Learning Spanish
If you want to make the most of Gran Canaria it is well worth trying to learn a bit of Spanish. There are many ways of learning a foreign language and some ways will work for some people but won’t work for others. Below are a few suggestions of how you can start and how to improve.
Language Schools
Private tuition
Books / CDs
Internet
Our recommendations for learning Spanish
Language schools
Beginners
If you are really serious about learning Spanish you should go on an intensive beginner’s course at one of the many language schools. Click here for a list of all the language schools in Gran Canaria, they don’t always offer Spanish classes so unfortunately it will just be a case of ringing round. The classes tend to be quite informal and follow the pace of the learners. They vary from a week to a month. If the school you want to go to doesn’t have any courses and they offer private tuition you’d be better off finding your own private tutor as it will be much cheaper.
Intermediate and above
The language schools don’t tend to have classes for intermediate students so you’d probably be better off going to the escuela official or looking for a private tutor.
Escuela official de idiomas
Click here to see the public language schools. They offer courses for all levels however the classes are at very odd times like 11am on a Wednesday morning so they are usually no use if you have to work. The classes are very structured and are more formal than the language schools, if you thrive in a traditional classroom environment these schools are for you.
Private tuition
There are a number of private Spanish teachers on the island and they charge between 15€ and 20€+. The quality varies so we’d recommend you try a couple until you find one you are happy with. We have a list of a few teachers to get you started, click here to see the teachers. If you are a teacher and you want to advertise your services leave a comment on this page and we’ll add your details to our database.
Books
Below are a few books we have used and would recommend.
CDs
Michel Thomas has created a 8 CD set for learning Spanish and he claims that after listening to the 8 CDs you’ll be confident in the language. Whereas they don’t teach you all the grammar necessary and all the vocabulary they are a very good start and are a great way to build your confidence. You can buy them at Amazon here but they are also available on various P2P file sharing sites for free.
Internet
There are a number of great resources on the internet to help you learn Spanish. The following sites are highly recommended.
BBC
Notes in Spanish
On learnspanish.com they have a very useful audio guide to the top 100 spanish phrases, it is well worth downloading and listening to as it will actually make you sound more Spanish and less foreign.
Podcasts
Subscribing to Spanish podcasts is a great way to learn the language. The following are a good start.
However a search in itunes for Spanish lessons will give you a plethora of choices
Our recommendations.
We at GCGuru have many years experience teaching and learning foreign languages and these are our recommendations to sound like a Canarian.
First
1. Get a private tutor – have about 2 hours of classes a week. This will improve your speaking and listening.
2. Use the Michel Thomas Learn Spanish CDs – these will boost confidence and give you a real kick start in the language. Although they will not give the grammatical base that you will later need, they will give you the confidence to go out there and try to use the language.
3. Work your way through a textbook. Starting Spanish from scratch is a slow process if you only work with your tutor. If you work hard by yourself on vocabulary and grammar you will improve a lot quicker.
We arrived in GC in September, using this method, by Christmas we were socialising with Spanish people, watching Harry Potter at the cinema in Spanish and were comfortable in most situations.
Second
1. Read a book – get a trashy novel and read it – don’t look up the vocabulary unless absolutely necessary and enjoy reading in Spanish. Choose your book wisely. The Harry Potter books, CS Lewis and Isabel Allende’s children’s books are a good start.
2. Try to watch TV – choose an American programme dubbed into Spanish, they use less vocabulary and are easy to understand. To begin with use subtitles in Spanish too.
3. Continue with your tutor.
4. Listen to a couple of podcasts and try to learn some Spanish phrases. The real Spanish vocabulary guide is a very good start.
Good Luck.
If you have any suggestions to learn Spanish or have any experience of Language schools or tutors please leave a comment below.
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Learning Spanish (Adults)
The Olive Grove Group run a range of courses designed specifically for adults wanting to learn Spanish.
We encourage you from day one to use the Spanish learned, and do not put too much emphasis on learning long grammar rules.
Classes are fun and friendly and led by bi-lingual teachers to ease you into the language.
Courses are excellent value for money, and only take 2 hours of your time per week.
