Spanish Group Classes
Spanish Courses at a Glance
101-Intro 1
Introductory 1 - This course is held in Downtown, Lakeview and Palatine locations. Prerequisite: None other than desire to learn how to speak in Spanish
Classes for this four-course sequence (101, 102, 103, 104) are provided in either weekly (four 1.5-hour weekly classes) or intensive weekend (two 3-hour Saturday an Sunday same-weekend classes). Students develop (or enhance) speaking, reading, listening and writing skills. The methodology utilized in class is conversational with constant oral participation of all students and is conductive to the learning of important phrases, correct structuring of statements and questions and proper pronunciation. For a successful experience, students are required to attend all classes and then complete the homework assigned.
This 101-Intro 1 course focuses in the presentation, teaching and drilling of nouns and their modifiers, question words, numbers, prepositions, verbs, and adverbs of time. The basic actions covered include intention, obligation, desire, capability and progressive. By the end of the course, students will be able to express themselves with statements and questions with the fundamental vocabulary learned applicable to innumerable situations of every day conversation.
Students should take the entire course sequence in order to be able to comfortably express themselves in the present, past and future. The book required for all Introductory courses is Cortez Method 1: Spanish Language Fundamentals , 2nd Edition, by Juan Guillermo Cortez.
All new students to the Spanish Language Center who want to start from the basics are welcome to take this course. We do provide an online assessment for all those new students who have had previous studies or exposure to the Spanish language and are not sure if they belong in this course. For online assessment click here.
102 - Intro 2
Introductory 2 - This course is held in Downtown, Lakeview and Palatine locations. Prerequisite: 101-Intro 1
This course is not for first time students with Spanish Language Center. It is the second of four courses. New students must have completed 101-Intro 1 before taking this course.
In this second Intro course, students continue developing a solid foundation that will allow oral and written communication in Spanish with ease. This course builds up on the material covered previously in 101-Intro 1. The application and usage of the basic five actions are expanded through consistent drills in first, second and third person singular and plural. Additional new concepts include basic adverbs of time like days of the week, time, dates and their application in conversation with the five basic actions. This course not only expands vocabulary, but also provides students an opportunity to further practice and expand the basic skills acquired in the first segment. The difference in usage of Estar and Ser are also covered in this course. Success will only be attained if students attend all classes and also devote additional own time to do homework and practice.
Classes for this four-course sequence (101, 102, 103, 104) are provided in either weekly (four 1.5-hour weekly classes) or intensive weekend (two 3-hour Saturday an Sunday same-weekend classes).
Students should take the entire course sequence in order to be able to comfortably express themselves in the present, past and future. The book required for all Introductory courses is Cortez Method 1: Spanish Language Fundamentals , 2nd Edition, by Juan Guillermo Cortez.
103 - Intro 3
Introductory 3 - This course is held in Downtown, Lakeview and Palatine locations. Prerequisite: 102-Intro 2
This course is not for first time students with Spanish Language Center. It is the third of four courses. New students must have completed 102-Intro 2 before taking this course.
In this third Intro course, students incorporate the ability to express themselves in the past. This course continues to builds up on the material covered previously in 101 and 102. Two new basic actions are introduced that will allow students to better express themselves in the present, past and future. Oral class participation is a must (like in previous courses) and drilling combines all material covered in all three courses. Additional new concepts include the presentation of object pronouns and their proper placement and the usage of Gustar for liking. Success will only be attained if students attend all classes and also devote additional own time to do homework and practice.
Classes for this four-course sequence (101, 102, 103, 104) are provided in either weekly (four 1.5-hour weekly classes) or intensive weekend (two 3-hour Saturday an Sunday same-weekend classes).
Students should take the entire course sequence in order to be able to comfortably express themselves in the present, past and future. The book required for all Introductory courses is Cortez Method 1: Spanish Language Fundamentals , 2nd Edition, by Juan Guillermo Cortez.
