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Beginners Spanish 1: ¡Empezamos!

Have you always loved the sound of Spanish but never been able to grasp what’s being said? Perhaps you’ve holidayed frequently in Spain and felt frustrated that you couldn’t start or join in a conversation? Or maybe there’s a chance you could work in Spain or another Spanish-speaking country? There are many reasons for learning Spanish, but it can be difficult to know where to start. This 16-unit course offers you an excellent start to your learning journey. Starting with simple greetings and saying your name, you’ll progress unit by unit towards being able to hold longer conversations and to understand more language in different situations.

After successfully completing this short course, you will receive a digital badge. This can be shared on social media, added to email signatures or act as a certificate.

Standalone study only

You will not be awarded credits for studying this course. It is available for standalone study only and cannot be counted towards an OU qualification.

Short course

Short course code

LGXS001

Credits

This is a non-credit bearing course.

Study method

Short course cost

Entry requirements

What you will study

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:

  • say your nationality
  • give your age
  • explain where you come from and where you live
  • talk about jobs and occupations
  • ask for and give information about other people
  • use numbers up to 100 and above
  • talk about family members
  • say what people look like and describe their personality
  • talk about clothes
  • talk about houses
  • book accommodation.

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.

You will learn

After completing this course, you should be able to:

  • communicate with speakers of Spanish in a limited range of predictable and simple contexts relating to everyday situations
  • understand and use simple Spanish grammatical structures (for example, questions and statements), and common, terms for everyday objects and events
  • recognise and use basic Spanish phrases in formal and informal styles of communication and use polite forms of address and greetings
  • show basic intercultural communicative competence, including an awareness of Spanish-speaking cultures and societies.

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).

Learner support

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.

If you have a disability

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.

Regulations

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.


Entry requirements

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.

Course length

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.

Register

Start End England fee Register
At anytime before registration end date Jun 2025 - see Entry requirements for more detail £195.00

Registration closes 31/12/2024

Register

Ways to pay

Credit/Debit Card – We accept American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Visa Electron.

Sponsorship – 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 2023/24 academic year. Fees normally increase annually. For further information about the University's fee policy, visit our Fee Rules.

Can you study an Access module for free?

In order to qualify, you must:

  1. be resident in England
  2. have a personal income of less than £25,000 (or receive qualifying benefits)
  3. have not completed one year or more on any full-time undergraduate programme at FHEQ level 4 or above, or completed 30 credits or more of OU study

How to apply to study an Access module for free

Once you've started the registration process, either online or over the phone, we'll contact you about your payment options. This will include instructions on how you can apply to study for free if you are eligible.

If you're unsure if you meet the criteria to study for free, you can check with one of our friendly advisers on +44 (0)300 303 0069 or you can request a call back.

Not eligible to study for free?

Don't worry! We offer a choice of flexible ways to help spread the cost of your Access module. The most popular options include:

  • monthly payments through OUSBA
  • part-time tuition fee loan (you'll need to be registered on a qualification for this option)

To explore all the options available to you, visit Fees and Funding.

What's included

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:

  • a unit-by-unit study planner
  • course-specific materials and activities
  • audio content
  • discussion forums
  • support from language-specialist learning advisers.

Computing requirements

You'll need broadband internet access and a desktop or laptop computer with an up-to-date version of Windows (10 or 11), or macOS Ventura or higher.

Functionality may be limited on mobile devices. For example, voice recorder activities, which are common in language short courses, may not work on iOS/Apple devices.

Our module websites comply with web standards and any modern browser is suitable for most activities.

Our OU Study mobile App will operate on all current, supported versions of Android and iOS. It's not available on Kindle.

It's also possible to access some module materials on a mobile phone, tablet device or Chromebook. However, as you may be asked to install additional software or use certain applications, you'll also require a desktop or laptop as described above.