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Spanish evening class at AIL Madrid

Spanish evening class at AIL Madrid

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Andrea is a guest blogger, Madrid enthusiast, and AIL Madrid evening course student. As a French girl who just recently arrived in Madrid, she faced to some linguistic issues that led her to take AIL Evening Spanish Classes twice a week after work.Spanish course in Madrid

I arrived in Madrid for an internship almost 3 months ago but I ha
ve to admit that, at the beginning, I didn’t have a strong handle on the Spanish language. For that reason, I wanted to take some Spanish classes but, as I was working the whole day, finding appropriate Spanish classes was pretty difficult. I decided the AIL Madrid Spanish evening course was the best solution, as it took place after my job and was located in the center of the city (Calle Nuñez de Balboa, nearby Retiro Park). In fact, with an hour and a half of Spanish course twice a week (Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday), it allows you to learn more vocabulary and grammatical constructions very fast- so much so that your Spanish friends will be shocked by your quick progress!!

What I really appreciated is the small numbers of course participants (maximum 8, though there are 5 in my case) which is why everyone learns to express themselves easily and can participate constantly during any one class. What’s more, classes are available for any level (from A1 to C1) and the atmosphere is perfect, since we all come to class with a relaxed mood to improve our grammar and conversation skills. We are all professionals, international students, expats… and, for us, Spanish is a necessity!!

spanish students MadridThese AIL Spanish classes have formed part of my Spanish experience in Madrid for 6 months now: indeed, I learned many daily Spanish vocabulary words and expressions that I now hear myself using
every day. After a few classes, they also hugely improved my ability to work in a Spanish environment. So don’t hesitate and sign up for AIL Madrid Spanish evening courses– I’ll see you in class!

Buying food the old fashioned way in Madrid

Buying food the old fashioned way in Madrid

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foodI feel that up front I should admit that I have a granny trolley – one of those ones you wheel to the market to stock up with food. It’s not tartan though, so I feel like it’s ok. And the reason I own it is really because I get carried away when it comes to food. One of my favourite weekly excursions is to my local market. I’ve heard people say that you can tell a lot about a country from going to the local supermarket. I disagree, well I do when there are markets around. There is some great food around, and some easy ways to shop depending on your needs so here are some options.

1. El Cortes Ingles is probably the best food store. And the most expensive. It’s like popping to Harrod’s Foodhall or Paris’ Bonne Marche for your weekly groceries. However it is easy, there are El Corte Ingles’ all over the city, and the food is good quality. El Corte Ingles is open at normal times too, which makes life easier.

2. Supermarkets: If you are on a bit more of a budget, trial one of the local supermarkets: Eroski and Dia are the cheaper brands, plus there is Carrefour (also good value) as well as individual local stores. These are often good (although some don’t stock fresh milk, just the UHT Spaniards seem so fond of). I usually stock up on my household and standard stuff here. Beware of the Spanish siesta too – many places close between 3pm and 5pm, although most stay open until around 9pm. Supermarkets, like other shops, are closed on Sundays.

3. Markets in Madrid: each area in Municipal Madrid has its own market. They are permanent, covered markets that are usually open every day during the week, plus Saturday mornings. The hours are usually along the lines of 10am to 2pm yes, the good old siesta again) and then they reopen at 5pm until around 8pm. On Saturdays they are just open in the mornings.

foodI keep getting told off for touching the fruits and veg to see if it is ripe….if you do this, try not to get caught. I’ve also had market stall holders drop veg on the floor and then still put it in the bag with the things, so make sure you keep an eye on the stall holders too. But sometimes the same rules apply as with other countries – if you see a stall with a long queue…go there! The locals know the best places to go for food so follow them and you will likely be rewarded. As I said, this is one of my favourite weekly tasks and it helps my Spanish no end. Given that my Spanish isn’t fantastic, conversations at the market can be hilarious, but this is the best way to learn a language and I’ve only had one major cock-up to date (my friends enjoyed a ‘chunky’ chilli one night as I couldn’t ask to have the beef ‘minced’). Besides, I have to say that Spanish people are generally friendly and they seem to have been incredibly patient with me. One guy even used props of a bag of beans and a frying pan when he was trying to work out how I was going to cook the morcilla that I was trying to order.

I often find that I can stock up on British goods from the steady stream of visitors (I give them a weekends accommodation so don’t feel the odd jar of marmite is too much to ask) but for those from across the pond, there is an American store called Taste of America – which is near plaza de Argentina.

101 ways to learn Castilian Spanish

101 ways to learn Castilian Spanish

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The other day I picked up the book Madrid Cuaderno de Viaje at the recommendation of a trusted English language newspaper in Madrid.  Madrid Cuaderno de Viaje (Madrid Travel Notebook) is a beautifully illustrated book on the history of Madrid with interesting descriptions and explanations on various sites – both common and off the beaten path.  The book is written in both Spanish and English….sort of. I am actually not convinced an English speaker was ever involved in the writing, production and publishing of this book.  How do I know this?  Well I only needed to open the book and read the first sentence to understand that I was in for some interesting reading ahead [“When we walk with a traveler’s mind, many places take an extraordinary sense: easily, events that took place there can be supposed.”].

The thing is you HAVE TO KNOW SPANISH to live in/understand Spain.  I am not saying you need to be fluent but, in order to get by, enjoy your time, truly experience, and be able to actually comprehend Madrid you need to at least learn the basics.  The basics would allow you to realize that this book was actually very well written… in Castilliano.

Will and I [between us] understand a fair amount of Spanish.  Speaking is a whole different ballgame and we’re still learning.  The Spanish are notorious for not learning other languages and while we may be in a large city which happens to serve as the capital…English is rarely spoken.  I happen to think this is great – I am trying to perfect my Spanish and I couldn’t do this in a city where the people accommodated me.  However, I think you should start doing your research prior to your arrival in Madrid.  I am sure you can spout off 10 different language learning options but I still thought I’d share a few more…especially some options specific to Madrid.

AIL Madrid– This Spanish academy is on of the best in the city and offers classes of all levels in during the day, evening, weekends, or based on your individual timetable. Their professors are all native Spanish speakers, trained professionals (all with degrees related to teaching Spanish), and lead really fun, interactive classes. The best part about this option is that you’ll also build a great groups of new friends from all over the world to practice Spanish with- your Madrid insta-community!

Earworms MBT® – This is learning Spanish to a beat and you know what…it works.  Seriously, it’s a product based on a study that we retain information through rhythmic repetitions.  The music is light enough to not get irritating but nice enough to want to continue listening.  The language taught is useful conversational.  Do you want to give it a shot?  The answer is “Por Supuesto – Of Course, Por Supuesto  – Of Course“.

busuu – As a last minute cram session – Will and I used busuu before leaving the States.  It is a community of people learning other languages who assist you in basic review and input.  What we liked was the interactive exercises which aided in reading, listening comprehension as well as sentence structure.  You have a personalized home page to track progress.  I believe this is also a company founded by IE MBA alumni.

Once you’ve mastered Spanish, go pick up Madrid Cuaderno de Viaje and you’ll see how good it is right from the beginning…“Cuando caminamos con la mente del viajero, muchos escenarios adquieren un sentido extraordinario: facilmente, se pueden imaginar low acontecimientos que sucedieron alli.”.

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