Back to school!

Classes have been resumed after the Summer break, and so the posting. More articles to come soon to help all students and friends who read this blog.

This year, we are full of new projects, new classes, new students, several material to help students, and a book to help everyone to achieve learning a language!

Keep an eye on us!

Lingua-Franca

Be happy when you study

How do you face your responsibilities in your daily life? Do you smile at them and start doing them in a positive manner? Do you complain about what you have to do and make excuses for not doing them?

There is no deny that negative people take more effort in doing the same things positive people do, and in many cases, the results negative people get are worse. Do you want to study in a bad mood? Go home and come back later with a smile on your face!

There's no difference in learning, only by feeling in a good mood and doing things in a happy manner leads us to success. I have seen many students struggling just because they do not approach learning with the proper attitude.

To study you need to know a couple of things. Firstly, believe you can achieve studying what you want. In the case of foreign languages, beleive you will speak that language perfectly.

Secondly, never give up. It's simple, when you quit, everything's finished and you have failed. Are you impacient? We all are in a way or another, but remember you believe in yourself. Do yourself a favour, never quit.

Thirdly, be happy. Enjoy your class as much as possible, enjoy your colleagues, enjoy the new contents, enjoy life while you learn! If you are studying and you feel disapointed, you won't do well.

The thing is, you do not neccesarily need to be unhappy to miss a class, but being worried, sad, or tu push yourself too much. If you are under preassure, you won't do well.

Distractions are a dangerous thing too. Because you do not have to be unhappy to be distracted in a class really. But I see it the other way round, you are distracted because you are bored. If you are bored, you won't do well.

So what to do to do well? Just enjoy the class and see it as a game. When you learnt your first language you were an adorable baby who really enjoyed talking. Behave like a kid in your mood, and like an adult in your obligations, and you'll get it.

An article by

LINGUA-FRANCA

Me gusta(n)...

El verbo "gustar", independientemente de si su forma está en Presente, Pasado, Futuro, funciona al revés en comparación con la mayoría de verbos del Español. El sujeto está al final, y no antes del verbo. Eso hace que su forma cambie con el singular y el plurar.

   Verbo   Sujeto Singular
Me gusta ese coche.

  Verbo      Sujeto Plural
Me gustan las almendras

El verbo gustar es un verbo que viene siempre precedido por los pronombres me, te, se, nos, os y les.

LINGUA-FRANCA
Academia de Idiomas

El futuro en Marbella, el futuro en español

Nuevo proyecto de ampliación del Puerto Deportivo de Marbella.

Dentro de muy poco el español y la Costa de Marbella volverán a ser referentes mundiales. Si quieres vivir en el mundo, habla español.

Marbella's new Port Proyect.

I won't be long until Spanish and Marbella Coast will be the world reference again. If you wanna live in today's world, speak Spanish.

Get some extra cash with us! - Consigue un poco de dinero extra!

For this summer season we are still working with our Commercial Agents in order to promote our intensive Spanish courses. Whether you are a student willing to attemp or just need some extra cash you better have a word with us. The position is available for anyone, anywhere, and we will discount your benefits from your courses, or give it directly to you. As you say.

Este verano continuamos trabajando con nuestros Agentes Comerciales para promover nuestros cursos intensivos de Español. Ya seas un estudiante que quiere asistir a nuestras clases o simplemente busques algo de dinero extra, deberías charlar con nosotros. El puesto está vacante para todo el mundo, en cualquier lugar, y te descontaremos tu beneficio de los cursos o te los daremos directamente. Como prefieras.

+info

El día E

Mañana día 18 de Junio se celebra el día e, día del español. Pensamos que es muy importante apoyar este tipo de iniciativas para promover nuestro maravilloso idioma en el resto del mundo. Más info aquí.

... ¡Y un pepino!

We all know the events that are now striking Europe with the e.coli, and the subsequent action taken against Spanish farmers all about the cucumber, o "pepino" as we know it.

I understand that any kind of action must be taken when public health is implied. In the end, we get angry farmers, angry politicians and the threat of legal actions between Spanish and Germany. I hope everything comes to a good end soon.

