Recommended website: CLAVE Spanish Dictionary

The online Spanish dictionary at Real Academia Española is a great internet source for the exact definitions of Spanish terms. Today, one my teachers at Centro Compultense para la Enseñanza del Español showed us another useful website to use to look up Spanish terms. It is called Dicionario CLAVE, and it has different usage of the vocabulary as well as concise examples. I have been using both RAE and CLAVE when I study Spanish, because while RAE has extensive data, CLAVE is more useful when the word has different meanings in different context. CLAVE usually has its definitions starting from "referido a..." (referring to), indicating the definition of the word clearly.

Dicionario CLAVE

http://clave.librosvivos.net/

Best Spanish dictionary (monolingual)

What is the best Spanish dictionary sources online?

It is the www.RAE.es! RAE stands for Real Academia Española and almost all the teachers who teach Spanish agree that this dictionary is the best. It is the best because Real Academia Española is the academic institution based in Madrid that "regulates" Spanish language. The institution publishes many of the major dictionaries, and it has extensive database about Spanish terms and its usage. Especially for students who are in intermediate and advanced levels, this online resource is recommended because it offers complete sets of definitions in Spanish and as monolingual dictionary helps you learn better.

Link: http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/

Recommended website:

In Spanish classes, modismos (idiomatic expression) are often taught. There is a website dedicated to Spanish learners who wish to amplify their modismos in Spanish. As the website name suggests, there are many Erasmus (studying abroad program in Europe) students in Spain and this website will help not only them but a lot students who are learning Spanish as a second language a lot in learning new expressions. In daily conversation, modismos appear more often than you think, and you lose a little bit of meaning of the text or the conversation when it is hard to understand the modismos. 

The link to the website: Expresiones españolas para Erasmus.

erasmusv.wordpress.com/

Curso de primavera has started!

The spring semester has started at Centro Compultense para la Enseñanza del Español! This semester, the class levels are set up according to the DELE levels just like the winter semester (click here for the levels in the winter semester).

Curso de primavera

Basic Spanish
A1
A2

Intermediate Spanish
B1.A
B1.B
B1.C
B2.A
B2.B
B2.C

Advanced Spanish
C1
C2.A
C2.B

Most of the teachers have not changed from last semester.

Monday and Tuesday schedule from 3pm to 7pm:

As you can see from the schedule, the second class in the afternoon from 5pm-7pm will work out better this semester supposedly because not too many levels are combined together in one class. Last semester, it caused a problem because some of the second classes had students from different levels (for example, from B1 to C2) and as the difference in the Spanish level was significant, the class organization of the teachers (it was hard to organize the class content so it would be suitable for all levels) was not the best last semester, in my opinion. Hopefully, with this new schedule of spring semester, both the teachers and students will not confront a situation that causes issues.


Wednesday to Friday Schedule from 3pm-7pm.

StudySpanish.com

A recommended website when studying Spanish!

Studyspanish.com at http://www.studyspanish.com/tutorial.htm.

It has clear explanations on grammar topics that I find helpful. At Centro Compultense para la Enseñanza del Español, the classes are taught all in Spanish from basic to advanced levels. So if there is doubt on certain grammar topics for any reason, this website is handy as it explains important grammar structures in English.

Links from the website:

Difference between "por" and "para"
-http://www.studyspanish.com/lessons/porpara.htm

Difference between "ser" and "estar"
Part I: http://www.studyspanish.com/lessons/serest1.htm
Part II: http://www.studyspanish.com/lessons/serest2.htm
Part III: http://www.studyspanish.com/lessons/serest3.htm
Part IV: http://www.studyspanish.com/lessons/serest4.htm

Usage of subjunctive
Part I: http://www.studyspanish.com/lessons/subj1.htm 
Part II: http://www.studyspanish.com/lessons/subj2.htm
Part III: http://www.studyspanish.com/lessons/subj3.htm
Part IV: http://www.studyspanish.com/lessons/subj4.htm
Part V: http://www.studyspanish.com/lessons/subj5.htm
Part VI: http://www.studyspanish.com/lessons/subj6.htm
Part VII: http://www.studyspanish.com/lessons/subj7.htm

