If you’ve decided that you want to teach English as a foreign language, finding the right TEFL course for you can feel overwhelming. You might hear that a particular online certificate is enough before being told that more training is required. Then there are all the acronyms like TEFL, TESOL and CELTA, and suddenly finding […]
One of the most important grammar topics to master if you want to sound fluent in Spanish is the present subjunctive. Using this form correctly can make you sound like a native speaker, as it allows you to express ideas that go beyond simple facts. With the subjunctive, you can talk about wishes, doubts, emotions […]
Encouraging your students to speak up and test themselves in English class is certainly a challenge, but it can also be one of the most rewarding elements of teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). Whether you’re working with young kids just starting out or with advanced adult learners, or any level in between, selecting […]
One of the first challenges for Spanish students is understanding grammatical gender, especially if your native language is one where this concept doesn’t exist, such as English. In Spanish, every noun has a gender and is either masculine or feminine. Understanding this is essential because it affects not only the noun itself, but also the […]
When learning any new language, it’s important to fully understand the letters and sounds which you’ll be using. Mastering the Spanish alphabet and Spanish vowels is an important first step for all students taking online Spanish courses or Spanish courses in Madrid. It’s also key to learn the different combinations vowels can make when they […]
One of the most enjoyable elements of learning Spanish is when you begin to notice patterns, as can be the case with compound words. A compound word is simply a word made by joining two or more smaller words together, to create a more specific or even an entirely new meaning. In Spanish, compound words […]
One of the best ways for a Spanish language class to improve skills, especially in speaking and listening, is by taking school trips to Spain. Visiting Spain means learning can take place in a real-world setting, where Spanish is spoken in daily life and where they can interact meaningfully with native speakers. In addition to […]
If you’ve ever tried to ask a question in Spanish and hesitated between using “qué” or “cuál”, you’re not alone. These two little interrogative words often translate to “what” or “which” in English, but their uses don’t map cleanly onto English equivalents. Below, we’ll break down exactly what each of these Spanish words means, and […]
If you’ve spent time in Spain or listened to Spanish speakers, you might have noticed slightly different endings attached to familiar words. These were likely Spanish diminutives. But what exactly are diminutives? Well, Spanish diminutives are special suffixes added to words to subtly modify their meanings. While the most common use in Spain is to […]
Learning Spanish is more accessible than ever. Whether you prefer the structure of traditional face-to-face classes or the flexibility of digital learning, both options have their benefits and the most important thing is to give learning a new language a go. Of course, deciding between face-to-face or online Spanish classes is a big question to […]
When studying a new language, it’s important to be aware of false friends, especially if the language you’re learning has some crossover with your native one. These false friends can cause confusion and, on occasion, lead to some silly mistakes. Fortunately, we have a long list of 25 Spanish-English false friends below, to help steer […]
Learning Spanish can seem like a big challenge at first, but there are several easy ways to learn Spanish that are fun, rewarding and effective. Millions of people around the world speak Spanish as a second language and they’ve picked it up through a variety of methods. Here, in this post, we’ll take a look […]
