Spanish Language Classes

Approximately half a billion people around the world speak Spanish either as a first or second language, making it one of the world s most widely spoken languages (only English, Mandarin and Hindi have more speakers). There are many Spanish language classes and Spanish courses available in Ireland. As a result of sixteenth-century colonial endeavour, dialects of the language can be found across the globe, from Mexico and the US to Peru and Paraguay. Because it is a member of the Indo-European language family, Spanish shares certain characteristics (i. e. in terms of grammar and vocabulary) with English, French, Portuguese and Italian.

What does it involve
While it can also be a challenge, it is because of these similarities that many native English language speakers consider Spanish to be one of the easiest foreign languages to pick up basic Spanish grammar is relatively straightforward and written Spanish is almost entirely phonetic (i. e. you can easily tell how a word should be pronounced its spelling). Spanish lends itself very well to in-class learning and students on Spanish language programmes often find themselves making significant progress after only a handful of lessons.

Spanish language classes for beginners will typically begin by teaching students the alphabet and how each character is pronounced. This greatly assists learners in developing their Spanish pronunciation at an early stage. Students on beginner’s programmes will also learn how to introduce themselves; order items from a shop, cafe or restaurant; and give simple descriptions of places, objects and events. Intermediate Spanish lessons are aimed at those with some knowledge of the language s syntax and functions, which they will develop, along with the learner s reading, writing and pronunciation skills. Students will also learn how to use to use different tenses when speaking and will work on their conversation skills. They may, for instance, learn how to ask for directions; make a phone call or book an appointment; or talk about their interests, health and family.

Advanced-level Spanish courses are designed to get students to a point where they can speak the language with some degree of fluency. Studying Spanish at this level allows students to engage in more complex conversations too, such as relating personal experiences, expressing opinions and talking about events.

Why do it
For Culture Pablo Picasso, Cervantes, Francisco Goya, Antoni Gaudi one of the major benefits of developing your Spanish language skills is that the will give you greater insight into the works and pervasive influence of the scores of great Spanish writers, artists, architects and musicians. For Travel By learning to speak Spanish, you will give yourself the mobility to travel from one side of the world to the other, from the bustling to the remote and exotic and still be able to communicate effectively with the locals.

Even short trips to beautiful Spain, with its rich heritage, delicious food and glorious landscape will be enhanced: being able to converse in Spanish allows you to participate in what occurs around you rather than just observe it. For Work The Spanish economy, like the Irish, has taken significant punishment in recent years. Yet this should not be a deterrent: true, there opportunities for English language teachers and translators in Spain; but what gives more cause for optimism is the growth of the Hispanic community in America. Indeed, the Latino market is the fastest-growing market in the US. Learning to speak Spanish would give Irish expatriates to the US a popular location for our emigrates a distinct advantage is finding work there.

What comes next
For those who pursue their Spanish studies to diploma and degree level, there is promising career potential in international business and commerce, education, translation, accountancy, journalism, law, advertising and digital communication, and in diplomatic services. For most, however, what comes next is the simple joy of learning and greatly enhanced holiday experiences.

At a glance
The Spanish language is among the most widely used in the world. Spanish is considered to be one of the easiest foreign languages for English language speakers to learn. Spanish language classes for beginners typically run for around 10 to 25 weeks. More intensive Spanish courses may be somewhat shorter.

Programme prices are normally very reasonable, being somewhere between 80 and 250.