¡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.
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"!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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.
El Patio teacher Mónica Caruana is interviewed about her Spanish teaching experiences. Get to know the thoughts and processes involved, first hand, of one of our committed teachers.
Mónica is from Veracruz, Mexico, and has been teaching at El Patio since 2011.
A question we are often asked is "Do you teach Spanish from Spain or Latin America?" Although this is a big concern for some, we feel that the worry is a bit exaggerated and unnecessary. We think it is more important in a course that the teachers are qualified and the course programmes are well written.
Easy! Surprise your Spanish-learning friends, family or colleagues with a Gift Voucher. This voucher could be used toward a course fee or even texts. Once you have purchased your voucher, please El Patio of the…
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