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Cervantes Institute--crash course

Cervantes Institute--crash course

Old Mar 14th 2007, 10:11 am
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Default Cervantes Institute--crash course

Am considering a one week crash course here in London at the Cervantes institute. Seems good value, 10 - 5 Mon to Friday, £240. For someone like myself who needs to go at somehing rather than drip feed over many months, this seems ideal. I start to think in Spanish when I am over for a week or more, but it all gets lost the minute I return.
Just wondering if anyone else has any experience of the Cervantes Institute and/or has tried one of these courses ? Would eight hours a day of Spanish be a sink or swim experience? Or will my brain just stop taking it in ?? Any feedback greatly appreciated.
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Old Mar 14th 2007, 10:20 am
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Default Re: Cervantes Institute--crash course

Originally Posted by poollounger
Am considering a one week crash course here in London at the Cervantes institute. Seems good value, 10 - 5 Mon to Friday, £240. For someone like myself who needs to go at somehing rather than drip feed over many months, this seems ideal. I start to think in Spanish when I am over for a week or more, but it all gets lost the minute I return.
Just wondering if anyone else has any experience of the Cervantes Institute and/or has tried one of these courses ? Would eight hours a day of Spanish be a sink or swim experience? Or will my brain just stop taking it in ?? Any feedback greatly appreciated.
I´ve done the Cervantes exams (had to do the prep courses elsewhere as there wasn´t a cervantes centre near me).

But I would say that this is probably the best course that you can do - the Instituto Cervantes is internationally recognised and (if relevant) it is something that you can put on your CV.

The courses here in Spain are about 500 euros per month for 80 hours. So quick bit of maths - you are doing 40 hours at 250 GBP. Sounds about the right sort of price to me for the UK.

I take it you have checked out their web? http://www.cervantes.es/docs/guias/GuiaICIngles.pdf
That is a link for their pdf brochure in English (takes a minute or so to download).
http://www.cervantes.es/portada_b.htm - The main webpage.

My only comment is that if it is at all possible, I would stay longer than a week.!!
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Old Mar 14th 2007, 12:38 pm
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Default Re: Cervantes Institute--crash course

Thanks Keith. I am not really interested in the exams, just learning Spanish to a decent level. Well for the moment.
I did look at the website, but a phone call this morning was also very useful. They do monthly intensive courses..£420 for the morning slot, £350 for the afternoon. I am considering starting with the Basic Level 1, then after my visit in April, to maybe try Level 2 in preparation for July and August. Anyone in Chiclana or nearabouts may be interested to know that they have an affiliated school in Conil offering a range of courses. I considered doing one when I am out there, but realised that I don't want to sit in a classroom while I am there when I would rather be on the beach or in my pool. Might be fun doing it here in London.. cycling in to Eaton Square, meeting chums in Covent Garden in the evenings. Learning Spanish while toning the gluts, getting fit and re-living my youth.
PS The institute here in London also run a full programme of cultural activities, including some unusual Spanish films.
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Old Mar 14th 2007, 3:28 pm
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Default Re: Cervantes Institute--crash course

Originally Posted by poollounger
Thanks Keith. I am not really interested in the exams, just learning Spanish to a decent level. Well for the moment.
I did look at the website, but a phone call this morning was also very useful. They do monthly intensive courses..£420 for the morning slot, £350 for the afternoon. I am considering starting with the Basic Level 1, then after my visit in April, to maybe try Level 2 in preparation for July and August. Anyone in Chiclana or nearabouts may be interested to know that they have an affiliated school in Conil offering a range of courses. I considered doing one when I am out there, but realised that I don't want to sit in a classroom while I am there when I would rather be on the beach or in my pool. Might be fun doing it here in London.. cycling in to Eaton Square, meeting chums in Covent Garden in the evenings. Learning Spanish while toning the gluts, getting fit and re-living my youth.
PS The institute here in London also run a full programme of cultural activities, including some unusual Spanish films.
I would be interested in the one in Conil. But don´t think my brain would cope with so much in one go. I have a brain like a butterfly and if I get bored it floats off into the sky. Had to spend two lessons doing "Yo tu doy un coche a ti" and it still didn´t sink in as to what it meant!
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Old Mar 14th 2007, 3:54 pm
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Default Re: Cervantes Institute--crash course

You have to go to Cadiz university to sit the exam. May 11th and again in November. Courses are run in El Puerto as well as Conil but you can easily just study yourself and take the exam. You can buy books that cover the course and also they have a lot of past papers online now to try at the DELE site.You might be interested in seeing which level you are at by taking the Cervantes test online. http://ave.cervantes.es/#prueba
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Old Mar 14th 2007, 7:51 pm
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Default Re: Cervantes Institute--crash course

[Might be fun doing it here in London.. cycling in to Eaton Square, meeting chums in Covent Garden in the evenings. Learning Spanish while toning the gluts, getting fit and re-living my youth]

Covent Garden! One of my favourite places on earth

I lived in Somerset, but a friend and I used to treat ourselves to an evening at the theatre once a year.
We'd spend the afternoon sitting at a pavement cafe (usually in the sun!) drinking coffee, watching the world go by, people watching and enjoying the street entertainment. Fabulous!

