Blog & News | Spanish Courses

Interesting facts on Football in Spain

With “el clasico” this Saturday, we at Spark thought we would give you a little info on the Spanish league set up and our predictions for the coming campaign.

Interesting facts on “la liga”:

Amazingly only 9 teams have won la liga, with Real Madrid and Barcelona leading the way with 31 and 21 victories each.
All la liga games are played at night, usually on Sunday night but also often on Saturdays and on occasiones during the week. Going to away matches is not such a big thing in Spain and it is common even for the big clubs to only have a few hundred travelling supporters for certain games.
The top scorer in Spain wins the Pichichi Trophy and the the goalkeeper who concedes the least wins the Ricardo Zamora Trophy. The current holders of both are Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo with an amazing 41 goals and Vicky Valdez of Barcelona who was only beaten on 16 occassions.
Atletico Bilbao from Basque Country only allow players of Basque origin to play for them. Other Basque teams like Real Sociedad allow foreigners (non-Spaniards) but do not permit Spaniards to play for the side.
Almost every football fan in Spain has a second team, one of the big two: Real Madrid or Barcelona. It is very normal for a Spaniard to open his conversation about football with “¿Eres del Madrid o Barca?”. The big game between the two is called “el clásico”. The importance of “el clásico” in Spanish culture can be seen by the lack of cars on the roads when the games are on, with almost 70% of the population glued to the tele at home or in a bar.
The first football club in Spain was el Recreativo de Huelva, founded in 1896 by British miners working in the Rio Tinto mines.

Spanish Football Vocabulary:

Spanish football vocabulary

All Football teams in Spain carry the pronoun “el” o “la” (the), meaning when you talk about the team you say “el Madrid” o “el Barca” rather than just Madrid for example. “La Real Sociedad” is the only current team in la liga which has the feminine pronoun.
Portero (which is also “bouncer” in Spanish) is the Spanish word for Goalkeeper. Defenders are known as laterales (full backs) y centrales (centre halves). Midfielders are mediocampistas and forwards known as delanteros.
Spanish football managers are known as “coaches” rather than managers so dont make the mistake of saying: “Mourinho es el jefe (manager) del Madrid” because correct Spanish is “Mourinho es el entrenador (coach) del Madrid”.
Spaniards DONT refer to their national team as “el equipo nacional” but rather call them “la selección”. If you want to refer to other national teams you say “la selección de Inglaterra (for example)”. “La selección” is also affectionately know as “los rojos”(the reds).
To tackle in Spanish is known as “entrar”, pass is “pasar” and to score is “marcar”. Win is “ganar”, lose “perder” and to draw “empatar”.
Football is more commonly known by its anglicised “el fútbol” but “el balompie” (literally foot (pie) and ball (balón although for sounds purposes the “n” in the word is changed to an “m”)) is the tradional way of saying it in Spanish.

For more Spanish football vocabulary check out this Spanish Football Vocab page.

Nico’s and Pepita’s football predictions

Spark Predictions for the coming la liga:

Douglas says: “Barcelona’s recent big purchases will destabilise the team rather than help it. Although I hate saying it (as I am a Barca fan), I feel Real Madrid will pip the league this year, although Barca will win the Champion’s League again”. Surprise team: Watch out for Malaga, they have spent big and could slip into third.
James says: “Barcelona will win the league because they have bought Fabregas and this can only make a great team even stronger”.
Nico says: “Only a true team can win such a long tournament as la liga, el Madrid necesita corazón y ya que no lo tiene, el Barca ganará la liga otra vez”.
Inge says: “I think PSV might win but ops they arent Spanish…. no really I just couldnt care…”

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Posted on August 29, 2011 by sparklanguages

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Our weekly group photo of some of the students who have come to study Spanish here at Spark.