Tarjeta de Estudiante 6: Myths

Questions I had about Tarjeta de Estudiante:

Q. Is it possible to get a cita previa in a month since the arrival in Spain although you are supposed to? 


I was told by the Spanish embassy in my country that within a month I needed to get a cita previa, but it resulted that I could not have it within a month. I entered Spain in September, and my cita was in December but I had no problem. I asked my classmates who are not Spanish how they applied for Tarjeta de Estudiante, and they said that their cita previa was was way after one month as well. Some say that as long as you are applying for the cita (in the process of applying for it), or have the cita date ready (whenever it is in the future) and can prove it by a cita previa reservation (printed), you won't have any problems. I don't have a clear answer here.


Q. Is there a website that explains about Tarjeta de Estudiante and NIE?


The government website has all the information but in Spanish, so it was my first obstacle. The Spanish government changes the system regarding the Extranjeria quite frequently (for example, phone reservation for cita previa was stopped in October of last year, they opened a new Extranjeria office this year), and it is also true that depending on the personnel you ask, you get a different answer...BE PATIENT!!! 

Foreign residents or expats who have blogs may write articles in Englishabout their experience getting Tarjeta de Estudiante or the NIE so that may be helpful. (For example, http://www.spainexpat.com/. Keep in mind some information might be old and not updated). Casa de Estudiante is very helpful in getting the Tarjeta de Estudiante if you are a student at Compultense.

 
Note: In addition to Casa de Estudiante, for Erasmus students who study at Compultense, there is another office located in the building on the Avenida de Compultense right in front of the Botannical garden that help you solve problems related to your studying abroad program.

Tarjeta de Estudiante 5: Cita Previa en la Extranjería in Aluche

Cita previa for the Tarjeta de Estudiante:

Go to Brigada de Extranjería y Documentación de Madrid (Metro Linea 5, Aluche)

Address: la Avenida de losPoblados s/n (=sin numero), 28024, Madrid.
Click here for a map.

When you arrive to Aluche station, find the Avenida de los Poblados.There will be Carrefour, Plaza de Aluche, and a gasoline station on the Avenida de los Poblados. Facing the gasoline station, turn left and walk up the Avenida de los Poblados.








Walk up the street (it is a small slope) towards the big yellow building for about 5 minutes. The building will be on your left. You will pass a bus stop.

After the bus stop, you turn left and walk 1 minute more and you will find the entrance of the Extranjeria in Aluche. Enter through the security system and wait in line for the appointment. 

Tarjeta de Estudiante 4: Volante de Empadronamiento

At the cita previa for the Tarjeta de Estudiante at the Extranjería, volante de empadronamiento must be submitted along with other required documents.

Volante de Empadronomiento:

Empadronamiento verifies your stay in Spain as it registers your residence with the community's padrón. In order to get volante de Empadrononamiento, you need to make an appointment which you can do so in several ways, but probably the fastest is to do so on the phone. Call 010 from a local land phone in Madrid, and Ayuntamiento de Madrid will help you connect with a person who can make an appointment for the Volante de Empadronamiento. You will be asked where you live, and the person on the phone will provide you the closest office where you can apply for the empadronamiento. It seems that while the offices in the center of Madrid are crowded and it takes a while to have the appointment (at first I was told a month and this was in December), the outskirts of Madrid will have available appointments relatively quickly (a day later).

At this website (http://madrid.angloinfo.com/countries/spain/empadronamiento.asp), information about empadronamiento is explained thoroughly, so take a look!


What you need to bring for Volante de Empadronamiento

• Application form (on the day of the appointment, a representative will fill this out)
• Your identification and its photocopy (eg. passport)
• Proof of address (water, gas, electricity bill, or a contract of your piso)
  

In case where the contract of the piso or the water, gas, electricity bill is not under your name, you need to go to the appointment with the person who has the contract or the usage bill or to have their photocopy of DNI and their authorization signature. I went to the office earlier than the day of the appointment to get an application form, and I had my roommate sign on the application (there is a part on the application form where an authorization sign may be written) and brought it to the actual appointment date. Volante de Empadronamiento can be made on the day of the appointment.