Sorry, just indulging in treasured memories there!
Back to the thread - hope you enjoy the course if you decide to go ahead with it. Sounds like it will be an excellent grounding, if you are the sort of person who enjoys a fairly intensive way of learning, and you're not going to "switch off" after a couple of hours!?
Hopefully, they're well versed in people's learning styles and abilities, and will make things suitably interesting - alongside some well earned breaks.
Enjoy (and give my regards to Covent Garden please!)

Sam.
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Old Mar 15th 2007, 10:36 am
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Default Re: Cervantes Institute--crash course

Brisca that is my one concern....eight hours a day is intensive, and I think there is a limit to what the human brain can do.... well mine at least....and I have a notorious capacity for going off into a daydream. However I presume that it will be a multimedia course, and not just old fashioned learning by rote, so this could be good.

Covent Garden, cycling over the bridges, gatecrashing the opera houses (not sure if one could do this anymore, but we were adept at sneaking in without tickets). Sadly so many of us who live in London spend little time in the centre....it seems to be mainly the visitors who are there. I thought this could be an ideal op to have some fun and brush up on Spanish at the same time, and wean me off this forum!!!!!!!
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Old Mar 15th 2007, 10:48 am
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Default Re: Cervantes Institute--crash course

Originally Posted by Lis48
You have to go to Cadiz university to sit the exam. May 11th and again in November. Courses are run in El Puerto as well as Conil but you can easily just study yourself and take the exam. You can buy books that cover the course and also they have a lot of past papers online now to try at the DELE site.You might be interested in seeing which level you are at by taking the Cervantes test online. http://ave.cervantes.es/#prueba
Thanks Lis for the test link.. they did tell me that I could go in and be asessed, but it saved me the trouble and I realise that I am best starting at the beginning.
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Old Mar 15th 2007, 10:53 am
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Default Re: Cervantes Institute--crash course

Originally Posted by poollounger
Brisca that is my one concern....eight hours a day is intensive, and I think there is a limit to what the human brain can do.... well mine at least....and I have a notorious capacity for going off into a daydream. However I presume that it will be a multimedia course, and not just old fashioned learning by rote, so this could be good.

Covent Garden, cycling over the bridges, gatecrashing the opera houses (not sure if one could do this anymore, but we were adept at sneaking in without tickets). Sadly so many of us who live in London spend little time in the centre....it seems to be mainly the visitors who are there. I thought this could be an ideal op to have some fun and brush up on Spanish at the same time, and wean me off this forum!!!!!!!
You´ll probably find that the first lesson of the day is grammar based. Get all of the hard work out of the way early! Then after break it will be something skills based - speaking or listening perhaps. Break for lunch. Then it might be something activity based, a game or a look at Spanish culture or cinema or something.

So it isn´t 8 hours solid of sitting in a classroom with pen to paper. It will be broken up into bite size chunks.

Anyway, what happens when you are over here in Spain? You won´t be able to say "oh, that´s it, it´s five o´clock. Going home time. No more Spanish for me today". I´d look at 8 hours a day as a way of gently breaking you into reality.
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Old Mar 15th 2007, 11:13 am
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Default Re: Cervantes Institute--crash course

[Anyway, what happens when you are over here in Spain? You won´t be able to say "oh, that´s it, it´s five o´clock. Going home time. No more Spanish for me today". I´d look at 8 hours a day as a way of gently breaking you into reality.]

Ha! That's very true, Keith.

Much as we love our new life in Spain, there were definitely times during the first 6 months when I really couldn't cope with HAVING to speak Spanish continually.
Sometimes, I just needed to shut myself away, and have a rest!
It was the combination of talking, thinking and translating with no respite, that made me feel quite exhausted at times.

Still, not to worry poollounger, it gets less stressful as time goes on.
They say that once you start thinking in a new language, you're well on the way to managing it - so as you're already doing that, things look promising for you
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Old Mar 15th 2007, 12:50 pm
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Default Re: Cervantes Institute--crash course

Originally Posted by brisca
[Anyway, what happens when you are over here in Spain? You won´t be able to say "oh, that´s it, it´s five o´clock. Going home time. No more Spanish for me today". I´d look at 8 hours a day as a way of gently breaking you into reality.]

Ha! That's very true, Keith.

Much as we love our new life in Spain, there were definitely times during the first 6 months when I really couldn't cope with HAVING to speak Spanish continually.
Sometimes, I just needed to shut myself away, and have a rest!
It was the combination of talking, thinking and translating with no respite, that made me feel quite exhausted at times.

