Spanish Lessons in Bolton

Gran Hotel - Netflix Series

If you like period dramas, then you will surely enjoy “Gran Hotel”, a superb production with plenty of romance and intrigue. The story is set in the 1910s and follows Julio, a man who arrives at the Gran Hotel to speak with his sister, head chambermaid Christina, only to find out she has disappeared. So, he decides to pose as a footman to find out what happened. This Spanish drama has more than 80 gripping episodes for you to binge-watch while improving your European Spanish. Even if the series is set in the previous century, you will certainly learn useful words and expressions for modern-day interactions! Here you can find more information about the series

Spanish Film Festival

Every year, London hosts the fantastic Spanish Film Festival, established in 2002, where you can find more than 50 ground-breaking Spanish and Latin American movies screened in their original language. This event features the most representative films from Spanish-speaking countries of the year, so why not attend this festival and watch classic and traditional Hispanic films without English subtitles? This way, you’ll pick up new words, improve your listening comprehension skills and learn more about Spanish and Latin American cultures. Most of the time, actors and directors also attend the festival, so you can approach them afterwards and speak to them in Spanish! Click here to know more about the festival.

The House of Bernarda Alba - Play

“The House of Bernarda Alba” is a classic play written by the Spanish dramatist Federico García Lorca in 1936. It is entirely set in Bernarda’s house, where you can take a peek at her family life with her five daughters, her maid and many other servants. It explores the themes of sexual repression, inheritance and violence among three generations of women who live in the same house. You can watch this award-winning production at the Cervantes Theatre in London, where it is delivered entirely in Spanish. So, as it’s fast-paced and uses complicated grammatical structures, this play is recommended for intermediate to advanced students. Click here to learn more about this play.

Cuentos de la Selva - Horacio Quiroga

If you are looking to unlock a whole new world of stories while improving your Spanish skills, then don’t hesitate to read “Cuentos de la Selva” by Horacio Quiroga, an Uruguayan writer who published this novel in the 1920s. The tales are set in the Argentinian jungle and the main characters are animals that take on human characteristics, serving as a metaphor for how people interact with nature. These tales were originally written for children, so they are short and use fairly simple language, making this book the perfect choice for beginners eager to know more about the Argentinian culture. Click here to find out more about the novel.

La Sombra del Viento - Carlos Ruis Zafón

Reading a novel will help you familiarise yourself with Spanish sentence structure and grammar in real-life contexts. Forget about reading overly simple sentences and grab a novel like “La Sombra del viento”. Set in Barcelona, this is the story of 10-year-old Daniel, a boy who visits one of the biggest libraries in the city and finds a book called “La Sombra del Viento”. But, as soon as he draws it from the shelves, something strange happens and a seemingly innocent action transforms into a race to save the ones he loves. This novel by Zafón is the perfect choice for those who love mystery books and would like to know more about what happened in Spain after the civil war. Click here to find out more about the novel.

El Amor en los Tiempos de Cólera - Gabriel García Márquez

Developing proficiency in reading in Spanish has a positive effect on your listening and speaking skills as well, so it’s a great option for beginners who want to build their confidence. For example, you can start reading one of the most well-known books ever written in Spanish: “El Amor en los Tiempos del Cólera” by Gabriel García Márquez. This is a multiple-character story set in the 1800s that depicts forbidden love and draws a comparison between love and illness (in this case, cholera). The novel tells a captivating story but also carries a lot of deep, potentially unanswerable questions about the human condition and love itself. Click here to find out more about the novel.

RTVE

Watching TV in your target language is a great way to crank your learning up to the next level. If you’d like to know what’s going on in the world while improving your Spanish skills, then why not watch the news in Spanish? For example, if you prefer the European variety of castellano (or you want to travel to Spain), you can watch RTVE, a conglomerate of television channels that broadcast content in Spanish: you can watch the news on La 1, documentaries on La 2 and even Barcelona FC’s football matches on La 3! Click here to start with Spanish news.

