El Patio Spanish Language School

I Learn Spanish! ... Jenny Skewes

Upon retiring Jenny wanted to make sure she kept her mind sharp. And as we all now know, learning a language is one of the best ways one can do that, In the end Spanish turned out to be an obvious choice for Jenny as her son was already married to a Venezuelan.

Jenny is very unassuming about her progress - but we think she has plenty to brag about. She currently studying level C1 grammar in one of our highest classes - Superior 2. She's completed over 30 levels with us over 8 years, and honestly - we've lost count of the exact number of courses she's done! Jenny is a shining example that commitment and consitency does pay off.

Read on to find out all about Jenny and her journey, and stay until the end to read a magnificent short piece that she wrote.

I Learn Spanish! ... Zac Powell

Meet Zac! Zac's initial steps into the Spanish speaking world felt like a bit of a stumble. But fast-forward two years later, and Zac's zooming through the El Patio levels (Upper Intermediate 2 already?)! For someone who considers himself more of a maths nerd than a language aficionado - we think Zac's caught the language bug very quickly! In this interview, find out how Zac tackles common problems, finds motivation and what he does outside of class to keep his Spanish flowing.

Receta de gambas a la plancha (Grilled Prawns Recipe) [A1/A2]

Prawns! They're the perfect Summer treat. In Ana's latest recipe, read how simple it is to make one of the most popular raciones (share-plates) served in Spanish bars.

Put a shrimp on the barbie with us! We've included translations and - as a little extra - some common Spanish expressions about prawns

Myths and Legends Behind the Mojito

So light and simple, the mojito is a perfectly refreshing potion with an irresistible punchiness. This humble cocktail has many famous fanciers: Ernest Hemmingway, Brigitte Bardot and even James Bond (when he's not drinking martinis).

Some say the mojito is magic - that 'mojito' literally means 'to cast a little spell'. In this article, get bewitched by the marvellous Cuban brew and learn all the tricks to making the perfect one too!

El club del cuento [B2, C1, C2]

El club del cuento es un curso corto de conversación dirigido a estudiantes de nivel avanzado y superior (B2, C1, C2). Consiste en cinco sesiones de hora y media cada una.

I Teach Spanish! …Monika Lewandowska

Monika is one of those teachers who instantly lights up a room. Her infectious energy has led to what can only be called a 'cult following' - so many students just can't get enough of Monika!

Monika (from Poland) is living proof that being a fantastic Spanish teacher doesn't mean you have to be a native Spanish speaker. In fact, learning from a teacher that has themselves learnt the language from scratch has many amazing advantages.

Get your mouth around el indefinido! [A2]

El pretérito indefinido or pretérito perfecto simple (simple past) is one of the most challenging tenses to master and pronunciation can be tricky. This blog has audio of some key verbs - both regular and irregular. So skill up on this very useful past tense.

Scheme of Beginner Courses

Have a look at this diagramme of all of our beginner courses - you can see that there are plenty of options for study.

The 6 Scariest Spanish Verbs (A1/A2)

Spanish verbs are scary, right? Yes they are full of monsters and skeletons, but they are actually indispensable to being able to talk well, ie: in full sentences. They do seem to quietly unnerve all of us, so why not have some jump out of the cupboard and give us the full fright!

400 millones de hablantes de español

Students of El Patio made a video answering some questions about their connection with the Spanish-speaking world and their experience of learning Spanish.

Have a look, be inspired and join 400 million speakers of Spanish!

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