Spoken by 470 million people, and one of the six official languages of the United Nations, discover Spanish and its culture.
These courses are delivered face to face on ANU campus.
If you require accessibility accommodations or a visitor Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan to attend our courses please contact us at clt@anu.edu.au.
Spanish 1
Details
- Sessions: 9 evening sessions
- Dates: Term 3 TBA
- Times: 6-8pm
- Enrolment Fee: $420
Dates and Times
Spanish 1 is the first of three introductory courses of the Spanish language. It is suitable for those students who wish to start exploring the language and discovering the cultural differences and idiosyncrasies between the people of Spain and the people of Latin America. The course will provide you with the opportunity to develop basic communication skills in Spanish. It will also allow you to learn fundamental linguistic structures of the language in a relaxed and fun atmosphere.
Course outline
Each week a different topic will be covered which will include vocabulary, grammar and basic exercises designed to give you practical conversation skills as well as understanding, reading and writing skills.
- Topic 1: Greetings and introducing yourself. Spanish sounds and the alphabet.
- Topic 2: A brief tours around Spain and Latin America. Gender and articles.
- Topic 3: Saying hello and introducing someone. Nationalities. More about gender and the present tense of the verb ‘ser’ (to be).
- Topic 4: Talking about yourself: your profession, where you work and where you live. Informal vs formal ‘you’. More about gender and the present tense of regular verbs.
- Topic 5: Asking questions about numbers and e-mail addresses. More about the present tense of some verbs.
- Topic 6: Introducing the family and giving personal information. The present tense of the verb ‘estar’ (to be). Comparing ‘Ser’ y ‘Estar’.
- Topic 7: Saying where things are and talking about possession. Prepositions of place and possessive adjectives.
- Topic 8: Asking and telling the time. More about possessive adjectives.
- Topic 9: Talking about daily routines. An introduction to reflective verbs. The days of the week.
- Topic 10: Talking about work and/or study. Review of verbs.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, you should:
- understand the basic sounds and fundamental aspects of the Spanish language
- be able to greet both formally and informally in Spanish
- ask and answer simple questions about yourself, others and objects
- be able to tell the time and give personal information
- be able to talk about your nationality, about your job, and about daily routines
- be familiar with basic grammar properties of the language.
Who should enrol
This course is open to those with no or little experience in Spanish and wishing to learn the language for personal enjoyment, for travel or for professional reasons.
What our students say
“Very good course, professionally run and enjoyable. A very good teacher who was able to deliver excellent outcomes, while making the course interesting, relaxed and informative.”
Spanish 2
Details
- Sessions: 9 evening sessions
- Dates: Tuesdays 30 April – 25 June 2024
- Times: 6-8pm
- Enrolment Fee: $420
Spanish 2 is the continuation of Spanish 1 and the second of three introductory courses of the Spanish language. It is suitable for those students who wish to continue exploring the Spanish language within a cultural context and who have completed Spanish 1 or similar study of approximately 20 hours of class. It is also suitable for those who have visited a country where Spanish is spoken and have fallen under the spell of this passionate language! The course has a strong focus on oral communication, and it will provide you with the opportunity to hop on this journey to learn to speak Spanish and develop fundamental linguistic structures of the language in a relaxed and fun atmosphere.
Course outline
Each week a different topic will be covered which will include new vocabulary and expressions in Spanish, language grammatical structures and basic exercises designed to give you practical conversation skills as well as understanding, reading and writing skills.
- Topic 1: Greetings and introducing yourself. A review of the key linguistic structures learned in Spanish 1.
- Topic 2: Talking about daily routines and telling the time. Review of the present tense and the reflexive verbs.
- Topic 3: Talking about what you do and ordering breakfast. More about reflexive verbs.
- Topic 4: Some cultural differences between the people of Spain and the people of Latina America. Is there only one Spanish language?
- Topic 5: Talking about where you live and describing your house. Review of the verb To Be (‘Ser’ o ‘Estar’) and different ways of saying ‘there is’.
