Sugerencias para inmigrantes hispanohablantes que quieren aprender inglés

De lo que veo, muchos hispanohablantes quieren inmigrar a Estados Unidos para mejorar sus vidas y aprovechar de todas las oportunidades que hay aquí.   Personalmente les enseño inglés a muchos de ellos, y hablo con muchas personas más sobre sus deseos con el idioma y sus objetivos.

Aquí me gustaría compartir mis observaciones y mis experiencias, no solo enseñando inglés pero de mis experiencias aprendiendo español con el fin de darte varias ideas en cómo puedes mejor tus estudios, alcanzar tus objetivos, y más importante, acelerar su capacidad de hablar inglés.

Primero, yo quiero compartir mi pasado y contarte de mis estudios de español.   Era mi ultimo año de la secundaría, y nunca había estudiado español.  Tuve la oportunidad de viajar de Boulder, CO, a Madrid, España y Paris, Francia por 10 días.  Me divertí mucho en el viaje, pero para decirte la verdad, estaba bastante envidioso de mis compañeros quienes podían hablar las lenguas y comunicarse con la gente.  Entonces decidí dedicarme a aprender español, y volví a Barcelona pocos meses después.

Pasé un mes allá en un programa intensiva de español, estudiando cuatro horas por día.  Fue un curso principiante, pero no hablaba nada de inglés la maestra y yo nada de español.  Fue un catástrofe.   Me frustré y tenía tanta vergüenza que por poco me volví después de una semana.  Me quedé, batallando, y aprendí algo de español, pero no sugiero a ningún principiante que se meta en un programa intensiva así para empezar.

Volví a Colorado y me inscribí a un curso de español en la Universidad de Colorado.  De nuevo, tuve que empezar del nivel más básico.  Pero algo pasó – la profesora explicaba la gramática en inglés y yo podía entenderla.  Fue un gran éxito, y saqué la nota más alta de la clase.

Después yo quería viajar de nuevo y hacer un curso de inmersión.  Fui viajando por la América del Sur por tres meses, conociendo Argentina, Chile, y Ecuador.  Me gustó Argentina tanto que decidí volver para estudiar un año allá.

Esta vez tenía otro actitud acerca del aprendizaje de español.  Empecé analizando porque el viaje a España no fue un éxito.  Seguro que una razón grande fue que era demasiado difícil para un principiante meterse cien porciento.  Pero otra gran parte es que yo había ido sin suficiente ganas de aprender de la cultura.  Andaba en gorro de beisbol, escuchando a música hip hop, y buscando una gancha de basquetbol.  Y por supuesto no gane ni un amigo español.  Cuando uno viaje al extranjero, hay que ir con una curiosidad de la cultura local, y por eso decidí de aprender no solo el castellano de Argentina sino la cultura.

Púes antes de ir empecé a leer sobre la historia y cultura de Argentina.  En el avión un porteño (persona de Buenos Aires) se sentaba al lado mío, y empezamos a charlar.  Había aprendido que les gustaba mucho el futbol y le pregunte si le gustaba.  Me dijo que claro que si, que era gran fanático de Boca Juniors, y de allá nos fuimos.  No sabía mucho de los equipos ni me gustaba el futbol, pero sabía que tuve que cambiar un poco.  Y con la primera conversación de fútbol, ya tenía mi primero amigo.  De hecho, dos semanas después de que llegué, el tipo me llamó para decirme que en tal noche se jugaba el superclásico entre Boca y River y que ya me había comprado una entrada.  ¡Listo!  No sabía que este partido fue como el “superbowl” de aquí, pero ¡que experiencia!

Bien, había aprendido algo.  Tenía que tener un interés en lo que les gustaba a los argentinos, no solo hablar el idioma.  De allí y adelante seguí aprendiendo de la cultura.  Me metí en una clase de tango, y después a otra de salsa para aprender bailar.  Empecé a escuchar a Astor Piazzolla, a Charlie García, y a Los Enanitos Verdes.  En todos lados empecé conversando con la gente, simplemente presentando me con este frase: “Hola, mi nombre es David.   Estoy acá para aprender castellano, ¿puedo practicar con vos?”

Nadie me dijo que no.  De hecho, a ellos les encantaban ver un “yanqui” que podía hablar castellano y bailar salsa y tango.  Quien escuchaba a su música y que cantaba con ellos.   Fui a Argentina en el 2005, y hasta hoy tengo muy buen amistades de allá con quien hablo con frecuencia por el internet.
Entonces, ¿que puedes aprender de mi experiencia aprendiendo español?  ¡Mucho!

