Introduction to Spanish 

Introductory Spanish classes are open to all current LCS members. Membership must be active to enroll and must remain active for the duration of each class. Classes are designed for individuals without any Spanish language background. The instructor will introduce learners to Spanish pronunciation, some vocabulary and social protocols. Class sizes are kept to a maximum of 12 students with a minimum of four students.

When:

Three Tuesdays of each month

Time:

12:00 noon - 1:30 p.m. in the Gazebo

Cost:

$350 MXN (includes IVA) per month

Registration:

Register and pay on-line (Click blue button) or in the LCS Service Office

Materials:

The instructor will provide handouts

Spanish in Action (Español en Acción)

Spanish in Action classes are open to all current LCS members. Again, membership must be active to enroll and must remain active for the duration of each class.

In 2020, LCS updated its Spanish language curriculum by beginning a transition to a new program known as Spanish in Action (Español en Acción). Maestra Alicia Ordóñez is the developer of this course for LCS. She has 40 years of experience in teaching Spanish as a Second Language. She was a teacher and head of the department of Spanish as a second language at the Autonomous University of Guadalajara (UAG). She has been office administrator, and Spanish Department Head of International Language Center, San Antonio, TX. She has taught Spanish to executives of Mitsubishi and other Japanese companies. She is the creator of the courses and materials that the UAG uses in its Spanish classes.

The plan is to continue to offer six terms of seven weeks each during the calendar year. Courses at four levels of difficulty will be available. Each course will have two parts to keep the course content manageable.

The Warren Hardy Spanish language curriculum used in past years will be gradually phased out in favor of the Spanish in Action courses. Those students who are progressing through the Warren Hardy course series will be given time to complete that program. The transition to the new curriculum will begin in the first session of 2020 with the substitution of Spanish in Action Level 1-A for the old Warren Hardy Level 1-A course. In the second 2020 session, Spanish in Action Level 1-B will replace the old Warren Hardy Level 1-B. And so it will go, session by session, until the transition is complete.

Spanish in Action and Warren Hardy Courses

• Spanish language classes are open to all current LCS members. Membership must be active to enroll and must remain active for the duration of each class.
• Class sizes are kept to a maximum of 10 students so the instructor can offer individual attention. A minimum of 4 students are required for a 7-week session to be scheduled.
• During the COVID pandemic, we may modify our normal schedule. Currently, classes will be conducted twice a week during the COVID pandemic. Each class is two hours 
Future Sessions


Spanish in Action 1-B	Mon, Thu,	12:30 - 2:30	October 15 - December 7
Warren Hardy 2-B	Tue, Fri	9:30 - 11:00	October 13 - December 1
Warren Hardy 3-B	Tue, Fri	11:30 - 1:00	October 13 - December 1
Warren Hardy 4-A	Tue, Fri	1:30 - 3:00	October 13 - December 1

Tuition

• Warren Hardy: $1,100 MXN per Session (includes IVA).
  Spanish in Action: $1,300 MXN
  Tuition is due at the time of enrollment.
  Payment can be made on-line.
• The class is limited to a maximum of 10 students.
• A full refund will be made available if the instructor is advised that the student is withdrawing, prior to the student attending the second class 
• Exceptions to the above will be considered by the Spanish program manager on a case by case basis spanishprogram@lakechapalasociety.com

Class Materials

• LCS honors the Warren Hardy copyright.  Pirated materials are not permissible in class. Hand-outs are provided by the instructor.
• Workbooks are required for both Warren Hardy and Spanish in Action classes.
• Warren Hardy workbooks cost $670 pesos each and are available at the LCS or from the Warren Hardy School in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
  The cost of the Spanish in Action workbook is $450 pesos. Email directoreducacion@lakechapalasociety.com for details on how to obtain these materials.
• Other materials may be recommended/suggested, but not required. Materials are available for purchase at the LCS.
• Prices are subject to change.
• In the case of a student withdrawing from class, no refund will be available for any/all materials purchased.

