutos a pie, al final de esta calle. – It is very close. It’s five

mintues on foot, at the end of this road.

-Perdone señora, ¿hay un restaurante por aquí? – Excuse me madam, is there a restaurant

over here?

-Sí, hay un buen restaurante en la Calle Jaén. Siga todo recto y tome la segunda calle a la

derecha. – Yes, there’s a good restaurant in Jaén St. Go straight and take the second road

on the right.

-Perdone señor, ¿por dónde se va a la estación de trenes? –Excuse me sir, what’s the way

to go to the train station?

-Suba la calle, hasta los semáforos. Tome la tercera calle a la izquierda, y la estación está a

la derecha, en frente de la catedral. –Go up this road, until the traffic lights. Take the third

road on the left and the train station i son the right, in front of the cathedral.

-Perdone señor, ¿La playa, está cerca? – Excuse me sir, is the beach near?

-Sí, está muy cerca. Siga todo recto y tome la primera calle a la izquierda. –Yes, it is very

near. Go straight and take the first road on the left.

Traduce y practica / translate and practice

1.¡Perdón! ¿Dónde está el banco, por favor? – Excuse me, where is the bank, please?

El banco está a la derecha – The bank is on the right.

¿A la derecha? Muchas gracias. – On the right? Thank you very much.

2.¡Perdone! ¿Dónde está la playa? – Excuse me, where is the beach?

Siga todo recto, y la playa está a la izquierda – Continue straight ahead and the beach i son

the left.

3.¡Perdone! ¿Dónde está la iglesia de San Marcos, por favor? – Excuse me! Where is the

church of San Marcos, please?

Tome la primera calle a la derecha y la iglesia está a la derecha – Take the first roa don the

right and the church is on the right.

4.¿Dónde está la comisaría, por favor? – Where is the police station, please?

Suba esta calle y la comisaría está a la izquierda – Go up this road and the pólice station i

son the left.

5.¡Oiga! ¿Hay un supermercado cerca de aquí? – Excuse me! Is there a supermarket near

here?

Sí, hay un supermercado al lado del banco. – Yes, there is a supermarket next to the bank.

BEGINNERS 2 COURSE, 2023, CLASS 9

 This week we revised the physical descriptions. We started by working on the listening activities.

 

En el centro comercial - At the shopping centre

 

Atención, señoras y señores, se ha encontrado a una niña de unos 3 o 4 años en la planta baja. - Attention ladies and gentlemen, we found a girl of about 3 or 4 years of age on the ground floor.

Tiene el pelo rubio y largo y los ojos azules. - She has blond, long hair and blue eyes.

Lleva gafas. - She has glasses

Rogamos a los padres que se pongan en contacto con la oficina de información. - We ask the parents to get in touch with the information office.

Gracias por su atención. - Thanks for your attention

 

El sospechoso - The suspect

 

Pero bueno, ¿no ha dicho nada? - Well, has he not said anything?

 

“Adiós”, es lo único que ha dicho. - ‘Goodbye’ is the only thing he has said

 

¿Y la señora estaba enfadada, o triste o algo? - And was the lady angry, or sad or something?

 

No no, al contrario, estaba muy contenta. - No, no. On the contrary, she was very happy.

 

Y ese hombre, ¿lo conoce usted? Lo ha visto alguna vez. - And that man, do you know him? ¿Have you ever seen him?

 

Nunca, señor. - Never, sir.

 

Y bueno, ¿cómo es? ¿Qué aspecto tiene? - And well, what does he look like?

 

Pues, muy alto, rubio, de pelo rizado, ojos azules. - Well, he is tall, blond and curly hair and blue eyes.

 

¿Es joven? - Is he young?

 

Sí, muy joven. Tendrá, pues, unos 25 años. - Yes, very young. He will be, well, around 25.

 

Siga, siga. - Continue, continue

 

Delgado, muy guapo, y lleva bigote. - Skinny, very good looking and has a beard

 

¿Lleva el pelo largo? - Does he have long hair?

 

Sí, muy largo - Yes, very long

 

No, no, imposible, no puede ser uno de mis guarda-espaldas. - No, no, impossible. It can’t be one of my bodyguards.

 

 

 

In the second part of the class, we described a friend and a member of our family. A couple of examples below:

 

Mi amiga se llama Paula. Tiene treinta y cuatro años. Es alta y guapa. Tiene el pelo rizado y los ojos verdes. Tiene gafas - My friend is called Paula. She is 34. She is tall and pretty. She has long hair and green eyes. She has glasses.

 

Mi hermano se llama Jaime. Es bajo y gordito. Tiene el pelo moreno y corto. Tiene los ojos marrones. Es mi hermano mayor. - My brother is called Jaime. He is tall and chubby. He has short dark hair. He has brown eyes. He is my eldest brother.

 

In the last part of the class, we did ‘filling the gaps’ activity to revise some vocabulary from the course:

 

1.Hoy hace mal tiempo porque está lloviendo.- Today there is bad weather because it is raining.

2.Mi cumpleaños es el doce de noviembre. - My birthday is on 12th of November

3.No me gustan los huevos - I don’t like eggs.

4.Me duele la cabeza. Necesito una aspirina. - I had a headache. I need a painkiller

5.Me gusta mucho la tarta de chocolate. - I like chocolate cake a lot.

6.La revista cuesta dos euros y treinta céntimos. - The magazine is €2.30

7.Si te duele la espalda deberías ir al fisioterapeuta. - If you have a backache, you should go to the physiotherapist.

8.La chica es guapa y tiene los ojos verdes. - The girl is pretty and has green eyes.

9.Pedro es bajo y tiene el pelo rizado. - Pedro is short and has curly hair.

10.Tengo un resfriado y me encuentro fatal. - I have a cold and I feel bad/sick.