1. Busca un programa de inglés o sea una escuela de inglés que te va a ayudar con tus objetivos.  Si nunca estudiaste, quieres un maestro que te puede explicar las reglas de gramática en tu lengua para que entiendas.  Después de llegar a un nivel intermedio, inscríbete a un curso intensivo de inglés.
2. Aprende el frase “My name is Fulano.  I am here to learn English.  Can I practice with you? (Hola, mi nombre es Fulano.   Estoy acá para aprender inglés, ¿puedo practicar contigo?)”  Muy pocas personas te van a negar.
3. Ve a lugares a dónde van los estadounidense para conversar.  Si te gusta tomar, hay que ir a un bar e invitarle a una persona a una cerveza, diciendo tal frase de arriba.  Si no tomas, ve a un café, librería, o restaurante.  Nosotros somos muy amigables y nos gusta conocer gente de afuera.  Empezar una conversación será muy fácil.
4. Aprende la cultura estadounidense. Estudia la historia del país, escucha a música como Rock and Roll, Jazz, y Hip Hop.  Empieza a ver los partidos de béisbol, futbol americano, básquetbol, y hockey.
5. Salir de tu zona un poco.  A mi me encanta la cultura latina también, pero si mantienes tanto tus costumbres, nunca vas a aprender los nuestros.  En lugar de escuchar la cumbia en tu trabajo, pon una estación de Rock.  No vayas al baile este viernes.  En lugar de esto ve a un bar en el centro.  En lugar de jugar fútbol en el parque, aprende a jugar básquetbol.

No tienes que hacer todo arriba siempre, pero poco a poco.  Estudiar inglés solo es parte de aprenderlo.  Lo más importante es hablarlo, y antes de ser capaz de hablarlo tienes que conocernos.  No te preocupes: va a ser una experiencia linda y divertida, y después tendrás una vida diez mil veces mejor en estados unidos, con muchas oportunidades de trabajo y amistad.


Good luck! (¡Suerte!)

The Language School Publishes English Book for Native Spanish Speakers

Denver, Colorado – September 17th, 2013

The Language School, a World Languages School with locations throughout Colorado, has published Inglés: Fácil y Divertido Básico Nivel 1: Fundaciones, a beginners level textbook geared towards teaching English to native Spanish speakers.   The first edition includes vocabulary, grammar, culture, exercises, games, conversation activities, and flashcards.  Everything is explained in Spanish so that the growing population of Spanish speakers can better understand the English language.

Inglés: Fácil y Divertido Básico Nivel 1: Fundaciones is the first book to be published out of a series of 20.  It is now available for purchase on CreateSpace and Amazon.com for $24.99.  Visit this link to purchase.

About The Language School

The Language School is a World Languages School with locations in Denver, Boulder, and Longmont Colorado, focused on providing educational services related to learning a new language.  All of our educational services are taken from a practical approach to help our students become conversational in the shortest amount of time possible.

For more information please visit:


www.thelanguageschool.us

1.) Estudiar Inglés Con Tarjetas De Memoria

Las tarjetas de memoria son el mejor amigo de la persona que aprende inglés.  En este articulo vamos a compartir la importancia de usarlas y enseñarte como se las usa para aprender inglés.

¿Porqué deberías de usar tarjetas de memoria?

Aprender inglés no es tan difícil, pero cuesta mucho tiempo porque hay que pasar mucho tiempo memorizando palabras nuevas.  ¡Pregúntale a cualquier persona que ha llegado a dominar inglés y seguramente te dice que usaron las tarjeticas para memorizar vocabulario nuevo!



La Escuela De Idiomas ha ayudado a miles de personas aprender inglés, y lo primera que les sugerimos a nuestros alumnos es que usen tarjetas de memoria para estudiar.  Cuando me doy cuenta de que hay un alumno que aprende con facilidad, siempre le pregunta que hacer.  Consistentemente me dice que después de salir de la clase, lo primero que hace es crear tarjetas de memoria con todo el vocabulario y memorizar todas las palabras, antes de empezar su tarea.

Son buenísimas para varias razones.  Primero, son chiquitas y las puedes llevar a todos lados contigo.  Segundo, puedes utilizarlas para memorizar vocabulario, frases, y las conjugaciones de los verbos.  Finalmente, se las puede usar para estudiar solito, con pareja, o en grupo.  ¡También puedes hacer un juego para hacer los estudios más divertidos!

Entonces ¿Cómo se puede usar tarjetas de memoria para estudiar?

Después de tu clase, busca un lugar tranquilo para estudiar sin distracciones.  Deberías de apuntar todas las palabras nuevas que aprendiste en un lado de una tarjeta blanca.  En el otro lado, escribe lo que significa en español.

Ejemplo:  Palabras Nuevas

{Frente} Cerveza

{Detrás} Beer

Después de hacerlas (sugiero que solo empieces con 20 o menos), empieza mirando las tarjetas del lado en inglés.  Es más fácil empezar de inglés a español, y el primer paso para hablar inglés es entenderlo.  Intenta decir la palabra en voz alta, y después lo que significa en español.  Si tu respuesta es correcta, ponla en un lado.  Si te equivocaste, devuélvela detrás de las tarjetas.  Si sigues así, la cantidad de tarjetas que tienes va a crecer menos si vas a continuar repasando las palabras con las cual necesitas más ayuda memorizar.  Terminas cuando no queden tarjetas en tus manos, y ahora puedes hacer lo mismo, pero esta vez de español a inglés.

Ejemplo:  Conjugaciones de los Verbos

{Frente} I You                            Eat We They He She                              Eats It

{Detrás} Comer

Busca la manera de hacer esta actividad 2 o 3 veces al día.  La primera vez que la haces, probablemente vas a pasar 10 minuticos.  Cada vez después tomará menos tiempo.  Si realizas el ejercicio 3 o 4 veces, debería de haber no solo memorizado las palabras, pero capaz de usarlas y entenderlas en tus conversaciones cotidianas.