Still, not to worry poollounger, it gets less stressful as time goes on.
They say that once you start thinking in a new language, you're well on the way to managing it - so as you're already doing that, things look promising for you
I heard that you can consider youself truly fluent once you do calculations in your head in Spanish (not by electing to do so, but naturally) and by understanding completely the strength and severity of swear words.

For example, I am very good at Spanish, but if I go into a shop and buy three things priced at the following:
1.49
0.89
3.11
At the till I would quickly add them up in my head in English, but then state the result in Spanish. So I still calculate in English.

And where would you place the "F" word on a scale of one to ten - one being very minor, ten being the most severe? I would guess a lot of Americans would place it fairly low down the scale as it is very widely used there, whereas my missus would give it at least an 8 or 9 as she never says it. Can you grade the Spanish translation of the "F" word? Joder/Follar?

What about the "C" word? I´d give that a ten in English. However, how about the Spanish translation? Coño. Pretty mild. Which words could you say in front of your mother, and which should you avoid? So I am beginning to learn to 'grade' the swear words in Spanish!
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Old Mar 15th 2007, 12:56 pm
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Default Re: Cervantes Institute--crash course

Originally Posted by keithwalters
I heard that you can consider youself truly fluent once you do calculations in your head in Spanish (not by electing to do so, but naturally) and by understanding completely the strength and severity of swear words.

For example, I am very good at Spanish, but if I go into a shop and buy three things priced at the following:
1.49
0.89
3.11
At the till I would quickly add them up in my head in English, but then state the result in Spanish. So I still calculate in English.

And where would you place the "F" word on a scale of one to ten - one being very minor, ten being the most severe? I would guess a lot of Americans would place it fairly low down the scale as it is very widely used there, whereas my missus would give it at least an 8 or 9 as she never says it. Can you grade the Spanish translation of the "F" word? Joder/Follar?

What about the "C" word? I´d give that a ten in English. However, how about the Spanish translation? Coño. Pretty mild. Which words could you say in front of your mother, and which should you avoid? So I am beginning to learn to 'grade' the swear words in Spanish!
So what do you shout at the lorry driver who cuts you off and then gets out of his cab to shout at you? All I could manage was "loco", pathetic really.
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Old Mar 15th 2007, 1:14 pm
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Default Re: Cervantes Institute--crash course

Originally Posted by Chiclanagir
So what do you shout at the lorry driver who cuts you off and then gets out of his cab to shout at you? All I could manage was "loco", pathetic really.
Ha Ha! Yes, it can be frustrating when you just don´t have the vocabulary.

But this illustrates my point a little bit. What would you have said in that scenario in English? and where would you place that word on a scale of one to ten for you?

You then need to find a Spanish equivalent that is located roughly in the same place on that scale, ie NOT a direct translation of what you would have said in English.
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Old Mar 15th 2007, 1:42 pm
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Default Re: Cervantes Institute--crash course

Well made point about switching off after 8 hours. In Spain I do find myself thinking in Spanish, and develop an irritating habit of having imaginary conversations which I whisper to myself in Spanish.. guaranteed to annoy people, especially the car driver.
Just been talking to a friend, a former college lecturer, who is a very good TEFAL teacher, and has done intensive language teaching in places like Sweden, accompanying a businessman right through the day to all his meetings etc. Transpires he did a Spanish course at the Cervantes Institute here in London, and he said he couldn't recommend it highly enough. Everything was top notch, the course, the venue, the teachers. He followed it on a while later with a course at Santander University, which in his opinion was a sorry disappointment, uninspiring and routine. He agreed that it would be pretty intensive, but beneficial. I asekd bout the possible use of mixed media etc and he said that the 'language lab' approach was now considered rather dated, and had been superceded by other methods. I intedn to do the course, so shall report back.
As to swearing in Spanish, I know someone who is very proficient....I shall keep you all informed. I know to refer to a woman as La Cucaracha is very rude, or a compliment depending on your point of view
Glorious sunny day here.. springlike and optimistic.

Last edited by poollounger; Mar 15th 2007 at 1:45 pm.
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Old Mar 15th 2007, 9:03 pm
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Default Re: Cervantes Institute--crash course

Hi

Have a look at this site http://www.synergyspanish.com/

I have just bought this course $47 inc tax. there is a lot of material both written and audio.

I looked at the free samples and listened to the sample audio.

I find it rather similar in style to Michel Thomas, but much, much better and it all seems to flow somehow. I am now very optimistic about my Spanish learning.

Also, a Spanish friend said something which gave me a real boost. She commented that you learn a language by understanding it first - speaking comes later and you have to be patient with the speaking part. I had thought it was just something lacking in me up to then.

There are two courses, I was recommended to go for the Synergy one as I already have a reasonable 'understanding'. This chap Marcus replies promptly to any questions you email him. He also has a system of support once you have purchased a course, so any queries he will try and clarify.
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