‘Language Minis’ Spanish i-learning course

Learn Spanish ‘on the go’ with this downloadable self-study course, suitable for use with any MP3 player.

This downloadable audio-based course is designed to help you increase your active understanding of the language and equip you with the practical skills and confidence to use it in everyday situations.

It consists of seven levels, taking you from complete beginner through to conversational level. Each level can also be used individually as targeted practice.

Every level consists of 10 lessons, which contain four elements each: a main lesson audio, PDF workbook with exercises, a conversation track and a review track.

We recommend you listen to the main lesson audio first and then complete the workbook PDF. Use the conversation track for targeted listening practice and the review track to test yourself.

Depending on how much time you can dedicate, each level will give you 15-30 hours of practice material, to work through at your own pace.

You get access to 3 levels of the Language Minis i-learning course as part of a Spanish evening course with Cactus (10 and 5 weeks):

Spanish Course Levels Language Minis you can access
Beginner (1, 2 & 3) Beginners
Beginners Plus
Elementary
Elementary (1, 2 & 3)

Beginners Plus
Elementary
Lower Intermediate

Intermediate (1, 2 & 3)Lower Intermediate
Intermediate
Upper Intermediate
Upper Intermediate, Advanced & Proficient Intermediate
Upper Intermediate
Advanced

Please note that the Language Minis downloadable Spanish course is meant as a supplement to your course. It does not match your lesson content, but gives you more practice material to use outside of class. You will be sent your login details once your course has started.

What Will I Learn?

Beginners»

I have no knowledge or understanding of the language, other than perhaps a few key words and expressions. I have no real idea about the grammar, and have a very limited vocabulary.

  • Lesson 1 – ¿Te conozco? ¿cómo te llamas? - greeting someone, introducing yourself, spelling out words and saying goodbye.
  • Lesson 2 – ¿De dónde eres exactamente? - talking about nationality, languages, and how to ask for someone to spell out tricky words.
  • Lesson 3 – Cuéntame un poco de tu vida - work and study; asking for and giving telephone numbers.
  • Lesson 4 – No me trates de usted, trátame de tú - meeting new people and introducing them.
  • Lesson 5 – Tantos tíos y primos, todos juntos - describing your family.
  • Lesson 6 – Por el mismo dinero que la otra, ¡me llevo dos! - shopping; money and prices.
  • Lesson 7 – ¿Civilización? Vamos… ¿para qué quieres todo eso? - aspects of living in the city or country; geographic information.
  • Lesson 8 – ¡Es el apartamento de mis sueños! - describing a house or flat and the different rooms.
  • Lesson 9 – ¿Podría decirnos cómo llegar? - getting directions; telling the time.
  • Lesson 10 – No entiendo cómo podéis mirar fútbol todo el tiempo - expressing personal tastes.
Beginners Plus»

I have some knowledge of the language, which I would like to consolidate and extend. I can introduce myself and can describe the immediate world around me. I have come across different grammatical structures, but am not confident of using them. I have a limited ability to communicate and find it difficult to understand the spoken language.

  • Lesson 1 – Todos los días son iguales - everyday actions and daily routines.
  • Lesson 2 – ¡Gracias a Dios es viernes! - habits and weekend activities; frequency.
  • Lesson 3 – Me encuentro fatal - how you feel; making offers.
  • Lesson 4 – Os recogemos a las 9 con 15 - talking on the phone; events and special occasions.
  • Lesson 5 – Creo que nos hizo bien salir - things that have happened in the past.
  • Lesson 6 – No tengo tiempo para ninguna otra cosa - work, school, and means of transportation.
  • Lesson 7 – Pero tienes que tomar las decisiones responsablemente - discussing the future.
  • Lesson 8 – La especialidad de la casa - in a restaurant; ordering food.
  • Lesson 9 – Perdona por levantarme de la mesa de ese modo - making excuses and giving advice.
  • Lesson 10 – No estoy de acuerdo contigo - personal experiences and expressing your opinions, expressing agreement and disagreement.
Elementary»

I can produce simple sentences and can formulate and respond to simple questions. I have a basic knowledge of grammatical structures, including different tenses and word order, and have enough vocabulary to ‘survive’ in predictable situations.

  • Lesson 1 – Esa falda es tan vieja como mi abuela - clothes and clothes shopping.
  • Lesson 2 – Toma, todos estos regalos son para ti - Happy Birthday! - talking about gifts, and thanking people.
  • Lesson 3 – ¿Cómo te fue en el viaje? - talking about the past and relating events from a trip; cultural stereotypes.
  • Lesson 4 – Todavía no hemos encontrado el camino correcto... - describing someone’s life; relating an anecdote.
  • Lesson 5 – ¿Me dejas ayudar con tu bibioteca? - asking for and giving permission; asking for a favour and responding affirmatively or negatively.
  • Lesson 6 – Cuando veas que llueve a cántaros - expressing preferences, making comparisons, asking for and giving information about means of transportation, and talking about the weather.
  • Lesson 7 – Un fin de semana divertidísimo - talking about the past and express what we did last weekend as well as appraising past activities and events.
  • Lesson 8 – Nos levantábamos muy temprano, cuando salía el sol - describing people and places; talking about habitual actions in the past.
  • Lesson 9 – ¿Un regalo especial? - describing different objects and talking about what they’re used for; talking about gifts.
  • Lesson 10 – Si se rompe un espejo, tendrás 7 años de mala suerte - making predictions and hypotheses about the future; talking about conditions and consequences.
Lower Intermediate»

I can understand and use simple structures fairly consistently, and can ask and respond to a wide range of simple questions. I have a reasonable idea of how the tense system works, and have an active vocabulary of around 700 words. I can express myself in familiar contexts, although I still make a quite a lot of mistakes.