[book id=’8′ /]

Posted on August 29, 2011 by sparklanguages

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Spark Spanish Language School

It seems amazing to think more than three weeks have passed since we at Spark received our first batch of eager Spanish students. Our Spark team still fondly remembers the moment Annaloes, our first student to arrive, passed through the doors of our amazingly orange Spark building. Since then we’ve had sooooooo many great moments but we at Spark had a little vote to decide our four most memorable ones:

– Jaap’s speech at our first awards ceremony was an especially heart warming one. We here at Spark had put out heart and soul into making our first week a good one for our students, and we knew we had a few ups and downs but Jaap’s nice words just made us all feel it had all been worth it… MUCHAS GRACIAS JAAP POR DARNOS UNA SONRISA EN UN MOMENTO CLAVE.

Nico y Pepita

– Another hilarious story was Nico’s love affair with ……… the peluche Pepita. It started with a chance encounter in the street, then it was a little “ligando” (flirting) in the reception but the climax was the canción de amor (love song) he sang in his classroom…oh what a sweet couple they are. PEPITA TE QUEREMOS.

– Another nice moment was the trip to Cadiz with Anneloes, Katerina, Cristina, Vanesa, Kevin and Olena accompanied by our own lovely Almudena. The Spark group had a great time seeing the wonderful city but the highlight was definitely Katerina using her newly learned Spanish in argument with a 5 year old girl about who could have their photo taken in front of a monument. GRACIAS KATERINA POR SIEMPRE SIENDO UNA BUENA ALUMNA, TE ECHAMOS DE MENOS.

Certificates ceremony

– Our final great moment was the singing night at the BBQ at the end of week 3. It started with Stephanie’s truly wonderful singing repetoire and then continued with Nico’s equally talented guitar playing but the highlight of course was James and Kevin’s “I CANT EXPLAIN” which was followed up by 5-6 amazing “songs”(!¡) by Kevin… MUCHAS GRACIAS KEVIN POR HACERNOS REIR.

In summary it has been a start to Spark and we couldnt be happier about how things have gone. It has been hard and tiring at times but we really couldnt have had a more fantastic bunch of students than we have had – MUCHAS GRACIAS A TODOS/AS. We genuinely miss you all and would love to see you again at Spark so please know our doors and our arms are always open.

If you have other sweet stories, please dont hesitate to share them below in comments. OS ECHAMOS DE MENOS.

Posted on August 18, 2011 by sparklanguages

Blog & News

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Spark – The First Day (and night before!!)

Hola!!

As the legions of students descended onto Sparkville boulevard over the weekend, it was official – Spark had opened its doors and was spreading the gospel of the Spanish language to all willing to listen, learn and speak the great language.

As the weekend grew old most prospective learners had arrived at their destination – without doubt tired and travel weary after a long trip, their blues were banished by a typically enthusiastic welcome delivered by teachers in residence Nico and Almudena. After each new student had been treated to a glass of El Puerto’s finest Sherry and given an introductory tour of the Spark building and Spark, not to mention an exemplary welcoming speech by Nicolas, it was settling in and getting to know each other time. As daylight threatened to become night and dusk enroached it was time for welcome drinks, the first of which was on Spark!!. Led by Nico and Almudena everybody headed to a local bar/restaurant to sample El Puerto and gauge the atmosphere of the town, which was, as per usual, lively and full of character. After one…. maybe two… or possibly even three drinks everybody hit the “auld leaba (old bed)” as would be said in Ireland and got ready for their first day of Spanish learning.

As sunrise broke on the 25^th July 2011, the fresh morning air cultivated El Puerto’s stunning scenery and a new era had dawned in Spanish language learning for El Puerto, the era of Spark. The serious yet fun business was about to begin, learning Spanish!!

The missionaries spreading the Spanish gospel were Gema, Evelyn, Maria Jose, and finally Nico and Almudena. In a productive, interactive, enjoyable and interesting four hours, some students (like myself!!) learned the basics such as Hola and Como estas ? (which I’m still not quite sure means!!) while others with a foundation in Spanish already, engaged in more complex Spanish language problems.

