El Patio Spanish Language School

Summer Intensives 2025! January 13-24

Join us for our Summer Intensives in 2025 (January 13-24) - an exciting two weeks of Spanish study in Northcote, Melbourne CBD and Online! This is a chance to boost your level in a way that would normally take months. Along with our first three Elementary levels (Elementary 1, 2, and 3), we offer FULL 15-hour Conversation Courses where you can improve your speaking confidence, as well as shorter conversation and travel courses!

New courses starting soon!

Australia's best-loved Spanish language school, now teaching Face-to-Face and Online. Learn Spanish socially - whoever and wherever you are.

Iconic Design in the Spanish Speaking World

Design in the Spanish-speaking world has a rich and interconnected history. Each country's urban life is impacted and influenced greatly by the structure of their cities and buildings. If you're interested in all things architecture and urban planning, this one is for you! From ancient histories to master plans and changing urban landscapes, read on to find out more about some of the most impactful spaces within Spain and Latin America.

Ser or Estar … Dying to Know the Answer? (A1-C1)

When students first learn that there are two very different forms of 'to be' in Spanish they are often confused and perhaps even a little annoyed! "But why!?" is a very common reaction! Yet grasping the difference between 'ser' and 'estar' is often a watershed moment in the Spanish acquisition journey!

Podcasts, in Spanish!

Podcasts can be seriously entertaining, funny, informative - and a wonderful resource for practising your Spanish!

Check out El Patio's Spanish podcast recommendations. There's something for every level!

"Los posesivos" and their place in the Spanish Language!

My, yours, his, hers... the posesivo (possessive) in Spanish will allow you to describe ownership and ask others questions about whether something belongs to them! Take a look at our quick grammar guide to get your posesivo skills ship-shape.

What is "el gerundio" and when do we use it in Spanish?

Gerundio is the "gerund", commonly known in English as the -ING form. It basically means to put -ING at the end of the stem of a verb. In Spanish it is used similarly as it is in English (with one good exception) - to express actions that are happening in the moment or to talk about temporary situations.
In Spanish, we add -ANDO at the end of the verbs that end in -AR, and -IENDO to the verbs that end in -ER and -IR. Read on ...

The Free 'El Patio ESSENTIALS' language sheets

As a supplement to your study materials, El Patio is producing a serious series of useful language sheets, covering key grammar topics and tenses in clear and straightforward language to help you as you learn.

Musing of the month: looking for shapes

The first of our Monthly Musings, Craig ponders the marvels of shapes in language. Shapes are everywhere and not only that: they're useful and can help us as we learn. Have a read and enjoy.

Get Creative: Make Paella [A1]

Craig gives the traditional paella a personal twist. He makes something that's possibly unconventional, but that is easy to prepare, very yummy and quite paella-like. Be inspired, go wild in the kitchen and have a crack at Craig's fill-in-the-gaps recipe exercise. The exercise practises the first person in the present tense, and is perfect for beginners - particularly if you're in Elementary 2 or 3.

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