However, it is more than proved that the e.coli does not come from Spanish cucumber, which are delicious and we strongly recommend its consumption to everyone.

But this is not a blog about food or health, is about language, and all this has made me think of a couple of Spanish expressions using "pepino"

EXPRESIONES CON LA PALABRA PEPINO

¡Y un pepino! This is the best answer to express you do not agree with someone or something. It is very direct and not very polite, but it is not rude. Actually this is the euphemism for: "¡Y una mierda!"

Un pepino Regarding any device, but specially for vehicles (cars or motorcycles) with a great power. But anything you buy which is considered a first class product can be a "pepino". So the typical expresion is: ¡Vaya pepino!

But the funniest of all is that you can also use the expression above to refer to an extemely sexy woman ¡Qué pepino de tía! or man ¡Qué pepino de tío! However, do not expect the listener to be grateful as it doesn't sound very beautiful.

And my last commitment before ending this post, love rather than anger.

Verb tenses. Pretérito Perfecto Simple de Indicativo, también Pretérito Indefinido

Do you struggle with verb tenses?

Pretérito Perfecto Simple de Indicativo

(Also known as Pretérito Indefinido)

This past tense is nearly the same as the last one, Pretérito Perfecto Compuesto, as they express similar ideas.

On one hand, the "Compuesto" is a tense that tells us several actions in the past with a certain connection to the present; on the other hand, this "Simple" tense expresses actions in the past that aren't connected to the present at all. Anyway, this is use as another past tense.

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Regular Forms

Cantar      Beber     Vivir

Yo            canté       bebí      viví

Tú            cantaste    bebiste   viviste

Él            cantó       bebió     vivió

Nosotros      cantamos    bebimos   vivimos

Vosotros      cantasteis  bebisteis vivisteis

Ellos         cantaron    bebieron  vivieron

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Pretérito Perfecto Simple

The concept this tense represents is what happened or what we did in the past. These are the actions that no longer have an effect in the present. It is commonly confused with the Compuesto, however, the reasons are as follow:

Comí paella el jueves

(I ate paella on Thursday)

Both the paella and Thursday are finished at the time of speaking, that is why we use this tense.

Los niños fueron al zoológico el año pasado

(Kids went to the zoo last year)

Last year is finished and so it takes us to this tense. The opposite would be "han ido al zoológico este año" taking into account this year is not finished yet.

Primero fuí a Granada, luego visitamos a unos amigos en Córdoba...

(I first went to Granada, then we visited some friends in Cordoba)

Storytelling. We can tell our stories and make a long chain of events just by using this tense. The only rule is that you ALWAYS tell what happened from the oldest issue and then you go on chronologically with the rest (to go back in time while we speak we'd need Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto).

CLARIFICATION

The changes of the tense regarding whether the action or the time are finished, represent the standard form of Spanish on this regarding.

However, throught the rich variety of Spanish slangs, dialects and realities, this may change. The rule above represent the general and traditional rule. Spanish from South America, Canary islands, northern Spain and several other regions do not necessarily follow this rule. These speakers will prefer to use THIS tense as the ONLY tense for the past, and they forget the "Compuesto" tense.

Spanish Summertime!

In Lingua-Franca, we are more than proud to announce that our Summer Courses are getting ready now. We offer different types of courses according to your needs, you tell us when and for how long.

We are teaching you Spanish in the mornings or evenings, right before or after ejoying the beach!

Verb Tenses. Pretérito Perfecto Compuesto de Indicativo

Do you struggle with verb tenses?

Pretérito Perfecto Compuesto de Indicativo



This is one of the most common tenses used in Spanish. It is a typical European tense, and as a curiosity, both American English and American Spanish avoid it. In America people prefer simple tenses, but here in the old Europe, we still use compound tenses to express ourselves.

The Pretérito Compuesto uses the verb HABER as an auxiliary verb. The auxiliary will be conjugated in Presente de Indicativo, while the main verb will be in the Past Participle form.

Presente de Ind. HABER + Participio = Pretérito Perf. Compuesto Ind.

