What you will study
Whether you want to visit, work or live in a Spanish-speaking environment, you will get more out of the experience if you can communicate effectively with people. In this short course you will begin to develop your reading and listening skills in Spanish and learn to speak and write the language to communicate in everyday situations. You'll learn basic structures of Spanish along with key vocabulary to meet and greet people and to talk about yourself and others. This course will also increase your awareness of the cultural diversity of Spanish-speaking countries.
In Beginners Spanish 1: ¡Empezamos!, you will learn how to:
- say your nationality
- give your age
- explain where you come from and where you live
- talk about jobs and occupations
- ask for and give information about other people
- use numbers up to 100 and above
- talk about family members
- say what people look like and describe their personality
- talk about clothes
- talk about houses
- book accommodation.
Learning a language is also learning about culture, so you will discover how to interact when meeting and greeting people in formal and informal situations in Spanish-speaking countries. You will learn about the cultural context of Spanish names, and you will explore the unique features of houses and cities in Spain and Latin America.
Throughout the course, you will improve your ability to understand spoken and written Spanish and to communicate your own information and ideas. You will acquire a knowledge of the basic structures of Spanish along with key vocabulary. Each unit comprises 3–4 hours of interactive activities, exercises, explanations, and tips about language-learning. It’s a good idea to keep notes either in a notebook or on your preferred digital device. There are regular revision units and at the end of each unit, there is a quiz for you to practise what you’ve been learning.
We look forward to seeing you soon. ¡Hasta pronto!
Please note that although this course is non-accredited, it can be used towards the module Making your learning count (YXM130) to gain OU credits.
You will learn
After completing this course, you should be able to:
- communicate with speakers of Spanish in a limited range of predictable and simple contexts relating to everyday situations
- understand and use simple Spanish grammatical structures (for example, questions and statements), and common, terms for everyday objects and events
- recognise and use basic Spanish phrases in formal and informal styles of communication and use polite forms of address and greetings
- show basic intercultural communicative competence, including an awareness of Spanish-speaking cultures and societies.
The course is designed to help you achieve a level of language proficiency equivalent to level A1 of the Council of Europe Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR).
Learner support
The course is taught entirely online, with the aid of a learning adviser to offer support where needed. You will have access to online forums that you are strongly encouraged to participate in, as they are an excellent source of support and information. These forums combine peer support with input from the language specialist learning adviser(s). Other support is available via the StudentHome website and Computing Helpdesk.
If you have a disability
The course is delivered online and makes use of a variety of online resources. If you use specialist hardware or software to assist you in using a computer or the internet you are advised to contact us about support which can be given to meet your needs.
The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying LGXS001 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.