Program Summary

On your first day, you will participate in a brief orientation, take a language placement test, and then be placed at an appropriate level. Throughout your language training, the teacher will continuously assess your ability in the 4 language skills – Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing; and the 4 language systems – Grammar, Vocabulary, Phonology, and Function.

Basic
Basic classes are for learners with no previous experience in Spanish. learners will be taught basic grammatical structures, vocabulary, and will immediately begin speaking in Spanish, thereby gaining a concrete foundation in the language.

High Basic
For learners with an elementary knowledge of the Spanish language, theses classes focus on reinforcing grammar, teaching new vocabulary, and increasing speaking capacity, enabling you to express yourself clearly in daily situations.

Pre-Intermediate I & II
These classes build on learners’ previous experience with Spanish, reinforcing all areas of the language, with an increasing importance placed on speaking, reading, and vocabulary-building.

Intermediate I & II
At this point, learners likely speak Spanish, but are still struggling with the more difficult grammar points. These classes focus primarily on conversation, reading, and vocabulary-building; as well as on increasing your grammatical accuracy by reinforcing areas such as the use of the ‘subjunctive’ and ‘indefinite past’. Focus is on the ability to express yourself spontaneously and to interact across a variety of social situations with increasing accuracy.

High Intermediate I & II
These classes build on learners’ conversational base in Spanish, and begin to more finely tune communicative competence by building vocabulary and introducing students to idioms, slang, and points of ‘common usage’ in Spanish. High Intermediate classes also include emphasis on written expression.

Advanced I & II
Advanced classes at the first and second level continue to fine tune learners’ Spanish skills. Emphasis is placed on advanced communicative competence – the ability to communicate completely in the Spanish language, across all kinds of situations. Classes emphasize oral skills, sophisticated vocabulary, and increasing students’ understanding and ability to use idiomatic Spanish.