Spanish Lessons in Croydon

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.

German Garmendia

German is a wildly popular YouTuber from Chile who creates content related to video games and lifestyle in general. For example, one of his most viewed videos is called “Things that happen in job interviews”. The content is funny and the vocabulary is not overly difficult to understand. However, keep in mind that he speaks incredibly quickly, so it might be difficult for you to keep up with everything he says at first. Still, you can use subtitles or, as you watch the video on Youtube, you can pause and rewind as often as you like, with no judgment. Watch this amazing content here.

Clevver Teve

So, you might be taking lessons in a classroom with Listen & Learn, but it’s always a good idea to diversify your language learning with multiple sources, like YouTube. For example, Clevver Teve is a channel focused on celebrity gossip, interviews and movie trailers. As it targets all types of audiences, the videos are really short and the vocabulary is simple. So, it is suitable for beginners who want to improve their Spanish skills by watching entertaining videos. You’ll soon get used to the European Spanish accent and start reproducing some favourite phrases, like “oye, tío”, with flawless pronunciation! Click here to subscribe.

Werevertumorro

Learning Spanish can be tough if you don’t have a lot of time to practise outside of your course. That is when YouTube videos come to the rescue, as they are easy to fit into even the busiest schedule and are an excellent way to take your listening skills to the next level. So, why not follow a top YouTuber like Werevertumorro and learn from his videos? This YouTuber creates cartoons and acts out videos on interesting topics, like “how to make a woman fall in love with you”, so you’ll be improving your Spanish while having some fun. Click here to subscribe.

Local Football Teams Can Help You Learn

If you are looking to improve your command of the language, watching football matches in Spanish can be a great idea. This is a hugely popular sport in Spanish-speaking countries, so if you want to learn the language to interact with locals, it’s a good idea to know about football. You’ll be able to chat about this fascinating sport for hours! And if you are a fan of Spanish football teams (like the famous Barcelona or Real Madrid from Spain, or Boca Juniors from Argentina), you could try following these teams’ social media pages to learn new vocabulary and stay up-to-date about their achievements. Learn more about soccer teams here!

Newspapers: Great Tools to Enhance Vocabulary

Watching football matches in Spanish is not the only way to learn about this fascinating sport. In can be challenging to understand what commenters are saying, as they speak very quickly and use slang frequently. Instead, why not try to read the sports news instead of just watching events? Most newspapers, including El Pais, El Mundo and ABC, have a sports section where you can read about your favourite football teams. Furthermore, you can visit their websites and access an array of articles about the players, teams, gossip and curious football facts that interest you the most. Soon, you’ll understand what marcar un golazo or hacer un gol de chilena mean! Read El Pais' sports section here!

Spanish Commentary to Increase Listening Comprehension

When learning Spanish, it’s important to surround yourself with different contexts from where you can absorb vocabulary and phrases. Plus, doing so will help you to improve your listening comprehension skills. So, if you are a sports lover and your Spanish level is at least intermediate, you can try and watch the exciting matches of La Liga Española with Spanish commentary. The commentators speak really quickly and use a lot of slang, but you’ll surely be able to pick up some words and expressions, like pintalo de amarillo (“the yellow card”). CLick here to know when the Liga starts.

Whistlefritz Spanish for Kids

Spanish videos for kids are a fabulous learning resource. The videos are fun, memorable and keep children engaged. Furthermore, watching videos like Whistlefritz Spanish for Kids is an excellent way to expose your child to a variety of Spanish accents. Whistlefritz products are themed and teach contextual Spanish words to kids. The videos are intended for children ages 2-7 and introduce basic vocabulary related to the seasons, birthday parties, animals and other topics interesting to young kids. The presentation is clear with plenty of repetition, so the kids will never feel overwhelmed. Check out their website to know more.

Juegos Arcoiris

If your children enjoy short, interactive games, why not take advantage of this and encourage them to play games in Spanish? For example, Juegos Arcoiris is an excellent resource for kids to acquire new vocabulary and reinforce what they learn in their Spanish course. It hosts a variety of puzzle games, short stories and even colouring activities that will keep your children amused for hours. These games are perfect to practise vocabulary: the colouring activities display the names of object and colours and all the instructions are in Spanish; and the short stories are written and read in Spanish, too! Check out their website to know more.

La Ratita Presumida

La Ratita Presumida is a popular folk tale that follows a mouse who wants to get married. She welcomes different suitors to her home, like a pig, a dog and a cat. To decide whom she wants to marry, she always asks them “¿Y por las noches, que me dirás?” (What will you say to me at night?), but never likes their answers. This is a great story to learn some phrases and vocabulary about animals, as it’s repetitive but fun. Your child can even watch the story on YouTube and then act it out. Check out this website to read the story.

Drink Some Mate - Argentina

Argentinians are known for carrying their mates everywhere they go, but what are these exactly? A mate is a drink made up of yerba, hot water, a straw and sugar. But mate is much more than just a drink: it’s a tradition. Although you can drink mate on your own, most people share it with friends, family or even strangers. Also, you should consider that some people prefer to drink mate dulce (with sweetener or sugar) or mate amargo (without sugar). Have a taste of both and decide which one you like best! Click here to learn more about mate!

Dance Flamenco - Spain

Flamenco is a highly expressive dance form originally from Spain, characterised by clapping, percussion and movements of the body, arms and hands. Most of the time, the dancer is a woman, who dances to the rhythm of a song and guitar. If you plan to learn it, there are some terms associated with flamenco that you should learn, like “corto” (a singer skilled only in some styles but not in others) or “braceo” (the movement of the dancer’s arms). Improve your mind-body coordination and build your confidence while embracing this cornerstone of Spanish culture! Learn more about Flamenco here!

Celebrate el Dia de los Muertos - Mexico

El Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican traditional celebration that honours those who have passed away. It’s celebrated every year on the 1st and 2nd November. In Mexico, it is believed that those who are not remembered by their families will just fade away and never reach paradise. So, during these days, people pray for the ones who died to be welcomed into Heaven. Some other traditions include visiting the graves of family and loved ones and preparing altars at the cemetery with food, candles, flowers and photographs to remember them. Learn more about the Day of the Death here.