Tarjeta de Estudiante 3: Required documents

After getting the Cita Previa date from the Casa de Estudiante, there are more preparation that is necessary in addition to what has been submitted to Casa de Estudiante.

At the time of the notification of the cita previa date, Casa de Estudiante will provide you an official letter from the Spanish government that has your NIE number (NIE number is already given before the cita previa), validation of the visa (usually right after the academic course ends), and the type of the visa you applied and your passport information etc. This document is one of the necessary documents for the cita previa for the Tarjeta de Estudiante. Casa de Estudiante has already booked a cita previa date for you, so it is recommended to go to the Extranjeria in Aluche on this date obviously but for any reason if it is not possible, the letter says that within a month of this notification letter, you should go to the Extranjeria in Aluche.

Things you need to bring to the Cita Previa for Tarjeta de Estudiante:

The official letter that has been given by the Casa de Estudiante and its copy
Original passport and its copy
3 pictures (size of the identification,"tamaño carné")
Original Empadronamiento certificate (volante de empadronamiento) and its copy
Receipt of the fee for applying for the Tarjeta de Estudiante (modelo790-codigo 012)

Tarjeta de Estudiante 2: Casa de Estudiante at Compultense University

Casa de Estudiante at Compultense University:

When you go to Casa de Estudiante for the first time regarding the Cita Previa for the Tarjeta de Estudiante, you will receive a piece of paper with a list of documents you need to prepare in order to apply for Tarjeta de Estudiante (NIE). The documents needed are available on the Casa de Estudiante website (http://casaestudiante.ucm.es/tramitacion-nie). 

Here you need to download two types of documents. One is Impreso de Solicitud ex-00, which you have to fill in the information on the computer and have it printed. The other is Formulario de autorizacion in which you sign so that Casa de Estudiante will be in charge of the cita previa process.

In addition to the 2 documents above, the following documents must be submitted:

Your passport and its photo copy

Your student visa and its copy

A document that certifies that you are registered and that you have paid the course fee to the university (The document that Secretaría sends you after paying the course fee)

As long as the documents are all set, the Casa de Estudiante will submit them to the Spanish government and they will notify you when they know the cita previa appointment date. 

In my case, I submitted the documents on Oct. 25th, and I was told that my appointment will probably in December. They told me to wait approximately for a month until they notify me the cita previa appointment date by email. It was Dec. 20th when I received their email, and my cita previa was on Dec. 27th. In total, it took 2 months for me in the end just to give you some approximation.

Tarjeta de Estudiante 1 (for Compultense students in Madrid)

Tarjeta de estudiante:

Once you obtain a student visa at the Spanish embassy in your own country, you should apply for Tarjeta de Estudiante or NIE (Número de Identificación de Extranjeros). Within a month after you arrive to Spain, foreign students must apply for this NIE card. It is an identification card for foreign residents in Spain and it is just like DNI (Documento Nacional de Identidad) that Spanish residents own. If you have this, there is no need to carry your passport with you, because NIE will be your new identification. It is also necessary when you want to open a bank account (although I was able to open my bank account with my passport), and for official documents like tax records, establishing business etc.

Applying for Tarjeta de Estudiante (NIE):

Casa de Estudiante (http://casaestudiante.ucm.es/)  is the place where students go to regarding their visa status. It is located in front of the metro station Ciudad Universitaria, across from the metro exit. It is inside the Vicerrectorado (Vice Chancellor) building  of the Compultense University. On the Casa de Estudiante website, there is an explanation of the application of Tarjeta de Estudiante (http://casaestudiante.ucm.es/tramitacion-nie).

*Secretaría of the Centro Compultense para la Enseñanza del Español does not help you with your legal documents.

