Spanish Beginners to Confidently Talking to Locals

Sisters, Brenda and Carmel, decided to join our Spanish language courses after struggling with language barriers on a previous trip to complete El Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage in Northern Spain.

They found that their enjoyment was restricted as they couldn’t fully understand the locals and read signs, such as bus timetables and menus. They also found that Google Translate couldn’t be relied upon. Friendly locals would ask them if they knew “un poco”, meaning “a little”, which they did not. Brenda and Carmel really wanted to engage with the locals and decided they “had to do something about it”. So, they enrolled onto our Spanish for Beginners course.

Brenda and Carmel have progressed their learning and are currently enrolled onto our Spanish Level 3 course. When asked what they enjoyed most about our Spanish courses, they said:

“All the classes have been well prepared and targeted to our individual needs. There has been a variety of activities to promote interaction in the class so that we can improve our skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening. We have had the opportunity to consolidate our skills at home and good feedback has been given promptly.”

They also had kind words to share about their tutor, Maria:

“We have had excellent teaching from Maria. Maria is a person who is full of enthusiasm and energy, and she is always encouraging and positive. She is a patient, compassionate person who supports individual students.  Maria’s diligence is also appreciated as this promotes our learning."

Here's a photo of Brenda, Carmel and Maria! 

We spoke to their tutor Maria about Brenda and Carmel’s learning journey, and she told us:

“Carmel and Brenda are wonderful students: very committed to their learning and hard-working inside and outside of the classroom. I am extremely proud of their achievements and the progress they have made in the last couple of years. I clearly remember their first lesson in the Beginners class and how enthusiastic and participative they were. I thought they had incredible potential to unlock and they have definitely proved it.”

Recently, Brenda and Carmel’s went back to Northern Spain after their last trip from 2 years ago and they were able to put their hard work to use.

“We were delighted to be able to understand the signs for the first time and this was followed by being able to read the bus timetable and buy a ticket. We understood prices and could book a taxi.  We had more choices in restaurants because we could understand the menus and order food and drink”

We’re so glad that Brenda and Carmel’s trips to Spain are now easier, but we’re so proud of them for reaching their personal goal and being able to have conversations with the locals.

“People we met were generally happy that we were trying to speak, and our confidence increased which encouraged more learning.”

Asides from their speaking, listening, reading and writing skills, Brenda and Carmel also expressed how they enjoyed learning about the culture of Spain as part of their courses. They also enjoyed developing friendships with other adult learners in their class. To encourage new learners, they wanted to share:

“The class is welcoming and encouraging, and it will be adapted to your needs with individual learning plans and targets.  It is fun, engaging and you will be taught in small groups and so get a lot of attention.”

We are so proud of Brenda and Carmel for being determined and passionate learners! If you’re inspired to learn a language, look no further!

Learn more about Language Courses