Radio interview of three students from Tía Tula

As we recently posted on our Facebook page, three students of Tía Tula, Colegio de Español took the opportunity to participate in a programme on Radio 5 (RNE), the national Spanish radio station, in which they shared some of their experiences about being Spanish students in Salamanca.

If you would like to know more about what makes Salamanca the perfect city to come to for learning Spanish, watch the video that we recorded during the interview:

We also have a podcast of the whole programme, which includes a talk between Enrique Clavero (the joint director of Tía Tula), Ricardo Ortiz (the director of 'Lingua Globe') and Carmen Ballesteros (the director of 'Salamanca City of Spanish'):

And for you? What do you like the most about Salamanca?

Spanish version

Who wants to achieve a diploma in Spanish language?

Let´s talk about our Spanish DELE course!

Candidates may do the exam at levels A1, A2, B1 (formerly initial level), B2 (formerly Intermediate level), C1 and C2 level.

The tests will be held on 24 and 25 May in nearly 800 test centres spread across a hundred countries around the world, of which almost 100 are in Spain. See DELE examination centres.

The registration period began on February 25th and ends on April 19th, inclusive, so there is still time to sign up!

What are these diplomas? Very simple, the DELE are official qualifications accrediting Spanish language skills:

        A1, A2, B1 (formerly initial level),

        B1, B2 (formerly Intermediate)

        C1 and C2

They are valid qualifications and are internationally recognised.

If you want more information, you can check out other entries already posted on this blog, like: DELE exams, some models DELE exams.

Why not go for it and take the exam? Here are some reasons given by the Institute Cervantes to take the course:

Accreditation: This is a simple way to use the experience in Spain  and go back to your country with an official qualification.

It´s valid forever:  take the test now and it will always be useful.

International recognition: Be able to demonstrate your Spanish level worldwide.

DELE is recognised by administrations, institutions and major companies.

Accessible: with 6 levels to choose from.

Since 2003, the Instituto Cervantes grants these diplomas on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport of Spain and is responsible for academic, administrative, economic and business purposes worldwide.

All information regarding DELE and it´s diplomas, can be found also on the website of the Instituto Cervantes: http://diplomas.cervantes.es.

Just to remind you that you have Tía Tula´s preparation courses for theDELE exam have a very high success rate. Don´t think about it, prepare it and show up for the exam, you will not regret it!

DELE exams

DELE is the abbreviation of Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera (Certificate of Spanish as a foreign language). It’s the best official accreditation for the use and the knowledge of Spanish by someone who doesn’t have it as its mother tongue. This certificate is awarded by the Instituto Cervantes after having accomplished  the official exam. If people talk about DELE, they refer more often to the exam than to the certificate.

In this blog post I’ll give you a summary of the different levels for which an exam can be made. The exam you take depends on the level you have, which is acknowledged by the Cervantes Institute.

- Level A1: the language skills are considered to be satisfactory enough to understand the language and to be able to use common expressions in Hispanic countries. This level can help you to satisfy your instantaneous needs.

- Level A2: the person is able to understand common used sentences and expressions that are connected to relevant themes (information about himself/herself, family, purchases, interests…).

- Level B1: the language skills are considered to be good enough to understand and react adequately to common circumstances. Having this level means it mustn’t be a problem to express your wishes and your needs through simple sentences.

- Level B2: a person with this knowledge level of Spanish can easily communicate in common situations in his/her daily life. This means that he/she can say what he/she has in mind in circumstances where specialised vocabulary is not required.

- Level C1: someone with a C1-level is capable of understanding a large variation of texts of a higher level. He/she also understands ambiguities. This person will use the language in a flexible and effective way for social, academic and professional purposes. He/she can also compose clear and well-structured texts about complex subjects.

- Level C2: the language skills of someone with this level are excellent. He/she can perfectly communicate in situations that require the use of a more complex vocabulary.

Before it was only possible to do an exam for the B1-, B2- and the C2-level. In 2009, an A1-exam was added. In May of 2010, an A2-exam was included to this list and in the end they also added an exam for the C1-level in November 2010.

In Tia Tula it became a tradition and a specialty for the students to prepare themselves to pass the DELE-exam, which is confirmed by their pass rates. If you are interested, you can take a look at our official website, which provides you with more information about the DELE Exam Preparation Courses that we offer. If you have questions about our courses or about the DELE exams in general, please do not hesitate to contact us via info@tiatula.com.

Changes in the spelling of Spanish

About 2 years ago, we published an article on our blog about the new spelling of Spanish that was introduced by the ‘Real Academia Española de la Lengua’. Later, in another post, we described one of the most important changes concerning the new spelling, presented by the RAE that also got a lot of attention. It can be quite interesting to read or reread this article.