- Topic 6: Making a booking at a hotel and traveling through Spain. Review of grammatical structures.
- Topic 7: Ordering a meal in a restaurant and discovering some of the typical foods of Latin America. Introduction to the regular imperative.
- Topic 8: Expressing likes and dislikes. Leisure activities. The verb To Like (‘Gustar’)
- Topic 9: Asking for information. Giving instructions. Asking favours. The present tense vs the imperative. The irregular imperative.
- Topic 10: Describing your neighborhood. Funny comparisons between expressions in Spanish from Spain and Latin America, and differences within Latin American countries.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, you should be able to:
- have acquired basic communication skills and understand simple conversation
- feel relatively comfortable with participating in short dialogues with Spanish speakers
- provide fundamental information about yourself
- talk about daily routines
- make a booking at a hotel, order food in a restaurant, and ask for directions
- express likes and dislikes
- be familiar with basic grammar properties of the language.
Who should enrol
This course is suitable for those who have completed Spanish 1 or the equivalent of approximately 20 hours of study.
What our students say
“This course ensures that you have a clear understanding of elements of Spanish grammar that will ultimately provide a solid platform for more advanced Spanish. Fun learning environment where you leave each week with better Spanish and feeling encouraged to come back for more.”
“Interactive, fun and informative. A structured approach to learning Spanish but a lot of fun along the way.”
Spanish 3
Details
- Sessions: 9 evening sessions
- Dates: Term 3 TBA
- Times: 6-8pm
- Enrolment Fee: $420
Spanish 3 is the last of three introductory courses of the Spanish language and briefly reviews the key grammatical structures learned in Spanish 1 & Spanish 2. It is suitable for those students who wish to continue exploring the Spanish language within the cultural context of Spain and Latin America, and who have completed approximately 40 hours of class. It is also suitable for those who have travelled to a Spanish speaking country and have acquired a basic understanding of the language. With a strong focus on oral communication, you will be provided with the opportunity to hop on this journey to learn to speak Spanish and develop fundamental linguistic structures of the language in a relaxed and fun atmosphere.
Course outline
Each week a different topic will be covered which will include new vocabulary and expressions in Spanish, language grammatical structures and basic exercises designed to give you practical conversation skills as well as understanding, reading and writing skills.
- Topic 1: Introducing yourself and sharing basic information with others. Review of key language structures from Spanish 1 & Spanish 2.
- Topic 2: Talking on the phone. Arranging to meet someone. Describing someone. Review of the present tense and irregular verbs.
- Topic 3: Talking about things that are happening. The present continuous (‘El presente continuo’:estar + gerundio) ‘Estoy trabajando’ (I am working).
- Topic 4: Asking for and giving directions. Cultural traditions in Mexico and in some other countries in Latin America.
- Topic 5: Talking about the past (yesterday). Talking about the weather. The preterit tense (‘El pretérito indefinido). ‘Yotrabajé’ (I worked).
- Topic 6: Going shopping. Identifying colours and describing clothes. Direct object pronouns. Adjectives and gender.
- Topic 7: Making comparisons. Regular comparatives and irregular comparatives. Demonstrative adjectives and pronouns.
- Topic 8: Talking about illness and remedies. Parts of the body. Expressing plans & intentions. Expressing the future with the verb ‘to go’: Voy a trabajar. (I am going to travel).
- Topic 9: Talking about past habits. The imperfect tense (El pretérito imperfecto). ‘Yo trabajaba’ (I worked or I was working)
- Topic 10: Expressing yourself in the present, the past and the future. Key language structures reviewed.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, you should be able to:
- hold a basic conversation with speakers of the Spanish language
- communicate comfortably at a beginner’s level asking questions and discussing everyday life topics
- read and understand simple texts
- talk about current events in your daily life
- express uncomplicated ideas in the present, the past and the future
- be familiar with basic grammar properties of the written language.
Who should enrol
This course is open to those with some experience in Spanish at the introductory level and who wish to continue to learn the language for personal enjoyment, for travel or for professional reasons.