One of the world’s great languages
Spain, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Argentina, Philippines, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, Puerto Rico... . Spanish is the official language for 572 million people in more than 20 countries around the world. It is the world’s fourth most commonly spoken language after Mandarin, Hindi and English. In the USA, where Spanish is taught as the first foreign language at schools and universities, over 40 million people speak Spanish. The influence of the Spanish language and culture still lingers in faraway places such as the Philippines and Africa, where it is the official language in Equatorial Guinea.
The relevance of Spanish goes far beyond its importance as a ‘travel language’ for tourists. Speaking the language opens the door to a variety of cultures in Europe and Spanish-speaking America, each with their own characteristic art, literature, cinema and music.
Students who become acquainted with the Spanish way of life are also introduced to a whole new cultural world, one that has spawned numerous world famous authors and artists. Naturally, we also integrate everyday life and popular culture into our teaching programme, making lessons more fun by involving well-known pop groups and singers, such as Shakira, Juanes or Manu Chao.
Spain and the Latin American countries are important business partners for European industry. Spanish is one of the main international languages of trade. Spain’s membership of the EU has given rise to manifold connections in the fields of economy, politics, culture and sport. Consequently, in numerous companies there is a demand for Spanish speakers. Spanish is one of the official languages spoken at international organisations such as the EU or the UN among others.
As one of the world’s great languages, Spanish opens up opportunities for our students to pursue careers in industry, technology, trade, banking and insurance as well as international organisations.
Spanish speakers find it easier to learn other Romance languages, such as French, Italian or Portuguese.
Paella, Tortilla, Flamenco, Salsa y Tango - Is Spanish a difficult language to learn?
In contrast to English, Spanish does not feature that frequently in our everyday life. Nevertheless, as its pronunciation closely relates to its written form, it is a straightforward language to get started with. Spelling mistakes are easy to avoid and with a few pronunciation rules students can quickly get underway.
It is true that some aspects of the language are tricky, for example the varied verb forms (pretérito indefinido…) which must be learned by heart and repeated regularly. However, it is possible to quickly master these and start communicating confidently. Paying attention and applying oneself in the early years really pays off in the long run!
Spanish or French?
Why not both?
Spanish and French are Romance languages that derive from a common root, Latin. With similar vocabularies and parallel grammatical structures, students of Spanish find it easy to learn French and vice versa. Although, with its specific pronunciation and spelling rules, French may appear more difficult at the beginning, in the long run the two languages are similar in their complexity.