After four enjoyable hours of learning Spanish, classes were wrapped up. Then at 14:30 the time had arrived, the time to trek to the one place most people who visit Spain venture to first – The beach!! Students had lunch on the beautiful beach Puntilla where they were encouraged to try Spanish and generally enjoy themselves. The beach being a place where most Spanish people go in the summer isn’t exactly a bad place to try some Spanish with people. After practically excavating the beach!! and hopefully avoiding being sunburned (unlike myself!!) evening time had arrived.

Now it is time for the Spanish Pub Quiz night, with questions and answers exclusively in Spanish, students mixed into their appropriate levels. Questions will vary from culture to politics to sport… all Spanish related. Great craic ( not crack cocaine but good fun…… ask an Irish person) is being had by all and sunder… and lest Spark is nearly finished its first day doing God’s work, helping people learning Spanish !!

If day 1 is anything to go by, Spark should have a colourful future. With enthusiastic teachers, eager learners and a cultural and social events calendar to match that of one of Hollywood’s finest – A perfect equilibrium between classroom learning and social learning appears to exist!!

So that seems to be all for now,

I leave you with some wise words of the great Arnold Schwarzenegger, with his giant shotgun in hand!!

Hasta la vista, baby!!

Posted on July 25, 2011 by sparklanguages

Adult Courses, Blog & News

English, Learning Spanish Abroad, spanish blog, spanish in andalusia, Spanish Language Holiday, Spanish Language School

Hola Spark Readers and Enthusiasts!!

To introduce myself, my name is James and I hail from the wonderful land of Eire (Ireland). In a nutshell, I have begun working as the new Spark Administration Responsible, picking up the baton from my illustrious and decorated predecessor Audrey – no doubt I have huge boots to fill!!

This past week has been rather hectic here at Spark International headquarters, the final jewels are being attached to the crown that is the magnificent Spark building!! The builders, electricians etc have seized control of Spark this past week as they tirelessly trawl through every inch of the building to ensure Spark is ready for take off!!

So first came the electricians, armed and equipped with an array of dazzling tools and electronic knowhow they hit the ground running. Doing everything from ensuring that all the lights were working to making sure that the Internet connection was up and running and that the air conditioning worked so that everyone was nice and cool. Head of the electricians was a man called Jacquian, a rather large gentleman he basically made sure none of his co-electricians got lost and also seemed to tell people where to go and when! Considering that I have very little… actually no Spanish! – All of the Electricians were quite friendly, any problem that arose was usually solved by various hand directions and a thumbs up when everything was finished.

As for the builders…..they were a quieter bunch of gents who liked to do their work in peace with little interaction, they basically mounted all of the beds in the bedrooms and did any leftover painting etc.

Just today the Water Fountain man arrived to get the water fountain working, such a particular skill!!

Then there is Nico, a charming Argentine chap who wears nice colourful Hawaiian t-shirts and is a TECS veteran, he is a Spanish teacher and for the first few weeks has been helping me mounting various pieces of furniture ranging from Classroom Tables to Sofas, such practical knowledge!!

So there you go, the builders and electricians have come and gone, the teachers have arrived… the Argentine Nico and the Spaniard Almudena with many more new faces to follow such as Gema, Maria Jose and Evelyn who will all be appearing in an exclusive Spark Teachers photo on the Spark website – coming soon – dont miss it !!!!!!!

So all in all there is Audrey, mentioned above, Nico, Almudena, Gema, Maria Jose and Evelyn – the teachers, then Inge, Doug and David who basically run Spark and finally myself.

The final pieces of the Spark Jigsaw are being put in place and in less than 5 days Spark will be up and running.

Let the games begin!!

Adios!

Posted on July 19, 2011 by sparklanguages

Blog & News

English, spanish blog, Spark

Whether its our fresh approach to language learning through our Spanish courses, Sparks´course options or our Social and Cultural activites or beach views around El Puerto that you´re interested in then we promise you’ll enjoy our brand new Spark Spanish video?!

We´d love to know what you think so feel free to leave a comment afterwards! 🙂

Check out our video, and see how much fun and excitement you can have when you study Spanish with Spark Spanish.!

