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TEACHING

Nine sure-fire ways for Spaniards to improve their English skills

After a report placed Spain 23rd out of 70 countries in the new world English learning ranking, The Local asked experts to suggest ways the nation could improve.

Published: 5 November 2015 16:16 CET
Updated: 6 November 2015 10:00 CET
Nine sure-fire ways for Spaniards to improve their English skills
Photo: andreasmarx / Flickr

Although Spain has been improving when it comes to learning English and the younger generation is far ahead of their parents and grandparents in terms of speaking the language of Shakespeare, there is huge room for improvement.

This week international language training company Education First placed Spain well below the European average for English proficiency and woefully far behind the Scandinavian nations.

So what can Spaniards do to improve?

Stop dubbing movies


via GIPHY

Spaniards could really learn from their neighbours in Portugal (which ranks at number 13) and opt to watch films and television series in their original languages.

“A lot of television channels have the option to choose to watch in the original version and if  possible to seek out cinemas specializing in VO films,” suggests Craig Thomas, an English language learning consultant based in Madrid.

“It improves basic listening skills and provides the opportunity to hear different accents, from American English to regional accents from across Britain.”

Have some confidence and socialize


Photo: Muchomasqueidiomas

Don’t be shy about your Spanish accents, instead find a relaxed group that you are comfortable with and keep practicing until you gain in confidence.

“Meeting in a social group to speak English can be great fun and it is amazing how quickly the inhibitions can fade over a glass of wine,” advises Samantha Chappell, an English teacher based in Oviedo, who started the Conversation Club Asturias.

“It also provides the opportunity for romance, of course, and what better way to practice than by making it the language of love?”

Host a student


Photo: Luftphilia/Flickr

With Spain ranking as the most popular destination for Erasmus students, those with a spare-room might consider playing host to a foreign student.

Although the idea is for the visitors to improve their Spanish it provides a brilliant opportunity to get to know a native speaker. Insist on setting a certain amount of time each day where just English is spoken and you will see an improvement in no time.  

“Check with the local universities and get your name on the waiting list as a host family,” suggests Chappell. “Some schemes see families paid between €600 and €700 to host an Erasmus student.”

Join an activity


Photo: AFP

Ditch the textbooks and combine an enjoyable pastime with speaking English

“Most people don't enjoy learning a language through doing grammatical exercises in an anonymous class which traditionally has been happening for decades,” explains Romina De Simone, the founder of Mucho Mas Que Idiomas, which organizes groups combining language learning with activities.

“So why not combine learning a language with doing something you enjoy, like a cookery course, a museum trip or a sporting activity?”

It’s a way of practising English with other people with the same interests and passions.”

Tread the boards


Photo: Pedro Patel / Flickr

Where better to learn the language of Shakespeare than on the stage?

“Getting involved in English speaking amateur theatre groups is a great way to really advance your language skills,” insists Mary Reid, a long standing member of the Madrid Players.

“Some people start in the back stage areas or with small roles maybe in the chorus but as their confidence and English improve they have the opportunity to do more”.

Go abroad or to the Brit-filled Costas


Magaluf. Photo: Jaime Reina/AFP

Travel to English speaking countries whenever possible. New York and London may be expensive but there are plenty of cheaper options away from the capitals.

And if you really don’t like flying, just head to Benidorm or Benalmadena, Tenerife or Magaluf and make friends with some British holidaymakers.

“When travelling don’t make the mistake of sticking in a Spanish group. Try to mingle with foreigners. Brits may appear standoffish but perservere and you will be rewarded,” advises Chappell.

Start young and make learning fun


A stock photo of children in a classroom. Photo: Public Domain Images.

Don’t rely on your kids just learning their English in school. Although many state-schools now have bi-lingual programmes, learning English can become a chore rather than a pleasure.

“It’s important to make English fun for children, through activities like storytelling in English or going to the English language theatre” explains Amy Elliott who set up Stepping On Stage, which organizes English activities for children.

“Storytelling is a unique way for children to develop an understanding, respect and appreciation for other cultures, and can promote a positive attitude to English learning.”

Learn from the front


Photo: AFP

It can be seriously embarrassing if you are the one person at a very important meeting you can’t string a sentence together in English, as this photo of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy demonstrates.

Surely it's time Spain’s political elite led by example and made being proficient in the language of business and diplomacy the norm rather than the exception.
 
Immerse yourself in English
 
Tune in to English radio whether it be the BBC World Service or one of the ‎English language radio shows broadcast in Spain.
 
Read English media‎ and where better to improve your language skills and discover an alternative view of Spain than at The Local Spain?!
 
Like us on Facebook and get our stories straight to your news feed or sign up for weekly newsletter.
 

