2020 Livingston Spanish -Join us for Spring Semester!

Livingston, New Jersey

Hola amigos,

My Winter short semester is winding down and I’m looking ahead to the Spring semester. I am offering the following classes privately. All groups are small (5-8 people) and use a conversation-based approach, employing stories, games and other activities.

Classes start the week of March 9, 2020 and generally go 14 weeks.

I have openings in the following classes. Please note the day and time, as some of them are daytime classes. I am also putting the ones that are full if you wish to be put on the waiting list. I may have some spots opening soon.

Please let me know as soon as possible if you are interested so I can send you further details. There is a $20 Early Bird fee for registering by Feb. 12.

Spanish 1–     Monday AFTERNOONS 3:00-4:30 PM–            Summit, NJ – 3 openings

(Spanish 2      Tuesday mornings 9:30-11:00 AM –                     Livingston, NJ – full )

(Spanish 3      Monday mornings 9:30-11:00 AM–                     Livingston, NJ – full)

Spanish 3       Thursday evenings 7:00 – 8:30 PM–                     Livingston, NJ– 3 openings

Advanced Spanish (Spanish 5 and beyond) Monday evenings 7:00-8:30 PM – Roseland, NJ – 5 openings

 Note: I also teach at the Caldwell/West Caldwell School of Continuing Education on Tuesday evenings. Spanish 1 is at 6 PM and Spanish 2 at 7:30 PM. Please register there directly.

 

Advanced Spanish Class – Read a Contemporary Novel (Livingston/Roseland, NJ)

SPACES STILL AVAILABLE – This semester I am adding a new class on Monday evenings for advanced students.  We will read a contemporary novel, Como agua para chocolate, by the Mexican author Laura Esquivel. We will converse intensively about the novel and other topics, review grammar as needed, and work on advanced vocabulary. Please let me know if you are at all interested, even if you just want to try it out, as the class starts next week. You can email me at  pfressidrobo @ hotmail.com

Who is this class for? This class is for students who have taken Sp. 1- 4 , or the equivalent, or college level Spanish literature classes. They should have had exposure to all tenses in Spanish and be able to hold an advanced conversation (perfection not necessary!)

Classes are small, up to 6 students. It is a 12-week course and the fee is $230.00. Here are the dates:

Advanced Spanish – Monday evenings

Fall – Sept – Dec 2019

7:00-8:30 PM

in Frank’s Pizzeria, 14 Eisenhower Pkway in Roseland, NJ 07068

sept 16, 23 (no class Sept. 30)

oct 7, 14, 21, 28

nov 4, 11, 18, 25

dic 2, 9

12 classes – $ 230 (includes book and materials)

 

Note: All my other classes are full.

Adult Spanish Conversation Classes – Registration Open for Fall 2017

Registration has opened for my Fall 2017 Adult Spanish classes in Livingston, NJ. Classes are small (6 – 9 adults) and offer a relaxed, encouraging atmosphere. We use stories and fun activities to learn conversational Spanish. Hope you can join us!

Classes begin September 11 for Monday morning classes and September 12 for Tuesday morning classes. The early-bird deadline for registration is August 15, 2017, and regular deadline is September 1, 2017.

Morning Spanish Classes (Weekly)

Monday Morning Spanish 2 Class –         9:30 – 11:00 AM

Tuesday Morning Spanish 1 Class –        9:30 – 11:00 AM

For more details on Amistad classes, fees, and registration, click here.

Evening Spanish Classes (Weekly)

Here is a list of other classes I teach:

Through Meetup.com:

Monday Intermediate/Advanced Conversation 7:00 -8:30 PM

Thursday Beginners Spanish Conversation 7:00 -8:30 PM

click here for information

Through Caldwell/W. Caldwell Center for Continuing Education:

Tuesday Spanish 1    6:30 – 8:00 PM

Tuesday Spanish 2    8:00 – 9:30 PM

For more details see here, p. 8.