Spanish A La Carta

This is a new online program from LCS for its members, learners and practitioners of Spanish. Our offer includes advanced and intermediate level conversation sessions. Sessions with specific grammar topics and sessions to improve listening comprehension and pronunciation. For some classes, some material will be sent over email prior to the class for you to read so that your participation is smooth and you can get the most out of it. Spanish A La Carta classes are open to all current LCS members. Again, membership must be active to enroll and must remain active for the duration of each class.

Our curriculum is divided into packages with specific learning activities:

• Improve your pronunciation of Spanish.
• Conversation for intermediate students.
• Conversation for advanced students.
• Practical Grammar

Each program will consist of 2 or more ZOOM sessions of about 70 minutes each. The cost for each package varies, depending on the number of sessions.Tuition is due at the time of enrollment.
Class sizes for all packages are limited to 9 persons.

Spanish A La Carta Sessions in November, December

Improve your pronunciation of Spanish

• Package 1. Where to emphasize words in Spanish.
  Spanish language syllables, the rules to accent a word and some practice. After this class, you will be able to emphasize any word in Spanish if you apply what you learn.
  2-session class.
  Wednesday, November 4, 11.
  From 10:00 to 11:10 am.
  $200
  
• Package 2. /s/, /z/, /c/, /k/ & /q/ sounds. We will carry out some exercises to practice the sound both auditory and oral. We will also learn how to identify the sound represented by the corresponding letter and replicate it.
  2-session class.
  Tuesday & Friday, December 8, 11.
  From 10:00 to 11:10 am.
  $200
  
• Package 3. /b/, /v/, /p/ & /m/ sounds. We will carry out some exercises to practice the sound both auditory and oral. We will also learn how to identify the sound represented by the corresponding letter and replicate it.
  2-session class.
  Tuesday & Friday, December 15, 18
  From 10:00 to 11:10 am.
  $200
  
• Package 4. Where to emphasize words in Spanish.
  Spanish language syllables, the rules to accent a word and some practice. After this class, you will be able to emphasize any word in Spanish if you apply what you learn.
  2-session class.
  Wednesday, December 16, 23.
  From 10:00 to 11:10 am.
  $200
  
• Package 5. /g/, /gu/, /gü/ and /j/ sounds. We will carry out some exercises to practice the sound both auditory and oral. We will also learn how to identify the sound represented by the corresponding letter and replicate it.
  2-session class.
  Tuesday & Friday, December 22, 29
  From 10:00 to 11:10 am.
  $200
  

Conversation for Advanced Students

• Package 1. Mexican Traditions: The vision of death in Mexico and in the U.S.
  Mexican culture has a very particular view of death. That comes from ancestral times and mixed with ideology inherited by the Spanish conquerors achieving a mixture that we see expressed in our days in colorful and very deep ways. Let's talk about it and about the way our northern neighbor sees death.
  2-session class.
  Tuesday & Friday, November 17, 20.
  From 12:00 to 1:10 pm.
  $200

Practical Grammar

• Package 1. Por vs para.
  Learning the differences between por and para is often quite challenging, and with good reason. In Spanish, both por and para take on the responsibilities of not only for, but also by, on, through, because of, in exchange for, in order to, and several other prepositions and phrases. We have a 2-class series to learn, clarify and practice.
  2-session class.
  Wednesday, November 4, 11.
  From 10:00 to 11:10 am.
  $200
  
• Package 2. Verbs with different uses in Spanish.
  Some verbs acquire other meanings according to the context in which they are used, or they can help us express ideas, feelings, or situations that are outside the dictionary's rules but common in speech. The verbs to see are: pasar (to pass), dar (to give) and echar (to throw).
  3-session class.
  Wednesday, November 18, 25, December 2.
  From 10:00 to 11:10 am.
  $300
  
• Package 3. The guide to the use of negative phrases in Spanish.
  In Spanish, double negatives are normal, natural. Negation is not only limited to the use of "no", but to the use of other words and structures to be effective, just as native speakers of the language use it. For example: In English you can say "Ana doesn't want to listen to anyone ever. In Spanish it would be like : Ana doesn't want to listen to nobody never: "Ana no quiere escuchar a nadie nunca. Let's learn how to use them.
  2-session class.
  Tuesday, November 24, December 1.
  From 12:00 to 1:10 pm.
  $200
  
