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Wednesday, June 17

El Instituto Cervantes celebra la primera gran fiesta mundial del español
by
Stacey
on Wed 17 Jun 2009 11:35 AM CEST
El próximo 20 de junio se celebrará, en todos los centros del Instituto Cervantes, el Día del Español (el Día e), una jornada de puertas abiertas que pretende incrementar la visibilidad de la lengua española en el mundo y crear un punto de encuentro para todos los hablantes de español.
Esta iniciativa del Instituto Cervantes quiere servir para conmemorar el valor del español como lengua de comunicación internacional. Para este día, se han organizado una serie de actividades que tienen como epicentro la palabra, tomando como base la manera en la que se percibe el español, una lengua de relación, alegre, cálida y diversa. El Día del Español se concibe como una jornada festiva para disfrutar en familia. Para mas información sobre el Dia del Español, visitar http://www.eldiae.es/
En Madrid, la jornada contará con diferentes actividades culturales y festivas, conciertos y sesiones de DJ’s al aire libre, la creación de un poema gigante en la ciudad y una lluvia de palabras que a las 11 horas inundará la calle de Alcalá.
Tuesday, June 16

El Instituto Cervantes enseñará español a los empleados de Starbucks en Estados Unidos
by
Stacey
on Tue 16 Jun 2009 11:52 AM CEST
(To read in English, click here) Los cien mil trabajadores que tiene en Estados Unidos la cadena de cafeterías Starbucks aprenderán español con la plataforma del Aula Virtual de Español (AVE) del Instituto Cervantes, según se establece en el convenio que han firmado ambas partes.
El personal de la empresa podrá seguir los estudios de español a través del AVE, que estará disponible en la intranet de la compañía norteamericana, cuya sede central se encuentra en Seattle (Estado de Washington).
En Seattle se ubica también la primera Aula Cervantes que el Instituto abrió en Estados Unidos, alojada en la Universidad de Washington. El Aula de Seattle gestionará este programa formativo, que arrancará con un curso piloto impartido por profesores del Departamento de Español de dicha universidad.
Al terminar el curso, los alumnos podrán certificar sus conocimientos con la obtención del Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera (DELE) que otorga el Instituto Cervantes en nombre del Ministerio de Educación de España. El curso durará un año, y Starbucks tendrá acceso a los informes trimestrales para evaluar el avance de los estudiantes.
Thursday, June 4

Exhibition: Joaquin Sorolla in the Prado Museum
by
Stacey
on Thu 04 Jun 2009 05:25 PM CEST
Valencia- born
impressionist painter Joaquín
Sorolla (1863-1920) is the star of a memorable retrospective
exhibit currently being held by the Prado Museum in Madrid.
Not only is this exhibition the first for the Spanish art gallery representing the painter, but it is also the most important exhibition in -as well as- out of Spain.
Until September 6, you may delight viewing over 100 of Sorolla’s paintings. Among them are 14 of his magnificent panels painted for the Spanish Society of America in New York in which the painter carefully depicts the many aspects of Spanish Mediterranean life under the illustrative title “Visions of Spain”.
Want to learn Spanish in our don Quijote Madrid school (right in the city center) while discovering great museums and a vibrant nightlife? Then request your free brochure!
"Walk on the beach" (portrait of Sorolla's wife and daughter)
Wednesday, April 15

News: Portugal seeks Spanish teachers
by
Stacey
on Wed 15 Apr 2009 04:41 PM CEST
The growing interest in learning Spanish by Portugal's public school students has left the country in serious need for qualified teachers.
The Portguese Ministry of Education found itself with no choice but to implement a controversial solution to this problem: to award 220 people (for now) with a Spanish teaching post until 2013 by means of a contest.
Participants do not necesarily have to be degree-holders in Spanish - those who have degrees in any language closely related to Spanish, or who have obtained the Diploma Español de Lengua Extranjera (DELE) level C2 from the Instituto Cervantes are eligible to apply.
This teacher shortage is due to the unexpected increase in Spanish learning among portuguese students. For the 2004/2005 year, only a little over 5 thousand portuguese students studied Spanish - a small number compared to this year's almost 50 thousand.
Good to know: don Quijote also offers a course for Teachers of Spanish in Spain or Latin America. Request a free brochure!
Monday, April 6