C

After entering Spain, students with a student visa need to make an appointment (cita previa ) at the Extranjería in order to apply for the Tarjeta de Estudiante. Applying for a cita previa, while in other cities in Madrid it is not hard to get, in Madrid it is pretty chaotic. 

My experience:

I called to make a reservation for cita previa in October 2011, and I was given the cita previa for September 2012!! (A little bit less than a YEAR wait to get a foreign identification card). I was enrolled in the annual program at Centro Compultense para la Enseñanza del Español, so I explained on the phone that it will not not make sense to have cita previa in September of 2012 when all my classes will be over by June of 2012, but it was not possible to argue. They simply told me that the next available cita previa will be in 2012. 

So in order to avoid this problem of long queue for a cita previa, at Casa de Estudiante in Compultense University, they try to make a group appointment for foreign students who study at Compultense. I was able to get a cita previa in December of 2011. Below I made a timeline of the application of my tarjeta de estudiante.

Timeline:

Sep.28       Arriving in Madrid

Oct. 3        Fall semester starts

Oct. 6        Obtained the phone number for cita previa for Tarjeta de estudiante and was told my appointment will be in September

Oct. 10      The cita previa system changed and removed the phone reservation system. Now all had to be done on the internet.

Oct. 11      On the cita previa appointmaking website, no appointments in Madrid were available. The situation continued.

Oct. 24       Found Casa de Estudiante and got information about necessary documents I need to prepare.

Oct. 25       Submitted all the documents that Casa de Estudiante asked for. I was told in a month they will write an email to me regarding the appointment date

Nov. 15      Casa de Estudiante submitted my documents to the Spanish government

Nov. 28      Went to Casa de Estudiante since it had been a month since I submitted my documents to them. No news about my appointment date

Dec. 16       End of the final exams of the fall semester. Received an email from Casa de Estudiante that the appointment process is delayed so that I needed to wait more.

Dec. 20      Received the appointment date for the cita previa

Dec. 27      Went to la Brigada de Extranjería y Documentación de Madrid (Aluche). I was told to wait 40 days to receive Tarjeta de Estudiante.

Feb. 21       Went to the Extranjería to get my Tarjeta de Estudiante.

Note: This is my personal experience at the time of the application of tarjeta de estudiante in the fall of 2011, so things might have changed by now.

First day of the term: Placement exam (Prueba)

While we are already mid-way through the semester already, I would like to write about the first day of the term when we had the placement exam.

First day of the class at Centro Compultense para la Enseñanza del Español:

On the first day of the class, there is a placement exam. Typically it starts with a welcome speech by the dean of the Centro Compultense para la Enseñanza del Español. For the Semestre de Invierno de 2011, the placement exam was help at 15:00 at the big auditorium located right in front of the principal entrance of the Facultad de Filología (Edificio A).  Afterwards, students will be guided to different classrooms to take a placement exam.

What is a placement exam like?

The placement exam consists of

1)    Written exam (60-90mins)

Grammar section: 
-multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, finding errors in a text

Writing section: 
-choice of 1 of the 2 topics given. 15-20 lines.

2)    Oral exam (5-10 mins)

As soon as you are done with the written exam, you go to a different classroom where an examiner is waiting. In my case, I had a general conversation with an examiner about what I did over the winter break, and difficulties I find when I study Spanish and what I would like to improve this semester.

The placement exam is done for all of the students, including the students who have been taking the classes in the previous semesters, and of course the new students. This means that for students who already studied a semester at Centro Compultense para la Enseñanza del Español and have completed a certain level of class in the previous semester also need to be present for the placement exam regardless of the class level they were placed previously. For example, a student has completed the Spanish classes in B1-3 last semester can be placed in any level depending on the result of the placement exam (either up the level or down the level). Therefore, it is important to show your best ability on the placement exam!

Registration

Once you decide to register for the Spanish classes at the Centro Compultense para la Enseñanza del Español, the application process is fairly easy.