104 - Intro 4
Introductory 4 - This course is held in Downtown, Lakeview and Palatine locations. Prerequisite: 103-Intro 3
This course is not for first time students with Spanish Language Center. It is the fourth of four courses. New students must have completed 103-Intro 3 before taking this course.
In this fourth and last Intro course, students incorporate the ability to express themselves in the past. This course reinforces all the material learned in the previous Intro courses and combines it with proper usage of object pronouns of all types. Reflexives verbs are also covered in this course. Success will only be attained if students attend all classes and also devote additional own time to do homework and practice.
Classes for this four-course sequence (101, 102, 103, 104) are provided in either weekly (four 1.5-hour weekly classes) or intensive weekend (two 3-hour Saturday an Sunday same-weekend classes).
Students should take the entire course sequence in order to be able to comfortably express themselves in the present, past and future. The book required for all Introductory courses is Cortez Method 1: Spanish Language Fundamentals , 2nd Edition, by Juan Guillermo Cortez.
200 - Beg 0
Beginner 0 - This course is held in Downtown, Lakeview and Palatine locations. Prerequisite: 104-Intro 4 or take assessment (click here for assessment)
This course is available for first time students with Spanish Language Center. It is the first of five courses available in the Beginner level. Old students must have completed ALL Introductory level courses and new students must pass the online assessment before taking this course.
This Beginner level course thoroughly reviews the fundamentals of the Spanish language. This course will thoroughly cover the basic (simple and fundamental) seven actions that are consistently used in everyday conversation. Application of subject and object pronouns (me, te, nos, lo, la, le, los, las, les, and se) are also covered. The differences in use of infinitive forms (-ar, -er, -ir) versus present participles (-ando, -iendo) versus past participle (-ado, -ido) and the sentence constructions that require them are covered too. And of course, Estar versus Ser are also fully covered. Success will only be attained if students attend all classes and also devote additional own time to do homework and practice.
Classes for 200-Beg 0 are provided in either weekly (four 1.5-hour weekly classes) or intensive weekend (two 3-hour Saturday an Sunday same-weekend classes). The reference book required for this course is Cortez Method 1: Spanish Language Fundamentals , 2nd Edition, by Juan Guillermo Cortez.
The Beginner level is composed of five sequential courses (200, 201, 202, 203, 204).
201 - Beg 1
Beginner 1 - This course is held in Downtown, Lakeview and Palatine locations. Prerequisite: For SpanishLC students 104-Intro 4, for new students 200-Beg 0
This course is the second of five courses available in the Beginner level. Old students must have completed ALL Introductory level courses and new students complete 200-Beg 0.
This second Beginner level course presents, explains and drills the conjugation in present tense of regular, irregular, stem-changing and special verbs. It combines the present tense conjugation with the usage of the basic seven actions and object pronouns. This course also teaches commands. The magic of this Beginner level course is how it manages to transform tedious conjugations into fun and practical phrases in actions of the future and past, in statements and questions, and in interaction with object pronouns. Success will only be attained if students attend all classes and also devote additional own time to do homework and practice.
Classes for 201-Beg 1 are provided in weekly (eight 1.5-hour weekly classes) classes. The book required for this course is Cortez Method 2: Spanish Indicative Tenses & Commands , 2nd Edition, by Juan Guillermo Cortez.
The Beginner level is composed of five sequential courses (200, 201, 202, 203, 204).
202 - Beg 2
Beginner 2 - This course is held in Downtown, Lakeview and Palatine locations. Prerequisite: 201-Beg 1
This course is the third of five courses available in the Beginner level. This course is not available for first time students with Spanish Language Center. Students must have completed 201-Beg 1.
This third Beginner level course presents, explains and drills the conjugation in preterite tense of regular, irregular, stem-changing and special verbs. It combines the preterite tense conjugation with the the present tense, and with the usage of the basic seven actions and object pronouns. Like the preceding course, students are amazed and encouraged to see that learning conjugations does not have to be tedious but rather fun and practical when applied in different phrases commonly used in everyday life. Success will only be attained if students attend all classes and also devote additional own time to do homework and practice.
