¡Hola!

Bienvenidos to the UniSpain newsletter!! This is where you want to be if you’re thinking about studying Spanish in Spain, because we’ve packed this issue with tons of interesting articles, useful information and entertaining little tidbits to help you learn and have fun… simultaneously!

This July we're taking you to some of the hottest events in Spain! Plus, we've got some great articles about the Spanish language and helpful tips for your transition into living in Spain. You'll also get a free lesson on some fun and useful phrases for all your summer activities!

One Click Away!

Spain in summer is the place to be!! Destinations like Salamanca, Santiago de Compostela and Valencia – each with their own dynamic characteristics – are great places to practice your linguistic skills, surrounded by all the fun and beauty of Spain. In the summertime, in Spain, you can find a variety of fiestas and ferias all over the country. Plus, just enjoy taking part in the fascinating daily life Spain has to offer while enjoy its amazing climate.

Jazz it up in Salamanca
Salamanca: Situated in the beautiful Castilla y León region of North-Western Spain is Salamanca. The city is deeply-rooted with history which you can still see remnants of throughout the lovely city. In the summer, Salamanca hosts Jazz en la Calle (Jazz in the Street) where various artists perform every weekend in June, July and August. This is an ideal way to enjoy the perfect summer evenings, plus enhance your grasp on the Spanish language.

 

XIII Festival Internacional de Benicàssim
Valencia: Besides the excellent beaches, great nightlife and beautiful city that Valencia has to offer, it also puts you in close distant to one of the greatest summer music festivals worldwide – The International Festival at Benicássim. It’s located about an hour north of the city, along the coast, each year they bring in a variety of popular music artists and it’s possible to camp near to the festival and the beach. You can study Spanish in Valencia and have the chance to use the new language to experience some great summer events as well!

 

Fuego del Apostol
Santiago de Compostela: Santiago is famous for theCamino de Santiago and for being the home to St.James the Apostle’s remains.Travelling throughout the Galicia and
Asturias regions can make for some exciting adventures, or
when you want some relief from the heat you can head to one
of the close beaches. But, be sure to be around the city’s
cathedral at the end of July, the festival Fuego del Apostol
lights up Santiago’s sky with an enormous fireworks show.
Check out our Spanish courses in Santiago de Compostela.

 

Event of the Month

Celebrate the ‘Queen of the Sea’

In many different coastal towns in Spain and especially for the fishermen, July 16th is a festive day. It is the day of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel or Virgen del Carmen, in Spanish. She is considered the patron saint of the sea throughout the country, and therefore, on this day they celebrate her in a unique, but exciting fashion.

On this day, in many different coastal towns throughout the country, the people organize processions and carry a replicated image or statue of the Virgin to the sea. The most famous cities for celebrating the day of Virgen del Carmen are Cadiz, San Fernando, Málaga (and the surrounding villages of Rincon de la Victoria and El Palo) and on the Island of Tabarca. The normal tradition is that the fishermen take the portrait or statue of the Virgin out to sea on a boat; they parade her through the water and in turn believe she is blessing the sea for them. In the past it was even believed that the sea was not fit to swim in until after the Virgin had blessed it.

Although this celebration is based on a religious belief, the day of Virgen del Carmen is a festive day with
unique, exciting things happening in the different towns. It can be a fun way to dive into and be a part of the deep culture of Spain.

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Language News & Articles

Tip: Free newspapers are popular and available throughout Spain. Grab a copy and see how much you can understand! The pictures help put the words into context making it easier to guess at difficult vocab!

THE WORLD LEARNS SPANISH

A study by the Instituto Cervantes highlights the popularity of Spanish throughout the world. Findings point to more than 14 million students of Spanish throughout the world, a figure which is expected to grow substantially.

Data from a 900-page study performed by the Instituto Cervantes, Spain's government-sponsored Spanish language institution, suggests that there could  be as many as 14 million people throughout the world that study Spanish as a supplemental language. This figure makes Spanish the second most-studied language in the world behind English. In countries as varied as Australia, New Zealand, Cameroon, Senegal and Ivory Coast, Spanish is either the language with the best future or studied as a second choice.  Read More »

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO SURVIVE YOUR FIRST TWO WEEKS IN SPAIN

Two weeks is more or less the time it should take you to get your first feelings of stability after having come from a foreign country to study Spanish in Spain. Depending on where you're coming from and your own personality, it will be more or less hard to assimilate the changes in cultural perspective and way of life that you'll encounter in Spain.

Having a very basic vocabulary, just enough for getting around in the streets and being able to perform everyday tasks, is definitely a must. Some of the environments that you'll likely have to navigate are the supermarket, the bus / metro / train system, and the bustling city center. Read More »

Tips & Tools

Below we've put together some of the most helpful advice and tools to ensure you make the most out of your experience in Spain. Remember, we have a great team of advisors who are always on hand to answer your questions either by email or phone. Don’t be shy! If you don’t ask you don’t receive!

10 QUESTIONS: WHAT TO ASK TO ENSURE YOU CHOOSE THE BEST SCHOOL TO STUDY SPANISH IN

When making any decision, it is necessary to compile a list of factors that will ultimately help you in reaching that decision.  There is no exception when deciding which school to study Spanish in.  Once you have determined that you want to study in Spain, you will find that there is a wide range of schools and universities to choose from.  This can be overwhelming, but remain calm...we have compiled a list of 10 questions to help get you started in filtering through the options.  Decide what you want most from your school, whether it is extracurricular activities or a flexible class schedule.  Then, by asking these questions you will be able to narrow down the options. 

