Bienvenidos a español 1
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Overview
In this Spanish 1 class we will be exploring basic concepts of understanding, reading, writing, and speaking in the Spanish Language. With more than 40 million people that speak Spanish in the United States, it is the 2nd most commonly spoken language here. There are 22 countries that Spanish is the primary language spoken. Knowing how to speak Spanish can bring many opportunities for you.
Completing this course will help you:
- Be able to understand Spanish at a basic level.
- Be able to read Spanish content.
- Be able to write basic content and paragraphs in Spanish.
- Understand many of the basic grammatical rules for the Spanish language.
Who is the course for?
This course is deigned for high school level students learning about the Spanish language.
Learning Path
Here is the syllabus for our class. Please go through it and understand the expectations for our class.
Click here to view the syllabus
- Start with the basics, which is what we will be doing in this class.
- Don’t be afraid to make mistakes when practicing Spanish. It’s going to happen.
- Vocabulary: Every new word that you learn will help you express yourself better.
- Grammar: The grammar helps you put your vocabulary together in ways that make sense in Spanish.
- Culture: Learning about culture helps you to know what is appropriate to say or do in other cultures.
You will be actively learning to do each of these in this class, but even outside of class, look for opportunities to practice.
- Listen for words that you know when others are speaking Spanish. Watch some Spanish movies. Perhaps turn on one of the Spanish channels on your tv to practice listening.
- Practice speaking in Spanish to people that you know. Most of the hispanic people that I know love it when you try to speak Spanish with them. You will not sound like a native speaker. You will make mistakes. That is okay! This is how you learn new skills.
- Practice reading. There are several Spanish newspapers such as Dos Mundos that you can practice reading. Pick one up at a store or look some up online.
Why learn SPanish
Stand out in a competitive job market. A rising number of employers prefer to hire people who can speak Spanish. Being able to speak Spanish means that you can communicate and sell to a market people who only speak English cannot.
With 329 million native Spanish Speakers, Spanish is the 2nd most commonly spoken language in the world. Get to know your hemispheric neighbors in Latin America. Also, there are other languages such as Portuguese that are very similar to Spanish.
Doctors, lawyers, social workers and many other professionals work with very diverse communities.
Being able to speak their native languages help you to build trust, and helps them to feel more comfortable working with you
Communicate with your children. By 2050, according to the Association of Spanish Language Academy, the US will be the largest Spanish Speaking country. That means that within the next decade or so, your children will likely speak the language, or at least have friends that do. Now, wouldn't you like to understand what your children are saying to you when they're not speaking English?
If working or traveling abroad interests you, then learning to speak Spanish can help you get there. I am fortunate to get to go to Honduras every year or so and work with a martial arts school down there. In an increasingly global economy, being bilingual will help you speak with international clients, negotiate business deals abroad, and collaborate with experts around the world.
Keep your brain young and healthy. There is growing evidence that bilingualism can delay the onset of Alzheimer's and contributes to a cognitive reserve that postpones the symptoms of dementia.