Livingston Spanish Conversation Meetup

What if you want to speak Spanish but can’t find a conversation class, or can’t commit to a regular schedule? Or if you are taking a class and want extra practice? Well, I recently started a local Meetup group to address your situation. Called the Livingston Spanish Conversation Meetup, this group will hold meetings for both beginners and intermediate level Spanish students in Livingston, NJ.

Monday evenings – advanced beginner/intermediate level conversation

Thursday evenings – beginning level conversation

In the beginning classes, you will learn and practice basic conversation, and play games, such as Fluxx en español. Vocabulary and grammatical structures will be taught, as needed.

In the advanced beginner/intermediate class, we will engage in conversation related to current topics, a Spanish article, a story, or anything of interest to participants. Explanations and review of grammatical points will be given as needed.

I am offering 90-minute sessions (in a restaurant or in a private home.) It is free to join Meetup and to join the Livingston Spanish Conversation Meetup. Once you sign up, you can RSVP for future meetings/classes. There is a fee of $10.00 per person per class. To sign up, please go to http://www.meetup.com/Livingston-Spanish-Conversation-Meetup .

Five Ways Spanish Tutoring Can Help Your Child

Ironically, the ultimate goal of private tutoring (as a supplement to classroom instruction) is for a student to not need tutoring anymore! As a tutor, I work to develop in a student the necessary skills and strategies for him or her to become an independent learner. Keeping this in mind, here are five ways that tutoring can help.

Targeted Explanations – Working one-on-one, a professional tutor can easily assess where a student needs more elucidation and can bring it about in a way that is geared specifically to that student. Whether I find a simple misunderstanding or a larger gap in knowledge, my sessions with a student can make the difference between falling further behind and succeeding.

Extra Practice – In many subjects, extra practice is often the missing link in mastery. But in learning a second language in particular, this goes further than just extra practice in vocabulary, grammar, or study skills. I try to include Spanish conversation in every session, whether or not it is “needed” for a homework assignment or upcoming test. In this way, I hope that my student will enjoy experiencing Spanish, which makes everything else that much easier.

A New Voice – Unlike a teacher or parent, a tutor is not expected to give grades or critique behavior. I take full advantage of this neutral role and unique opportunity to encourage students to try new strategies and to do their best.

Confidence Building – Self-confidence is gained through increasing mastery of a subject and the development of learning strategies. I always encourage my students to not only see their progress in improving grades, but to realize they’re on the road to independent learning.

Tips for Studying – Most tutors have a wealth of knowledge in how to learn, study, and take tests. I often give suggestions on how to best utilize class time, as well as how to develop strategies for self-study. For example, I emphasize showing a student how to develop mnemonic aids for remembering vocabulary, verb conjugations, and grammatical concepts.

All in all, I hope that my tutoring helps a student to see Spanish not as a mechanical exercise, but as a fun, exciting ticket to another culture!

Professional Tutor – Tricia Idrobo

New Web Address for Amistad Spanish Instruction, Livingston, NJ

 

 

 

 

As of this week, Amistad Spanish Instruction has a new (shorter) address for its blog and website.

It is: https://amistadspanish.wordpress.com   Please make a note of this.

Note: If you ever end up at the defunct address, just take out the word “Instruction” from the web address, and it should redirect to the right place.

Here are some popular posts that you may be looking for:

Learn Spanish – Apps and Online Programs

Selecting a Spanish Dictionary

Online Spanish Dictionaries and Apps

When to Use a Spanish Picture Dictionary

 

 

Livingston “Spanish Games and Conversation”

Once a month I hold an informal “Games and Conversation” class. The next one is Sunday, November 2, 2014 in Livingston, NJ from 7:00-8:30 PM. The classes are held in private residences, so I don’t publish the address, but will let you know when you register.

We will play Fluxx en español while having Spanish conversation in a relaxed setting.

Fee:  $10.00 per class per person. There is no materials charge.

Note: Open to all, you do not need to be a current student!