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LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Le Havre rules: How to talk about French towns beginning with Le, La or Les

If you're into car racing, French politics or visits to seaside resorts you are likely at some point to need to talk about French towns with a 'Le' in the title. But how you talk about these places involves a slightly unexpected French grammar rule. Here's how it works.

Published: 30 November 2021 13:04 CET
Updated: 4 December 2021 17:47 CET
An old WW2 photo taken in the French port town of Le Havre.
An old WW2 photo taken in the French port town of Le Havre. It can be difficult to know what prepositions to use for places like this - so we have explained it for you. (Photo by AFP)

If you’re listening to French chat about any of those topics, at some point you’re likely to hear the names of Mans, Havre and Touquet bandied about.

And this is because French towns that have a ‘Le’ ‘La’ or ‘Les’ in the title lose them when you begin constructing sentences. 

As a general rule, French town, commune and city names do not carry a gender. 

So if you wanted to describe Paris as beautiful, you could write: Paris est belle or Paris est beau. It doesn’t matter what adjectival agreement you use. 

For most towns and cities, you would use à to evoke movement to the place or explain that you are already there, and de to explain that you come from/are coming from that location:

Je vais à Marseille – I am going to Marseille

Je suis à Marseille – I am in Marseille 

Je viens de Marseille – I come from Marseille 

But a select few settlements in France do carry a ‘Le’, a ‘La’ or a ‘Les’ as part of their name. 

In this case the preposition disappears when you begin formulating most sentences, and you structure the sentence as you would any other phrase with a ‘le’, ‘la’ or ‘les’ in it.

Masculine

Le is the most common preposition for two names (probably something to do with the patriarchy) with Le Havre, La Mans, Le Touquet and the town of Le Tampon on the French overseas territory of La Réunion (more on that later)

A good example of this is Le Havre, a city in northern France where former Prime Minister, Edouard Philippe, who is tipped to one day run for the French presidency, serves as mayor. 

Edouard Philippe’s twitter profile describes him as the ‘Maire du Havre’, using a masculine preposition

Here we can see that his location is Le Havre, and his Twitter handle is Philippe_LH (for Le Havre) but when he comes to describe his job the Le disappears.

Because Le Havre is masculine, he describes himself as the Maire du Havre rather than the Maire de Havre (Anne Hidalgo, for example would describe herself as the Maire de Paris). 

For place names with ‘Le’ in front of them, you should use prepositions like this:

Ja vais au Touquet – I am going to Le Touquet

Je suis au Touquet – I am in Le Touquet 

Je viens du Touquet – I am from Le Touquet 

Je parle du Touquet – I am talking about Le Touquet

Le Traité du Touquet – the Le Touquet Treaty

Feminine

Some towns carry ‘La’ as part of their name. La Rochelle, the scenic town on the west coast of France known for its great seafood and rugby team, is one such example.

In French ‘à la‘ or ‘de la‘ is allowed, while ‘à le‘ becomes au and ‘de le’ becomes du. So for ‘feminine’ towns such as this, you should use the following prepositions:

Je vais à La Rochelle – I am going to La Rochelle

Je viens de La Rochelle – I am coming from La Rochelle 

Plural

And some places have ‘Les’ in front of their name, like Les Lilas, a commune in the suburbs of Paris. The name of this commune literally translates as ‘The Lilacs’ and was made famous by Serge Gainsbourg’s song Le Poinçonneur des Lilas, about a ticket puncher at the Metro station there. 

When talking about a place with ‘Les’ as part of the name, you must use a plural preposition like so:

Je suis le poinçonneur des Lilas – I am the ticket puncher of Lilas 

Je vais aux Lilas – I am going to Les Lilas

Il est né aux Lilas – He was born in Les Lilas  

Islands 

Islands follow more complicated rules. 

If you are talking about going to one island in particular, you would use à or en. This has nothing to do with gender and is entirely randomised. For example:

Je vais à La Réunion – I am going to La Réunion 

Je vais en Corse – I am going to Corsica 

Generally speaking, when talking about one of the en islands, you would use the following structure to suggest movement from the place: 

Je viens de Corse – I am coming from Corsica 

For the à Islands, you would say:

Je viens de La Réunion – I am coming from La Réunion 

When talking about territories composed of multiple islands, you should use aux.

Je vais aux Maldives – I am going to the Maldives. 

No preposition needed 

There are some phrases in French which don’t require any a preposition at all. This doesn’t change when dealing with ‘Le’ places, such as Le Mans – which is famous for its car-racing track and Motorcycle Grand Prix. Phrases that don’t need a preposition include: 

Je visite Le Mans – I am visiting Le Mans

J’aime Le Mans – I like Le Mans

But for a preposition phrase, the town becomes simply Mans, as in Je vais au Mans.

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