El Patio Spanish Language School

The Surprising Benefits of Being a Beginner

What is it to be a beginner? Is it something we get to leave behind? And if not, then how might the attitude of being a beginner help us as we learn?

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.

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.

El camino de Santiago y otras aventuras en bici (The way to Santiago and other bicycle adventures)

¡Hola a todos! (Hello everyone!) I'm Rishi. I've been studying Spanish for 9 years, more or less 8 years at El Patio. Ana has asked me if I want to write a bit about my bicycle adventures in Europe, particularly those in Spain.

Soy Rishi. Hace 9 años que estudio español, más o menos 8 años en El Patio. Ana me ha preguntado si quiero escribir un poco de mis aventuras de bici en Europa, particularmente las de España.

Spanish Idioms - they "Crack us Up"! (A2-B2)

Idioms are often strange and unusual - yet sometimes the perfect way to express ourselves. Have you ever actually seen it "rain cats and dogs"? … in Spanish we'd say "llueve a cántaros" (it's raining buckets). Idioms are a great way to enter into a culture's unique way of thinking, a way to "get to the point". It really pays to learn one or two - you are so going to impress your Hispanic friends if you throw one in at the right moment. Read Ben Wright-Smith's amusing article with his illustrations - which "hit the nail on the head"!

I Learn Spanish! … Stavros Aivaliotis

Stavros is a well seasoned Northcote student! Having started in El Patio at Elementary 1 in 2009 and now at an Upper Intermediate level, his is a familiar face at our Northcote school. Stavros has made many friends with staff, teachers and fellow students, often finding time to practice with them outside of class. He attributes this aspect to his continued enthusiasm for learning!

I Learn Spanish! … Jennifer Boyce

Read about our student, Jennifer Boyce, and her journey to learn Spanish, (along with adorable daughter Eleanor!) With levels A1 and A2 under her belt, she's now set her eyes on a B1 DELE certificate. She has learned that studying Spanish is largely about persistence!

I Teach Spanish! … Isidro Martínez García

Meet Isidro! He's from Mexico and has been teaching at El Patio since 2009. His contribution to our profesores series is thoughtful and offers colourful insight to the processes of teaching and learning Spanish in Australia. Do read right to the end, as he has created a fun lesson on the Direct Object and Indirect Object Pronouns!

I Learn Spanish... Kate McAll

Kate has been studying at El Patio since 2012, and is currently in the Upper Intermediate 1 class. Here she shares her learning Spanish experiences - hopefully we can learn something by reading about how others approach the monster task of language acquisition!

I Learn Spanish! … Daniel Kostoski

Introducing Daniel Kostoski, one of our determined students. Daniel started at El Patio from zero and 11 courses (2.5 years) later, is now in Lower Intermediate 5. Here he answers a few questions and gives insight into his Spanish learning experience.

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Gift Voucher $500

Easy! Surprise your Spanish-learning friends, family or colleagues with a Gift Voucher. This voucher could be used toward a course fee and even texts. Once you have purchased your voucher, please El Patio of the…

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