Originally Posted by XTreme (Post 5385429)

How can there be no need for the teacher to speak English?

How do you ask questions or clear up points of confusion?

Originally Posted by jdr (Post 5385491)

First time I listened to that I fell asleep to the drone of his voice. ;-))

Originally Posted by ZoeOddJob (Post 5385485)

At first I felt like you, how can they clarify any confusion or misunderstanding, but it did work. If you don't understand a word or phrase, then it is put to you in a way that you do understand, with words that you do understand. Also we used a book that was completely in Spanish, but with the use of examples, pictures, cartoons explained everything, including all of the grammar.

Originally Posted by XTreme (Post 5385843)

That's fine on a fairly basic level of word association.....but how do you learn the rules of the language? For example......structuring sentences containing different tenses within it? Or when you want an explanation on certain aspects of irregular verbs, and why they are irregular? Or you require an explanation of how the subjunctive is used? What happens then?

Originally Posted by The Oddities (Post 5385791)

I think that Michel Thomas is excellent as a confidence builder when first learning Spanish but is very limiting.

Rosemary

Originally Posted by Karmen (Post 5385306)

Well dont keep it to yourself! If your getting free lessons computer based or not SHARE the DETAILS, How, when, where, I WANT ONE!!!

Otherwise its deemed as just BRAGGING!!!

Originally Posted by The Oddities (Post 5385328)

Is this organised by the town hall? Unfortunately our town hall is not providing any classes and have not been able to tell us where we might be able to go for lessons. We desperately need classes in order to gain practice.

Rosemary

Originally Posted by XTreme (Post 5383698)

I hear from a number of people in this town and in the surrounding areas that the Ayuntamientos have free Spanish language classes for Brits.
I've been in Spain nearly two years now and I've never had a Spanish lesson in my life......and I wouldn't go to one even if I had the time. Which I don't. Me and classroom environments just don't get on I'm afraid.
However....one consistent factor with all of these classes I've heard about is the same. And frankly I'm baffled by it!
And that's the fact that none of these Spanish language teachers can speak English.
So how can they possibly teach Spanish? It makes no sense to me whatsoever!
And I've seen the results of people attending these sessions for a long period of time....they seem to know hundreds of irrelevant words they'll never use, yet are totally incapable of doing anything with the language.
Last week I had one of them ask me to ring up Telefonica for him to tell them he had no ADSL. Seems he knew the words for every obscure animal and kitchen utensil on the planet, but yet couldn't conduct a simple conversation.
Anybody had experience with these type of classes where the teacher speaks no English? Cos I'd be interested to know how exactly they manage to teach......sign language? Matchstick men on blackboards? Cartoons? :lol:

Originally Posted by The Oddities (Post 5385791)

I think that Michel Thomas is excellent as a confidence builder when first learning Spanish but is very limiting.

Rosemary

Originally Posted by ZoeOddJob (Post 5386009)

By providing lots of examples and topics of discussion based around the subject. The use of the subjunctive was explained and everyone in the class grasped it - whether we all use it out of class is another matter! If we were unsure of tenses we referred to our verb books or dictionaries - you learn a lot about your own language by learning another language. You need to understand the grammar of your own language first. So yes the teacher only spoke spanish, but between us the students referring to grammar books and dictionaries and also the text book provided by the college we got there - I'm not saying that at no point did we (students) speak english during the classes, we did but not very frequently.

This is a much better method to lessons I had back in the UK - where I had classes with other students and also private.

Originally Posted by gallerie9 (Post 5387712)

as soon as i have been i will tell you
it is very self explanitary there are english translations and the words are spoken to you through head sets and you reply, We are a small village of about 10 Brits and a couple of Germans and we all know each other and wil help each other out a few of us have a some understanding and can hold a conversation So it should be OK and the teacher well she is a friend and I do understand most of what she says.

Originally Posted by sonofspain1973 (Post 5388266)

It is the first time that I read that there are spanish teachers of the english language that they don't know how to speak english, something that I find truly illogical

Originally Posted by Karmen (Post 5390426)

Stranger things have happened.
Some English actually learn to speak spanish when living in Murcia - well i say some that is stretching the truth a little, I heard there maybe two or three Brits have tried to learn Spanish in Murcia, trouble is, you make it far too easy for the English down there everyone speaks ENGLISH!!!!
In fact when i visit Murcia i speak Spanish to the English just to remind them where they are!!!
Its really disorientating