 Reserving a spot is required.  Contact Tricia Idrobo at (973)994-7018, pfressidrobo  @  hotmail.com, or use this contact form:

 

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Quick Translation–Online Spanish Dictionaries and Apps

When you want to translate a word or phrase quickly, you can rely on these websites, which also have apps.

Google Translate       https://translate.google.com  – Quick and easy, it also has an audio icon to hear pronunciation. You can put in entire sentences or paragraphs, but be careful—the translations may need revision. If you put in a search for Google Translate online, a box will come up for translation without having to go to the website.

SpanishDict                www.spanishdict.com  – Good for quick translation, occasionally gives examples of of how the words are used; it also features oral pronunciation and entire verb conjugations if the word you looked up is a verb. You can put in entire sentences or paragraphs, but be careful—the translations may need revision.

Word Reference        http://www.wordreference.com – Good for quick translation of individual words—will not do sentences. Gives examples of how the words are used and idiomatic expressions with the word. For intermediate and advanced students there are also interesting forums to learn the nuances of words or the differences in word usage between Spanish-speaking countries.

 

When to Use a Spanish Picture Dictionary

If you are studying Spanish, you may find a picture dictionary is helpful, in addition to a regular Spanish/English dictionary. Picture dictionaries are organized by topics, not alphabetically. They are handy when you want to look up more than one item in the same category, such as foods, and have the advantage of illustrating words you may not know, like what an elm tree looks like, for instance. There is an alphabetical index in the back.

          

There are many good, basic picture dictionaries. The one I am most familiar with is the Oxford Picture Dictionary English/Spanish. Some topics covered are everyday language, people, housing, food, clothing, health, community, transportation, work, areas of study, plants, animals and recreation. It is about 300 pages long—not a small book!

Some picture dictionaries are made for children but are also suitable for adult learners. DK First Picture Dictionary: Spanish offers phonetic pronunciation and McGraw Hill’s Spanish Picture Dictionary also includes it in the back of the book. If you know how to pronounce the letters in Spanish, you shouldn’t need the phonetic pronunciation, and there are many other well-illustrated Spanish picture dictionaries.

 

 In addition, there are even more detailed and technical picture dictionaries, such as Merriam-Webster Spanish-English Visual Dictionary. (1,152 pages) The difference is that the above basic picture dictionaries, for example, will offer two pages with the names and structures of common flowers, and the detailed one will give twenty pages of every flower imaginable and detailed drawings and labels of each structure, such all the parts of a seed. For beginners, the basic one is more than enough.

 

Selecting a Spanish Dictionary

A dictionary is a great investment for your study of Spanish. Nowadays you can get free dictionaries online, or on your smart phone, iPad or other device. I still like an actual book/dictionary to look things up quickly when I’m at home. Here are some suggestions for selecting a dictionary that suits you. If you’re buying a book, I suggest going to the bookstore and checking out the options so you’re not disappointed. Once I bought a dictionary without checking it out and was disappointed to find the font was too small and it didn’t have idiomatic expressions.

            Size: A small dictionary, such as VOX Compact Spanish and English Dictionary or Webster’s Spanish English Dictionary for Students, can be carried around easily and will have most of the words needed by beginners.  However, as you get more advanced you may want a bigger dictionary that has more entries and more nuanced definitions, such as Harper Collins Spanish College Dictionary. I have the Harper Collins dictionary, and although it is big and bulky, I love it. It usually has all the words and nuanced definitions I need, and the format is very user-friendly. On the other hand, for a beginner, the amount of definitions for one word may be overwhelming and confusing, so I don’t recommend it for a beginner.      

            Format:  Can you easily read the font?  Is it user-friendly, i.e. does the format (bold type, color-codes) allow your eye to easily separate word entries and expressions using the word?  Does it give examples?           

            Practicality:  Since Spanish varies from region to region, a good dictionary will include regional words, phrases and colloquialisms. I always look to see if it has a couple of words I know are regional (for example chompa for jacket). If it doesn’t, I think twice about buying it. You may also want a dictionary that gives examples of how to use a word.