Semana Santa in Spain
by
Stacey
on Mon 06 Apr 2009 04:04 PM CEST
Friday, March 27

Por qué no puedes ¨coger el autobus¨ en latinoamerica!
by
Stacey
on Fri 27 Mar 2009 12:40 PM CET
 Como en casi todos los idiomas,
hay varios dialectos, vocabulario diferentes, etc. En español
es igual, pero hay un factor muy importante en el que hay que
acordarse. Ése factor es que en el español hay palabras que
se dicen en un país que también se dicen en otros, PERO que tienen un
significado MUY diferente. Hay que tener en cuenta las
diferencias ya que una palabra puede tener un significado
opuesto, completamente diferente o uno muy
vulgar!
En españa
por ejemplo, todos "cogemos" el autobus, pero en algunos paises de
latino america, sería mejor que no lo "cojas" nunca. ¿Por qué?
Porque en españa, el verbo coger signfica "tomar" (como el inglés
"to take",
"to catch",
"to get" the bus),
pero en varios paises de latino america el verbo coger significa otro
cosa... que es bastante vulgar y mejor no lo mencionamos.
Si te
interesa aprender algunas otras palabras que tienen significado
diferentes en varios paises, ver Curiosidades
Jergales.
¡Aprende
español en españa! (Learn
Spanish in Spain!)
¡Aprende
español en latinoamerica! (Learn
Spanish in Latin America!)
¡Pide tu
folleto!
(Request
your FREE brochure!)
Monday, March 9

Read our Spanish and Latin Culture section... in English and Spanish!
by
Stacey
on Mon 09 Mar 2009 02:35 PM CET
We are excited to announce that don Quijote's is updating and translating its Spanish and Latin culture section. Soon you’ll be able to read all of the English texts in Spanish and vice versa! To make up for the delay in this time-consuming task, we are including in each text a list of topic-related vocabulary and verbs we think will be useful to you in and out of class!
Discover our improved Culture section and begin your cultural reading with Spanish writers, Spanish painters or the magnificent Spanish sites! With new articles added and updated each week!
Make your reading experience a learning experience... We would love to know what you're interested in reading, so leave us a comment!
Tuesday, February 3

Mil y una lenguas dicen TE QUIERO
by
Yolanda
on Tue 03 Feb 2009 12:18 PM CET
Este escrito nace como un canto de unión de pueblos, razas y países en una época en la que, por desgracia, asistimos a continuos episodios xenófobos y de intolerancia, en un mundo, el nuestro, que se supone abierto, comprensivo y tolerante.
Os propongo que me ayudéis a completar un diccionario especial para decir "te quiero" en todos los idiomas. Ingles: I love you, Alemán: Ich liebe dich, Bosnio: Volim te, Chino: Wo ai ni ... more »
Monday, July 21

Felipe's story: 8 weeks of learning Spanish
by
Stacey
on Mon 21 Jul 2008 02:11 PM CEST
Twenty-three year old Felipe Petri of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), studied for 8 weeks in don Quijote Madrid. This is his story...
I had two
friends that went to don Quijote for a short term period. She studied in Madrid and Barcelona, he
studied in Barcelona.
Both really enjoyed the experience and recommended the school to me.
The school
is really a Babel
tower. There were people from Latin America, Europe, Asia, and North America all in my own class. The
teachers are mostly young and fun. That really helped relate to the new culture
we were facing since they were speaking Spanish but spoke “our language”.
Spanish
people are great to interact with! For Latin standards, maybe a little distant
at first but that’s a very shallow first impression. I still
have contact with all the friends I made in don Quijote. I visited Madrid again
after I left the school and was able to organize a little gathering between
those that were still in Spain and others that came back just for the sake of
getting back together again!
There’s
nothing compared to spending time in a country where the language spoken is the
one you’re trying to learn. It’s the fastest and most accurate way of learning. It is
really culturally fulfilling and an amazing experience to just experience the
differences between the regions of such a vast country that Spain is. I
visited Barcelona
and Santiago de Compostela and loved them both. I still want to go back and get
to know the rest of Spain.
I stayed at
a friend’s house, so I do not know what the school’s accommodations are like. But the school
offers good service and I’d recommend it. I had a great time and learned a lot
even though we partied a whole bunch!!! hehehehe
I want a
brochure to come back... please let’s rush it!
Study Spanish abroad with don Quijote!
Friday, May 9

