The Spanish courses in the Spanish school of Bilbao

We offer a wide variety of Spanish language courses in Bilbao. Whether it is linguistic, academic, or professional, our program is always tailored to meet your needs.

No matter how long you have been learning Spanish, we will help you to acquire this international language quickly and easily. Our experienced teachers are here to answer all your questions, queries and concerns. Teachers and other staff are also available to support you in making the cultural transition as smoothly as possible, as well as to boost your learning and progress in Spanish. Whatever you need to make the best of your experience!

Generally, the Spanish classes are from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., from Monday to Friday. The classes each last 50 minutes. Afternoons are filled with a wide variety of courses along with fun activities, outings, fiestas, barbecues, concerts, cinema and sports. You will have the chance to meet Spanish people, make friends, and practice what you have learned through contacts provided by INSTITUTO HEMINGWAY.

In our Spanish language school, we have a Wi-Fi connection throughout the facilities for your convenience.

The curriculum is designed with you as a learner in mind: to build your skills and confidence. The Spanish classes are focused on the essentials of language acquisition: speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

Lessons are lively and interactive, with discussions, projects, role-playing, and specific tasks. Your progress is carefully monitored and your weaker points in the language are corrected immediately.

Levels

We offer our students six language learning levels which have been outlined by the Instituto Cervantes. At Instituto Hemingway, students are placed at one of these levels based on what they are capable of doing in the Spanish language.

Basic Speaker (A):

Level A1 (Breakthrough): At this level you have no or little knowledge of Spanish. You are unable to communicate in daily situations.

Level A2 (Waystage): You can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to relevant themes and for immediate use. You can present yourself and others, and ask for basic information about homes, origins and backgrounds. You can communicate on a basic level if your interlocutor speaks slowly and is willing to help.

Independent Speaker (B):

Level B1 (Threshold): You are capable of understanding phrases and expressions relating to familiar, regularly encountered matters (basic information about self and family, work, shopping, school, leisure etc) You have errors in conversation and basic grammar and need to improve your linguistic skills.

You can describe in simple terms events and experiences in addition to questions related to immediate necessity.

Level B2 (Vantage): You are capable of understanding the main points of a text relating to frequently encountered topics such as work, study and leisure, and written in standard Spanish. You can manage with most situations arising whilst travelling in a Spanish speaking area. You are capable of producing simple and coherent texts relating to familiar topics or those of personal interest.

You can describe past experiences and events, hopes and aspirations, briefly explaining them and expressing an opinion.

Proficient Speaker (C):

Level C1 (Effective Operational Efficiency): You are familiar with most grammatical structures but still have some problems using them. Pay attention to correcting typical errors. You will improve colloquial and literary expressions. You are capable of understanding the main ideas of complex texts. You can express yourself clearly and fluently without significant effort. You can produce clear and detailed texts on a variety of topics and can defend your point of view in general discussions.

Level C2 (Mastery): You can understand a wide variety of demanding texts and recognise implicit meaning. You can express yourself fluently and spontaneously without having to search for an appropriate expression. You can use the language flexibly and fluently for social, academic and professional purposes. You can produce clear, well structured and detailed texts on complex themes whilst demonstrating accurate usage of organisational and cohesive devices.

On finishing a level C2 course, the student will be capable of:

• understanding with ease practically everything heard or written.
• summarising and reconstructing information and arguments in both a written and spoken form and presenting them in a coherent and precise manner.
• expressing him/herself spontaneously and fluently, with a great degree of precision, differentiating between linguistic nuances even in the most complex of situations.

On the first day, students' level of Spanish is evaluated by a simple test which enables them to be placed at an appropriate level.

Instituto Hemingway ensures that class levels correspond with the Common European Framework for Languages to facilitate the evaluation and certification of our students.

Didactic Material
All didactic material is provided free of charge by Instituto Hemingway. This includes a text book corresponding to your level with a grammatical appendix and the necessary extra class material.

Other Resources
Instituto Hemingway is open every weekday afternoon until 8.30 pm. You can use the computers and internet connection, the library and film collection and all of the resources available free of charge in order to keep improving your Spanish.