Course B1 "Expat"

From A2.3 to B1.4
100 classes of 60 minutes each
live online with a native-speaker teacher
mini-group of up to 3 people or individual classes
about a year with 2 classes a week

In this course you will cover all the past tenses. You will learn to influence the people you talk to with the subjunctive, to make predictions with the future tense and to get out of really difficult situations with the conditional. You will also discuss the history, politics and literature of Spain and Latin America in Spanish.

Who this course is for

For people who already use the three past tenses with confidence and have a good vocabulary for everyday life. If you have finished our A2 course, this course is 100% right for you.

And if you are not sure about your level, you can take our free Spanish level test →

What you will learn

Speaking and communicating

Telling stories

retell news and incidents: what happened, when, to whom and how
tell stories about processes and long actions that finished in the past
connect an action that finished before another one started: "when I got to the cinema, the film had already started"

Talking about the future and what you want from other people

make predictions and plans: what will happen tomorrow, in a year
express wishes, requests and doubts: "I want you to…", "I don't think that…"
give advice and make polite requests: "if I were you, I would…"
talk about the impossible: "I could…"

Managing in any situation

at the bank, at the post office, at the tax office, at the doctor's, on the phone
in a shop: return an item and make a complaint
say that something has broken or got lost: «se me rompió»
give orders and recommendations with the imperative

Discussing and debating

the history and culture of Spain and many Latin American countries
literature — from Cervantes to modern writers
speak fluently and naturally, with fixed expressions and informal words

Listening

native speakers talking at normal speed about familiar topics
the news, interviews and short films
different accents from Spain and Latin America

Reading

news articles and texts about history and culture
extracts from literature: Cervantes' «Don Quijote» and poems by José Martí

Writing

connected texts: a story, a letter, an opinion with arguments

Grammar

Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto (the past perfect)
verb phrases (perífrasis verbales): estar + gerundio in the past, llevar + gerundio, dejar de, volver a
combining all the past tenses
Futuro Simple (the future tense)
Condicional (the conditional)
Presente de Subjuntivo (the present subjunctive) — wishes, doubts, purpose
the negative imperative (imperativo negativo)
conditional sentences: real and unreal conditions (si fuera…)
the passive voice (voz pasiva)
combining two pronouns (se lo), relative pronouns (que, lo que, el que, cuyo)
non-finite verb forms: the infinitive, the gerund and the participle
ser and estar, fixed expressions (unidades fraseológicas)

Programme

The course follows the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and is based on the Instituto Cervantes curriculum (Plan Curricular del Instituto Cervantes) and the programmes of Spain's state language schools (Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas).

The programme and all the materials were created by our academic coordinator, Ivanis — a native Spanish speaker, linguist and translator, with a bachelor's degree in linguistics and a Master's degree in Translation and Intercultural Mediation (University of Salamanca).

How the course is organised

The course has five blocks of 20 classes, and each block is divided into chapters. The names of the blocks and chapters tell one story: you follow the news, live your own adventures, dream about the future, deal with everyday tasks and, in the end, feel ready for anything.

Block 1. ¿Nada nuevo? · classes 1–20

Chapter 1. ¡Estás loco! (1–5)
Chapter 2. Malas noticias (6–10)
Chapter 3. Nos vamos de viaje (11–14)
Chapter 4. La historia también importa (15–20)

What we study: combining past tenses (pretérito perfecto, indefinido e imperfecto), news and incidents, festivals in Spain and Latin America, the history of Spain, changes in life.

Block 2. Eso nunca había pasado · classes 21–40

Chapter 5. ¿Qué estás haciendo? (21–25)
Chapter 6. No me di cuenta (26–28)
Chapter 7. ¿Nunca habías volado? (29–34)
Chapter 8. Lo presentía (35–40)

What we study: actions in progress in the past (estar + gerundio), the past perfect (pretérito pluscuamperfecto), the passive voice (voz pasiva), incidents, emotions, at the hospital.

Block 3. ¿Qué nos espera? · classes 41–60

Chapter 9. ¿Qué pasará mañana? (41–44)
Chapter 10. Quiero que seas feliz (45–48)
Chapter 11. ¿Eres supersticioso? (49–53)
Chapter 12. Si tienes miedo… (54–60)

What we study: the future tense (futuro simple), the passive voice in the future, the subjunctive (presente de subjuntivo) for wishes, needs, opinions and purpose, the negative imperative (imperativo negativo), horoscopes and the weather forecast, literature, superstitions.

Block 4. Si fuera tú · classes 61–80

Chapter 13. En tu lugar compraría (61–64)
Chapter 14. ¿Cuánto llevas esperando? (65–70)
Chapter 15. En un lugar de la Mancha (71–75)
Chapter 16. Estudio escuchando música (76–80)

What we study: the conditional (condicional) and unreal conditions (si fuera), combining two pronouns (se lo), lo que and el que, verb phrases (llevar + gerundio, dejar de, volver a), verbs with se, accidental actions (se me rompió), relative pronouns (cuyo), possessives, non-finite verb forms, the bank, the post office, shopping and complaints, Cervantes and «Don Quijote».

Block 5. Soy y estoy listo · classes 81–100

Chapter 17. Ser o estar, ahí está el problema (81–84)
Chapter 18. Eres la oveja negra (85–89)
Chapter 19. ¡Qué dramática! (90–93)
Chapter 20. Rumbo al DELE (94–100)

What we study: al and sin + infinitive, ser and estar, fixed expressions (unidades fraseológicas), informal Spanish from Spain (jerga), the culture of Latin America, text analysis, preparing for DELE B1.

What the classes are like

Each class lasts 60 minutes. At the start, we set the communication goals of the class. Then we look at new vocabulary and grammar rules, and you use them straight away in written and spoken exercises, dialogues and role plays. At the end, we check whether we have reached the goal.

Each class comes with theory in English — useful for reviewing at home — and its own Quizlet flashcards to revise the vocabulary. After each class there is homework that takes 30 to 40 minutes: you check part of it yourself with the answer key, and the teacher checks the written tasks. All materials are included in the course price.

Every course has review classes and speaking practice classes. In most classes we introduce new material, and then we hold special classes to review what we have covered, so that everything settles in your mind. In the speaking practice classes there is no new topic: you speak freely about everything you have learnt so far and see how far you have come.

How we check your progress

At the end of each block, you take a self-marking test: you see your result straight away, with your mistakes and an explanation of each one in English.

Final exam

The course ends with a final exam in the DELE B1 format. So that you know what to expect, before the exam we hold preparation classes for each part of the exam: reading, listening, writing and speaking.

After this course

You will be able to speak freely on most topics and move on to any of our B2 courses: for example, Course B2 "Local", where you will learn to argue your point and express your ideas with precision →

Price

From €16 per class

In a mini-group of up to 3 people, each class costs from €16 per person, in a pair, from €20 per person, and individually, from €32. Classes are paid in packages of 5, 10 or 20 classes. A package of 10 classes has a 10% discount, and a package of 20, 15%.

We will tell you the exact price after you fill in the form and we prepare a proposal with a course and a teacher for you.

Ready to start Course B1 "Expat"?

To start, you only need to fill in a short form: we will look at your level and goals and suggest the format and teachers that suit you best.

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