FOREIGN LANGUAGE PROGRAMS
Our instructors and the
communicative approach
Spanish Language Course
Spanish Language Program Objective
The Boston Language Institute, New England’s leading language school, offers Spanish language courses to individuals and companies. The quality of instruction provided in our Spanish language classes are on a par with the best native Spanish language school.
We consider it to be the major goal of our program to have you use Spanish in as large a variety of real-life situations as possible. To that end, our Spanish courses have been designed to build fluency in both the spoken and the written language. Communication in a warm and relaxed environment is an important feature of our programs, as is homework, which includes exercises for review and practice of the material taught in class. Moreover, by keeping the class size limited to twelve students, we ensure that each student will be able to actively participat
Spanish Level 1
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to ask and answer questions in the present tense, greet people and use expressions of courtesy. Everyday topics include school life, family, pastimes, sports and places in the city. Grammar includes nouns and articles, numbers, time, and the present tense of the three verb conjugations. Information about Hispanic culture is integrated to enhance student appreciation and use of the language.
(Vistas, Lessons 1-3)
Spanish Level 2
After completing this level, students should have a greatly expanded vocabulary and should be able to converse about everyday topics such as travel, clothing, negotiating a purchase, colors, daily routines, time expressions and food. Building upon the basic foundation provided in Level 1, grammar topics include ser and estar, the present progressive tense, the preterit, reflexive verbs, use of direct and indirect object pronouns, saber and conocer, comparisons and superlatives, demonstrative adjectives and pronouns, and likes and dislikes. The integration of Hispanic culture continues in the Lectura sections.
(Vistas,
Lessons 4-7)
Spanish Level 3
Building upon the skills studied in Level 2, students continue to build their vocabulary and gain proficiency to be able to speak on topics including personal relationships, health and medical terms, computers and internet, and parts of the house. Grammar topics in Level 3 include the imperfect and the preterit, use of pronouns, commands, adverbs, use of se, por and para, and the subjunctive with verbs of will and influence. Hispanic culture deals with Chile, Costa Rica, and Argentina.
(Vistas,
Lessons 8-11)
Spanish Level 4
Upon completion of this course, students can expect to converse with greater confidence and precision on a broad range of topics including nature and the environment, city life and daily chores, exercise and physical activity, professions and occupations. Building upon the skills already acquired, grammar topics include the subjunctive with expressions of emotion, disbelief and denial, the future tense, the present tenses, and nosotros commands. The cultural component comprises the countries of Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua.
(Vistas, Lessons
12-15)
Spanish Level 5
Having completed Level 5, students can expect to be able to discuss comfortably a broad range of topics as well as to read and write multi-paragraph texts. This course helps students to tie together all the elements of grammar and usage covered up to this point. Students practice and refine their skills through oral and written exercises designed to reinforce the vocabulary and grammar already learned. More advanced grammatical topics are introduced in response to students’ specific learning needs. Topics include the future tenses, the past subjunctive, the conditional tenses and si clauses.
(Vistas, Lessons
16-18 + additional resources)
Conversational Spanish I
This program is designed for students who are already proficient in the skills taught in Levels 1-5 and who want to increase their conversational abilities. Conducted entirely in Spanish, this course provides students with an opportunity to markedly improve their speaking and listening skills. Magazines, video and audio tapes, and other resources designed to provide practical opportunities for vocabulary and skill development are selected to match student interests. Grammatical topics are addressed as needed.
Conversational Spanish II
Based on conversations from daily situations, this course emphasizes practical speaking skills with discussion topics selected from a wide range of fields including culture, economics, literature, science, religions etc. After finishing Conversational Spanish II, the students will not only be able to speak fluently in a variety of daily contexts, but also able to use the language proficiently for in-depth topical discussions and debate.