HABER                  PARTICIPIO

He                     Cantar: Cantado

Has

Ha                     Beber: Bebido

Hemos                  Vivir: Vivido

Habéis

Han

Participle refers to the completed action of the verb. The endings are related to each group

(-AR: -ado; -ER: -ido; -IR: -ido)

However, Spanish is full of irregular participles, here are some examples:

Hacer: Hecho; Ver: Visto; Decir: Dicho...

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Compound tenses are very easily formed as they tend to change less than other tenses.

Pretérito Perfecto Compuesto de Indicativo is half way between the Past and the Present. We use this tense to refer to past actions with a present result.

Present result according to the action:

He limpiado mis zapatos

(I have cleaned my shoes)

I did the action in the past, and I can only say it if the shoes are still clean now (a present result)

Hemos cocinado un pastel de chocolate

(We’ve cooked a chocolate cake)

We can only say it if we still have some more cake left to offer (a present result, but not when somebody has eaten it all!

Present result according to the time:

He visto la televisión hoy.

(I’ve watched telly today)

The time expressed, today, is not finished yet, and that’s make it to the present.

Este año hemos visitado a los abuelos.

(We’ve visited our grandparents this year)

This year is still going on so we can only use Pretérito Perfecto Compuesto de Indicativo.

He escalado en Everest.

(I have climbed the Everest)

Achievements in life are always expressed in this tense as if you’re speaking, your lifetime hasn’t finished yet.

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In many other situations, the action or the time are finished. That means somebody has already eaten the cake or that the time is finished (yesterday). In those situations we’d use the Pretérito Perfecto Simple de Indicativo (also known as Pretérito Indefinido) and we will study that tense in our next article about tenses.

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This is a Lingua–Franca article

www.lingua-franca.es

http://wanna-learn-spanish.blogspot.com/



Verb Tenses. Presente de Indicativo

DO YOU STRUGGLE WITH VERB TENSES?

PRESENTE DE INDICATIVO

Verb tenses represent one of the weakest points for all Spanish learner. No need to say they are extemely important for speaking and understanding, if you don’t get them because they are too many and probably too weird... this is the right moment to understand them.

We are making an analysis of all tenses with valuable examples and a bit of humour, so you don’t get that bored with them.

Most of my students succeed in tenses once they understand this. In order to reduce space verb forms are not included in this article, if you need them this website may help you.

Spanish verbs are divided into three groups according to their ending in infinitive. The groups are –AR, -ER, -IR. To conjugate other verbs you can remember –or check on the link above- any verb with the same ending.

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Regular Forms

Cantar   Beber    Vivir

Yo            canto    bebo     vivo

Tú            cantas   bebes    vives

Él            canta    bebe     vive

Nosotros      cantamos bebemos  vivimos

Vosotros      cantáis  bebéis   vivís

Ellos         cantan   beben    viven

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Presente de Indicativo

The present is NOT what we are doing now, but what we NORMALLY do or what it ALWAYS happen. It’s used to talk about routines and to describe things, and it refers to things that do not change.

España es bonita

(Spain is beautiful)

You don’t really expect something beautiful to change, do you? Any descriptions are made in present

Nosotros bebemos cerveza.

(We drink beer)

Humans tend to choose a drink in their adulthood and hold on to it for ages. That is a perfect example of the use of the Present.

No me gustan los gatos, pero me gusta tu gato.

(I don’t like cats, but I like your cat)

The verb “gustar” works differently as what you like is the subject of the sentence, so that means you conjugate the verb accordingly to that, and not to the speaker.

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This is a Lingua–Franca article

www.lingua-franca.es

http://wanna-learn-spanish.blogspot.com/

Vocabulary

THE NUMBER OF WORDS YOU CAN REMEMBER IS NOT YOUR LEVEL IN A CERTAIN LANGUAGE

It is thought that the more vocabulary you know, the better you'll know a language. That's not completely untrue, however, vocabulary is overstimated for second language students.

To get to know the importance of vocabulary, we must think of our mother tongues. Can you express a word you don't know in your own language? In many occassions we face objects or procedures we do not understand at all, but we can explain them. We would be amazed of the number of words we do not know in our own language. Does it make any bigger difference in your life? The answer is that it doesn't.