Travel tips and a bit of Spanish language
by
Paqui
on Fri 09 May 2008 09:29 AM CEST
Every month in don Quijote's newsletter we offer you travel tips for Spain and Latin America as well as bits of Spanish language to practice and learn.
 Subscribing is free and you will receive your newsletter in English and Spanish every month with: News about Spain and Latin America, a Spanish proverb, some Spanish slang to learn, a recipe, learning resources and information about offers in Spanish courses.
Have a look at our latest newsletters and start practicing now!
Friday, April 18

What better practice than reading Pedro Almodovar's blog?
by
Erin
on Fri 18 Apr 2008 12:47 PM CEST

Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar is working on a new film, Los abrazos rotos. And in the process, he's created a wonderful opportunity for film fans and Spanish students to get an inside look at how a film is made: a blog, where he muses on the script, the best translation for an English title (he decided the title's abrazos are more "embraces" than "hugs"), Penelope Cruz's hairstyle and, seemingly, whatever crosses his mind.
Blogpedroalmodóvar is written in Spanish, with English and French translations. (Access the translations through the blog's main page, www.pedroalmodovar.es .) If you're an intermediate or high beginner student of Spanish, the translations will provide a quick way for you to understand vocabulary or colloquialisms new to you, before carrying on reading the blog in Spanish.
more »
Thursday, April 17

The bilingual advantage: a buff brain
by
Erin
on Thu 17 Apr 2008 10:00 AM CEST
El Castellano published an intriguing article a few weeks back about the effects of bilingualism on the brain. The article, titled "Los idiomas entrenan el cerebro" (Languages train the brain), describes the results of a number of studies on bilingualism.
My favorite finding? It never is too late to learn a language. In fact, learning a second language late in life has beneficial effects beyond being able to communicate with a whole new crowd.
The studies shed some light on why young children learn multiple languages so effortlessly and completely, as well.
And the article is in Spanish, so reading it alone will be a good workout. :)
Saturday, January 12

Three great resources for intermediate and advanced students
by
Erin
on Sat 12 Jan 2008 01:00 PM CET
I've just discovered three great resources for students and newer practicioners (like myself) of Spanish. All three are projects of Fundeú BBVA , a nonprofit organization formed to "collaborate in the good use of the Spanish language". All three are well worth a bookmark:
Vademécum, where you can search for all sort of common mistakes and "made phrases" you may not recognize or be sure you're using correctly.
And the newest of the three, Wikilengua, a wiki of Spanish grammar, spelling, expressions and vocabulary. Here you'll find glossaries (of sports, "new" slang and extranjerismos, so far), a in-depth table of the words associated with places world-wide (ever wonder where abulenses live or what to call the residents of London in Spanish?), links to Spanish language dictionaries online, and lots more.
more »
Friday, January 4