For more information, contact The Olive Grove Group
928 69 21 34
info@olivegrovegroup.com
www.olivegrovegroup.com
advice for learning Spanish from tutor Theresa
There are loads of free or low cost ways to get better Spanish. Check out: www.bbc.co.uk/spanish which offers free learning resources and interactive opportunities to practice Spanish online.
To look up words online an excellent dictionary resource is www.wordreference.com and you can select English to Spanish or vice versa(in addition to translating between other languages) to find out how to express those tricky words.
RECOMMENDED BOOKS and CDs
My top choice which I still use to this day for reference (especially the advanced version) is Hugo´s Spanish in three months which is approximatelly 6-6.50 euros DELIVERED to Gran Canaria either via www.bookdepository.co.uk or their marketplace selling point on Amazon. It´s a bit dry but contains everything you could ever need to get a firm grasp of Spanish grammar, sentence structure, lists of uses for estar and ser (to be), differences between por and para, every verb tense and how to use them....conversations, drills and exercises - and the three accomanying cds you can also obtain allow you to practice all of the exercises speaking in response to questions or exercises to practice verb tenses etc, then listening to the answers. It´s not 'exciting' but it´s excellent for reference purposes, very inexpensive, and great for studying alone if money is too tight to take classes. I copy useful cds for free for all my students so they can practice at home on receipt of blank cds.
Other books I use which I think are great, depending on your level and preference for learning are those which are entirely in Spanish for 'total immersion' such as the great fun Planet@-E/LE (Español como lengua extranjera) which has a colourful layout to get you communicating in Spanish in everyday situations, and understanding world Spanish. Español 2000, (with its excellent accompanying exercise books to get all your verb endings and grammar practice in) is a little more structured for those who prefer a more grammar-based learning style, but is still fun, lively and full of practical scenarios with ideas for role play in areas such as shopping, eating out, socialising and working etc. However, as these two books are entirely in Spanish they are sometimes a bit difficult to follow without a teachers´ guidance or a certain starting level of Spanish.
For older students and those who want a less grammar-based clear guide to learning to communicate in different situations, the BBC Spanish for beginners books keep it simple but I´m a little disappointed that the newer editions have smaller print than the ones I used to work with when I taught Spanish at Age Concern in West London.
Further tips to improve your Spanish
I´d also encourage people whose budget is limited but have some Spanish to put up notices requesting an 'intercambio' (free language exchange) English - Spanish in the local libraries and internet cafes etc. and to list the same thing on the most popular websites read by Spanish people here such as mundoanuncio.com and milanuncios.com which have sections for intercambios - ie free language exchanges - within the Gran Canarian community (select Las Palmas from the list of Spanish provinces to list or look for anything on the island). The same goes for El Baul - a newspaper a bit like Loot for buying and selling stuff and services, but also a website similar to those mentioned previously.
THE LIBRARIES here are also fantastic, offering lots of books allowing you to study Spanish at home (you can renew fortnightly by email or phone for up to two months) and of course you can borrow kids´ books and dvds to read in Spanish or watch films (free!!) with subtitles in Spanish or spoken in Spanish with English subtitles.
(For more on the library services offered on the island, see elsewhere on this website).
But more than anything, get involved in some way with the Spanish community so that you have to speak to people here: join an evening class, support an animal or other charity or local cause, join a walking group or the Women´s International Network here, or invite your Spanish neighbours over for drinks. Ensure in shops and out and about that you tell people you need to practice your Spanish and ask them to help by correcting you. Make an effort to integrate and socialise with Spaniards - it´s amazing how many of them want and need help with their English.
I´m happy to help any readers with general enquiries related to learning Spanish and should you want to try a private class with me, the first is free and without commitment, after which I charge only 10-12 euros an hour for one to one (or couples) tuition, (adults only, though I can reccommend tutors for children) mostly from home in Pasito Blanco, close to Maspalomas and Playa del Inglés.
I also offer low cost translations and can help out or recommend low cost interpreters.
Let me know if I can do anything to help you - it would be my pleasure.
Theresa theresacoe@gmail.com tel 662 045 990