What we do in those cases is using descriptions, definitions, or even gestures to explain ourselves.

The problem comes when we are studying a new language and we think we must know all vocabulary given. Sometimes we are so busy translating we completely forget about our class or about understanding anything we are listening to. Why don't we use the same strategies as in mother tongue instead?

HOW WE LEARN NEW WORDS

The proccess of learning a new word is a complex system inside our brains. The word is firstly received in the shape of a sound or in a written form. If the word is unknown and we understand the meaning in the context or the word is explained to us (I said explained, no necesarily translated) we have been introduced to a brand new word.

The word will come into your short period memory first, and it will stay there for no longer than a few minutes. After that time, if the word has proven to be important or has capted your attention, it will be passed to the medium period memory store room.

There, it will be remembered for a longer period. However, after a few days or weeks (time depends on each individual and the importance given to the concept, if your life depended on it you would probably remember it better) the word will be forgotten. The only way to remember that word is to keep the input with it, listening, speaking, reading, writing or whatever.

The word will finally come to the long period memory. Thoughts there can stay as long as you can live, as long as you use them. As this store room has a limited space, concepts that aren't used commonly will be forgotten (they are not actually forgotten but taken into the subconscious parts of your brain, if you want to take them back ask a psichologist). The only way to remember is using that word.

ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOCABULARY

The vocabulary we know, after the whole proccess above, is then dividen in two groups. Passive vocabulary is that you can remember and understand, but not use. There are many words your doctor tells you that you understand but you wouldn't use them unless reading a medical text.

Active vocabulary is that you can use speaking or writing. This is the position in which you want all the rest of vocabulary in any language to be. The system is very simple to take things in here.

HOW TO MAKE ALL MY VOCABULARY ACTIVE

If active vocabulary is that one you can use speaking, force yourselft to use new words in your speech for at least three weeks after you first hear them. You don't need to repeat them all the time, but using them a couple of times per week in natural contexts is a great idea. If the word lasts for nearly a month it will be added to your own mental dictionary.

And now you know that all the hours spent memorizing vocabulary were futile, but you've got a much more powerful tool now!

Think in a second language!!!!!!!!!

During the first eigth years in a human being’s life, the main reason to exist is just to manage the correct use of a language. It’s our survival tip.

For children, this is an automatic task, however, it is a bit more complicated for adults. Our brain needs some understandable information, what we call “formal operations”. This basically means that we need to know the reason why the things work in a certain way, and therefore here comes the grear importance of grammar. However, once we start the process we tend to translate anything arround us.

Translation will delay our learning, translating is a very difficult task for which not everyone is still ready. We must only try to understand it, as simply as that. It seems more difficult at the beginning as it really is, but it is much better in long term basis. To have a thinking mind in the second language there are several steps we can follow. Here are the best three of them:

1.- PLANIFY YOUR LIFE IN L2

       We all have plenty of things to do daily, and we normally travel by bus or leave home thinking of buying something from the supermarket, going to the bank or visiting a friend. Well, all those small actions are easily expressed in a second language, think in Spanish day by day.

2.- SUBTITLES

       Cinema and television are very effective learning methods. When we watch a film in second language, we are more than usually helped on subtitles. MOTHER TONGUE SUBTITLES ARE USELESS. If our brain is expossed to both languages, as it cannot proccess two languages at the same time, it is going to centre in that one that seems easier for it. That is exactly the one you’re not studying.

       Subtitles are good for learning as long as they represent an accurate transcription of what you are listening at the same time. Remember to change subtitles on second language as a rule.

3.- REPEAT WHAT YOU GET. Use the same expressions people use.

       Learning to speak is basically an imitation proccess. Since we are kids, we imitate all sounds produced by our parents and we try to give a sense and a meaning to them. That is why it is extremely neccessary that we listen to everyone carefully, read as much as we can and try to use all those structures in our speech. When we talk to people, we read advertising of a clothes shop or listening the tape recording of the supermarket offers we are constantly receiving language input. Listen to it, understand it and then USE IT. Human brain cannot remember any word that hasn’t been verbally used, so we only have to use it in a conversation!