1. On the website, go to there is an application form (formulario) that you can send electronically. Go to Curso de Español, and choose the program you wish to take. Then, click on "Reserva de Plaza" (http://www.ucm.es/info/cextran/nmatriCEE_11.htm)

The information necessary here is selection of the course (annual, trimestral, monthly etc) also available in English. The number of hours per week differs depending on how many classes you wish to take.

For example, for students who have the 360 hours per semester, it will be 12 hours per week and 4 hours on Monday and 2 hours per day from Tuesday to Friday.*In the case of winter semester of 2011-2012.

12 hours will be allocated to:
4 hours of Grammar and practice (Gramática y práctica)
4 hours of Comprehension and Written expression (Comprensión y expresión escrita)
4 hours of Comprehension of Oral expression (Comprensión y expresión oral)

If you have 14 hours,
2 hours of Vocabulary (Léxico) will be added on Tuesday.
If you have 16 hours,
2 hours of Composition (Composición) will be added on Wednesday.
If you have 18 hours,
2 hours of Grammar Practice (Prácticas de gramática) will be added on Thursday.
If you have 20 hours,
2 hours of Communication (Comunicación) will be added on Friday.

2. Pay the program fee in addition to the application fee (12 euros) to the bank account designated to the Secretaría of the Centro Compultense para la Enseñanza del Español (written on the application form page). Get the receipt of this payment.

BANCO SANTANDER CENTRAL HISPANO
Cuenta CCC: 0049 2196 07 2414410694 // IBAN: ES62 0049 2196 07 2414410694 //  
Código BIC: BSCHESMMXXX

3. Send the receipt to the Secretaría to certify that you have finished the application and the payment process, along with a copy of your passport (you can also send electronically to the email address of the Secretaría: ceextran@filol.ucm.es. Also send 6 photos of identification (tamaño carne, the size of the identification photos).

4. When the payment is confirmed by the Secretaría, they will send you a confirmation letter of the registration of the program to your address. When applying for a student visa, this official document is one of the required documents from the university.

5. Wait until the first day of the class and make sure you ask the Secretaría what time the placement test on the first day starts from. It seems that students are responsible for knowing the schedule, and the Secretaría will not be sending you any emails like "welcome information packet" for this program, which I thought is a completely different culture compared to American universities where they send you many information letters regarding your enrollment and make you feel that you have made a right decision to be part of the university!

Oso y Madroño (Puerta de Sol)

Escudo (coat of arms) of Madrid

Oso y Madroño

In Puerta de Sol, which is the very center of Madrid, you can find the statue of Oso y Madroño. Oso means "bear" in Spanish, and Madroño means "strawberry stree". Both used to be in abundance in Madrid and therefore they became the symbol of Madrid. The Madrid coat of arms also represents Oso y Madroño. When you go to Puerta de Sol, this is a must place for a picture!

La Secretaría del Centro Compultense para la Enseñanza del Español

La Secretaría is the administration office for students who take Spanish classes. It is located inside the Facultad de Folología Edificio A, on the left wing facing the main entrance of the building. There are usually 3-4 staff members who assist you. It is open from 9am-6pm. Here, they deal with class registration, course fee payments, and all the other issues related to taking class. Most of the staff members speak English, but some don't. Email correspondence may take a few days to get a reply, and calling the office in the morning (not around 10 to 11 o'clock when it is time for a morning snack!) may be the best option.


NOTE: Legal issues are not dealt here! For legal issues, you can go to Casa de Estudiante in Vicerectorado, located right in front of the Ciudad Universitaria metro station can help you with visa issues.

Secretaría del Centro Compultense 
para la Enseñanza del Español


Address: 
Facultad de Filología, Edificio A. 
Ciudad Universitaria
28040 Madrid


Phone number: (34) 913.945.325
Fax: (34) 913.945.336

Email: ceextran@filol.ucm.es

Recommended website: Conjugacion.es

 

Any problems with conjugating Spanish verbs?

When I have doubts about conjugating verbs in Spanish, I go to this website for help. 

The website link is here: www.conjugacion.es

As it shows all the different tenses and every possible way it can be conjugated in a clear manner, I find it helpful when working on homework for grammar class!

