Spanish (Beginner 1)

Starting Monday 18th September 2023
Format: face-to-face
Location: ‘Rock Cottage’ (240-248 West Street, BS3 3NE)
Duration: 10 weeks (with a break for half-term on Monday 23rd October)
Day/Time: Mondays 6.15-7.45 pm
Duration of each session: 1h 30min
Course book: Gente Hoy 1 – Libro del alumno, 2013 TBC (not included in the course fee, click to access full details and purchase)
CEFR Level: A1.1
 

Course information

This course is suitable for students with no previous knowledge of Spanish, very basic knowledge (i.e. some words, greetings, some experience on Duolingo) or who attended a Beginner 1 many years ago. In this course you will have the chance to…

• Have a taste of what learning Spanish is like and have a chance to learn your very first sentences
• Acquire basic vocabulary, grammar and useful sentences to start communicating in Spanish
• Start developing your listening, speaking, interacting, reading and writing skills
• Start gaining some Beginner level knowledge which will lead you towards an A1 level of the CEFR*
• Learn about the culture of the different Spanish speaking countries
• Meet new people with a common interest and have fun learning together 

Course Programme And Course Book (TBC)

Gente Hoy 1 – Libro del alumno, 2013 – Not included in the course fee)

Week 1 ¡Bienvenidos al curso! 

• Greetings, introductions and asking for basic personal information.
• Asking for help with the language and Spanish pronunciation.
• (Additional material)

Week 2 Unit 1: Gente que estudia español (1)

• The alphabet, sounds and spelling (pp.18-19, ex. 1 & 2 and p.23, 8)
• Spanish topics to talk about (p.20, ex. 3)
• Numbers 0-10 (pp.20-22, ex. 3 & 4 and p.23, ex. 7)
• Asking about name, phone number and email address (p.24, ex. 9)

Week 3 Unit 1: Gente que estudia español (2)

• Spanish-speaking countries and capital cities (p.22, ex. 5 and p.24, ex. 10)
• Nationalities and masculine / feminine endings (additional material)
• Asking about nationality. Verb SER (to be) + nationality (I am / You are)
• Nouns in Spanish: masculine and feminine endings (p.22, ex. 6) + practice

Week 4 Unit 1: Gente que estudia español (3)

• Group presentation about a Spanish-speaking country (p.25, ex. 11)
• El mundo del español (pp. 26-27, ex. 12, 13 & 14).

Week 5 Unit 2: Gente con gente (1)

• Asking and talking about someone else (p.28-29, ex. 1 A).
• Expressing opinion (I think that…) (p.29, ex. 1 B)
• Verb SER (he/she is) and introduction of other verbs (p.28-29, ex. 1)
• Describing personality + adjective (p. 29, ex. 2 & 3)
• Gente de la Calle Picasso (pp. 30-31, ex. 4)

Week 6 Unit 2: Gente con gente (2)

• Different types of families (additional material)
• Questions and answers about our family (p.32, ex. 6)
• Asking and answering about age + numbers 20-100 (p.32-33)
• Marital status with verb ESTAR (to be + marital status)
• Asking and answering about jobs (p.32-33)
• Describing physical characteristics (additional material)

Week 7 Unit 2: Gente con gente (3)

• Hobbies and leisure activities (additional material)
• Talking about ourselves using verbs in the “yo” form (p.33, 8 B)
• Asking questions about hobbies (p.33, 8 C).
• Spanish weddings and identifying people (pp.34-35, ex. 9)
• España y sus contrastes (pp.36-37, ex. 11, 12 & 13)

Week 8 Unit 3: Gente de vacaciones (1)

• Describing places with SER, ESTAR, TENER & HAY (p.41, ex. 2 & p.43, ex. 6)
• Describing a place that we like (p.43, ex. 8)
• Expressing interests, likes and dislikes (p.41-42, ex. 3 and 4).
• Verbs GUSTAR and INTERESAR (additional material).

Week 9 Unit 3: Gente de vacaciones (2)

• Understanding someone talking about holidays (p.42, ex. 5)
• Facilities in your accommodation (p.43, ex. 7)
• Planning a trip together and expressing preferences (pp.44-45, ex. 9 & 10)
• Where do Spanish people go on holidays? (pp.46-47, ex. 10 & 11)

Week 10 Revision, games, quizzes and end of course drinks.

Students in this course will be able to continue their Spanish studies by joining the Beginner 2 course (A1.2) the following term, after which, they will have completed their full A1 level.