Azteca Noticias

Azteca is a Mexican media giant that showcases news from all over the world. Its biggest competitor is called Televisa, which only offers paid subscription services. In contrast, Azteca is free to stream and available almost anywhere in the world. One of the most popular programmes is called Hechos, where you can see what is currently happening in Mexico and the rest of Latin America. If you are looking to improve your comprehension of the Mexican accent and to pick up some words while watching the news, this is the channel for you. Click here to start with Spanish news.

Canal Uno News

Are you planning to travel to Colombia or would you like to learn this specific accent (which is considered one of the most “neutral” in South America)? Then, watching the news on Canal Uno can be a great way to develop your Spanish listening skills. Most of the reporters speak very clearly, so it’s easier to understand what they are saying than many comparative channels. Watching this Colombian channel can also serve as a springboard to tuning into the news in Argentina or Cuba in the future, as you’ll gain confidence over time. Click here to start with Spanish news.

Green Line

Green Line is a Spanish app that is currently available in more than 300 municipalities throughout the country. It aims to improve the quality of life of Spanish citizens by solving incidents on public roads, promote communication with public officers and more. So, using the app, users can let the town hall know about broken street benches, defective street lamps or traffic lights, etc. If you decide to collaborate, you will even get a notification when the problem is resolved. And the best part is that you don’t need to be an advanced-level Spanish speaker to operate it and the app is intuitive and easy to use; so, it is handy for Spanish learners as well as native speakers. Download the app here!

Busuu

Spanish grammar can be a bit tricky sometimes and requires a lot of practise. Fortunately, you can download an array of apps that can help you take your grammar to the next level with very useful exercises and resources, such as Busuu. Regardless of your level, you can take advantage of their audio files, pictures and multiple-choice exercises to improve your skills. Furthermore, it has a forum that gives you the chance to connect with other students. So, you’ll be able to share experiences, talk about the exercises and even practise your speaking skills via the sharing of audio files. Click here to find out more about the app.

Mi No Dieta

If you are looking for help to start more healthily, Mi No-Dieta (My no diet) is here to help! Designed by expert nutritionists, the app guides the user to create a 30-day eating plan depending on their needs and preferences. If you don’t like fish, for example, the app will recommend vegetables and eggs instead. And not only will you get a list of recommended meals but you can contact specialists any time via the app. This is a great way to practise your foreign language vocabulary and learn more about food and meals in Spanish while staying healthy! Learn more about the app here!

Esperando la Carroza

Are you looking to improve your listening skills in Spanish in the comfort of your own home while learning more about the Argentinian culture? Then, Esperando la Carroza is a movie you should not miss. This comedy follows the Rodriguez family who suddenly lose Mamá Cora and believe her dead, with amusing scenes that take place during the funeral. Today, most people in Argentina know the characters’ lines. So, by watching this hilarious movie, you’ll be able to pick up a lot of puns and cultural references to help you to integrate with the locals if you ever go to Argentina. Here you can find more information about this Argentinian movie.

Un Novio para mi Mujer

Are you planning to visit Argentina soon? If so, you’ll find the locals’ slang and high use of cultural references can be difficult to comprehend. Fortunately, you can become familiar by watching movies at home. One of the must-watch Argentinian comedy is Un Novio para mi Mujer, a movie that follows Carlos, a man who wants to get a divorce but doesn’t know how to say it to his wife. One of his friends suggests that it would be easier if his wife falls out of love with him instead, so the movie depicts hilarious situations where Carlos tries to make Victoria hate him. Find out more about the movie here.

8 Apellidos Vascos

Watching comedy can be a lot of fun and it’s even better if you watch them in the language you are learning. For example, watching Spanish comedy can be of great help when improving your listening skills and picking up some new vocabulary. So, why not enjoy high-quality Spanish productions, like 8 Apellidos Vascos? This movie deals with the ridiculous prejudice some people have about those who come from the Andalucia and El País Vasco regions, through a humorous lens. If you enjoy irony and jokes, then you’ll certainly have a laugh with the absurd situations depicted in the film! Read more about the film here!