Porque las tarjetas son pequeñas, las puedes llevar a todos lados contigo.  Cada vez que tienes un par de minutos, las puedes sacar y repasar.  Esto incluye cuando te despiertas por la mañana, antes de acostarse, durante pausas en tu trabajo, hasta cuando estás esperando en la cola en una tienda.  Lo importante aquí es que seas consistente lo repitas con frecuencia.  Hacer este ejercicio por 10 minutos a la vez, tres veces al día, es mucho más poderoso que sola una vez por 30 minutos.  Es así porque te mantiene las palabras en tu mente.  Puede parecer mucho, pero en el largo paso hacerlo así te va a ahorrar mucho tiempo y asegurar de tu éxito.

Esta es una manera buenísima para estudiar solo, pero puedes hacer la misma actividad con un amigo.  Pídele que aguante las tarjetas, mostrándote un lado.  Si no puedes decir lo que significa, puedes pedir ayuda.  Si quieres hacer la actividad un juego, puedes jugar por puntos, dinero, u otro final (¡cómo el perdedor tiene que cocinar la cena!).

Ejemplo:  Frases

{Frente} ¿Cómo estás?

{Detrás} How are you?

No es posible acabar con la importancia de hacer esta actividad.  Puede parecer imposible, pero te podemos garantizar éxito, hablando el inglés rápidamente.

Para más información acerca de clases de inglés en Denver, contáctale a la Escuela De Idiomas hoy.

Good articles regarding Spanish, education, and culturally related topics

There is a lot of attention in the media today regarding the Spanish language, including immigration reform and the fact that it is one of the largest spoken languages.
I wanted to share a few articles worthy of a read if this topic is of interest for you:


'Rock star' Gutierrez draws big crowds over immigration reform

US is 5th largest Spanish-speaking country: new Census interactive map

Try setting up a google alert so that you can get all of the latest news sent to your email regarding the Spanish language!

1.) Study Spanish With Flashcards

Flashcards are the language learner’s best friend.  In this article we are going to share with you the importance of using flashcards and how you can use them to learn Spanish.

Why should you use flashcards?

Learning Spanish is really not that difficult, but it is time consuming because you have to spend an incredibly large amount of time memorizing new words.  Ask anyone that has ever mastered Spanish and they will surely tell you that they used flashcards like crazy to help them memorize new vocabulary!



The Language School has helped thousands of people learn how to speak a new language, and the first thing we recommend to our students is that they use flashcards to study. Whenever I notice that one of my students is doing well in a course, I ask them what they are doing.  Consistently they tell me that the first thing they do after class is to make flashcards with all of their new vocabulary and commit the new words to memory, before starting on their homework.

Flash cards are a great tool to use for several reasons.  First, they are small and you can take them everywhere with you.  Second, they can be used to memorize new vocabulary, phrases, and verb conjugations.  Finally, they can be used to study by yourself, with a partner, or in a group.  You can even make a game out of them!

So how can you use flashcards to study?

After class, find a quite place to study free of distractions.  All of the new words that you learned in class should be written down on one side of an index card.  On the other side, write down its meaning in English.

EX:  New Words

{Front} Cerveza

{Back} Beer

After you have made the cards {I suggest starting with no more than twenty}, start with the Spanish side facing you.  It is easier to start by going from Spanish to English, and the first step to speaking Spanish is understanding it.  Try to say the word out loud, and then it’s English meaning.  If you get it right, put it to the side.  If you get it wrong, return it to the back of the stack.  As you continue, your stack will get smaller and you will keep reviewing the words with which you need extra help memorizing.  Once you finish this, try to do the same activity, but this time going from English to Spanish.

EX:  New Verb Conjugations

{Front} Eat

{Back} Comer Yo Como                Nosotros Comemos Tú Comes              Vosotros Coméis Él                           Ellos Ella  Come             Ellas  Comen Ud. Come              Uds.

Try to do this activity several times a day.  The first time you go through your stack, it will probably take you about ten minutes.  Each time there after will be shorter.  After doing this several times, you should not only have memorized these new words, but will be able to start using them and understanding them in everyday conversations.

Since the flash cards are small, you can take them with you everywhere.  Anytime that you have a few minutes, you can pull them out and study them.  This includes first thing in the morning, just before going to bed, breaks at work, or even standing in line at the grocery store.  The important thing with this is consistency and repetition.  Doing this ten minutes at a time, three times a day, is far more powerful than only once for thirty minutes, because it will keep the new words fresh in your mind.  It may sound like a lot, but in the long run doing this drill for short bursts frequently will save you a lot of time and ensure your success.

This is a great way to study by yourself, but you can also do the same activity with a friend.  Ask him or her to hold the cards and show them to you.  You can ask for hints this way too.  If you want to make a game out of it, try playing for points, money, or another interesting outcome {whoever loses makes dinner!}.

EX:  Phrases

{Front} ¿Cómo estás?

{Back} How are you?