Campus Map (Universidad de Compultense)

The above is the map of the University of Compultense where Centro Compultense para la Enseñanza del Español is located. For directions, go to this post (http://conjugatingeveryday.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-to-get-to-centro-compultense-de-la.html).

Computer room and printers

The use of computer room and printers at Centro Compultense de la Enseñanza del Español

Most of the teachers at CCEE do not specify how you hand in your writing homework but some teachers do specify that they want it printed. Usually, you can hand in a hand-written text, typed text, or send the text by email. If you need to use computers and printers, at Facultad de Filología where Centro Compultense para la Enseñanza del Español belongs to, there is a computer room called "Sala Informatica". It is located next to the bookshop and the cafeteria in the basement. This is the left wing of the building facing the principal entrance.

At Sala Informatica, any student who is registered as a student of Compultense can use the computers and printers. In order to use a computer, it is necessary to have a log-in username and password. This you can consult with the Secretaría, but this may take a while to be processed, so I recommend you to go to the Sala Informatica directly and consult the staff over there. There is always one or two staff members who can help you when you have a problem with the computer log-in and other related issues. To use the printer, you need to bring your own paper.

The university has a wifi system in the building, and in order to access this you also need a log-in usename and password. There are 2 ways to ask for the log-in username of the wifi system. 1) Go to the Secretaría, 2) Go directly to the Sala Informatica. It is probably faster and less problematic if you talk about this directly with a staff member at Sala Informatica. If you ask the Secretaría about the wifi system, they usually ask you to leave your name and email address so that the staff member will reach you with a website link to confirm a new address and password for the wifi system (in Spanish). This may take a while, and this may be confusing for some if you do not have an adequate level of Spanish. The staff members at the Sala Informatica are usually friendly and helpful. Open from Monday to Thursday (9:00-20:00), Friday (9:00-19:00).

Practica Español (Practice Spanish) news website

The EFE, the leading Spanish news agency has a website called Practica Español ("Practice Spanish":http://www.practicaespanol.com). A few of my professors at Centro Compultense para la Enseñanza de Español have recommended students to read news articles from this website since it has a variety of interesting topics and it is a good way to improve your reading comprehension skills as well as to be up-to-date about what is happening in Spain.

What is the website Practica Español?
At this website, you can read recent news articles for those who study Spanish as a second language.


Is this a legitimate website?
This website is supported by the Instituto Cervantes and the Fundación de la Lengua Española.

How does it help students who study Spanish?
The articles have audio recording of the article (it is a good practice for listening!) and grammar and vocabulary exercises at the end of the article, to check the comprehension of the article.

Practicaespanol.com

Is it good for DELE exams?
Yes, each news content is categorized by different DELE levels, so it is a great way to work on the reading comprehension skills for DELE exams with the articles of your level.

Is it easy to navigate?
While the website is originally in Spanish, you can also choose to have Portuguese, Spanish, English and Chinese versions. (The articles won't be translated to these languages, just the navigation.)


Click on the photo for the link of the website!
(http://practicaespanol.com)

DELE exam dates for the year 2012

DELE exam dates for the year 2012:


There will be 3 examination session this year.

MAY 2012
May 25th.: All the countries but:
May 26th.: Albania, Arab Emirates, Argentina (but Mendoza), Austria (only Weiz), Bolivia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgary, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica (Playa de Tamarindo), Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Greece (but Patras), Guatemala (Quetzaltenango), Haiti, India, Japan, Jordan, Letonia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Palestine, Poland (but Poznan), Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Switzerland (but Coira), Taiwan, Uganda, United States, Uruguay.

AUGUST 2012
26th.: Check availability.
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Germany (Bremen, Frankfurt am Main and Munich), Guatemala (Quetzaltenango),  India (Calcuta), Italy (only Rome), Jamaica (Montego Bay), Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Russia (Moscow and Saint Petersburg), South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey (Istambul), United Kingdom (London), United States (Albuquerque), Uruguay.*

NOVEMBER 2012
November 9th.: All the countries.



