fbpx
Continuing Studies
Your lifelong learning community

Spanish 1

Print

Upcoming dates (3)

Register Now
For registration assistance: 608-262-2451

Schedule

The course runs Sept. 30–Dec. 16, with 10 live conversation sessions Saturdays, starting Oct. 7. Live conversation small groups are scheduled between 9–10 a.m. See summary for details. (No virtual conversation on Nov. 25).

Register through: September 28, 2023

All times shown in central time.

Fee

$269

Cancellation Policy

  • Cancel before the class start date (the day materials are made available): receive a full refund minus a $25 administrative fee.
  • Cancel after the class start date (the day materials are made available) but before the second virtual conversation session: receive an 80 percent refund minus a $25 administrative fee.
  • Cancel after the second virtual conversation session: no refund.

Summary

Watch this short video about why our online Language program is one of the best in the country! 

We have made our most popular class even better with a completely revised curriculum. This beginning-level language class (A1.1) explores the cultural richness of the Spanish-speaking world while helping you master the basics of Spanish with a proven communicative approach that emphasizes speaking competency while also building skills in listening, reading and writing. This practical course will quickly have you talking about life, family, work and travel. See Outline for complete details. Participants with no previous experience with Spanish are encouraged to begin with Spanish 0.

Prerequisite: None.

Find out if this is the right level for you with these placement tests: Spanish 1 self-placement test, Spanish 2 self-placement test.

Course format

You will practice speaking in weekly 30-minute online sessions led by an experienced instructor, with a maximum of 3-6 other participants. In order to get to know all of your classmates, your conversation time will vary between the first or second 30-minute time-slot of the hour you registered for. You should be available for either. 

The live online sessions begin one week after the scheduled course start date to allow time to work through the first unit of learning material in preparation for the live conversation practice. 

Online course materials introduce new grammar and vocabulary and teach pronunciation, listening, and reading skills through videos, audios, and interactive exercises. Budget 3-4 hours a week to work through the online asynchronous content.

Course materials become available online on the scheduled course start date and remain accessible for one month after the course ends.

A printable workbook (PDF) is included in the price. All other materials are available through the course platform.

Sections anticipated for fall 2023 (See upcoming dates for open sections and more detail):

Saturdays, Sept. 30–Dec. 16, 9–10 a.m. CT (No virtual conversation on Nov. 25)

Tuesdays, Oct. 3–Dec. 12, 8:30–9:30 a.m. CT

Tuesdays, Oct. 10–Dec.19, 5:30–6:30 p.m. CT

This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.

Course Outline

Course outline

Below are the themes and language outcomes for each unit. Each unit also contains 10-15 listening activities, an extended reading activity, review dialogues and cultural information related to the unit theme.

Unidad 1: Greetings

  • Common greetings and goodbyes
  • Asking and answering common questions: name, place of origin, telephone number
  • Formal vs. informal address
  • Numbers 0-10
  • Pronunciation: Y and LL

Unidad 2: We are speaking!

  • Getting to know each other
  • Personal pronouns
  • Conjugating regular –ar verbs in the present tense
  • The verb ser
  • Interrogative words and forming questions
  • Numbers 11-20
  • Names of languages
  • Pronunciation: C, S and Z

Unidad 3: My activities

  • Talking about common activities
  • Strategies for forming and answering questions
  • Days of the week
  • Gender of nouns and making nouns plural
  • The definite articles el/las/los/las
  • Conjugating -er and -ir verbs in the present tense.
  • Pronunciation: Ñ

Unidad 4: My work

  • Talking about professions
  • The indefinite articles un/una/unos/unas
  • The verbs estar, ir and dar
  • Talking about frequency of activities
  • Pronunciation: R

Unidad 5: My world

  • Talking about countries and organizations
  • Alphabet and spelling
  • Expressing agreement and disagreement in conversations
  • Numbers 20-100
  • Personal A
  • Countries, industries and products
  • Review of Unidades 1-4
  • Pronunciation: H

Unidad 6: My family

  • Talking about family
  • Possessive adjectives
  • Irregular verbs: e-ie
  • The verb tener
  • Talking about age
  • Pronunciation: common last names

Unidad 7: My likes

  • Talking about likes and dislikes
  • Months and seasons
  • Written accent marks
  • Using the verbs gustar and encantar
  • Using infinitives in a sentence
  • Pronunciation: RR

Unidad 8: My diet

  • Talking about food and diet
  • Ordering in a restaurant
  • Irregular verbs: o-ue
  • More on gustar
  • Pronunciation: J

Unidad 9: My favorite city

  • Talking about cities
  • Asking for information in a tourist office
  • Telling time
  • Talking about when activities are performed
  • The special verb hay
  • Pronunciation: Review

Unidad 10: My life

  • Talking about dates and birthdays
  • Contrasting ser and estar
  • Extensive review of Unidades 1-9
  • Extended speaking preparation

Earn Continuing Education Hours

By participating in this class you will earn:

Instructional Hours 35
University of Wisconsin Continuing Education Units 3.5

Explanation of Continuing Education Hours

Upcoming dates (3)

Customize it

Turn this class into a learning experience tailored to your organization's specific training needs.

Customize it

More Spanish Offerings

  • Join our mailing list

    Keep up to date about offerings at Continuing Studies. You'll receive information about upcoming classes and announcements.

  • Hidden
  • Hidden

  • By submitting this form, you agree to receive marketing email from UW–Madison Continuing Studies. Read our privacy policy.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Program Questions?

Contact Christopher Moore at christopher.moore@wisc.edu or 608-262-7389

Registration Questions?

Email registrations@pyle.wisc.edu or call 608-262-2451.

Continuing Studies FAQs

Meet your instructors

Ana Pérez Alfajarrin

(MA, University of Western Ontario) has been teaching Spanish since 2013 to adult learners of all ages. She specializes in Hispanics linguistics and was first trained as a translator/interpreter in Cuba. She brings enthusiasm to her teaching and loves creating engaging courses that make learning meaningful and fun.

Michelle Sharp

(PhD, UW-Madison) has worked with true beginners through graduate level pedagogy students in Spanish for over a decade. She loves working with students at all levels to discover something new. Her favorite moments are watching students build confidence in the new skills they've learned.

Emily Laflash

Emily LaFlash: (MA, University of Iowa) has taught Spanish language courses to adult learners and at the K-12 level for close to a decade. Her goal is to empower students to broaden their horizons by learning to communicate in another language.

What Attendees Are Saying

The design of the course was excellent. The textbook felt tailored to adults and the content, with the different speakers and voices, was much more engaging than other language learning materials I've studied from before. The instructor was also great at facilitating the speaking activities during live sessions.
Gordon West
I couldn't have been happier with this class. The instructor was amazing - knowledgeable, patient, and kind. The course was extraordinary in how it was laid out and used multiple ways of teaching.
Kate
I love the class. I think it's very well organized and the class textbook is well-written. The class far exceeds my expectations. I am learning so much. Thank you!!!
Jeannette Eicholz
Excellent approach to learning a language! The virtual format works very well. The mix of audios, short videos, written handbook, and small group speaking practice was great. This format allows students to move through a week's worth of material at their own pace. Thank you!
Janet White