 

 

INTERMEDIATE COURSE, 2023, CLASS 9

 Class 9

We talked some more about the differences between Latin America and Europe.

Hay más riqueza en Europa

Hay más pobreza en América Latina

https://youtu.be/yohC6RMwHAU

We watched some more of the video of La Pecosa and talked about other advice she gives….

-        No utilices los enchufes de América. Los de España son más redondeados.

-        No llames “flaco”, “mi amor” o “mi vida” a los camareros. Puede resultar un poco grosero.

-        No pidas cambio de guarnición en los restaurantes.

-        No pidas “gomitas”. Puedes pasar un momento un poco bochornoso.

Grosero – impolite, rude

Guarnición – what accompanies a dish – ensalada, patatas, arroz

Bochornoso – embarrassing.

 

We then read some of the comments about the video on You Tube.

Un topicazo – un tópico – a stereotype

No sé de donde narices sacáis eso – I don’t know where the hell you guys get this from.

Narices – literally “nostrils” – used in expressions of frustration

Estás dando la nota

Dar la nota – calling attention to oneself

 

For homework we have to imagine we are giving advice to people coming to Ireland and what they should not do. We need to use negative imperatives…

No vayas, no comas, no digas etc…

ELEMENTARY COURSE, 2023, CLASS 8

 This week we revised the verbs in present tense by doing a quick activity on filling the gaps:

 

1.Todos los días yo desayuno tostadas y cereales - Every day I have toast and cereal for breakfast

2.Lucía juega al scrabble con sus hijos - Lucía plays scrabble with her children.

3.Nosotros bailamos en la discoteca - We dance at the disco.

4.Los niños estudian en la biblioteca - The children study at the library.

5.Yo duermo en un dormitorio muy pequeño - I sleep in a very small bedroom.

6.Tú lees un libro muy interesante - You read a very interesting book.

7.Pedro pasea al perro después del trabajo - Pedro walks the dog after work.

8.Por las noches yo chateo con mis amigos por el internet - In the evenings I chat with my friends online.

9.Yo escucho música cuando hago ejercicio - I listen to music when I do exercise.

10.Pablo y María viven en un apartamento a las afueras de Bilbao - Pablo and María live in an apartment on the outskirts of Bilbao.

 

We also looked at some reflexive verbs:

despertarse - to wake up

levantarse - to get up

ducharse - to take a shower

lavarse - to wash oneself

maquillarse - to put makeup on

afeitarse - to shave

lavarse/cepillarse los dientes - to brush one’s teeth

acostarse - to go to bed

preguntarse - to wonder

 

In pairs, we asked each other questions:

 

¿A qué hora te levantas? - What time do you get up?

Me despierto a las siete y media pero me levanto a las ocho menos cuarto - I wake up at 7.30 but I get up at 7.45

¿Qué haces después? - What do you do afterwards?

Después me cepillo los dientes y me maquillo - Then I brush my teeth and I put makeup on

¿Te duchas por las mañanas o por las noches? - Do you have a shower in the mornings or in the evenings?

Me ducho por las noches.

 

 

In the last part of the class, we looked at some vocabulary on furniture.

 

una cama - a bed

una cómoda - a chest of drawers

una alfombra - a mat / a rug

una puerta - a door

un escritorio - a desk

un lavaplatos - a dishwasher

una lavadora - a washing machine

una lámpara - a lamp

una pared - a wall

una nevera / un refrigerador / un frigo

un espejo - a mirror

un cuadro - a picture / painting

una mesa - a table

una mesita - a coffee table / a bedside locker

un sofá - a sofa

un televisor / una televisión - TV

un armario - a wardrobe

una ventana - a window

una silla - a chair

un ordenador / una computadora - computer

el suelo - the floor

 

And we revised the vocabulary with a quiz game on quizlet. Link:

https://quizlet.com/ie/784695052/los-muebles-y-la-casa-flash-cards/?funnelUUID=cfb9b5b8-8b6f-424a-98b2-5542ddbafd70

 

BEGINNERS COURSE, 2023, CLASS 8

 This week we started by looking at a menu and in pairs we created a conversation between a customer and a waiter. A sample:

 

-Hola, buenas tardes. Una mesa para dos, por favor. - Hello good afternoon.  A table for two, please.

-Muy bien. ¿Qué van a tomar? - Very good. What are you going to eat?

-Para mí, una sopa de pollo. - For me, a chicken soup

-No tenemos sopa de pollo pero tenemos sopa de verduras - We don’t have chicken soup but we have vegetable soup.

-Vale, perfecto - Ok, perfect

-De segundo, quisiera una hamburguesa. - For mains, I would like a burger.

-¿Quiere cebolla en la hamburguesa? - Would you like onion in the burger?

-No, gracias - No thanks

-¿Y de beber? - And for drinks?

-Quiero una copa de vino de la zona - I want a glass of wine from the area.

-Vale. ¿Algo más? - Ok, anything else?

-Sí, la cuenta, por favor - Yes, the bill, please.

 

In the second part of the class, we started the topic of places in the city - LUGARES EN LA CIUDAD

la oficina de Correos - the post office

la piscina - the swimming pool

la iglesia - the church

la playa - the beach

la farmacia - the pharmacy

el banco - the bank

el cine - the cinema

el museo - the museum

el supermercado - the supermarket

la comisaría - the police station

la estación de trenes - train station

la oficina de turismo - tourist office

los semáforos - traffic lights

la tienda de ropa - clothes shop

 

Other new words:

la carnicería - the butchers

la pescadería - the fishmongers

la pastelería - the pastry shop

la librería - the bookshop

la biblioteca - the library

el aeropuerto - the airport

el hotel - the hotel

el restaurante - the restaurant