Learning is based on the Communicative Approach, without losing sight of the need for grammatical accuracy. Spanish language courses are taught in Spanish and are designed to help students acquire fluency and sufficient communicative skills to cope with any situation that they are likely to encounter.

On arrival, students are tested for both written and spoken competence. On the basis of this placement test, they are assigned to the most appropriate level for their own benefit. Groups can be opened with a minimum of three students. We have divided our program into ten levels, which are arranged in the following three blocks:

Basic Course

Level I. Beginning

This level is for those students who have had no previous experience with Spanish.

During this course the student will learn simple forms of communication: greeting people, introducing oneself, replying to a greeting, asking for and telling time, identifying objects and places, asking for and giving information about the family, home, food, etc, expressing feelings, talking on the phone, physically describing people and state of health, asking for and giving prices, colors, and materials. Also, the student will learn the three forms of conjugation in the present tense, with regular verbs as well as the most commonly used irregular verbs. In addition, uses of SER, ESTAR, TENER and HABER will be learned.

Level II. Beginning II

The student will learn how to carry on a cordial and informative conversation with others. He/she will be able to describe people, things, and places as well as express opinions, make suggestions and denials in different situations. Upon finishing the course the student will be able to better express him/herself using present tense construction, wordy explanations in the future, past and imperfect tenses, and therefore be able to talk about past events.

Level III. Intermediate

The student will be capable of expressing ideas in the formal future tense, as well as use these forms to express probability in the present and past tenses. He/she will express emotions and opinions and use phrases of courtesy in order to ask for items, give apologies, and turn down offers, suggestions, etc. The student will be able to express moral obligation, give advice and suggestions and will learn the most common ways of giving orders. He/she will also improve their use of reciprocal and reflexive verbs.

Supplementary Spanish language courses

Conversation I
(For those students who have tested into Level II)

In this course the student will practice basic sentences and phrases in communication: introducing oneself and others, asking for help, asking for or giving information regarding the location of places, expressing desire and illness, and learning expressions that can be used in restaurants, banks, supermarkets, etc.

There will be preparation and presentation of themes relating to the family, the city, leisure activities, as well as others related to daily life.

Conversation II
(For those students who have tested into Level III)

The student will develop the ability to communicate in order to participate in the daily life in Mexico and to relate to specific social situations. Furthermore, he/she will participate in activities that promote ideas, expression of opinion, discussions, expression of agreements and disagreements, and questioning or answering, with respect to themes of interest. The dynamics of the class will include different techniques, such as debates, brainstorms, group problem-solving, panels, interviews, oral reports, etc.