We can’t stress the importance of this activity.  It may seem daunting, but we guarantee that if you do this you will achieve great results and be on your way to speaking Spanish quickly.

For more information on Spanish classes in Denver, contact The Language School today.

Spanish Lesson in Denver: La Tienda De Víveres

In this morning’s Spanish class, from our Beginner Level 2 Spanish Classes in Denver, we are going to learn about La Tienda de Víveres (The Grocery Store).

In Latin America and Spain, grocery stores are different than they are in the United States.  It will be important to learn some vocabulary so that you can navigate the store and interact with the employees.

One of the biggest differences that you will notice is that stores are much smaller.  In the United States, we almost always go to a big Supermarket, where you can purchase just about anything.  In Spanish speaking countries, the stores are much smaller and tend to be more specialized.  For instance, in a regular “Tienda de Víveres”, you can purchase things that usually come in cans, boxes, and bottles (think of pasta sauce, olive oil, etc.).  Increasingly grocery stores now sell other items like bread and produce, but it is very common to go to a panedería or frutería for fresh items like these.

 Here is some helpful vocabulary for the store:
 Gente – People

•  Bodeguero – The person working at the store.
• Cliente – Customer

Envases y medidas  - Packaging and measurements:

•  Una botella - Bottle
• Un paquete – Pack/Package
• Kilo
• Medio Kilo
• Cuarto kilo

 Comidas – Food items

•  Arroz - Rice
• Queso - Cheese
• Una mano de platanos – A bunch of bananas
• Galletas - Cookies
• Fresa – Strawberry
• Aceite - Oil

 Otro vocabulario – Other vocabulary

•  Vuelto – Change
• Peso – Quantity of money

Let’s take a look of a typical conversation at La Tienda de Víveres:
Bodeguero:    Buenos días señor.  ¿Qué desea?
Cliente:           Buenos días.  Deseo Una coca-cola, una botella de aceite, una mano de platanos, un paquete de galletas, y un yogurt de fresa.
Bodeguero:    ¡Aquí está todo caballero.  ¿Desea algo más?
Cliente:           Sí, por favor de me medio kilo de papas, un kilo de arroz, cuarto kilo de queso.
Bodeguero:    ¡Aquí está!
Cliente:           Gracias.  ¿Cuánto es?
Bodeguero:    Son 15 pesos.
Cliente:           Bien.  Aquí tiene 20.
Bodeguero:    Y aquí tiene su vuelto:  5 pesitos.
Bodeguero:    ¿Desea una bolsa o una caja?
Cliente:           Una bolsa está bien.
Bodeguero:    Aquí tiene.
Cliente:           Gracias.
Bodeguero:    A usted.  ¡Que tenga un buen día.

Try to translate this conversation.  Post your answers in the comments section and we will review!

Extra credit:  Cultural Differences:

¿Qué diferencias hay entre la bodega latinoamericana y el supermercado?

• Kilos vs libras
• Pesos vs dolares
• Atención más personal
• Caja/Bolsa
• Uso de usted

The Language School offers small, conversational Spanish classes in Denver for adults.  Contact us today to learn how we can help you accomplish your goals of becoming fluent in Spanish.

New Language Classes in Boulder and Longmont Starting Soon! Spanish, French, and Italian

We have just posted our new class hours for our Boulder and Longmont locations.  If you have been wanting to learn Spanish, French, or Italian, don't miss your chance!

Visit one of these links to learn more:

Spanish Classes in Boulder
Spanish Classes in Longmont
French and Italian Classes in Boulder and Longmont

Frequently Asked Questions About Learning A New Language

Learning a new language can have a big impact on your life.  Because of this, it is important to do your due diligence on a program to make sure that it will help you accomplish your goals.

Here is a list of the top questions that people ask us:

1. How much does it cost?

For a list of our prices, please visit the price list here.
This is the most commonly asked question.  Instead of asking this, you should ask more qualitative questions about how the program will help you meet your goals.  Skip to the next section for more information on these types of questions
The cost question is a tricky question to answer because first we have to define what “it” is.  Quite frankly, it is the wrong question to ask for the following reasons:
What is “it”?

• Assimilation into a new country and culture – ultimately this is what you should be after
• Fluency in a new language – this is what most people want, but if you don’t know the culture the language isn’t that helpful
• An increase in your grade  – an obvious choice if you are enrolled in a language class at a University, High School, or Middle School
• An hour
• A class
• A course
• Private Lesson
• A semi-private lesson
• An immersion trip

Before trying to quantify the value of a language program, you should first quantify the value that the new language will have on your life.
We enjoy working with students that truly want to become fluent in the language.  Not all language programs are created equal, so first you need to understand the difference between your goals and reasons for studying the language.  You should always try to evaluate a school/teacher based off of your objectives, and try to first understand if the program can help you accomplish your objectives.
You can study a new language for hours upon hours, but if you haven’t accomplished your objective would a free program have even been worth it?  After all, your time is more valuable than anything, and you can never ask for a refund on that.