Nowadays it’s recognition of the Real Academia that is attracting our attention. This institution has recognized that some of the adjustments, that they proposed, didn’t get the acceptance they expected. Some well-known writers and journalists - such as Arturo Pérez Reverte, Javier Marías, Antonio Muñoz Molina, José Emilio Pacheco and Antonio Coletas – agreed to express their mistrust about these changes publicly or to simply refuse to apply them. We can conclude that the topic which causes the most resistance is the removal of the accent mark in words such as "guión" / "guion", "sólo" / "solo" and "éste" / "este".

Below you can find a short explanation, presented by the Real Academia and elaborated by one of their members, named Salvador Gutiérrez. In this image, he describes the grade of acceptance of the most important changes in the spelling of Spanish.

Salvador Gutiérrez (coordinator of the project that instituted the changes) confirmed publicly that there is a possibility that the Real Academia doesn’t carry on with some of these changes. In the end it is the speakers, and not the Academy, that make the choice to apply the changes or not.

Extra-curricular activities 18th - 22nd February

Monday 18th, 18:00: Cave of Salamanca. We are going to visit the cave and learn about its mysterious history. Meeting point: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 30mins

 

Tuesday 19th, 19:00: Intercambio. With Anthony, we are going to speak Spanish and English whilst we play games in the Alcarabán. Price: Your condumption. Meeting point: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 50 mins 

 

Wednesday 20^th, 19:00: Exhibition. Encontacto by angel luis Iglesias. Meeting point: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1h

 

Thursday 21^st, 19.30. Tapas route. We will try tapas in the bars in the centre of Salamanca. Price: + - 6,00 euros. Meeting point: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1h30

 

Friday 22nd, 17:30: Film. A brilliant opportunity to immerse yourself in Spanish cinema. Meeting place: Tía Tula.

 

Remember to sign up for the activity at the reception on beforehand (the minimum number of people needed for each activity is 3). If the cost is not stated then the activity is free. We recommend our students to participate in the activities so they can get to know other students in the school, so they can broaden their knowledge of Spanish culture and to practice and improve their Spanish in a fun way.

Extra-curricular activities 14th - 17th November

Monday 12th, 17:00: Towers of the Clergy. Scala Coeli – we will climb the towers of the Clergy. Price: 3.75€ - Meeting point: Tía Tula – Approximate duration: 1h

Tuesday 13th, 19:30: Cooking class. We will learn how to cook Galician Tapas and then we’ll eat it! Price: 7€ - Meeting point: Tía Tula

Wednesday 14^th, 19:30 pm: Videos about Salamanca. Projection of a video + conversation/debate to the Vía Libre. Price: your consumption – Meeting point: Tía Tula – Approximate duration: 1h30

Thursday 15th, 19:00 : Tapas. Let´s go and try some tapas in a few bars in the centre!

Price: +-6€ - Meeting point: Tía Tula – Approximate duration: 1h30

Friday 16th, 19:30: Exhibition. A special tour into the world of the magic lantern. By Francisco Javier Frutos and Agustín Gutiérrez. In the space of the scientific culture – Fonseca guest room. Meeting point: Tía Tula – Approximate duration: 1h

Saturday 17th: Horse riding. We’ll go for a ride in the Charro countryside with the Ribera equestrian centre. You have to register before 14/11/12 at 19:00pm. The time of the activity will be decided according to the students who participate to the activity.

Price: 25€ (horse riding + transport included) – Meeting point: Roman bridge – Approximate duration: 3h

Remember to sign up for the activity at reception beforehand (the minimum number of people needed for each activity is 3). If the cost is not stated then the activity is free. We recommend our students to participate in the activities so they can get to know other students in the school, so they can broaden their knowledge of Spanish culture and to practice and improve their Spanish in a fun way.

Extra-curricular activities 22nd-26th October

Monday 22nd, 12.00//18.30. The univsrsity facade: A person from the university will tell you the story of the university facade. Price: Meeting point: Tía Tula Approximate duration: 1h

Tuesday 23rd, 19.45. Cinema:  LAS CUATRO NOVIAS DE AUGUSTO PÉREZ (1976) by José Jara. Price: 1,20€. Meeting place: Tía Tula. Approximate duration of film: 78 minutes

Wednesday 24th, 19.00. Exhibition. Una vuelta al mundo de la linterna mágica by Francisco Javier Frutos and Agustín Gutiérrez. In the espacio de cultura científica - Hospedería Fonseca. Meeting place: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1h.

Thursday 25th, 20.00. Table games. We will go and play ‘Parachís’ or another table game in a bar in the centre. Price: Your consumption. Meeting point: Tía Tula Approximate duration: 1h00

Friday the 26th, 17.00.  Film. A brilliant opportunity to immerse yourself in Spanish cinema. Meeting place: Tía Tula.

Remember to sign up for the activity at reception beforehand (the minimum number of people needed for each activity is 3). If the cost is not stated then the activity is free. We recommend our students to participate in the activities so they can get to know other students in the school, so they can broaden their knowledge of Spanish culture and to practice and improve their Spanish in a fun way.