Posted on July 4, 2011 by sparklanguages

Blog & News

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Here at Spark Spanish, we have put together 10 of our favorite Spanish sayings, including both the Spanish and English equivalents. Why not take the mini quiz before looking at the rest of them? Read More

Posted on June 28, 2011 by sparklanguages

Blog & News, Spanish Resources

English, Español, spanish blog, Spark Spanish, top 10, top 10 spanish idioms

A Spark Spanish, nous avons réunis nos 10 expressions espagnoles préférées. Amusez-vous !
1.”No se ganó Zamora en una hora”- “Rome ne s’est pas construite en un jour.”

2. “Estar más loco que una cabra“ –“Être fou comme un chapelier.”

3.“Meterse en el sobre” – “Aller au plumard.”

4.“Poner toda la carne en el asador” – “Risquer le paquet”

5. “Tomar el pelo a alguien” – “Se payer la tête de quelqu’un.”

6.“Ser uña y carne” – “Être comme les cinq doigts de la main.”

7.“Liso y llano!” –“C’est du gâteau !”.

8. “Ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente” – “Loin des yeux, loin du coeur”

Se tordre de rire…

9.“Ni soñarlo!” – “Dans tes rêves !”

10. “Partirse de la risa” – “Se tordre de rire”

Vous aimez ce que vous venez de lire ?! Pourquoi ne pas apprendre plus d’espagnol avec nous ?! Découvrez les offres que nous vous proposons aujourd’hui !

Posted on June 28, 2011 by sparklanguages

Blog & News

Francais, SparkSpanish, top 10

With so much to do in El Puerto, its hard to imagine having the time to travel elsewhere during you stay with us, but if you do get a free moment, we have compiled a list of festivals going on in others towns! Let us know how you get on!

Virgin del Carmen: 15 -16 July

This festival is celebrated in towns along Andalucía’s coast, from Huelva to Almeria. The Virgen del Carmen is the patron saint of fishermen and the statue is taken from her church through the streets of her town. The statue the goes around the harbor to bless the fishing boats. Towns where you can see this fiesta include Marbella, Malaga and of course, El Puerto de Santa Maria, to name a few!

Cordoba Jazz Festival: 5^th – 17^th July

Joaquin Cortes tries his hand at guitar on the 14^th July while ZZ Top (on 16 July) headline this annual celebration of Andalucía’s favourite musical instrument, which features the best names in rock, flamenco and jazz!
Nerja, Malaga Intl. Music and Dance Festival: 12^th – 16^th July

This annual event, held in Nerja’s famous caves, continues to draw major artists: this year, you can see the National Spanish Ballet group performing Carmen (14-15 July).

Cadiz, Recinto Ferial Festival: 22 – 23 July
With over 15 groups in this summer festival in Chiclana de la Frontera (Cádiz). Two days of great atmosphere and an excellent natural paradise complemented by long stretches of beach.

Pamplona, Fiesta of San Fermin: 6 -14 of July

Not many events in Spain grab attention like the “Encierro” or “The Running of the Bulls” during San Fermín. Although Pamplona is not close to Andalucia, every year, many from the Andalucian neck of the woods make their way to Pamplona!

Don´t forget to check back in a week or so to catch our July post about all the exciting happenings in El Puerto this July..!!

Buñol, Valencia, La Tomatina: 31st of August

I know its not occuring until the 31st of August, but I just couldn´t resist adding in the tomato throwing festival! “La Tomatina” takes place in Buñol, Valencia, and dates back to the 1950´s, when the council first allowed the awesome party/one day festival to occur!

Find out more about Spanish Culture here!

Posted on June 22, 2011 by sparklanguages

Blog & News

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The Hermitage of El Rocío is a pilgrimage at El Rocío in the countryside of Almonte, in the Province of Huelva, right here in Andalusia. It takes place the weekend before Pentecost Monday, this year, that fell on the weekend of Saturday June 11th. Monday June 13th (a few days ago) was known as Whit Monday and it is a religious holiday in many countries including Ireland, Holland and Switzerland. The date on which it falls is always a Monday, but the date differs every year depending on when Easter falls.