2. What are the classes like?

The Language School offers several options to learn a new language.  Here is an answer to this question depending on the option that you are looking for:
Group Classes
Group classes are an entertaining and affordable way to learn the language.  Four students usually enter a class, which guarantees that each student will feel comfortable, receive a lot of personalized attention from the teacher, and spend a large portion of the time speaking the new language, which will improve retention.
Successful students attend classes, spend as much time in between classes studying the new language, and attend the various cultural and conversational events hosted by The Language School.
Private Classes
Private classes are by far the most powerful way to accomplish your goals of learning a new language.  You are the boss and each class will focus on exactly what you want to.
Everyone learns a new language differently.  Some people seem to have a natural ability while others have to try a little harder.  Private lessons guarantee that you will learn at your pace.
Learning a new language is not like other things.  It is possible for anyone and everyone.  After all, you at one point learned the language, in which you are reading this, didn’t you?
Private lessons are ideal for the person that is committed to learning the new language regardless of the price.  You may be a busy professional with limited time, learn the language faster or slower than others, or may need to be more flexible with your schedule.
Semi-Private Classes
Semi-Private lessons offer all of the benefits of private lessons, but can be shared with friends, family, or colleagues that have the same objectives of you.  You also get to share the cost!
Tutoring
Tutoring are like private lessons, but are meant to compliment a course that you are currently taking at either your high-school or college.  Tutoring will not follow our program, but will be customized to follow your program and ensure that you maintain your grade where it is or improve it.  Our tutors will work with you to better understand the material you are covering and develop better study habits.

3. Who teaches?

The teachers at The Language School make all of the difference.  They must be a combination of native speakers with college degrees that have decided that teaching a new language is what they want to do.  Most of our teachers also have a great amount of experience.

4.)  How to evaluate a school/tutor

Before you begin to evaluate your prospective school/teacher, you need to understand that learning a new language is not like other things.  Unlike the commercials and regular advertisements you have seen, we are here to tell you that learning a new language takes a lot of time and dedication.  It takes patience.  It takes a big sense of humor.  You must be humble and be willing to step outside of your comfort zone.
Are your reasons strong enough to do all of the above?  If you are not sure, then take a few minutes to ask yourself these questions:

• What happens if you don’t learn the new language?
• Will learning the new language help you be more successful?
• Will the new language help you make more money?
• Will the new language fulfill a long-time goal?
• What is your time line for becoming fluent?
• Is this your true desire or that of someone else?
• Will the new language help you feel more comfortable where you live?

After you have asked yourself the above questions and can justify  the next few years of your life being dedicated to learning the new language, you can refer to our FAQ’s.  Here you will find a guide that will help you not only understand your reasons for studying the language and your goals, but a comprehensive list of questions that you can ask your prospective instructor.

5.)  How can I learn a new language?

There are many options available to learn a new language these days, including:

• Private Language Schools
• University Programs
• Community Colleges
• Software
• Free Programs

Before making a choice, try to understand what your objectives are.  Make sure you choose a program that will help you accomplish your objectives with the language.  Here are some points you should consider when comparing the different types of programs:

Private Language Schools

The Language School is the leader of this category.  Private language schools are the most powerful way to learn a new language as they specialize in helping their students become fluent in the language they are studying.
Private language schools usually specialize in fluency and have more practical, conversational based approaches that guarantee that students meet their objectives with the language.  Teachers tend to be native speakers of the language and are much more passionate about teaching the language.
University Programs

Do you plan on going into a career of teaching the language?  If not, then you should probably consider a private language school.
University programs are great ways to master a language if combined with immersion programs abroad.  This path focuses much more on grammar than it does on conversation, which is why success rates are so low.  You can expect to be in a classroom of at least thirty twenty year olds and might get to answer one or two questions in any given class.
If you are going to do this, you should plan on having at least twenty hours a week to study in order to be successful.  Most universities follow a state dictated curriculum set by someone that has never become bilingual.
Success rates, meaning people that have studied a university language course and become fluent, are less than one percent.  For a full semester, plan on paying tuition fees {five hundred to two thousand}, registration fees {one hundred to five hundred}, and buying books {three hundred to five hundred}.  Nine hundred to three thousand dollars for a less than one percent chance of becoming fluent – did we mention private language schools?

Free Programs

As with anything, you get what you pay for.  There are many places that advertise free language classes, but you should understand that for the most part these are not really classes, but rather places people can go to practice the language they are learning.  Often, a volunteer runs the program.  This means they probably do not have formal training, and unfortunately may not know what they are doing.  Furthermore, there is usually no formal structure, and there will be people of all levels in attendance.
If you are looking for a place to practice your language and meet people with whom you can practice, then these are great options.  However, if you are serious about learning a language, then go with an expert that has a good reputation and a formal program.
Software
There are many new software programs available today to help people learn a new language, but they should be considered more as resources to help students practice than a 100% solution.  Learning a new language requires conversation, which requires real people.  You are always going to have questions that you need answered, which a computer won’t be able to do.  Furthermore, there are usually many ways to say the same thing, and these types of programs are limited in what they teach.  Another consideration is that one should be extremely dedicated to using the program at least an hour a day.  Most of our students usually inform us that they lost their patience and needed something more structured with more interaction to feel like they were making progress.
We highly recommend that our students use these types of programs to help them get additional practice when not in class.  In fact, we have a “Language Lab” available with the top programs on the market that our students can use for free.  However, make sure that you understand that software should be considered practice and will never be able to replace a real person.

