Cactus Language Blog
We look at learning another language around the world
Cactus is one of the world's leading language training companies, providing courses in over 25 languages, in 45 countries and 150 destinations worldwide. It specialises in all forms of trainer-based language training for enterprises and individuals, from evening courses and language learning holidays, to tailor-made packages and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). Cactus also uses blended learning approaches, included self-study and online & distance learning under the banner "learn a language your way". Read more about Cactus
Christmas with Radishes, Anyone?
Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, Learning a language, Spanish
Advent markets, yule logs, mistletoe, gluhwein…and radishes? Christmas celebrations around the world are as varied and wonderful as the people and cultures who hold them, but there can be few traditions as exotic or unlikely as Mexico’s Noche de Rábanos, or Night of the Radishes.
Tags:christmas, December, Mexico, Night of the Radishes, Noche de Rabanos, Oaxaca
10 Spanish Words That Defy The Gender Rule
Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, Learning a language, Spanish
Don’t get caught out by these common ‘trip-up’ words…
In Spanish, as in other Romance languages, words are classified as either masculine or feminine. And it’s usually the case that a masculine word will end in ‘-o‘ while a feminine word will end in ‘-a‘. But, as is always the case when learning a language, there [...]
Tags:gender rules, Spanish
Cactus Opinion: Dreaming of Italian in Rome
Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, Italian, Learning a language
Alex Wolfson, Cactus Language Holiday Advisor, tells us why he’d like to visit Rome…
Bryan Adams was at Number 1 with his song from Robin Hood and the Soviet Union had just collapsed when I visited Italy for the only time in my life so far, and I cannot help but feel that I visited Rome [...]
Top 5 City Breaks this Autumn
Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, English, French, Italian, Learning a language, Spanish
Put some brightness in your diary this autumn…
August has just been pronounced the worst on record, we’re almost in autumn without even seeing a summer, and the evenings are starting to draw in. Anyone living in the UK has ample reason to be jumping on a plane right now - and it seems that, despite [...]
Tags:barcelona, Berlin, Cava week, city break, English, French, Italian, New York, Nice, Rome, Spanish, Thanksgiving
10 Good Reasons to TEFL
Posted by Sarah under Cactus TEFL, English, Learning a language
Laura Harrison, Cactus TEFL Advisor, gives us the expert opinion…
1. Travel
TEFL gives you a perfect way to see the world and fund your travel. Some people start teaching in one place, fall in love with it, and stay for a long time. Others however prefer to change location every year, and by so doing literally [...]
Tags:Cactus TEFL, EFL, English Language Awareness, teaching English, tefl, TEFL course, TESOL
Learn French & Eat Chocolate…Can It Be True?
Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, French, Learning a language
Anyone who’s been putting off that French course now has the perfect reason to book un petit séjour in Paris this autumn. No need to tell your friends back home the minor detail that it may coincide with Salon du Chocolat, 5 days of pure chocolate heaven - no, they can just be impressed with [...]
Tags:French, French courses, November, October, Paris, Salon du Chocolat
Get Ready for Oktoberfest in Munich!
Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, German, Learning a language
Ther perfect excuse to learn German and drink beer…
It may come as a surprise that the world’s biggest beer festival, Munich’s Oktoberfest, was born out of celebration for a royal wedding back in the early 19th century. Yet it was the drinking and partying that drew most attention at the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig [...]
Tags:German course Munich, German courses Germany, Munich, October, Oktoberfest, September
Day of the Dead in Mexico: A Time to Celebrate
Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, Learning a language, Spanish
A unique and heart-warming tradition to look forward to in November
The Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, is not the morbid event it may at first appear: to the contrary, it is an uplifting fiesta, celebrated mainly in Mexico, to remember and pay tribute to friends and relatives who have died. It [...]
Tags:Day of the Dead, Dia de los Muertos, Mexico, Morelia, November, Oaxaca, Spanish courses Mexico
Language Holidays for the Over 50s
Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, English, French, German, Italian, Learning a language, Spanish
Why learn a language later in life?
With an increasingly ‘older’ population, and people living for longer, it is not surprising that the over 50s and retirees are now enjoying, and demanding more, of their free time. Many now have the time, money and freedom to indulge in existing passions and explore new interests, whether at [...]
Tags:language learning over 50s, Learning a language, learning later in life, young at heart
10 French False Friends to Watch Out For!
Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, French, Learning a language
A few French words that aren’t all they seem…
Learning a language is as much about stringing together a perfect sentence as it is about being able to laugh and pick yourself up when you make a mistake. False friends, or faux amis, are one such route to finding yourself in the latter situation - but [...]
Tags:false friends, French
Recent Posts
- Christmas with Radishes, Anyone?
- 10 Spanish Words That Defy The Gender Rule
- Cactus Opinion: Learning Spanish in Cuba
- Cactus Celebrates Olympic Success
- Cactus Opinion: Dreaming of Italian in Rome
Categories
- Cactus Languages Abroad
- Cactus School Groups Abroad
- Cactus Staff Opinion
- Cactus Tailormade
- Cactus TEFL
- English
- French
- German
- In the Press
- Italian
- Language Courses New York
- Language Courses UK
- Learning a language
- News
- Press Release
- Spanish
Tags
Argentina barcelona BBC Berlin brighton Brighton Festival Brighton Festival Fringe Cactus Language Training Cactus TEFL chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba EFL English evening class evening language course flamenco French German Italian italy language language course Language Courses New York language holidays language learning Languages Latin America london Mexico New York Olympics peru Rich Ambler Richard Bradford salsa Seville spain Spanish surfing Suzanne Furstner Scholarship tefl the guardian VietnamArchives
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- September 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
Recent Comments
- manuela on Language Travel Magazine, February 2008
- Cactus Language Blog » Blog Archive » English Language Guide: Ways to learn English on How to Make Language Part of Your Everyday Life
- Cactus Language Blog » Blog Archive » German Language Guide (3): Ways to Learn German on How to Make Language Part of Your Everyday Life
- Cactus Language Blog » Blog Archive » 10 Spanish Words That Defy The Gender Rule on How to Make Language Part of Your Everyday Life
- Cactus Language Blog » Blog Archive » 10 Spanish Words That Defy The Gender Rule on Beware these 15 ‘false friends’ in Spanish!
Blogroll
- Brave New Traveler
- Foster Students Exploring the World
- Gadling
- Higher Education Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies
- Indie Travel Podcast
- intelligent travel
- Italy Mag
- Learn to Speak Spanish Blog
- Learning Spanish Blog
- perceptive travel
- perceptive travel blog
- Spain Magazine
- Spanish Teaching
- The Expeditioner
- The Guardian - Language courses
- The Guardian TEFL
- the tranquilo traveler
- The Travelers Notebook
- Travel review blog
- Travelmag
- Viator Travel Blog
- wide world cafe
Cactus Sites
Cactus Websites
Here is a selection of our language learning websites
The Cactus Language Blog is powered by Wordpress.