Link of DELE exam schedule at Institute Cervantes:

http://diplomas.cervantes.es/en/information/dele_examination_dates.html

DELE exams (Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera)

If you are studying DELE, and if you live in Spain, DELE exams are definitely a point of your interest. The professors at Centro Compultense para la Enseñanza del Español also recommend this exam- since students generally do better on the DELE exams while they are immersed in a Spanish-speaking country (especially on the oral part of the exams). Many of the professors at Centro Compultense para la Enseñanza del Español are also the monitors of the DELE exams.

Description of the DELE exams (from the www.dele.org website)

DELE (Diplomas of Spanish as a Foreign Language) is the official accreditation of the degree of fluency of the Spanish Language, issued and recognized by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport of Spain.

The Instituto Cervantes is the institution in charge of organising the exams, while the University of Salamanca is in charge of the preparation, correction and final evaluation of all the tests.

• Diploma de Español A1
  This accredits the sufficient linguistic competence to understand and use daily expressions frequently used in any part of the Spanish-speaking world, aimed at satisfying immediate needs; asking and giving basic personal information about yourself and daily life and interacting on a basic level with speakers, whenever they are speaking slowly and clearly and are willing to cooperate.
   
• Diploma de Español A2
  This accredits that the candidate is capable of understanding daily phrases and expressions frequently used related to areas of experience which are particularly relevant to them (basic information about yourself and your family, shopping, places of interest, occupations, etc.).
   
• Diploma de Español (Nivel Inicial - B1)
  Intermediate-mid level 
  This accredits sufficient knowledge of the language to allow control in situations which require an elementary use of the language.
   
• Diploma de Español (Nivel Intermedio - B2)
  High-intermediate level
  This accredits the necessary knowledge of the language to allow communication in everyday situations which do not require specialized terms.
   
• Diploma de Español C1
  This accredits the sufficient linguistic competence to cope in common situations of daily life which require a specialized use of the language. (November 2010).
   
• Diploma de Español (Nivel Superior - C2)
  Superior level
  This accredits an advanced knowledge of the language allowing communication in all situations requiring advanced use of the language and a knowledge of cultural background

Metro Madrid iPhone Application

If you are an iPhone user, there is a good Madrid metro application by Presselite.

Things I like about this application:

-It works without internet connection.

-It has a station search when you cannot find the metro station on the map.

-It tells me the quickest way to get to the destination, as well as the route with minimum transports.

For more details, click here: http://www.presselite.com/iphone/metrodemadrid/

Facultad de Filología

Getting to the Facultad de Filología Edificio A where CCEE is located.

Facultad de Filología of the Compultense University. This is the A building (edificio A) where most of the CCEE classes take place. Secretaría is also located on the first floor of this building. In order to arrive to this building, the fastest is to walk towards the end of the Avenida de Compultense, and cross the street twice as explained in the earlier post. This will take you to the entrance near the Secretaría wing of the A building.

Another option is to take the G bus, it will take you closer to the main entrance of the building.

The G bus takes you to this bus stop. When the bus announces a bus stop for the Facultad de Derecho (Faculty of Law), that is the bus stop to get off. The Facultad de Filología is right next to the Facultad de Derecho. After getting off the bus, walk further in the direction of the bus. The Facultad de Filología is on your right and a big football court is on your left.

Welcome to Universidad de Compultense, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras...Although the sign doesn´t mention Filología, it is in this building. It is surprising even on the faculty sign, there is graffiti. Graffiti is all over the campus!

Edificio A is this building behind the parking lot. Facing the building's main entrance, there is a library on the first floor on your right and there is Secretaría of Centro Compultense de la Enseñanza del Español.

How to get to the Centro Compultense para la Enseñanza del Español

 

Ways to go to Facultad de Filología (where Centro Compultense para la Enseñanza del Español is located):


The closest metro station is the Ciudad Universitaria, on the line 6 (grey line on the metro subway map). The metro station just has one big exit. After you climb up the stairs to exit the station, turn right and walk down the Avenida de Compultense. Keep walking on the Avenida de Compultense until the small rotunda. You will see the Jardín botánico (Botanical Garden, picture on the right) on your right and Santander bank on the left. Link of the Compultense Moncloa Campus map is here.