Classes for 202-Beg 2 are provided in weekly (eight 1.5-hour weekly classes) classes. The book required for this course is Cortez Method 2: Spanish Indicative Tenses & Commands , 2nd Edition, by Juan Guillermo Cortez.
The Beginner level is composed of five sequential courses (200, 201, 202, 203, 204).
203 - Beg 3
Beginner 3 - This course is held in Downtown, Lakeview and Palatine locations. Prerequisite: 202-Beg 2
This course is the fourth of five courses available in the Beginner level. This course is not available for first time students with Spanish Language Center. Students must have completed 202-Beg 2.
The format of this fourth Beginner level course is the same the preceding courses of this level. A new past tense (the Imperfect) will be introduced, but immediately combined with all the material covered in all previous courses which by now are pretty much of common use for students. This course will reinforce students' ability to express themselves and comprehend others. Success will only be attained if students attend all classes and also devote additional own time to do homework and practice.
Classes for 203-Beg 3 are provided in weekly (eight 1.5-hour weekly classes) classes. The book required for this course is Cortez Method 2: Spanish Indicative Tenses & Commands , 2nd Edition, by Juan Guillermo Cortez.
The Beginner level is composed of five sequential courses (200, 201, 202, 203, 204).
204 - Beg 4
Beginner 4 - This course is held in Downtown, Lakeview and Palatine locations. Prerequisite: 203-Beg 3
This course is the last of five courses available in the Beginner level. This course is not available for first time students with Spanish Language Center. Students must have completed 203-Beg 3.
The format of this last Beginner level course covers introduces the future and conditional tenses. By completing this course, students will have the ability of comfortably expressing actions that one does, did , used to do , will do and would do thanks to the accumulation of the material covered in previous levels. This course will reinforce students' ability to express themselves and comprehend others. Success will only be attained if students attend all classes and also devote additional own time to do homework and practice.
Classes for 204-Beg 4 are provided in weekly (eight 1.5-hour weekly classes) classes. The book required for this course is Cortez Method 2: Spanish Indicative Tenses & Commands , 2nd Edition, by Juan Guillermo Cortez.
The Beginner level is composed of five sequential courses (200, 201, 202, 203, 204).
300 - Interm 0
Intermediate 0 - Conversation Class - This course is held in Downtown, Lakeview and Palatine locations. Prerequisite: 204-Beg 4 or take assessment (click here for assessment)
This Intermediate conversation class is open to first time students with Spanish Language Center and current students provided the pass the online assessment. Old students must have completed 204-Beg 4 level courses and new students must pass the online assessment before taking this course. 300-Interm 0 is the first of five courses available in the Intermediate level.
The focus of this Intermediate level class is conversation. Students should come to class prepared to interact with each other and the instructor equipped with their familiarity with the Indicative mood tenses and commands covered in our previous courses (or from previous studies for new students). Everybody must come to this class ready to orally share experiences, listen to others and ask questions.
Instructors keep the conversation going and support with proper structuring, pronunciation and brief grammatical explanations when needed. Instructors will refer students to specific pages in their book for review as needed. This class is lots of fun and provides the much need opportunity to speak Spanish while being monitored (and corrected) for mistakes.
Classes for 300-Interm 0 are provided either weekly (four 1.5-hour weekly classes) or intensive weekend (two 3-hour Saturday an Sunday same-weekend classes). The reference book required for this course is Cortez Method 2: Spanish Indicative Tenses & Commands , 2nd Edition, by Juan Guillermo Cortez.
The Intermediate level is composed of five sequential courses (300, 301, 302, 303, 304).
301 - Interm 1
Intermediate 1 - This course is held in Downtown, Lakeview and Palatine locations. Prerequisite: For SpanishLC students 204-Beg 4 or 300-Interm 0
This course is the second of five courses available in the Intermediate level. Current students must have completed 204-Beg 4 or 300-Interm 0 level courses and new students completed 300-Interm 0.
