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Accessibility statement
An image to illustrate Beginners Spanish 1: ¡Empezamos! short course
If you love the sound of Spanish but have struggled to understand or speak it, Beginners Spanish 1 is the perfect place to start. Whether you’ve visited Spain, hope to work in a Spanish-speaking country or are simply curious, this 16-unit course offers a structured introduction. Beginning with basic greetings and saying your name, you’ll gradually build the skills to hold longer conversations and understand Spanish in everyday situations. Designed for beginners, the course supports your learning step by step. On completion, you will receive a digital badge to share on social media, in email signatures or as a certificate.
Whether you want to visit, work or live in a Spanish-speaking environment, you will get more out of the experience if you can communicate effectively with people. In this short course you will begin to develop your reading and listening skills in Spanish and learn to speak and write the language to communicate in everyday situations. You'll learn basic structures of Spanish along with key vocabulary to meet and greet people and to talk about yourself and others. This course will also increase your awareness of the cultural diversity of Spanish-speaking countries.
In Beginners Spanish 1: ¡Empezamos!​, you will learn how to:
Learning a language is also learning about culture, so you will discover how to interact when meeting and greeting people in formal and informal situations in Spanish-speaking countries. You will learn about the cultural context of Spanish names, and you will explore the unique features of houses and cities in Spain and Latin America.
Throughout the course, you will improve your ability to understand spoken and written Spanish and to communicate your own information and ideas. You will acquire a knowledge of the basic structures of Spanish along with key vocabulary. Each unit comprises 3–4 hours of interactive activities, exercises, explanations, and tips about language-learning. It’s a good idea to keep notes either in a notebook or on your preferred digital device. There are regular revision units and at the end of each unit, there is a quiz for you to practise what you’ve been learning.
We look forward to seeing you soon. ¡Hasta pronto!
Please note that although this course is non-accredited, it can be used towards the module Making your learning count (YXM130) to gain OU credits.
After completing this course, you should be able to:
The course is designed to help you achieve a level of language proficiency equivalent to level A1 of the Council of Europe Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR).
The course is taught entirely online, with the aid of a learning adviser to offer support where needed. You will have access to online forums that you are strongly encouraged to participate in, as they are an excellent source of support and information. These forums combine peer support with input from the language specialist learning adviser(s). Other support is available via the StudentHome website and Computing Helpdesk.
The course is made up of 16 units, with each unit expected to take about 3–4 hours to study. In total, you’ll need around 64 hours to complete the course.
You can begin at any time during the life of the course and study at your own pace. The course will be open to you for a time period of between 6 and 18 months depending on your course registration date and you will be advised of the specific time limitations upon enrolment.
All learning materials are delivered entirely online and there is no formal tuition for this course.
Your study is self-directed and you’ll have access to a course website, which includes:
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations, which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
There are no entry requirements for this course. It’s suitable if you are completely new to Spanish and to language-learning, and it does not assume any prior knowledge.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact us.
The course is delivered online and makes use of a variety of online resources. If you use specialist hardware or software to assist you in using a computer or the internet you are advised to contact us about support which can be given to meet your needs.
The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying LGXS001 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.
StartEngland fee
At anytime before 31/07/2026£195
We accept American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Visa Electron.
If this course is geared towards your job or developing your career, you could ask your employer to sponsor you by paying some or all of the fees. Your sponsor just needs to complete a simple form to confirm how much they will be paying and we will invoice them.
The fee information provided here is valid for short courses starting in the 2026/27 academic year. Fees typically increase annually. For further information about the University's fee policy, visit our Fee Rules.
You can start this course anytime.
You can start this course anytime.
Level info