A quick lesson: expressions / Una lección rápida: expresiones
by
Erin
on Fri 04 Jan 2008 06:05 PM CET
From the don Quijote weekly lesson:
Expresiones con partes del cuerpo: La cara Expressions using body parts: The face
(FORMAL, INFORMAL y luego traducción en inglés)
Tener cara de pocos amigos (Tener aspecto serio o enfadado) (To look sad or angry)
Ejemplo: Esta mañana he visto a Pedro y tenía cara de pocos amigos. No le gustó lo que le dijimos ayer.
Ir/andar a cara descubierta (actuar públicamente, claramente, sin ocultar las intenciones.) (To act or speak openly)
Ejemplo: Ana siempre tiene problemas con su jefa porque va a cara descubierta y a su jefa no le gusta escuchar ciertas cosas.
Caérsele a alguien la cara de vergüenza (Salir los colores al rostro mostrando vergüenza ante una situación) (To be ashamed)
Ejemplo: Anoche se me caía la cara de vergüenza cuando me contaron vuestro comportamiento. No volveré a invitaros.
Dar la cara (Responder de los propios actos y afrontar las consecuencias.) (To face the consequences of what one has done)
Ejemplo: Alberto siempre da la cara, así que no habrá problema para corregir esos errores.
Sacar/Dar la cara por alguien (Apoyar a otra persona o responder por él) (To stand up for somebody, To stick up for somebody)
Ejemplo: Estoy muy contenta con mi jefa. Ayer sacó la cara por mí cuando me acusaron de estropear los planes de la empresa.
Echar algo en cara (a alguien) (Recordarle algún beneficio que se le ha hecho) (To reproach, to throw something in somebody's face)
Ejemplo: Cuando pedí un aumento de sueldo me dijeron que no y me echaron en cara que era el que más cobraba de todo el grupo.
Costar un ojo de la cara (Ser muy caro) (To be really expensive, to cost an arm and a leg)
Ejemplo: No podemos comprar ese coche, cuesta un ojo de la cara.
Plantar cara a alguien (Desafiarlo, oponerse a él, resistir a su autoridad o enfrentarse a él) (To confront somebody, to stand up to somebody)
Ejemplo: Cuando su compañero intentó mentir y acusarle a él, le plantó cara y la verdad salió a relucir.
Poner buena/mala cara (Acoger bien o mal a alguien o algo) (To react positively or negatively to something / to pull a face)
Ejemplo: Le pregunté a mi padre si podía ir a la fiesta. Al principio puso mala cara, pero al final me dijo que sí.
Know any more expressions? Leave us a comment! ¿Conóces más expressiones así? ¡Dejadnos un comentario!
Wednesday, November 21

Eager to learn Spanish expressions? Here's the blog you're looking for!
by
Erin
on Wed 21 Nov 2007 04:40 PM CET
Every month I surf my way across the web and through the refraneros we keep around the office, searching for the "expression of the month" to be published in don Quijote's monthly newsletter.
Today I stumbled upon a fabulous resource: a blog of Spanish expressions and commonly heard idioms, entirely in Spanish.
The writing is clear and down-to-earth and, with archives from as far back as January 2007, the site offers an extensive library of Spanish expressions.
Another great online learning resource:
The blog: Expresiones españolas para Erasmus en apuros
URL: http://erasmusv.wordpress.com/ more »
Wednesday, October 24

Spain's most famous: with vocabulary and phrases to learn
by
Erin
on Wed 24 Oct 2007 05:00 PM CEST
Here's a Spanish culture article prepared by don Quijote for the English language local press in Spain - with a bit of vocabulary and a few handy Spanish phrases waiting at the end of the read. These are people you will read about, sometimes daily, in the Spanish news:
Spain's most famous – Los más famosos de España Smooth Latino crooners? Hip-swinging dance stars? Fancy-footworking football legends? These are probably the stereotypes you'd bet would top a list of most influential Spanish celebrities… and you wouldn’t be too far from the truth. But how about a King, a leading economist and a 50-something gay film director? Thought not. From politics to music and from sport to film Spain has an eclectic mix of rich and famous. Here is a short guide to the country’s ten most influential and revered….