Devout Pilgrams

I decided to go to El Romería this year, as it was pretty closeby and I felt I would enjoy the experience.I took a bus there (not the traditional horse and carriage method of transport I´m afraid)! On my journey, I meet with some other pilgrims from all corners of the world. A lot of them had travelled together as religious groups or “confraternities”. And so the pilgrimage had begun.

The pilgrimage begins at noon on the Saturday. From then until midnight, each confraternity travels to the small village of El Rocío, the oldest confraternities proceeding first. Each bears an emblem of the Immaculate Conception. At midnight, it is the turn of the original confraternity to carry their emblem to the shrine. This is known as the Almonte Rosary ceremony.

On Sunday, I went to mass in El Real del Rocío, where the Virgin was crowned in 1919. On Sunday night, everyone prays the Rosary by candlelight, as each confraternity goes up to the flat of El Eucaliptal^.

Finally, the Immaculate Conception Emblem of Almonte is brought to the Shrine, as the Virgin of El Rocío out into the streets. This marks the end of the pilgrimage.

After a spirtual and enriching few days, I began my journey home.

Hasta Pronto!

Aud

Interested in Spanish Culture? Learn more here!

Posted on June 16, 2011 by sparklanguages

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Are you a little confused by our Spark Shopping Cart? Do you need some advice/pointers on how the Shopping Cart works most efficiently? Or are you just interested in learning a little more about our online shop?!

Well, GREAT NEWS!! Doug has created a simple, easy to follow screencast which explains how one can efficiently use the Spark Shop! At just over 5 minutes long, we definitely recommend you watch it, to make your payment that easier, clearer and less time consuming!

We hope you find it very helpful! 🙂

Posted on June 14, 2011 by sparklanguages

Blog & News

English, shopping cart

Hello there!

Well, this weekend in El Puerto was an absolute scorcher.. and I´ve got the pink skin to prove it…! Lol..

It began on Friday, when we took a trip to a Moroccan restaurant for a bite to eat.. I got deep-fried pastry stuffed with chicken and spices, served with fries.. I´ll be honest when I say I didn´t enjoy it that much – it was very greasy and I couldn´t taste anything apart from oil. The seafood was reportedly much better according to Josh and Dave who devoured a plate of deep-fried shrimp!

After the meal, Fiona, Ky and I went for an ice-cream.. Ben and Jerry’s are possibly my two favourite men on earth! Having an early night, we headed back home after the satisfying dessert.

The next morning Sanne, Fiona and I walked to Puerto Sherry (my favourite beach!), to catch some rays. It was a lovely walk and the sun was beating down. Molletes, juice and coffees at Blanca Paloma´s overlooking the beach was a perfect way to spend the morning.

It was Sanne and Annies´ last weekend in Spain before they headed back to their respective countries of Holland and Germany. Together, we swam and sunbathed for the majority of the day, with the odd nap here and there, while we watched other beachgoers kite-sufing, sailing and diving.

With a rugby match at 8, we begrudgingly left the beach at 5pm, and prepared ourselves for the big game.

With two teams within the Andulucian region playing against each other, it was an interesting game to watch. By interesting I mean that I had no clue what was going on, nor did Annie or Sanne, while Fiona (the expert among us), gave a running commentary on the game. She was not overly impressed with the skills on show, and it is apparently played differently in Ireland and most other countries. Each to their own!

There was an excellent turn out and the atmosphere in the crowd was electric. I was quite surprised that rugby was even played in Spain, but nonetheless, it was an enjoyable experience, and it was nice to see what else the outdoors of El Puerto has to offer when you aren´t on the beach!.

Hasta pronto!

Audrey

Interested in Sport?! Check out our Spanish and Sport!

Posted on June 6, 2011 by sparklanguages

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10 reasons to learn Spanish, English, outdoors in El Puerto, rugby, spanish blog, sun

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