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.

I Learn Spanish! ... Fiona Ernst

After hearing the passionate swearing of a Spanish tennis player, Fiona, impressed by such expression, quickly found herself enrolling in Spanish classes with El Patio! 9 years later Fiona has taken her Spanish around the world: to Cuba, Spain and Peru and beyond! Yet she shows no signs of slowing down her progress or her desire to travel further!

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.

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!

El templo perdido - a short story for beginners (A1)

Learn while you practise reading! Ana Ruiz has written another short story which not only functions to practise directions, descriptions and new vocabulary, but takes you right into the streets of Barcelona's Barrio Gótico (Barri Gòtic), and the literary treasures that might be found there. A micro literary thriller! Good for an A1 level.

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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