This second Intermediate level course presents, explains and drills the Present Subjunctive tenses. Regular and irregular conjugations will be thoroughly covered. Students will learn how to apply the subjunctive conjugations in the same manner as native Spanish speakers do: Without thinking about it! This class also provides the opportunity to practice and review all other conjugations covered in previous levels. Success will only be attained if students attend all classes and also devote additional own time to do homework and practice.
Classes for 301-Interm 1 are provided in weekly (eight 1.5-hour weekly classes) classes. The book required for this course is Cortez Method 3: Spanish Subjunctive , 2nd Edition, by Juan Guillermo Cortez.
The Intermediate level is composed of five sequential courses (300, 301, 302, 303, 304).
302 - Interm 2
Intermediate 2 - This course is held in Downtown, Lakeview and Palatine locations. Prerequisite: 301-Interm 1
This course is the third of five courses available in the Intermediate level. Current students must have completed 301-Interm 1 level courses.
This second Intermediate level course continues coverage of the Subjunctive tenses. It introduces the last tense: the Imperfect Subjunctive. This class also provides the opportunity to practice and review all other conjugations covered in previous levels. Present and imperfect subjunctive conjugations will be be thoroughly covered. Success will only be attained if students attend all classes and also devote additional own time to do homework and practice.
Classes for 302-Interm 2 are provided in weekly (eight 1.5-hour weekly classes) classes. The book required for this course is Cortez Method 3: Spanish Subjunctive , 2nd Edition, by Juan Guillermo Cortez.
The Intermediate level is composed of five sequential courses (300, 301, 302, 303, 304).
303 - Interm 3
Intermediate 3 - This course is held in Downtown, Lakeview and Palatine locations. Prerequisite: 302-Interm 2
This course is the third of five courses available in the Intermediate level. Current students must have completed 302-Interm 2 level courses.
This third Intermediate level course continues coverage of the Present and Imperfect Subjunctive tenses. It introduces new instances that lead to these tenses and applies them in oral and written exercises. Class conversation is geared towards the usage of the subjunctive tenses. Success will only be attained if students attend all classes and also devote additional own time to do homework and practice.
Classes for 303-Interm 3 are provided in weekly (eight 1.5-hour weekly classes) classes. The book required for this course is Cortez Method 3: Spanish Subjunctive , 2nd Edition, by Juan Guillermo Cortez.
The Intermediate level is composed of five sequential courses (300, 301, 302, 303, 304).
304 - Interm 4
Intermediate 4 - This course is held in Downtown, Lakeview and Palatine locations. Prerequisite: 303-Interm 3
This course is the last of five courses available in the Intermediate level. This course is not available for first time students with Spanish Language Center. Students must have completed 303-Interm 3.
This course is the last step towards mastering the usage of the Subjunctive. More instances that lead towards its conjugation, oral and written exercises are provided.
Classes for 204-Beg 4 are provided in weekly (eight 1.5-hour weekly classes) classes. The book required for this course is Cortez Method 3: Spanish Subjunctive , 2nd Edition, by Juan Guillermo Cortez.
The Intermediate level is composed of five sequential courses (300, 301, 302, 303, 304).
400 - Advanced 0
Advanced Conversation - This course is held in Downtown, Lakeview and Palatine locations. Prerequisite: Spanish language conversational skills (click here for assessment)
This is a conversational course. Students come to speak with each other about random subjects that can range from every day personal activities to current affairs covered in the news. In this class everybody participates by exposing subjects and asking each other questions. Classes are always monitored by advanced-level instructors whose mission is to keep the conversation going and assisting with required explanations of proper usage of tenses, sentence structuring, vocabulary, pronunciation, etc. This course is presented in 6 hour segments (either 4 1.5-hour classes or 2 same-weekend 3-hour classes). This course is ongoing which means that students may enroll in as many courses as they wish.
The reference book for this course is Cortez Method 3: Spanish Subjunctive , 2nd Edition, by Juan Guillermo Cortez.