Latin music heaven this weekend!
The Night Cat (137 Johnston St, Fitzroy) will be synced up with the Johnston St Hispanic Fiesta this weekend, November 18-19, 2016, putting on a festival of its own.
El adiós de Anisa (B2-C2)
Ana's latest story takes place during the final moments of Moorish Spain - in 1492 - a time when the world was changing fast. Written for students at advanced levels, it follows the exile of a young woman named Anisa, her hopes for her family of birth, but also the love she has found with her new kin.
Ana has crafted the story to reflect the time in which it is set, using words and expressions that trace the origins of Spanish we use today (if you look closely you'll see where of the terms ustedes and ojalá come from).
A beautiful story for anyone with an interest in the history of the Spanish language and in this pivotal point in the history of Spain.
What to expect on your first trip to Bolivia
Most first-timers to Bolivia say they have a love-hate relationship with this troubled country. Bolivia is the least developed country in South America. And it's true: there are many dangers but there are also some pretty wonderful and unique opportunities. It is a country with hundreds of worthy tourist attractions, but a nation not quite set up for tourism yet.
Here are just some of the things to expect:
Hay vs Está/Están (A1-B1)
Is there any …? Where is the …?
Do you get confused when asking trying to ask either of these questions? Differentiating is easy when you know why to use either Hay or Está/Están.
Spanish through Song - Me gustas tú (A1/A2)
Music touches us. It's a universal language that needs no translation. Language and music share stuff - rhythm, melody, pitch, volume, tone, pauses, stops.
Spanish through Song explores the artist, the lyrics and why you should incorporate it in your learning routine.
Let's look at Manu Chau's "Me gustas tú" - perhaps THE MOST USED SONG in Spanish language classes all over the world.
Learn Imperfecto and Indefinido using Poetry (A2/B1)
To help her students intuitively differentiate the Preterito Indefinido and Preterito Imperfecto tenses, Raquel designed a poetry exercise. The idea here was to use rhythm and rhyme to facilitate memorisation. Poetic form helped expand vocabulary while the task cemented the irregular conjugations of the two most confusing tenses.
What was the result?
Poems that are hilarious, abstract, entertaining yet still very grammatically useful!
I Learn Spanish! … Rosemary Kelly
When her daughter fell in love with a Costa Rican, Rosemary decided she wouldn't be left out of the conversation! She enrolled at El Patio. She would not have guessed then, that 7 years later (in one of the longest running courses, Advanced Extended 4), she would have found new love too - the Spanish language! Read about Rosemary's Spanish learning journey and how she maintains, grows and enjoys her new language.
La máquina de escribir (B2/C1)
Read a story about a spooky Spanish typewriter, forgotten for decades and passed down through generations. What mysteries does it keep leaving? And what secrets has it kept throughout its life? Ana Ruiz has created another gothic tale, this one for the B2/C1 level. It's great for vocabulary, verb tenses, adjectives you've never seen before, history, and of course, a bit of suspense.
Write like Cervantes! Thou hast seen nothing yet ... (B2-C1)
Miguel de Cervantes was known to capture the human condition like no other - perhaps personified most poignantly through his famous creation, Don Quijote. Cervantes died 400 years ago, on April 23, 1616, leaving behind a most influential literary legacy.
Well here we have tried something in class. To commemorate this day (which is UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day), some of our advanced students have written an autorretrato (self-portrait) in the style of Cervantes for a class exercise.
To get an idea - Imagine describing yourself in the language of William Shakespeare (Cervante's English counterpart), who happened to died in the same year. (Some say even the same day. But that depends which calendar you're looking at!) This task is aimed at the higher levels - those studying either B2 or C1.
I Learn Spanish! … Li Juen Chang
Li Juen Chang started Spanish at University on a whim. Now he's powering through the El Patio levels - having jumped from Lower Intermediate 2 to Upper Intermediate 4 in one go! (That's 7 levels!)
In this interview Li Juen reveals his secrets to success, from the apps he uses to how he manages to practice speaking Spanish outside of class.
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