Course Outline

This course is for those with very little or no knowledge of Spanish. Students will learn to understand, express and read simple words and phrases and take part in straightforward conversation. The aim is to introduce you to the basic linguistic skills and culture necessary for you to communicate simply but effectively. After completing this course students will be able to pronounce competently some vocabulary, expressions, intonations and pronunciations, be able to communicate using basic sentences, interrogatives and requests, have some basic grammatical concepts: nouns, adjectives and verbs and sentence structure, have some basic reading skills, be able to appreciate the Spanish culture and have confidence in using basic forms of the Spanish language. Come and enjoy a conversational course that includes song, music and salsa! Based on a practical approach and dealing with everyday situations, it is ideal if you are intending to travel for leisure or business.

Students will also learn how to identify simple text confidently, converse using negatives and questions, exchange information in a variety of familiar situations, have better fluency in conversation, have a more extensive vocabulary content, gain better learning skills and strategies for language acquisition and have a better knowledge of the countries, culture and customs where Spanish is spoken. In each session there will be emphasis given to pronunciation (in groups and pairs), which will enhance one’s fluency. Additional materials may be used in the classroom (music, video, etc.) where available and where suitable for the needs of the class.

Topics include

• Identification and Pronunciation (vowels, consonants, tones in words and structures).
• Greetings (meeting people) - Introducing and describing yourself and others.
• Asking and responding: your and someone’s name; country of origin; your well being (for example ‘how are you?’ ‘where are you from?’ or 'what’s your name?').
• Using basic communicative expressions in formal and familiar forms
• Small talk – idioms
• Time – time of the day, days of the week, months; birthdays
• Numbers – For example telephone number, address, money, age
• Cultural Perspective – geography, demography, and social customs
• Practice – Some language learning/study strategies
• Greetings and describing yourself and others, professions, finding out more about somebody
• Restaurants – ordering food, drinks etc.
• Directions
• Likes and dislikes, hobbies, activities, negatives, agreeing and disagreeing, personal opinions, social life, daily activities and routines, family and friends
• Grammar practice, pronouns, possessives, demonstratives, present and past time relations, singular and plural
• Practice, dialogues in formal and informal context – role plays, strategies for language learning, reading text

Please Bring

For Ariana Lancey's class at Brookvale, Ariana refers to her class notes, so a textbook is not essential. However she does recommend Suenos World Spanish 1 Coursebook (New Edition Approx $60) available from bookdepository online or local bookstores such as Abbeys or Dymocks, for those who wish to practice at home.

• Notepad and pen

Please note: make sure you check with the college if the course has definitely got the numbers to run before purchasing any text book. The college will not accept responsibility if you have purchased the text book and the course is subsequently cancelled. You can contact us on phone (9970 1000) or email (enquiries@nbcc.nsw.edu.au) to see if the course is running or not.