Wow, what a stonker! This is a question that we get asked on an almost daily basis. The frustrating thing is that it’s virtually impossible, if not completely impossible to answer. At least without quite a few big assumptions. The closest we can get is to give out some general guidelines in terms of how many hours of private lessons will be needed to reach X level in the chosen language. To be honest though, even this isn’t really good enough. There are so many factors to take into account when answering this question. In this post I...

Like many of you, I had to learn French in school. Just like me, you probably started learning French when you went to secondary school, studied for five years, and then left feeling like you couldn't speak a word. But is that really true? Sure, the usual Salut ! Ça va ? probably rolls of the tongue still today. But is there perhaps more hiding deep down in your memory than what you might expect? Using old phrases Today I went into a coffee shop and ordered an Americano. The barista was clearly a Frenchman - based on his accent - so I decided to...

The notion of learning vocabulary is far from foreign to any language learner. Vocabulary is not only important for communicating, it is essential to it! Students who have been through our Spanish courses in Manchester, as well as all the other courses we run, will attest to that. “Without grammar you can say little, without lexis you can say nothing.” However, what makes for effective vocabulary learning is a totally different kettle of fish. This blog post will explore precisely that: effective and well-organised vocabulary learning for forei...

Very often in the language classroom speaking is misinterpreted for saying or pronouncing... Not in our classrooms though! Our flagship Spanish courses in Birmingham, UK focus on encouraging students to speak from lesson 1. But let's just say for example, in a not so up to date language school!: many teachers ask their learners to read aloud sentences, paragraphs and even whole texts with the aim of ‘practising speaking.’ Many learners are even convinced that this kind of activity is not only good but should be encouraged. However, practising pro...

Most language learning tips you’ll find on the internet are all about using technology... ...especially mobile technology. A quick google search and you’ll find a range of tips which encourage visiting websites, downloading apps and online software. However, not everyone is a computer wizzkid. What if you want to learn a language without having to rely on technology? You would be forgiven for thinking that isn’t possible, especially given how much technology and online software is advertised on a daily basis. It might come as surprise for...