Piensa en la segunda lengua!!!!!!

Durante los ocho primeros años de la vida de un ser humano, la razón principal de la existencia pasa por aprender a utilizar correctamente el lenguaje.

Para los niños aprender un idioma es una tarea automática, sin embargo, para los adultos es algo más complicado. Nuestros cerebros necesitan una información que puedan procesar desde un punto de vista al que llamamos de "las operaciones formales". Eso significa que necesitamos aprender el por qué de las cosas, y de ahí la gran importancia de la gramática. Sin embargo, una vez iniciamos el proceso cometemos el error de intentar traducir todo cuanto tenemos a nuestro alrededor.

Ese fallo no hace más que ralentizar nuestro aprendizaje pues, traducir es una tarea muy difícil y para la que no todo el mundo está preparado. Tenemos que intentar comprender, simplemente. Parece mucho más difícil al principio pero da mejores resultados a largo plazo. Para poder conseguir una mente pensante en nuestra segunda lengua hay muchos trucos que podemos aplicar. Aquí van los tres mejores trucos:

1.- PLANIFICA TU VIDA EN L2
   Todos tenemos mucho que hacer diariamente, y normalmente viajamos en autobús y salimos de casa pensando en comprar algo de super, ir al banco o visitar a un amigo. Bien, todas esas pequeñas acciones son muy fáciles de decir en español, piensa en español en tu día a día.

2.- SUBTÍTULOS
   La televisión y el cine son métodos de aprendizaje muy efectivos. Cuando vemos una película en la segunda lengua, en muchas ocasiones nos ayudamos de subtítulos para entender. LOS SUBTÍTULOS EN LENGUA MATERNA NO VALEN. Si nuestro cerebro es expuesto a ambas lenguas a la vez, como no puede procesar dos lenguas distintas al mismo tiempo, va a centrarse en la que le sea más fácil. Es decir, la que no estás estudiando. Los subtítulos son muy buenos para aprender siempre que sean una transcripción fiel de lo que estás oyendo al mismo tiempo. Así que recuerda, pon subtítulos en segunda lengua siempre.

3.- REPITE LO QUE ESCUCHAS Y LEES
   Aprender a hablar es básicamente un proceso de imitación. Ya desde niños, imitamos los sonidos emitidos por nuestros padres e intentamos darle un sentido. Por esto es muy necesario escuchar con mucha atención a todo el mundo, leer todo cuanto se pueda e intentar usar esas estructuras en nuestro discurso. Al hablar con la gente, al leer la publicidad de una tienda de ropa o al escuchar la grabación de la chica del supermercado estamos siendo bombardeados por idioma. Escúchalo, compréndelo y luego UTILÍZALO. El cerebro humano no puede recordar ninguna palabra que no haya usado verbalmente, así que ¡sólo tienes que repetir!

Sierra Bermeja - Estepona

The three pics above share something, they have all been taken in Sierra Bermeja, the highest mountain of the Costa.

In Costa del Sol we do not just have the sunny beach we're famous for, but lovely mountains as well. In Sierra Bermeja the sights of the whole Costa is amazing. Up there you can visit the "regufio", a house for the lost mountaneers which is always open for the traveller. At weekends it also opens as a bar so you can get a coffee by the chimmeney.

No need to say the jewel of this paradyse is the Pinsapo, a prehistoric tree that still lives here since the last Ice Age. And how comes that a living fosile from that cold time is still living in the sunny Costa? Believe it or not, the back side of Sierra Bermeja (Back as it is facing North and not the sea) is so shady and wet that it reproduces the conditions for these trees to grow.

No more strikes on flights to Spain - No habrá cancelaciones para volar a España

No habrá cancelaciones para volar a España

El sector turístico español así como los propios viajeros pueden respirar tranquilos. Tras la amenaza de huelga en los aeropuertos españoles, parece haberse alcanzado un acuerdo para así poder mantener los servicios estipulados.

