Intensive Beginning Spanish

Nivel Básico
FACULTAD DE LENGUAS Y ESTUDIOS EXTRANJEROS
Área de Español como Lengua Extranjera Cursos intensivos 

In this level, directed to those who are approaching the Spanish language for the first time, students acquire and develop the basic linguistic skills that permit them to communicate with specific interlocutors in any particular situation.

This level is organized beginning from the learning of grammatical and lexical contents, of the fulfillment of exercises of direct application, and of exercises of production and comprehension in a communicative situation.

From a lexical point of view, particular idioms of the River Plate region are worked with. From a grammatical point of view, particular emphasis is placed on morphological problems.

A. General Purpose of the Course:
The general purpose of this course is to introduce the student to language acquisition and to develop their basic language skills. At the end of the course students should be able to narrate stories, describe situations in the present tense, express actions in the future, and tell stories/describe situations in the past.

B. Objectives of the Course:
1. Incorporate vocabulary and grammar at the intermediate level
2. Contextualize grammatical elements
3. Emphasize the relationship between the language and the culture as a way of understanding how one can be learned through the other

Unit 1
Communicate personal information. Greetings. Give and ask for information. G.C.: Personal pronouns. Presence/absence of the subject pronoun. Interrogative pronouns. Connecters. Affirmation/Negation. Also/Neither. Difference VOS-USTED (You).

Unit 2
Communicate information referring to space and location Formulate questions.
Estar (To be). Definite articles. The present form of indicative: -AR verbs (regular). Presentation of prepositions. Demonstratives. Correspondence with adverbs of location.

Unit 3
Express existence. Communicate facts referring to location. Express obligation. Demonstrate future plans.
'Haber' (to have) impersonal. Indeterminate articles. The present form of indicative: verbs in -ER, -IR (regular). Contractions. 'Hay que/tener + infinitive'. The periphrastic future.

Unit 4
Define and identify things and people. Express ownership. Recognize the difference between ?ser/estar? (to be). Relate acts in the present tense.
Substantives: type and number. Possessive pronouns. Adjectives: type and number. Invariable adjectives. 'Muy + adjective'. Present form of the indicative: verbs in -AR (irregular). Contrast ser/estar (to be). Use of ya/todavía (now/still).

Unit 5
Express desires and possibilities. Carry out comparisons.
Present form of the indicative: verbs in -ER, -IR (irregular). "Querer/poder + infinitive". Contrast saber/conocer (to know). Progression of the adjective.

Unit 6
Express continuous actions in the present tense. To appropriately use ser/estar (to be) in agreement with the denoted situation.
"Estar + gerund". Reflexive verbs. Numerals and ordinals. Prepositions. Difference between ser/estar(to be) + adjective + preposition. Contrast between llevar/traer (to take/to bring). Temporary uses of llevar (to take).

Unit 7
Express likes: agreement/disagreement. Demonstrate objective. Handling of pronominal replacement.
Future imperfect. Pronouns, direct and indirect objects. Verbs meaning "to like" (gustar). Prepositions. "Para + Infinitive". Adverbs of quantity.

Unit 8
Give orders, suggestions, advice. Refer to initial, terminative, and durative processes. Express cause and effect.
The imperative form. Verbal phrases with the infinitive and gerund. Objective /reflexive pronouns. Position of the pronoun in the command, infinitive, and gerund. Cause and effect: connectors and forms. Expressions and exclamations of Spanish from the River Plate region.

Unit 9
Describe habitual actions in the past tense. Describe in the past tense. Correctly employ "para" y "por" (for).
Past imperfect of the indicative: regular and irregular verbs. "Estar+gerund" in the past imperfect. Relative forms: "que" (what), "quien" (who), "cuyo" (whose)

Unit 10
Explain acts in the past.
Past perfect simple: verbs in -AR. Temporary indicators.

Unit 11
Refer to and value a past action.
Past perfect simple: verbs in -ER, -IR. Indefinite pronouns. The use of "Hace + period of time".

3.1 Cultural Contents:
As stated above, one of the objectives of the course is to emphasize the relationship between language and culture. It is our belief that when studying a foreign language it is imperative that cultural guidelines of the linguistic community are incorporated into the language learning. The cultural components of this course will be integrated through the use of texts, movies, songs, visits to museums, etc?

4. Didactic Material
Beginning Spanish Workbook, Intensive Spanish Courses for Foreigners, Belgrano University.

5. Methods
Students will work on different types of written and oral exercises, lectures, comprehension, and analize different texts; written productions, oral presentations, debates, songs, games, Argentine movies with Spanish subtitles. The Department of Spanish as a Foreign Language also makes use of the university language lab.

6. Evaluation
Classroom activity will correspond with the homework given. Likewise, the students will complete brief written assignments. In the allocation of final points, participation will include the completion of homework, various compositions, and every other form of active involvement with classroom exercises. Students will also be evaluated by a final oral and written examination.