Although walking only takes less than 10 minutes from the Ciudad Universitaria to the Facultad de Filologia, there is also a bus route that takes you to the end of the Avenida de America. These buses are #132 (La hospital la paz), #82 (Peñagrande), and the university buses called G and U. If you get on the bus in front of Ciudad Universitaria, stay on the bus for 2 stops. The bus stop closest to the Facultad de Filologia, is right in front of the Botanical Garden on Compultense Campus. Get off at the bus stop.

Cross the street from the Botannical Garden side to the Santander side. You will see a box-like building with a sign "UniVerde" like in this picture. Keep walking further away from the Ciudad Universitaria station, towards the next cross.







After passing the UniVerde, cross this street. When you wait at the traffic light, you will find a bus stop on your left.

After crossing the street, keep walking.....you will see a building on your left and that is the Facultad de Filología.

This entrance is the one closest to the Secretaría de Centro Compultense para la Enseñanza del Español. The registration and information office of the CCEE program is here. This entrance is always crowded with smokers.

Class levels at Centro Compultense para la Enseñanza del Español

Class divsions at Centro Compultense para la Enseñanza del Español

In the winter semester (curso de invierno from January 10 to March 23), the class levels were divided just like in DELE exam (Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera) as follows:

Inicial

A1 (The initial level of DELE)

A2

B1.1 (Intermediate level of DELE)

B1.2

B1.3

B1.4

B1.5

B2 (Higher intermediate of DELE)

C1

C2 (the most advanced level of DELE)

As you can see, there are many more students who are grouped into B1 level, which is the intermediate level of Spanish. According to the placement exam that we took on the first day of the class, we were divided into smaller classes within the B1 level.

Last semester, the students were divided into classes by numbers from 1 to 13 (if I remember correctly) according to their results of their placement exams. I think it is easier to know your level when the levels are categorized as in DELE exams, because many students are here to improve their Spanish, and DELE is probably the only official exam recognized worldwide that certifies your level of Spanish.

General class atmosphere and students' background

Centro Compultense para la Enseñanza del Español (Compultense Centre for Spanish Learning) of the Compultense University in Madrid has a very international class atmosphere.

So far I have met students from Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Russia, Brazil, the United States, Australia, Japan, Korea, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The class size is 10-15 students in which typically there are occupied by American students (40%), European students (30%) and Asian students (30%).

There are mainly two groups of students: university students who are in Madrid for an exchange program such as Erasmus, and those who have already graduated from universities with job experience who are looking for a career change, enrichment of their language skills etc. Most of the students fall between 20 to 40 years of age. Majority of the students are in their 20s, so it is a group of young students and professionals.

There are classes in the morning and in the afternoon. I was placed in the afternoon class for the fall semester (October-December). I am not too familiar with the morning classes, but it seems there are fewer level distinctions. in the morning There are more class levels in the afternoon and so students can be placed in the appropriate level for their Spanish. 

Class levels will be posted next time!

Introduction

Hola a todos! Welcome to my blog "Conjugating every day"!!

I made this blog so that I can share my experience in Madrid and specifically my student life at Centro Compultense para la Enseñanza del Español at Compultense University. First of all, I hope that it may help students who wish to study Spanish at this institution to know what it is like to study at CCEE. When I started to look for Spanish language courses in Madrid, it was difficult at first since I did not know which academic programs had good evaluation by the students or what kind of academic environmentsn each insitution provided. I also may not have had enough Spanish level to understand what options I had. So, this time I am writing this blog in English so that it will be communicated to those who are interested in learning Spanish in Madrid in the future! While my initial plan is to right about my academic life, I also want to write about what it is like to live in Madrid from my point of view. It is an exciting city to live and there is a lot to explore. Let the blog begin!!

(Barajas airport-Madrid, Spain)