6.)  What’s different about The Language School?

The Language School focuses on practical, real life situations.  Because our class sizes are so small, students will spend most of their time speaking their new language in class and will develop the ability to converse much more rapidly than with any other option.  Most people learn a new language so they can speak it.  The Language School is by far the most affordable way to become conversational, and students can reach this goal in less time than other options.

7.)  How many people are in a class?

Classes are limited to 8 seats so that people can get more attention and opportunity to actually practice speaking the language with the help of a qualified instructor.

8.)  Who attends the classes?

Our group classes are generally attended by people that are looking to take the next step in their life.  They tend to be professionals working in IT, Legal fields, Sales, Marketing, and Human Resources.  Most of our students are between the ages of 25-40.

9.)  How long does the course last?

The Language School offers over 10 levels of Spanish classes.  Adult Group classes meet for 1.5 hours 7 times for a total of 10.5 hours of instruction.

10.)  When do the classes meet?

We have three options:

• Regular:   meets once a week (Evenings)
• Semi-Intensive:  meets twice a week (Mornings)
• Intensive:  meets everyday, Monday – Friday (Afternoons)

Please refer to the class schedule to learn about the current line-up.

Maneras De Aprender Inglés

Si quieres aprender inglés, inscribirse a un curso solo es parte de la solución. Más importante es lo siguiente:

1.) Aprender la cultura
2.) Hablarlo lo más que sea posible
3.) Leer y escribir
4.) Memorizar tu vocabulario nuevo
5.) Hacer la tarea

Contáctale a La Escuela De Idiomas para aprender inglés in Denver hoy.

Ways to learn Spanish

If you want to learn Spanish, signing up for classes is only part of the solution. Much more important are the following:

1.) Learn the culture
2.) Speak the language as often as possible
3.) Read and write
4.) Memorize your new vocabulary
5.) Do your homework

Contact The Language School today to Learn Spanish in Denver!

Good Advice To Help You Become Fluent In A New Language

This article was borrowed from the Spanish Language Blog:

One of the biggest complaints that I get as a language teacher is that students take classes, do their homework, but still they can’t speak fluently.

They say,

“I learn a word today, but I can’t remember it the other day.”
“Where am I going to use this?”
“I keep forgetting the pronunciation of words and verbs.”
“I’m embarrassed to speak in front of other people.”

Does this ever happen to you? Well, it did to me once and now I’m going to give you some tips on how to “mitigate these symptoms”, so to speak.

The first thing that you should keep in mind is that learning languages doesn’t happen overnight, so it does actually take time to sink it all in. Make a plan of learning five new words every day. If it’s too overwhelming, learn three. By learning I mean, practice until you get tired, it’s never enough.

Some tips for you!

1. Learning a language comes also with learning that country’s culture, so start learning about it, its geography, food, folklore, legends, etc.

2. Tag your house objects with their names in the foreign language. Start with object like faucet, table, cupboard, remote control, things that you can glue a Post-it to.

3. Don’t settle for little. So you already know how to say “brother”, “sister”, “mother”, etc., but do you know how to say “mother-in-law”, “brother-in-law”, “godson”? Why not go the extra mile and learn that too?

4. Keep it close to home. Yes, you don’t need to know about anybody’s life to learn a foreign language. Take yours and your family’s for example. Would you be able to say all the things that you do at work in the target language? Would you know how to say your brother’s occupation and what he does?

5. Create mini interviews with yourself. Imagine that you are being interviewed on a radio show about a certain topic: family, work, leisure, whatever. Make up the questions and answer them. They don’t need to be as accurate as in your native language, you can rephrase them if grammar is too difficult.

6. If you live in a place where there are native speakers of the language you’re learning, why not go and make friends with them? Let me tell you a story: I have a student from Boston who’s learning Portuguese. He’s a good student, but he keeps forgetting basic words so I told him, “Paul, there are many Brazilians in Boston [trust me, A LOT!], so why don’t you try and talk to some of them when you run into them?” As it turns out there’s a Brazilian store right around the corner from his house so he decided to go there, buy something and practice his Portuguese. I don’t know what happened yet but I’m pretty sure that the Brazilian hospitality made him feel right at home.

7. If someone makes fun of you because you can’t speak a language fluently yet, don’t worry. You are making an effort, getting out of your comfort zone and I applaud you for that. The key to when you make a mistake is to look right at its eyes and correct it. If you know you don’t get your verbs right, why not pay more attention to them? It’s very easy to complain and blame someone or something else. Take responsibility.

8. Don’t try to speak fast. Who told you that fluency equals speed? I once knew an American woman in her sixties and she spoke very slowly. She told me, “Adir, I speak slowly because I don’t like to repeat what I said due to misunderstandings”. And she is right, you don’t need to hurry, take your time and enjoy the beauty that is speaking another language.

9. Do you have foreign channels at home? Why not spend at least half an hour a day listening to the sounds of the spoken language, even if you don’t understand much? Choose a program that you like or the news, because they have imagines and current topics that you may have heard about.