1. El Rey Juan Carlos The Spanish Royal Family enjoys almost unrivalled popularity amongst its people compared to most other European monarchies. But what makes this Bourbon King so popular in Spain?
El Rey Juan Carlos was appointed the rightful King of Spain by Franco before his death in 1975. The monarch´s popularity is largely due to the King's critical role in Spain´s smooth transition to democracy after 36 years of dictatorship. On assuming power he immediately democratised the state to the surprise and great displeasure of many Franco supporters who had expected him to mainatin an authoritarian state.
El Rey Juan Carlos gave up his absolute power to the government and became a ‘reigning’ rather than ‘ruling’ monarch. The entire royal family including the King are approachable and involved with the life of Spain, most noticeable after the Madrid bombings in 2004, when they met with the victims' families and publicly shared their grief.
2. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero Zapatero is the leader of the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers Party) and, since becoming Prime Minister of Spain on 14th March 2004, has withdrawn troops from Iraq, legalised same-sex marriages and granted legal amnesty for illegal immigrants. Zapatero is supported by PRISA, a huge Spanish media group which produces El País and Canal+. Owned by one of richest men in Spain, Jesús de Polanco (editor's note: recently deceased), PRISA is said to have more influence and control of the media than Berlusconi in Italy. Of course the nature of politics dictates that he is not everyone’s cup of tea but, at any rate, he is Spain’s Prime Minister and so is undoubtedly one of its most influential characters.
3. Felipe González González is a rather controversial personality. While being at the forefront of the Spanish transition to democracy, elected to the House of Deputies in its first elections in 1977 and being Spain’s longest-serving Prime Minister (1982-1996), he is also surrounded by scandal. A series of political and financial rumours tarnished his government but in spite of this he was elected to power for 4 terms! Despite his less-than-sparkling reputation, this charasmatic leader was incredibly important to Spain’s political development towards the end of the twentieth century and is certainly, if not the most, one of its most influential politicians. 4. Pedro Almodóvar Director, producer and screenwriter Pedro Almodóvar is possibly the most famous cinematic figure in Spain’s history. He never judges his complex characters but portrays them in weird and wonderful situations, dealing with issues of desire, passion, family and identity. He has been nominated for four Oscars and has won two, his most famous works include Todo Sobre mi Madre, Hable con Ella and Volver. His success is inspirational. Coming from a poor and illiterate background, his family sent him to school in the hope that he would become a priest. Instead he moved to Madrid where he spent 12 years working for a phone company. Almodóvar has iconic status throughout the cinematic world and has been invaluable in promoting Spanish film.
5. Fernando Alonso When he was three years old, Alonso’s father gave him a home-made pedal kart which was meant for his sister but she showed no interest in it and passed it to her younger brother. Today, Fernando Alonso is the youngest person to become a Formula One champion! He is the reigning two-time world champion and one of racing’s richest stars. However, Alonso is not without his critics, he has been the subject of controversy relating to break-tests and delaying other racers, even his own team-mates.
6. Seve Ballesteros Ballesteros has 94 professional golf wins under his belt! He has won the British Open three times and the Masters twice. This golfing legend first learnt his craft at the beach near his home practising with the 3-irons his older brothers lent him. One of those brothers is now his manager. In fact Ballesteros comes from a family of golfers, his uncle Ramón Sota was a professional champion and finished 6th in the Masters in 1965 and his brother finished in the Top 100 of the European tour. Ballesteros helped to design many of the golf courses along the Costa Blanca.
7. Rodrigo Rato This smooth economist, born into a rich textile company, comes from a family of business men, although his father, uncle and brother all went to prison for having capital hidden in Switzerland. Rato became involved in politics in 1977 when he joined the AP (Popular Alliance) before it became the PP (Partido Popular). This party was made up of ex-Franco ministers and Rato was considered their economics expert. When Aznar and the PP came to power Rato became the Economics Minister and later the 9th President of IMF in 2004, a post he will hold until next year.
8. Penelope Cruz This international movie star started her career as a dancer before she made the transition to television presenting, and eventually film. Penelope's first major film was Jamón Jamón in 1992 and since then she has had huge success making major films in Spanish, English, Italian and French, all which she speaks fluently. As an "A-list" celebrity both in Spain and in the USA, she has had high-profile relationships with many Hollywood heart-throbs such as Tom Cruise, Orlando Bloom, Lenny Kravitz. Arguably her most successful role (to date) was in Almodóvar’s recent production Volver, for this she has been nominated for various awards.
9. Antonio Banderas Famous among kids for the voice of Puss in Shrek 2 and Shrek 3, Antonio Banderas is a Spanish actor and singer. He has made dozens of Hollywood films such as Philadelphia, Desperado, EvitaMask of Zorro. This Spanish heartthrob, along with Penelope Cruz, carries the Spanish flag for Spain in Hollywood. and
10. Alejandro Sanz Grammy award-winning Spanish pop/ballad musician Alejandro Sanz has outsold Julio Iglesias as Spain’s most successful singer-songwriter. He has sold 21 million albums worldwide. Sanz started playing the guitar at the age of seven and started writing songs three years later, since then he has taken home 14 Latin Grammys and 1 regular Grammy, an outstanding career by anyone’s standards.
Without a doubt, there's many more famous people that need to be added to this list. Such a wide range of influential careers and professions demonstrates the variety of Spain’s popular culture. Pick up any gossip magazine in Spain and you not only will be reading about the lives of pop-stars, actors and footballers... but also about royals, sportsmen and politicians, too!
Useful Vocabulary – Vocabulario Utíl Have you heard of…? ¿Te suena…? No, who is that? ¿No, quién es? What does he/ she do? ¿Qué hace? What's your job? ¿En qué trabajas tú? Celebrity Celebridad/ persona famosa Famous Famoso/a Career Carrera Singer Cantante Actor/Actress Actor/ Actriz Politician Político/a Royal Real Sportsman Deportista Gossip Magazine Revista de corazón, prensa rosa
Monday, September 17