• Package 4. The use of time in Mexican Spanish.
  Let's learn to use words and phrases to indicate time like ahorita, luego luego, ya mero, casi casi, órale, ándale, ya voy, etc. This class will give you a better understanding of the use and application of these words in everyday speech.
  2-session class.
  Wednesday, December 2, 9.
  From 12:00 to 1:10 pm.
  $200
  

Class Location
The Wilkes Education Center (WEC)
Galeana 18, Ajijic

Hours
Monday to Saturday
Class times vary throughout the day

Contact Us
Phone:  (376) 766-1140
Email:  spanishprogram@lakechapalasociety.com

Spanish in Action / Course Syllabus

Level 1-A
During the course, four language skills will be worked on: reading comprehension, listening comprehension, oral expression, and written expression. Grammar structures and vocabularies are taught in a practical and communicative way, as well as authentic and fun.
The final objective of this course is: the student will be able to express himself in the following situations with the present and future tenses.
*  Communicate basic needs: food, shopping, space.
*  Talk about your mood and those of others.
*  Give and ask for the time.
*  Express obligation.
*  Describe everyday objects, people and routines.
*  Handle things properly and with confidence in a restaurant or in the city.

Grammatical Structures.
*  Personal subject pronouns.
*  Verb "ser" in the present tense.
*  Interrogative words.
*  Verb "estar" in the present.
*  Present tense of the regular verbs
*  Contrast of the verbs "ser and estar".
*  Particle “hay” (There is, there are).
*  Verb "tener" in the present tense.
*  Verbs "poder" and "querer" in the present tense.
*  Possessive and demonstrative adjectives.

Vocabulary.
*  Useful phrases.
*  Characteristics and qualities.
*  The family and the house.
*  Numbers, date and time.
*  Fruits and vegetables.

Dialogues.
*  Greetings.
*  Speaking of the family.
*  Discuss your house
*  How much does it cost?
*  In the market.

Materials:
Required: Workbook 1

Level 1-B
Grammatical Structures.
*  Verb "tener que" in the present tense.
*  Verbs "gustar", "caer bien / mal" and "doler" in the present tense.
*  Present progressive.
*  Verb "ir" in the present tense.
*  Future tense (colloquial): "ir a + verb in infinitive".
*  Irregular verbs in the present.
*  Irregular verbs by adding “g”, “ig”, “z” and “y” in the present tense.
*  Special verbs in the present tense.
*  Direct object pronouns.
*  Indirect object names.

Vocabulary.
*  The restaurant and meals.
*  The body.
*  The clothes.
*  The doctor and medications.
*  The city.

Dialogues.
*  At the restaurant.
*  At the department store.
*  At the doctor.
*  At the pharmacy.
*  Walking in the city.

Materials:
Required: Workbook 1

Warren Hardy Level / Course Syllabus

Levels 2A and 2B - Preterite and Object Pronouns
This course introduces students to:
*  The simple past tense (preterite tense)...I ate, I drank, I lived
*  Use the direct and indirect object pronouns... for/to me, him, her, us, them
*  Word order
*  Form sentences in the past tense

Materials:
Required: Workbook 2
Recommended: Verb cards, game cards
Suggested: CDs

Levels 3A and 3B - Seven Indicative Tenses
In Level 3, students will learn how to integrate seven tenses. This will provide the tools to express thoughts and allow students to feel more comfortable conversing in Spanish.
Students will study the Present, Imperfect, Future, Conditional, Present Progressive, and Present Perfect tenses.

Materials:
Required: Workbook 3
Recommended: Game cards
Suggested: CDs

Level 4A and 4B - Present and Past Subjunctive
The present and past subjunctive are the last tenses in Spanish grammar to learn.  During this final course students will learn:
*  When to use present and past subjunctive.
*  How to express oneself in a respectful and diplomatic manner.
*  Practice integrating the nine Spanish tenses

Materials:
Required: Workbook 4
Recommended: Game cards
Suggested: CDs