  • Lesson 1 – Hace poco tiempo que me mudé aquí – long term past; meeting new people.
  • Lesson 2 – Generalmente íbamos a un café – the past; discussing your background with new friends.
  • Lesson 3 – Hablabas tan gracioso que no pude resistirme – your personal past; describing events of the past year.
  • Lesson 4 – Nunca hemos hecho un viaje así – talking about past trips and vacations; planning the next trip.
  • Lesson 5 – Se mojaron algunos apuntes que ni siquiera habíamos leído – looking back through your past; describing events that happened before other events.
  • Lesson 6 – ¡Cuánto deberé trabajar para terminarlo! – school and school work; expressing emotions.
  • Lesson 7 – Me enfado cuando los hombres hablan así de una mujer – describing someone’s character; talking about hopes and dreams.
  • Lesson 8 – Espero que sigas siendo nuestro amigo – differentiating between real and hypothetical situations; persuasion.
  • Lesson 9 – Ojalá que todo vaya bien en este nuevo puesto – future plans, hopes and doubts about future actions.
  • Lesson 10 – En cuanto sepa la hora te llamaré – talking about plans; sequencing events.
Intermediate»

I have a good understanding of simple structures, but lack accuracy and do not feel at ease with them just yet. I need to consolidate what I know and I am also ready to learn new and more complex forms. I can express myself in most common situations and hold conversations on a range of topics.

  • Lesson 1 – Yo que tú comería menos cuando salgo a cenar fuera – describing problems, asking for and giving advice.
  • Lesson 2 – Me ha dicho que tiene un problema - passing on information, questions and requests.
  • Lesson 3 – Pregúntale cuándo piensa regresar - communicating through a third person.
  • Lesson 4 – No pienso que sea maravilloso – expressing opinions and arguments, agreeing and disagreeing with others.
  • Lesson 5 – Estás en contra de la forma de vida en la ciudad, ¿verdad? – expressing methods of doing something, and describing outcomes; arguing a point.
  • Lesson 6 – ¿No sabes la historia del reloj? – telling an anecdote about the past; talking about frequency and duration.
  • Lesson 7 – ¡Ahhhh… era un chiste! – telling a joke; talking about the immediate future; describing different circumstances.
  • Lesson 8 – Te dejo elegir a ti – organising a date; describing a film.
  • Lesson 9 – Es muy gracioso que allí sea todo lo contrario – describing and giving opinions about customs and behaviour; haggling in a market.
  • Lesson 10 – Me encanta que seáis tan espontáneos para todo – social norms; expressing likes and dislikes, surprise and incredulity.
Upper Intermediate»

I have a good grasp of all the essential structures and can use them with a reasonable degree of accuracy. Although I have some language gaps and make some errors, I can communicate effectively and appropriately in most situations, including on unfamiliar topics. I am ready to learn more complex forms and more advanced vocabulary.

  • Lesson 1 – Yo te recomiendo que recorras agencias inmobiliarias – asking for and giving advice; reacting to advice.
  • Lesson 2 – ¡Vaya sueño el vuestro! – formulating theories about the future; different degrees of probability; giving compliments.
  • Lesson 3 – A mí me parece una vergüenza – expressing opinions; agreeing and disagreeing; evaluating situations.
  • Lesson 4 – Sí que sois aguafiestas… - expressing conditional situations; describing character.
  • Lesson 5 – Cuanto más lo pienso, menos puedo creer lo que sucedió – describing different moods; hypothesising about the past and giving theories for what happened.
  • Lesson 6 – ¡Qué pena que las cosas hayan resultado de este modo! – expressing sorrow or hurt; justifying situations and actions.
  • Lesson 7 – ¡Qué extraño que nunca lo notaras! – expressing surprise and concern about events; trying to explain the past.
  • Lesson 8 – ¿Por qué no comienzas por hacer algunas cosas por ti mismo? – identifying possibilities and giving recommendations how to overcome obstacles.
  • Lesson 9 – Me preocupa que nadie esté tomando medidas sobre este asunto – talking about and resolving our problems.
  • Lesson 10 – A mi parecer, es importante que todos estemos informados – making a formal argument; organising and expressing ideas; formulating conclusions.
Advanced»

I have a good understanding and knowledge of a wide range of language structures and functions, although I may continue to make minor errors syntactically. I have considerable passive knowledge, but need to expand my active usage. I am ready to learn different ways of expressing ideas, work on the subtle nuances of the language, and expand the range of what I can say and write.

  • Lesson 1 – ¡Con Radio Plus 99.7 se gana más! – listening to a radio announcement; giving information and a deadline.
  • Lesson 2 – De la noticias por televisión, hay muchas que están de relleno – establishing relations; passing on information given by others: requests, advice, suggestions, orders.
  • Lesson 3 – Yo amo a mi abuela, ¡pero te juro que a veces me desespera! – describing the character of a person in detail; expressing needs and tastes.
  • Lesson 4 – No tengo la mínima idea de por qué esté ocurriéndome esto - describing physical state and state of mind, expressing feelings and changing your mind; talking about the consequences of an action.
  • Lesson 5 – Parece que lo único que funciona es el sistema, porque mi portátil no – expressing requirements and unlikely or imposible wishes; complaining and making a claim.
  • Lesson 6 – ¡Es una falta total de seriedad! – Building an argument or complaint; explaining your motives; asking for action; reacting.
  • Lesson 7 – Si lo hubiera hecho, ahora sería feliz – expressing unreal situations in the past and their consequences; historical accounts.
  • Lesson 8 – Debería haber planificado mejor las cosas – talking about decisions taken in the past and their results; expressing regret; giving a personal history.
  • Lesson 9 – Primer repaso – first review of the higher levels.
  • Lesson 10 – Segundo repaso – second review of the higher levels.