The regions of Spain - with vocabulary and phrases to learn
by
Erin
on Mon 17 Sep 2007 01:00 PM CEST

Another of the "Living in Spain" pieces we've published in English language media, this article introduces you to the diversity of Spain's 17 regions, by offering a look at Andalucía, Cataluña, El País Vasco and Galicia. We've included phrases and vocabulary to learn at the end of the article. Enjoy!
Las Regiones de España – Spanish Regions
Flamboyant fiestas, noisy tapas bars, flamenco dancing, blue skies and a glistening green sea are just some of the images traditionally conjured up at the mention of Spain. There is no wonder that some 400,000 foreign nationals have taken up residence in the south and some 55 million tourists flock to the country each year. However, while these sunny notions of Spain are accurate there is a whole lot more to be discovered! There is not enough space here to justify Spain's enormous diversity but this is a brief guide to some of its most famous and distinctive regions. more »
Monday, September 10

Spanish television - and some TV related phrases to learn
by
Erin
on Mon 10 Sep 2007 01:00 PM CEST
Here's another practical "living in Spain" lesson published by don Quijote in English language media (primarily for a British audience) here in Spain. Read through: you 'll find vocabulary to learn at the end of the article.
Living in Spain: Spanish Television
Whether it’s soap operas, game shows, chat shows, sport or news you want to watch, you’re guaranteed to find something that tickles your fancy on Spanish TV. Although not necessarily renowned for its quality, you cannot fault the energy and enthusiasm of the Spanish media. Live audiences, immaculately turned out hosts and plenty of drama (whatever the show!) lead you to laugh, but you’ll inevitably be glued to the screen.
Ready for TV? Pick up a copy of one of Spain’s most popular publications, Teleprograma, and check out what’s on. Beware, however, that Spanish televsion schedules are ‘flexible’ and programmes will often start up to an hour early or late. Go on… take a break from the social scene and have a night in... it’s great practice for your Spanish!
Considering that only 6% of Spain’s population receive cable, Spain’s four main national broadcasters and its numerous regional television stations, available on terrestrial TV are extremely popular. Of course digital, cable and satellite are also now widely available too. So, what to watch? Here is a guide to what kind of shows each channel provides, how to make sure you catch the news and avoid Big Brother…
TVE TVE is Spain’s answer to the BBC. It is a partly state-owned public broadcaster that is financed by the government and also rasies capital through advertising. TVE has two main channels TVE1 (known as Primera) and TVE2 (known as La 2). Primera is more light-hearted than La 2 and, not surprisingly, attracts around.. more »
Friday, August 24

Travelling across the USA only in Spanish...Follow along on BBC Mundo blog in Spanish
by
Erin
on Fri 24 Aug 2007 08:00 PM CEST

What happens when you wander across the Southern US, from east coast to west coast, asking every person you meet "¿Hablas español?" How many Americans can get by in a conversation in Spanish? How many will give it a good try? And are they all Latino?
Two journalists from BBC's Mundo Spanish language news service set out to find out for themselves. Their adventures and observations are recorded in a revealing English language article on the BBC site, and their entire trip is recorded, personally, warmly and with plenty of entertaining anecdotes and intriguing reflections, in their Spanish language blog on the BBC Mundo site.
Excerpts from the BBC article:
"You are in a town in Florida... more »
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