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Spanish Level 4

Prerequisite for entry

Successful completion of Spanish level 3+ at UCL CLIE or for learners who have a good command of the language and its main grammatical structures or have recently achieved a good grade at A-Level.

Term duration

10 x 2-hour classes

Progression

After 20 hours students may progress to level 4+

Aims and Objectives

The aim of the course is to enable students who have an upper-intermediate knowledge of Spanish to acquire a better fluency in the language. Students will be able to follow discussions and debates on current issues as well as communicate in all situations using complex and linguistically more accurate structures. Cultural awareness will be further developed.

Functions

  • Passing information, requirements and questions.
  • Suggesting, accepting, and refusing.
  • Presenting and commenting on information and ideas clearly and efficiently.
  • Talking about character, feelings and moods.
  • Describing someone’s character and talking about personal relationships.
  • Talking about wishes and emotions.
  • Expressing, supporting and/or questioning different points of view you may agree or disagree with.
  • Describing objects and their particular characteristics.
  • Evaluating objects and their uses. Giving opinions about objects.
  • Expressing the purpose of an object, action or event.
  • Expressing opinions, debating and commenting.
  • Expressing the cause of an action or event.
  • Expressing the result or consequence of an action or event.

Course Content

Main topics/themes to be covered:

Topics will be chosen by the tutor in order to cover grammar aspects, and they will be related both to Spain and Spanish speaking Latin American countries. The course may include some of the following topics:

  • Talking on the phone.
  • Different texts and messages.
  • Media and new technologies.
  • Personal relationships: expressing feelings and behaviours.
  • Working life: work and studies.
  • Objects and qualities.
  • Shopping and trading.
  • Environment / Ecology.
  • Health and lifestyle.
  • Society and urban problems.

Grammar

  • Indirect Speech: describing or passing on what others have asked for.
  • Use of subjunctive (present tense):
  • - Impersonal structures: es importante que + subjunctive; es necesario que subjunctive
  • - Complaint and requests: exigimos que + subjunctive; queremos que + subjunctive
  • - Time clauses: cuando vengas…, antes de que lleguen…
  • - Wishes and desires: espero que + subjunctive; ojalá que + subjunctive
  • - Feelings: me fascina que + subjunctive; me pone nervioso que + subjunctive
  • - Opinion: me parece bien que + subjunctive; no creo que + subjunctive
  • - Relative clauses with indicative and subjunctive: busco una casa que tiene un jardín muy bonito / busco una casa que tenga jardín.
  • Relative clauses with preposition: es un objeto con el que escribo en la pizarra…
  • Expressions and structures required to participate in a debate; giving your opinion and showing agreement or disagreement.
  • Imperative tense (affirmative/negative + pronouns): tómalo frío; no lo tomes, está malo.
  • If clause (present tense + future tense): si vienes pronto, iremos al parque.
  • Conditional Tense (simple).

Learning Resources

  • Course Book: Aula Internacional 3 (student’s Book). Difusión. ISBN: 978-84-15640-11-0
  • Chapters 7, 9, 10 and 11.
  • Online platform campus.difusion.com (materials to be used in class, as homework and for self-study; details will be provided in class). For this online platform, students will need to open their own account and then, for full access, purchase a premium account for a year access.
  • We recommend you to acquire your book (Aula Internacional 3), or the platform, or both through the European Bookshop.
  • In addition, there is a range of language learning materials for self-study in the Self-Access Centre (SAC): https://resources.clie.ucl.ac.uk/home/sac/spanish

Additional Material

  • Authentic written material from various sources such as El País, El Mundo, etc.
  • Authentic audio and audio-visual material (www.rtve.es)
  • Spanish and Latin American films.
  • Articles, pieces of news, videos, and documentaries extracted from Internet.