La empresa encargada de la aviación en España es AENA, que hasta ahora ha ejercido como una empresa gubernamental, es decir, una empresa con dinero público español. Debido a la crisis económica mundial y a diversos factores políticos, parte de esta empresa pasará a ser de capital privado. Por eso sus trabajadores amenazaron con una huelga.

Todo el mundo recordará la huelga que tuvo lugar en Diciembre del año pasado en los aeropuertos Españoles en la que el colectivo de Controladores Aéreos paralizó el tráfico aéreo y el consecuente caos. Esta huelga respondía, por el contrario, a cambios en el salario únicamente de los Controladores. Sin embargo esta vez se han tomado medidas previas y afecta a todos los trabajadores de AENA.

Todos los trabajadores de AENA han alcanzado un acuerdo con el gobierno mediante la revisión de los cambios de su compañía. Así se han comprometido a ofrecer sus servicios con absoluta normalidad, asegurando los viajes a España y también han visto mejoradas sus condiciones laborales.

Los propios trabajadores de aeropuertos y AENA confirman que no habrá cancelaciones ni en Semana Santa ni en verano 2011.

There won't be cancellations in flights to Spain.

Tourist industry and travellers do not need to be alarmed. After the strike threaten in Spanish airports, an agreement has finally reached to maintain all services.

All flights in Spain are managed by a company called AENA, which has been a governmental company, which means it is funded by public money in Spain. Due to the Global Financial Crisis and several political orders, this company will become partly private. That was the reason why its workers threaten to go on strike.

The last strike taken place in December 2010 is still remembered by all of us. A strike in which the Air Controllers paralyzed the air traffic with the subsequent chaos produced. On the contrary, that strike was only for the changes in the sallary of the Controllers. However, this time several actions have been taken place and it involves all AENA employees.

All AENA workers have reached an agreement with the Government and they have made revisions in the changes to come in their employer company. So they have announced that the service will be offered with normality, assuring all travels to Spain as well as their working conditions.

AENA workers and airports assure there will not be any cancellations during Easter holidays or Summer-time 2011.

FURTHER DETAILS

Notice that the word Government is spelt with a b in Spanish:

Government - Gobierno

This is a very common mistake for people who can speak both English and Spanish and the truth is you'll never know in what language can this affect to you. Another example is this are the words Abbility and its Spanish form Habilidad.

¿Conoces más? / Do you know more examples?

Words that change their meaning according to the genre

Spanish language is always making a balance between genre and number. The first refers whether the words are male or female, the second whether they're singular or plural.

Distinguishing between a male or a female word can be frustrating from time to time as grammar rule do not seem to cover all of them and we've got too many exceptions. To make it even more fun we've got some words that change the meaning if we change the genre of them. Here are some examples of that:

Capital

El capital: this refers to a big amount of money.         

"Ganó un capital en América"                                        

La capital: it refers to the capital city.

"Madrid es la capital de España"

Cometa

El cometa: a space object that is constantly moving      

"Esta noche hay un cometa visible desde la Tierra"         

La cometa: a kite

"El niño ha perdido su cometa"

Corte

El corte: the way a cloth is cut to make clothes             

"El corte de esta camisa es muy original"                       

La corte: the King or Queen's court 

"La corte del Rey de España"   

Orden

El orden: when things are tidy                                       

"El orden en la habitación era un desastre"                     

La orden: a command

"¡Obedece la orden inmediatamente!"

Cura

El cura: the priest                                                        

"El cura de mi pueblo se llama Luís"                             

 La cura: the cure

"La cura del cancer es un sueño para todos"

Semana Blanca - The White Week

Semana Blanca, which literally means white week, refers to the week after the Día de Andalucía, Andalusian Day, on the 28th of February.

Only children from Málaga get this holiday, specifically thought to give the chance to Málaga students to go skiing on the snow in Sierra Nevada (Granada).

Snow is quite typical in Spanish winters, however, not in all places. Sunny Spain don't see much of it and that's why we have to move to different places. Sierra Nevada, which is one of the best places in Europe to practice skiing or snowboarding, is not very far from Costa del Sol. In less than two hours you can change from sunbathing to skiing are there aren't many places in the world that can offer you that, are they?

