* We reserve the right to deliver classes via zoom if Covid safety advice changes over the course of 21/22
Spanish
PBS Language Proficiency Programme (LPP)
Register your place
- R PBS Language Proficiency Programme (LPP) – registration for next year will open in September 2022
The Spanish language - did you know?
There are more than 580 million Spanish speakers and the number is set to grow. Spanish is the official language in 21 countries and the second most popular tongue for study. According to the 2020 Instituto Cervantes Spanish language review:
- The number of speakers has grown more than 30% and the group of students as a foreign language has expanded by almost 60%.
- Spanish is the second mother tongue in the world by number of speakers, after Mandarin Chinese.
- It is the third language in a global tally of speakers (native, limited proficiency and students of Spanish), after English and Mandarin Chinese.
- 7.9% of internet users communicate in Spanish, making it the 3rd most used language.
- After English, Spanish is the most commonly used language in the publication of scientific texts.
- It is also the second most relevant language in the tourism sector.
- The best thing about studying Spanish is that no matter what variety you speak, you can communicate with all its speakers.
- Modern businesses value employees who can help them with international trade, particularly in the context of Spain/Spanish speaking countries.
- From music to literature, customs, traditions, gastronomy and history, you will get to know and learn not only the language, but also its vast cultural richness.
- Spanish is fun to learn at the University of Plymouth. Come and join us!
Modules available:
Spanish level 1
Methodology: Teaching is communicative with class work emphasising listening, speaking and practice of sentence structure. Self-study consists of reviewing the work done in class and practising language skills as advised by the tutor. Resources to support the course include a textbook, online exercises and materials as advised by the tutor.
Description: Level 1 assumes no previous knowledge of the language.
The course introduces some of the basic structures of the language through topics related to social and everyday life in Spain. The focus is on listening, speaking and reading basic materials that introduce grammatical structures which will facilitate manipulation of the language. By the end of the course students will be able to use both the present and the future tense in Spanish. Elements of Spanish culture will be incorporated into the classes to support the topics listed in the course content.
Classes will take place on a Wednesday*. 13:00-15:00.
Spanish level 2
Methodology: Teaching is communicative with class work emphasising listening, speaking and practice of sentence structure. Self-study consists of reviewing the work done in class and practising language skills as advised by the tutor. Resources to support the course include a textbook, online exercises and materials as advised by the tutor.
Description: Level 2 will assume that you have either completed level 1 or have a pass at GCSE.
The course will develop communicative competence improving students’ ability to establish social and working relations with speakers of Spanish, to introduce key aspects of Spanish culture, and to handle useful routine writing and reading tasks. This module will cover the use of Spanish as a means of communication in such situations as may be encountered during daily life or during a period of temporary work in a Spanish speaking country. Vocabulary, grammar and independent learning strategies will be presented for the student to help build a strong foundation for continued Spanish language acquisition beyond this module.
Classes will take place on a Wednesday.* 15:00-17:00.
Additional information:
Spanish level 1
Tutor: Blanca Del Cerro-García.Class dates: Starting in week commencing 18 October 2021 and finishing week commencing 28 March 2022.
Class times: Wednesdays from 13:00-15:00.
Frequency of class: Two hours of class contact and approximately 1.5 hours self-study a week are recommended in order to make good progress.
Venue: Cookworthy Building, Plymouth Business School.
Course fee: These classes are free of charge for the first 20 interested students.
Number of students: Maximum 20.
Textbook: Foundations Spanish 1, (Palgrave 3rd edition, 2017). ISBN-10:9781137579201 ISBN-13:978-1137579201.
Additional resources: These will be provided for you both in class and in the form of weekly private study learning tasks (available on Moodle).
Assessment: Assessment is voluntary and will be held at the end of the course in week commencing 28.03.22. More details on assessment format will be given during semester 2 for those who are interested.
Cancelled classes: Any classes that are cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances will be re-arranged by your tutor for a later date.
Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR): The learning outcomes for Level 1 are equivalent to level A1.1 of the Common European Framework of Reference, guidelines used across Europe to describe achievements of learners of foreign languages.
Spanish Level 2
Tutor: Blanca Del Cerro-García.Class dates: Starting in week commencing 18 October 2021 and finishing week commencing 28 March 2022.
Class times: Wednesdays from 15:00-17:00.
Frequency of class: Two hours of class contact and approximately 1.5 hours self-study a week are recommended in order to make good progress.