10. Last but not least, set your default Internet browser page to the foreign language you are learning. For example, I’m building up my German vocabulary so I set my Yahoo page to Deutschland (Germany) – that way, when I go check my e-mail I end up reading something in German. The same words keep popping up from time to time so worst-case sceneario is you will learn some new words.

Spanish Sayings

In English, we have many popular sayings when we want to paint a prettier picture.  Some of my favorite are:

• The lights are on but nobodies home (crazy/dumb)
• It's not my cup of tea (to dislike something)
• Blind as a bat (can't see anything)

The bad news is that these types of sayings almost never translate very well.  Especially coming from a non-native speaker, they will be taken literally and usually lead to confusion and big mis-understandings.

One of the first things I always advise my more intermediate and advanced students is to try to avoid translating slang and expressions when using the new language.

The good news is I have found that similar expressions exist Spanish, you just have to learn them and use them.  Here are just a few:

• más alegre que unas castañelas [happy]
• más amarillo que la cera [yellow]
• más apretado que guano de cabra [stingy]
• más arrugado que una pasa [wrinkled]
• más borracho que una cuba [drunk]
• más ciego que un topo [blind]
• más colorado que un tomate [embarrassed]
• más delgado que un fideo [thin]
• más derecho que una vela [straight - upright]
• más duro que una piedra [hard]
• más feo que un coche fúnebre [ugly]
• más feo que un dolor de muelas [ugly]
• más largo que un día sin pan [long]
• más listo que el hambre [ready]
• más loco que una cabra [crazy]
• más manso que un cordero [docile]
• más pesado que una vaca en brazos [annoying]
• más terco que una mula [stubborn]
• más tonto que hacerle la permanente a un calvo [useless, stupid]
• más vago que la chaqueta de un guardia [broad, loose]
• más viejo que cagar agachado [old - a little vulgar]
• más viejo que Matusalén [old]

Have fun with these, and let us know if you learn any new ones!

English Egg Idioms for Easter

1. To egg someone on - to encourage or dare someone to do something,   often something unwise

Ex. I wouldn’t have gone bungee jumping if John hadn’t egged me on to do it.

2. To put all your eggs in one basket - to risk everything in one venture

Ex. When investing in the stockmarket, you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket. You should diversify your portfolio.

3. To walk on egg shells (Br E) - to be very diplomatic and inoffensive

Ex. She is so stressed at the moment that I feel like I am walking on eggshells to avoid an argument.

4. You cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs - In order to do something good, you need to give something else up

Ex. James: ‘We may make a lot of money if we raise our prices, but we will upset a lot of our customers’.

Tony: ‘We cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs’.

5. A chicken and egg situation - a situation where it’s impossible to decide which of two things existed first and which caused the other

Ex. It’s a chicken and egg situation - I don’t know whether I was bad at Maths because I wasn’t interested, or wasn’t interested and therefore was not good at the subject.

6. To pull a rabbit out of the hat - to do something surprising (it’s often used to show a surprising solution to a problem)

Ex. The Chancellor pulled a rabbit out of the hat by putting together a budget without raising taxes.

7.)  Egghead - a smart person/nerd

Do you know any other idioms and phrases that use the words ‘eggs’ and ‘rabbits’ in them? Please share them with us.

If you liked this article, please share it with your friends and colleagues.

Happy Easter, everyone!

Avoid making these errors in the Spanish language

It is important to learn how to write the Spanish language as much as it is to speak it.  A common challenge native English speakers have is with accent marks.  

Here are some very common mistakes that we often see in written and verbal communication:

Use of written accent marks in monosyllable words:

• fui (correct) or fuí (incorrect) / vio (correct) or vió (incorrect)
• más (adverb of quantity) / mas (adversative conjunction having the meaning of pero)
• el (article)/ él (pronoun)
• de (preposition) vs dé (verb)

Deber / Deber de

• Deber + infinitive: it conveys obligation.  
• Deber de + infinitive: It conveys probability, conjecture.

Dijistes / Vinistes

The tú form of verbs end with an s in the present tense, not in the past tense.  These examples are considered vulgarisms as they are not the correct form of the conjugated verbs: Tú dijiste / Tú viniste.

Do you or don't you need a tutor?

As a tutor or teacher, you may frequently be asked, “Does my child need tutoring?” There is virtually universal, worldwide agreement that tutoring in general is highly beneficial to learning. But is tutoring always beneficial? And when is it necessary or essential, or even recommended?

As tutoring has become more and more popular, and tutoring options and modalities more diverse, motivations for hiring tutors have changed. Increasingly tutoring may be seen as a way to “enrich” a student’s educational experience – but that isn’t necessarily the same thing as improving the quality of his or her education, or an appropriate support for success in a class, on a high-stakes test or with learning in general.

As this article by James Mendelsohn, PhD indicates, sometimes parents seek tutors for the wrong reasons. They may be anxious about their childrens’ academic and economic future. This puts the onus on tutors to be clear on when tutoring is appropriate, what constitutes effective tutoring, and how to increase the likelihood that the time you spend tutoring will be have strong positive outcomes for your students.

