This year-long sequence of courses covers the first year of Spanish. 

Have you wanted to learn Spanish so you can communicate face-to-face when you take that long-dreamed of trip to the sunny beaches of Mexico, Central or South America?   Have you noticed that you hear more Spanish being spoken in the various community locations you frequent such as grocery, hardware and department stores?   Are you curious about the culture of the people that now constitute the largest ethnic minority in the United States?  Have you come to the conclusion that being able to communicate in Spanish would greatly increase your professional or academic flexibility and value?  Did you study Spanish previously and want to “brush up” on your skills? Any and all of these are excellent reasons to study Spanish, and one of the Spanish classes offered at Evergreen will meet your needs.

You may need to start with Beginning Spanish I  if you have little or no experience with learning the language or if your previous experience with studying the language was some years ago.   Beginning Spanish II may be the best class for you if you have fairly recent or familial experience with the language and a good grasp of the fundamentals of grammar such as conjugation of verbs and the appropriate use of ser/estar. Sometimes, students with recent, more advanced study, whether through real world or academic experience, are ready for Beginning Spanish III.   One of the Spanish language faculty can assist you in finding the right class for your needs.  

Classes are highly interactive, safe environments to practice your new skills.   A wide range of learning activities is provided so that students learn to read, write, speak and understand the language.   Students use a written text and workbook for self-study.   An online learning vehicle is also used so that students are immersed in the various components of the language.   Students have access to a language lab that incorporates Rosetta Stone for additional practice.   Cultural activities are integrated into the classes so that students learn not only the language but also the major cultural values and traditions of countries where Spanish is spoken.   A culminating language fair is held during spring quarter in conjunction with other language classes and provides language students with opportunities to display their own learning as well as learn about the other cultures represented by those languages.   Come join us and begin expanding your world – present and future!

The following is a short description of the material covered in each of the Beginning Spanish classes:

Beginning Spanish I: Beginning Spanish I students acquire the skills to understand written and oral language and to express themselves in written and oral language about the following: greetings, introductions, expressions of courtesy, academic life, days of the week, schedules, family, identifying and describing people, professions and occupations, leisure activities, sports, asking for and giving directions within a city or campus, travel and vacation arrangements and activities, months and seasons of the year and weather.    Students acquire the following grammatical structures: use of the verbs hay and gustar , conjugation of verbs in the present tense including stem-changing verbs, ser and estar , noun/adjective agreement, subject/verb agreement, and various idiomatic expressions related to the topics studied.

Beginning Spanish II: Beginning Spanish II students acquire the skills to understand written and oral language and to express themselves in written and oral language about the following: vacations and other free time activities, months of the year, seasons and weather, clothing and shopping, negotiating a price and buying, colors, daily routines and time expressions, food and meals.   Students acquire the following grammatical structures: use of the reflexive mood and preterit tense, including verbs ser and ir in the preterit, demonstrative pronouns, direct and indirect object pronouns, and various idiomatic expressions related to the topics studied.

Beginning Spanish III: Beginning Spanish III students continue to build their knowledge base of the foundational communicative structures, including: use of reflexive verbs, indefinite and negative words, preterite of irregular and stem-changing verbs, double object pronouns, the imperfect tense, contrasting uses and meanings of preterite and imperfect tenses, familiar and formal commands, and the present subjunctive.   These structures are acquired while communicating about the following: describing one’s daily personal hygiene and life routines, shopping for and describing food and preparing meals, parties and celebrations, family relationships and stages of life, identifying parts of the body and symptoms and medical conditions to obtain medical assistance and daily domestic chores and routines.