Venue: Cookworthy Building, Plymouth Business School.
Course fee: These classes are free of charge for the first 20 interested students.
Number of students: Maximum 20.
Textbook: Foundations Spanish 2, (Palgrave 1st edition, 2005). ISBN-10:1403943389 ISBN-13:978-1403943385.
Additional resources: These will be provided for you both in class and in the form of weekly private study learning tasks (available on Moodle).
Assessment: Assessment is voluntary and will be held at the end of the course in week commencing 28.03.22. More details on assessment format will be given during semester 2 for those who are interested.
Cancelled classes: Any classes that are cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances will be re-arranged by your tutor for a later date.
Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR): The learning outcomes for Level 2 are equivalent to level A2.1 of the Common European Framework of Reference, guidelines used across Europe to describe achievements of learners of foreign languages.
Provisional schedule
Semester 1
| UNIT | CONTENT | GRAMMAR |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 0 | Welcome. Introduction to Spanish alphabet and sounds. General greetings. Giving /asking/spelling name (alphabet). | ‘I’ and ‘you’. ‘Me llamo’, ‘te llamas’. |
| Unit 1 Tú y los demás | Greetings. Personal information: origin, where you live, nationality, professions, university studies, languages spoken. Numbers up to 100. Numerical personal information – age, telephone numbers etc. Introducing others. | Present tense (1st, 2nd and 3rd person singular). Questions and answers. Negatives. Personal pronouns. Masc & fem agreements. Intro to key verbs ser, vivir, estudiar y trabajar and tener. |
| Unit 2 La familia en casa | Describing your own family. Describing people, your house or flat; renting accommodation. | Articles (el, la). Possessive adjectives. Adjectives & their agreements. Key verbs ‘ser’ y ‘estar’ ‘tener’ ‘llevar’ and ‘hay’. |
Semester 2
| UNIT | CONTENT | GRAMMAR |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 3 La rutina | Telling the time. Describing daily routines. Describing current and ongoing activities. | Present tense (all forms). Reflexive verbs. Irregular verbs. Days of the week. Expressions of frequency. |
| Unit 4 El tiempo libre | Evening and weekend activities. Likes and dislikes. Talking about activities in progress. Making, accepting and rejecting invitations. Expressing obligation, desire and ability. | Verb gustar and intensifiers. Present continuous. Root-changing verbs ‘querer’, ‘preferir’, ‘poder’, ‘tener que’. |
| Unit 6 En la ciudad | Typical services in a town. Asking about location & describing position of services (x in relation to y). Asking for & giving directions. | Prepositions and expressions describing location. Imperatives for ‘tú and ‘vosotros’. |
| Unit 9 En el futuro | Discussing future plans. | Ir+infinitive. Future tense. |
| Optional assessment |
The above is an indication of content that may be covered over the duration of the course, but it could vary depending on the level and progress of students in the class.
| UNIT | CONTENT | GRAMMAR |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 De regreso | Welcome. Information about self and others. Giving and understanding information about holidays and recent experiences. | Review of interrrogative adverbs (cómo, cuándo, dónde, quién…). Verbs ‘Ser’/’Estar’. Present tense. Present perfect tense. |
| Unit 2 ¿Qué te pasa? | Being able to describe past events (recent holidays), what you like or dislike doing, and how you feel. | The Simple past tense. ‘Gustar’+present participle. |
| Unit 3 Recuerdos del pasado | Talking about how things used to be in the past and how they have changed. (Biographies). | The imperfect and the imperfect continuous tense. The present participle. Verb ‘soler’+infinitive. |
| Unit 4 ¡Qué tiempos aquéllos! | Recounting a series of events, expressing opinions and giving an account of what other people said (Newspapers language). | Contrast between the simple past and the imperfect. Reported speech. |
| Unit 5 ¡Si es urgente, pide cita! | Giving and understanding instructions and directions in different contexts. | The imperative in all of its forms. “If” clauses with the present and the future tenses. |
| Unit 6 Quiero que me digas la verdad | Expressing doubt, wishes and uncertainties. Being able to give advice (to tourists for example). | The subjunctive mode. The Present subjunctive and its uses. ‘Quiero que’ ‘Espero que’ ‘Quizás’ ‘Probablemente’ ‘Es mejor que’ ‘Es importante que’. |
| Optional assessment |
The above is an indication of content that may be covered over the duration of the course, but it could vary depending on the level and progress of students in the class.