Spanish for Beginners

This free online course is the first of six in the Spanish for Beginners program. It will introduce you to the basic language, so that you are able to:

• greet people and introduce yourself and others;
• talk about where you live and where you come from;
• talk about what you do;
• talk about the languages you speak;
• ask for clarification or repetition when you don’t understand.

Start to speak, listen, read and write in Spanish

During the four weeks of the course, you will learn some of the vocabulary and phrases you need to help you interact with people at a basic level.

You will start to develop the four language skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing through a range of activities that introduce the language in authentic settings, and the audio and video resources will show you the language in action.

There are some activities when you will also practise your speaking skills, as it is important that you start speaking as soon as possible!

You will also learn some essential Spanish grammar, including some basic verbs. Finally, you will get some tips and advice on how to develop your study skills, so that you become a successful language learner.

Take your Spanish learning offline by purchasing two hours of downloadable audio files and transcripts made by the course creators at The Open University. These MP3s are a great way to practise your Spanish listening and speaking wherever you are. They cover examples and exercises in the same topics as the course.

This course is aimed at people with no prior knowledge of Spanish who want to learn the basic language and find out about the Spanish-speaking world. It will be taught through English.

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This free online course is the second of six in the Spanish for Beginners program. It will introduce you to the language that you need to:

• describe people, both physically and in terms of their personality;
• talk about what people wear (clothes, accessories and colours);
• talk about your family;
• ask for people’s contact details (address, telephone number, e-mail);
• describe your home and the furniture in it;
• talk about what you want when looking for accommodation.

Talk about people and places in Spanish

During the four weeks of the course, you will learn the vocabulary and phrases you need to talk about people and places, and the present tense of some of the basic verbs, such as se/estar (to be), tener (to have) and querer (to want), and the expression ‘hay’ (there is/there are) to describe places.

You will also learn how to ask questions in Spanish. You will continue to develop your speaking, listening, reading and writing skills, through the activities, the audio and the video resources.

You will find tips and advice on how to develop our study skills, and some cultural information about people and places in the Spanish speaking world.

Take your Spanish learning offline by purchasing two hours of downloadable audio files and transcripts made by the course creators at The Open University. These MP3s are a great way to practise your Spanish listening and speaking wherever you are. They cover examples and exercises in the same topics as the course.

This course is aimed at people with little prior knowledge of Spanish who want to learn the basic language and find out about the Spanish-speaking world. The course assumes that you have already studied the first course in the Spanish for Beginners program. This course is taught through English.

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This free online course is the third of six in the Spanish for Beginners program. It will introduce you to the language that you need to:

• talk about your daily life;
• talk about what you do every day and every week;
• ask for and tell the time, and say when things happen;
• talk about means of transport;
• talk about working hours;
• talk about opening and closing times of shops and businesses.

Describe your normal day in Spanish

During the four weeks of the course, you will learn the vocabulary and expressions to talk about what you do during a normal day, and learn the present tense of regular verbs, as well as some irregular verbs such as ir (to go), salir (to leave/to go out) and venir (to come). You will also learn to talk about things you do frequently.

By now, you will find that you are getting more confident in your listening, and you will continue to work on your speaking, reading and writing skills too.

You will find out more about the variety of people and places in the Spanish-speaking world, and about some differences in vocabulary between the different Spanish varieties.

This course is aimed at people with little prior knowledge of Spanish, who want to learn the basic language and find out about the Spanish-speaking world. The course assumes that you have already studied the previous two courses in the Spanish for Beginners program. This course is taught through English.

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This free online course is the fourth of six in the Spanish for Beginners program. It will introduce you to the language that you need to:

• talk about your hobbies and leisure time, such as sports and music;
• talk about healthy living;
• talk about what you like and dislike;
• talk about what you prefer;
• give reasons, express your opinion, and agree and disagree with others.

Learn Spanish to talk about your hobbies and interests

During the four weeks of the course, you will learn vocabulary and expressions to talk about your leisure time, such as what you do in your free time at home, like reading or watching TV, or outdoors.

You will learn vocabulary to talk about sports and healthy lifestyles, about musical instruments, and about historical or modern buildings that you might see in your travels.

You will also learn how to talk about what you like, and about what you are not so keen on, using the verb gustar (to like) and preferir (to prefer).

By now, you will be halfway through the Spanish for Beginners program, and you will be growing in confidence. You will be coming across longer texts in Spanish, and will have to read some of them for gist, so you understand what they are about even if you don’t understand all the words.

You will learn about Ecuador, and its capital, Quito, and about Latin dance too.

This course is aimed at people with little prior knowledge of Spanish, who want to learn the basic language and find out about the Spanish-speaking world. The course assumes that you have already studied the previous three courses in the Spanish for Beginners program. This course is taught through English.

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This free online course is the fifth of six in the Spanish for Beginners program. It will introduce you to the language that you need to:

• make phone calls;
• talk about what you are doing;
• book hotel and other holiday accommodation;
• shop for food;
• make suggestions, and accept and decline invitations.

Learn Spanish to use on the phone and get things done

During the four weeks of the course, you will learn the vocabulary and phrases you need to get things done, such as expressions to use on the phone, when booking a hotel or a holiday apartment, shopping for food, or arranging to go out. You will also learn to use the present continuous to talk about what you are doing.

You will continue to develop your language skills, and practice how to talk on the phone in Spanish; this can be quite daunting, so you will also find tips and advice on how to do it.

You will find out about several festivals and celebrations from the Spanish-speaking world, including the Barranquilla Carnival in Colombia.

This course is aimed at people with little prior knowledge of Spanish, who want to learn the basic language and find out about the Spanish-speaking world. The course assumes that you have already studied the previous four courses in the Spanish for Beginners program. This course is taught through English.