Who is the course for?

This two-to-four week course is for students that want to achieve an intermediate level of linguistic competence in Spanish, which is equivalent to B1 & B2 level of the Council of Europe Common European Framework of Reference. You will develop your confidence in listening, reading, writing, speaking and interacting in Spanish, as well as your knowledge and understanding of Spanish-speaking societies and cultures. In addition, you will have the option to study most activities in our book.

The way the Spanish is structured and divided is by three general modes. Each one has a number of tenses with their own structure, which is what makes Spanish unique. The modes are Indicativo | Subjuntivo | Imperativo. The Imperative mode has only one tense: Present tense.

Understanding the Structure of the language will teach you the building blocks of how to use verbs, how their ending influences the meaning and thus, helping to describe the modes. The three Structures are: Infinitivo | Gerundio | Participio

These columns give you an overview of the core grammar that will be taught in this class.

With the Indicativo you will learn:

  • Present tense
  • Preterite
  • Perfect preterite
  • Imperfect
  • Pluperfect
  • Future
  • Perfect future
  • Conditional
  • Perfect conditional
With the Subjuntivo you will learn:

  • Present tense
  • Imperfect
  • Pluperfect
  • Perfect preterite

What topics will you cover?

  • understand and communicate in Spanish in everyday situations;
  • develop your existing spoken, listening, reading and writing skills;
  • learn vocabulary and expressions to talk about everyday topics;
  • become aware of the cultural diversity of the Latin-speaking world;
  • and develop your study skills to become a successful language learner.

In particular, you will learn the language necessary to:

  • greet people, say where you live and what languages you speak;
  • describe people and what they wear, talk about your family and home;
  • talk about daily life, what you do and when things happen;
  • talk about your hobbies, likes and dislikes;
  • make phone calls, book accommodation,
  • shop for food or clothes, and get things done;
  • and ask for directions, order food and drinks when you’re out and about.

Cost:

Per Week US $
Total hrs
Hourly lessons per dayTeaching MaterialsAfternoon ActivitiesHomestay (full catering)
$ 150
20
4
YES
NO
NO
$ 170
20
4
YES
YES
NO
$ 270
20
4
YES
NO
YES
$ 290
20
4
YES
YES
YES

Please note: Afternoon activities are for a maximum of two weeks. From Monday to Thursday with at least 3 students, there is one activity per day. They include visiting the Cathedral, The forte, The Ruben Dario museum to name a few. Homestays are with Nicaraguan families in Nicaraguan homes with three meals a day from Monday to Saturday. Families do not speak English.

Should you wish to find your own accommodation, we can suggest a range of places to stay to suit your budget level. For example, there are serviced apartments very close to the school, through to backpacker style hostels. If you require airport pick up or pick up from other locations within Nicaragua, please visit our additional services Additional services

 What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to...

Narrate the plot of a movie (Past tenses and connectors of sequence, cause and effect, e.g. meanwhile, therefore, hence, etc.). You are also expected to confidently advise, recommend and give instructions using the imperative mood (keep out of the reach of kids, don’t litter, etc.).
Have enough grammar knowledge and communicative skills to make the hypothesis of the future (e.g. there will be flying cars), to discuss work experience (past tenses) and also talk about social conventions.

Speak with confidence using the indicative and subjunctive tenses. Allow you to talk about historical events, customs, and circumstances of the past.  It is essential that you can use the present subjunctive to express feelings and talk about interests.

Discuss current affairs and make complaints and demands using the present of the subjunctive. Correctly use and combine the past tenses to narrate stories, anecdotes and travel experiences (e.g. I went,  I have gone, I had gone).

I spent two immersive weeks studying Spanish at Dariana. I had a great instructor and learned more in two weeks than I ever learned in a classroom in the United States. Dariana combines rigorous learning with Nicaraguan history and fun activities in the awesome town of Leon. I stayed with a host family who were some of the kindest people I’ve ever met. There are many Spanish School options in Leon and Nicaragua but Dariana is by far the best! Alex McDougall review

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