When learners don’t know a lingua franca<

When learners don’t know a lingua franca

In my short experience as a teacher, I have faced the challenge of teaching Spanish to learners who do not know another lingua franca that facilitates communication between people who don’t share the same mother tongue, such as English or French.

On the one hand, those who speak English can follow the class even though they have many doubts about Spanish grammar. If they compare it with English, our language presents a greater challenge. However, they are able to ask questions and feel less embarrassed to speak.

On the other hand, learners who have no training in another language and who are starting their international journey with Spanish—and who also use a different alphabet—experience greater frustration. As teachers, we must be patient and dedicate time to them. By putting ourselves in their shoes, we can understand how they feel.

In my opinion, it would be advisable to separate these students from the rest during the first classes or while they are in level A1. This would not be discriminatory—quite the opposite. It would offer them a time and space of their own to learn at their own pace.

To achieve this, we can look for materials in Spanish and in their native language. We don’t know their language ourselves, so it will also be useful for us when teaching. Likewise, we can use AI tools, such as ChatGPT, DeepSeek, Perplexity, or Escríbelo to create materials or obtain explanations in their language.

In short, speaking a lingua franca is a great help in ELE (Spanish as a Foreign Language) classes—used in moderation—but we may find students who don’t speak another language, and this poses a challenge for us as ELE teachers. A challenge that we must face with a good attitude and perseverance.