As Mr. Mendelsohn states, “Tutors bear a responsibility for ensuring that they are working in the best interests of students, which sometimes includes recommending to parents that it is unwise to tutor a child.” Another part of that role is to strive to help learners rise above the need for tutoring. Also implicit is a need to be aware of, and responsive to, the potential cognitive and emotional impacts of tutoring on students’ development.

A major “reason for tutoring” that might not be appropriately addressed by tutoring is a desire on the part of parents for their child to excel. Such students are often already working hard, and don’t really want tutoring. Is forcing tutoring on them sending the message that their ability and effort isn’t “good enough” and they can’t do well on their own?

As tutors, it’s important to reflect on whether some parents might be seeking tutoring not to provide an enriched education or to help kids discover passions and intrinsic motivations, but to drive their children towards a fast-track/elite higher education process. Here’s the question: Does tutoring support the development of intellectual independence – a student’s ability to solve problems, seek information and learn on his or her own? Or does it potentially undermine it?

In this context, the development of patience, resourcefulness and confidence are more important than test results. (And potentially they’re better predictors of success in college and in life than test results, too.)

So when is tutoring necessary or beneficial? Here are some warning signs to ask parents about:

• Falling grades. If the drop is sharp, parents might have waited too long before considering tutoring.
• Excuses about not doing homework. Often this means the student is falling behind or not performing up to their ability level.
• Excuses about not liking teachers. This can be a red flag that extra help with concept beyond what’s available in class would be beneficial.
• Low self-confidence. Poor performance in the classroom, especially in the tangible form of bad grades, can quickly undermine self-worth. Often a tutor can help where parents are simply frustrated.

In all these situations, whatever the reasons behind them, tutors can often help simply because they are not the parents or the teachers – they have a “clean slate” with the student. Simply by focusing on the student’s needs and offering time and support can do wonders in many cases.

Spanish pronunciation help - R vs RR

Submitted by Evelyn Musslewhite, Spanish Teacher with The Language School

Our students ask us a lot about the diference between the R sounds in Spanish.  I'm sorry, I just can't roll my R's!

“R” and “RR” letters are a challenge even for native Spanish speakers, so don't feel bad about your pronunciation here!  Moreso, during the couple of weeks that I have been teaching Spanish to native English speakers, I have noticed a challenge with reading the “R” and “RR” and also a pronunciation challenge.  As a consequence, I wanted to share some advice for helping you with your pronunciation.

1. Keep in mind that there are two “R” sounds in Spanish: the single “R” sound and the double
“R” (or “RR”) sound.

4. Keep in mind that the Spanish “R” and “RR” don't share the distinctive "R" sound of English.
Think of them as separate letters entirely.

2. Keep in mind that the single “R” sound is used whenever the single “R” appears in a word. it will take the double R sound when:

• it's at the beginning of a word
•  or after an L, N or S, 

3. The “RR” sound is also used to sound the letter combination of rr, which used to be
considered a separate letter of the Spanish alphabet.

5. Remember that the “RR” is a trilled sound formed by a flapping of the tongue against the
front roof of the mouth. Here are a few sounds you cam mimic:

• Visualize the front of your tongue as a flag flapping in a vigorous breeze.
• Try purring like a cat. If you've succeeded, you are approximating the “RR” sound.
• Relax and pretend you're a child making the sound of a revving-up motor. 
• Pretend it is extremely cold. Now make the sound of exhaling with you lips flapping together. Now do the same thing with your tongue against the roof of your mouth.

Try to say: perro (dog), carro (car), barra (bar, such as one made of metal) and hierro (iron, the
metal).

6. Remember that the single “R” is pronounced with a single flap of the tongue against the roof
of mouth.

7. Say these words rapidly as you would if they were English words, and with the accent on the
first syllable: peddo, pahdah, cahdah.

8. Congratulate yourself!  You have pronounced the Spanish words pero (but),
para (for) and cara (face).

See you in class!

Solución de pronunciación: “th” en inglés

Cuando estamos aprendiendo un nuevo idioma, existen sonidos de letras que no tenemos en
nuestro abecedario. Un claro ejemplo de esto es el sonido de dos letras juntas “th” para personas
que son de habla hispana y tratan de hablar inglés.

¿Qué pasa cuando queremos decir árbol en Ingles (tree) y número tres en Inglés (three)?. La
mayoría de veces suena similar y ése es un error que cometemos al inicio de nuestras clases. Por
esta razón me veo en la obligación de saber que alternativa darles para que pronuncien mejor.

¿Díganme si alguna vez escucharon hablar a un español?
Generalmente las personas nacidas en España tienen un acento relacionado con la pronunciación
de la letra “z”. ¿Quién no ha escuchado a un español decir zapato?

Cuando un español dice la palabra zapato, no reemplaza el sonido de la letra “z” por el sonido de
la letra “s”. Lo que ellos hacen es otro sonido (“ɵ”) que no se encuentra de manera normal en las
personas latino americanas. Ese sonido del español cuando pronuncia la “z”, es el sonido de la
“th” en Inglés.

Así que la próxima vez que vea “th” en una palabra, recuerde a los españoles y pronuncie
automáticamente la “z” de los españoles.