1. How many types of Spanish courses and hours per week are offered?
2. What subjects are given?
3. How many levels are there?
4. How many students are there per class?
5. Are the classes given in the morning or the afternoon?
6. What is the minimum age to study in the school?
7. Do you also offer accommodation?
8. What is the minimum number of weeks recommended in order to acquire a basic knowledge of the Spanish language?
9. Do you have extra-activities like excursions and conversations out of the classroom?
10. Are the professors licensed in Hispanic Philology?
    
    

PRACTICAL ADVICE FOR PEOPLE INTERESTED IN STUDYING SPANISH IN SPAIN

• Try to stay for a substantial amount of time; two or three weeks might not be worth it, depending on your level (if you want a vacation, just take a vacation!).

• Attend every day of class, and even if you don't do all the homework, try to do enough to get the idea of the lessons that were taught that day.

• Get over your embarrassment and ask questions in class, practice Spanish in the streets and with friends as much as possible. If you don't… you'll regret it later.

• Get a Spanish girlfriend or boyfriend (unless you're already committed!!) ... This is a tried and tested method :)

• Avoid falling into a group of friends that's mostly interested in sun and fiesta but that never practices Spanish. Try to make as many Spanish-speaking friends as possible.

• Go to intercambio or put an ad online and in the university (main bulletin board, library) for language exchange. Intercambio is a program that exists in most cities where people with different language backgrounds teach each other and make social contacts.

• Go to free salsa classes. Wednesday nights are common times for free salsa classes at many Spanish pubs. This is also a good opportunity to meet new people and practice Spanish while having fun.

• Remain open always to meeting new people and conversing with friendly people in the (exercise good judgement though!). Spanish people are very open and talkative and have no trouble striking up conversations with strangers. They're also very patient and pleasant to talk to if you make an effort to communicate with them as best you can.

• Enjoy Spanish arts: movies, books, music… especially those you find to be entertaining while educational.

• Finally, have the legitimate intention to learn a new language! If you do, things can only go your way. Good luck!

NEW TOOLS HELP PLAN OUT STUDYING IN SPAIN

When you’re planning to study abroad there are many factors to take into consideration like money, housing, food, transportation, etc. When you are planning on learning a new language on top of that, these plans may seem daunting. 

This need not be the case. With the help of UniSpain you can set up a Spanish language course, find your housing accommodations and now even calculate how much Pocket Money will be needed while your studying in Spain and you can determine how many weeks are needed to learn Spanish fluently.

• Pocket Money Calculator
  
  With UniSpain’s new Pocket Money Calculator you have the chance to input the city you will be living in, which kind of accommodation you will live in and different lifestyle factors that can give you results of how much extra money you should expect to need while living abroad for a language course. 
  The results are based on extensive research and from native knowledge of living costs in Spain. Of course, all figures are averages and estimates and are meant to give you a general idea. There are different factors that can change or skew these estimates such as excursions and unexpected travel or simply going out at night. 

• Weeks Needed to Learn Spanish Fluently
  
  There are many tools out there to assist you in determining your proficiency level of Spanish but at UniSpain we have developed a more innovative tool to help indicate approximately how many weeks you need to know Spanish fluently. 
  The short quiz asks different questions related to languages, study habits, living accommodations while in Spain and previous knowledge of the language. Since learning a new language is a dynamic process, the test is created to be an interpretive measure based on averages and estimates (not a guarantee).   

UniSpain works to make the process and outcome of your study experience run as smoothly as possible. With our two new tools, Pocket Money Calculator and Weeks Needed to Learn Spanish Fluently, you are already able to answer more questions and feel better prepared. Try out both of these helpful tools at UniSpain.com.

¿Cómo se dice?

Sun, sand, fiestas and ferias…these are among the many exciting summertime happenings in Spain. To help you enjoy the summer months check out these helpful Spanish phrases below!

• Where is the beach?
  ¿Dónde está la playa?
• How much is it to rent this beach umbrella?
  ¿Cuánto cuesta alquilar esta sombrilla?
• That’s an incredible bikini you have there!
  ¡Vaya bikini que llevas, me encanta!
• You’re at least eighteen, right?
  ¿Tienes por lo menos dieciocho años, no?
• Would you like to play beach paddle with me?
  ¿Te gustaría jugar a las paletas conmigo?
• I only speak a little bit of Spanish, but I love Spain.
  Solo hablo un poco de español, pero me encanta España.
• Could you put some sun lotion on my back?
  ¿Me podrías poner un poco de crema solar en la espalda?
• Let’s go dancing!
  ¡Vayamos a bailar!
• Have you been to this fair before?
  ¿Has estado a esta feria antes?

Oops!

FALSE FRIENDS
In the Spanish language you can find many words that sound and even look quite similar to an English word, but be careful because things aren’t always as they seem…

 

 

• En absoluto– this phrase is actually the exact opposite of what it seems to be if you compare it to English. It means absolutely not or not at all. To say ‘absolutely,’ use totalmente or completamente.
• Decepción – This word is deceiving, although it looks like deception, it really means disappointment. To deceive someone (in Spanish) is engañar a alguién and for something deceptive use engañoso.
• Ganga – Don’t be afraid if you hear that there’s a ganga, this just means there’s a bargain. The normal word in Spain for ‘gang’ is pandilla or banda.
• Largo – Although it still technically refers to size, don’t be fooled by thinking largo means large, the correct translation is long. If you want to say something is large, use grande.