Treinta maravillosos años

Hoy, 23 de Febrero de 2011, se cumplen treinta años de un momento crítico en la historia de España. Tras los largos años de la dictadura franquista, una nueva ola de esperanza llegó a este país, la ansiada Democracia. Sin embargo, no todo el mundo estuvo de acuerdo con las medidas tomadas. España iba a pasar a ser una Monarquía Constitucional, algo totalmente nuevo para todos. Por eso se intentó frenar la Democracia con un ataque el Parlamento.

Y al igual que en otros momentos de la historia de este país, fueron los militares quienes primero protestaron ante la nueva situación. Cuando un militar hace un golpe de estado se llama PRONUNCIAMIENTO. Hemos tenido muchos a lo largo de los años en España, y la mayoría fracasó, aunque otros triunfaron. El último pronunciamiento militar fue el famoso 23-F.

De forma curiosa, los militares que se alzaron fueron Guardias Civiles, cuerpo militar pero también policial. Gracias a la oposición del Rey, los políticos y sobre todo de los ciudadanos españoles, dicho intento golpista no tuvo éxito.

Los expertos están de acuerdo en que este momento de nuestra historia sirvió para fortalecer la constitución española y nuestra democracia.

Uno de los responsables de tal acción fue Antonio Tejero quien se convirtió en la cabeza visible por ser él quien entró al Congreso de los Diputados, pistola en mano, y dijo la famosa frase "¡Quieto todo el mundo!"

Por suerte esa ha sido la última vez en la que los disparos sonaron en el Congreso de los Diputados de España. Esperamos que nunca más suenen balas en nuestro país.

Smoking is banned from Spain - Ley antitabaco

If you are a smoker forget about Spain and its bars, you are not allowed anymore to smoke in any premises whatsoever. Only terraces and open spaces can be used for smoking, unless they're too close a health centre or a school.

The controversy in a country like Spain was to be expected, the Ley Anti-Tabaco, is changing enormously our perception and culture, at least for a while. Smokers, the vast majority of bar's clients, are no longer going to the same old places or they go less. Many go to bars only if it's completely neccessary, like a pay-per-view Real Madrid match, and have let the bars down.

Some bar owners are reluctant to apply the new law, as well as many clients. We've had several issues about it. The most known of them is the case in Guadalmina, just five minute drive from our school, whose owner declared war to the Government about the law. He had to ban smoking from his restaurant at the end because of threaten to close the business.

No matter if you smoke or not, now the bars are smoke free and the streets are full of clouds!

The typical vocabulary associated to smoking is as follows:

Lighter - Mechero

Cigarette - Cigarro o cigarrillo

Ashtray - Cenicero

Do not smoke - Prohibido fumar

In the street - En la calle :)

And I guess the typical way to get to know someone you fancy in a night club, ¿fumas? ¿Quieres fuego? (Do you smoke?; need you fire?) are lost forever.

Welcome the health.

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TRAVEL2LEARN

In Lingua-Franca academy we are more than conscious about the vast knowledge one takes when travelling. You just  need to move arround the globe to get in touch with other cultures and people that will teach you a lot. That's why we all enjoy travelling.

If you are studying a foreign language, then you NEED to travel. Language and Culture are seen as the same thing by many experts in foreign languages and getting in touch with the language and culture is the basis of a real learning.

In Lingua-Franca we are more than consciouos about it and that's why after years teaching residents (those of you who have moved to the Costa del Sol from other countries), we have decided to make intensive courses for foreigners. We have developed a accurate system to make you go through the content in a record time but not rushing you up. However, staying in Spain for a while and studying Spanish in a spanish environment will make you learn naturally while you enjoy your holiday.

Students have afternoons and weekends free to enjoy the area, and there are many different options; from sightseeing to sunbathing, going through museums, nightclubs, restaurants, sports... the opportunities are endless!

Flyers!

We are proud to show our new flyers promoting our Spanish courses. Most of them are for the Costa del Sol and are as show below

   

Another set of additional flyers, specifically design to the foreign market, has also been produced. These flyers are only to be sent to our agents all arround the world, people who get an extra money by promoting our courses in their home countries. Want to become an agent? click here.