Over the last twenty years, Spanish companies have made huge investments abroad, transforming the image of Spain from country which relies on tourism for its income to a serious player in the global economy. Walk through any major city centre and you’ll find a Spanish retailer: Zara, Mango, Pull & Bear. In the financial sectors, Spanish banking giant Santander is ranked as one of the best 5 banks in the world, and telecommunications company Telefónica is one of the most powerful companies of its kind in the world, and undisputed leader in Latin America.

These are just a few examples and it’s a success story that is being repeated the world over. In fact, data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) places large Spanish firms among the most lucrative on the international stage, some way above Germany and Great Britain.

Being able to speak a second language is an undeniable asset in today’s globalised world. The rapid expansion of Spanish companies in the global market place, as well as the number of Spanish-speaking emerging economies which we examined in a previous blog, surely places Spanish at the top of the most desirable and useful languages one could choose to learn. If you would like to join the growing number of Spanish speakers in the world, choose from private Spanish lessons, group training or intensive Spanish courses available with our patient and experienced native tutors throughout the Greater London area.

Prospective students often ask whether Spanish is an easy language to learn. The good news is that it is one of the easiest major European languages for an English speaker to pick up. As both of our languages derive many words from Latin, a lot of them will be recognisable to you almost immediately.

Spanish is said to be the most phonetic of the main European languages and spelling in Spanish is actually more regular than English. This is due in part to the fact that the Royal Spanish Academy, whose role we looked at in a previous blog, has simplified and standardised it over time. Spanish is much more predictable as a result, so once you’ve grasped the basics it is relatively easy to apply those rules to new vocabulary when you come across it. Plurals in Spanish are formed in the same way as English by adding –s, which makes it very natural for English speakers. It’s true that you will need to get accustomed to genders and noun-adjective agreement, but this is true of most European languages and you will soon find it second nature.

Of course, though it is considered easy, learning Spanish still takes some effort, just as learning any language – even your own – does. This is where a native Spanish tutor is immensely beneficial, helping you to perfect your pronunciation as well as covering all the grammar you will need. Group lessons can be a really fun way to learn with friends or colleagues, or see just how much you can pick up in a short time with our intensive courses.

This year’s GCSE results showed a marked and very welcome increase in the take-up of modern foreign languages amongst school pupils. It’s the first time in over a decade that the number of students studying a language to this level has risen. Though French and German both registered an increase, at 15.5 per cent and 9.4 per cent respectively, and some other minority languages enjoyed something of a surge, Spanish outstripped all other languages with a huge rise of 25.8 per cent. It remains to be seen whether these same students will go on to complete A-levels in their chosen languages. For the moment though, the downward trend at that level continues with numbers of French and German students still in decline. Only Spanish is on the rise with an increase of 4.1 per cent at A-level this year.

This increase can probably be attributed to the introduction of the English Baccalaureate, which recognises pupils who attain a C grade or above in a core of subjects including a language. Though not a qualification in itself, those students who hold the core Baccalaureate qualifications are likely to be looked on more favourably when it comes to university admissions, which should in turn improve their career prospects.

All of which makes the increase in pupils completing foreign language exams really positive news for the future. With the help of a private Spanish tutor, students can greatly increase their knowledge and confidence in the language and could achieve better grades as a result. We’re delighted that more people than ever before are learning our language and are very happy to play a part in that education.

In a previous blog we looked at the indisputable importance of Spanish in the world. It’s relevance as a language becomes even greater, however, when we consider how many of the emerging economies are Spanish-speaking countries.

The International Monetary Fund lists several Spanish-speaking countries among those undergoing rapid growth or industrialisation.  Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Venezuela are the South American countries which make the list, and many large corporations in developed economies already do business in these countries. Growth in these nations is not limited to the industrial or manufacturing sectors; many large organisations also choose to operate some of their services from these locations because of the cost savings they are able to derive from doing so.

The phenomenon of globalisation as we understand it today has been gathering pace over the last decade or so, as technology and communications improve and allow more and more jobs to be carried out remotely. Most of us are aware that the Philippines are a popular location for many such offshore operations, but did you know that Spanish is also widely spoken there? Spanish was in fact the official language of the Philippines from the late 16^th century, and remained an official language until a constitutional change in 1973. Today, there are estimated to be in the region of three million Spanish speakers in the Philippines, and if groups campaigning for its re-introduction as a compulsory subject in school succeed, that number will certainly increase.

The ability to speak Spanish is a clear advantage for anyone wishing to do business in the emerging economies, so if you want to maximise your opportunities in these markets, why not consider our private Spanish lessons which can be provided at your workplace or home anywhere in London.

The Royal Spanish Academy is the official royal body responsible for regulating the Spanish language. It is usually abbreviated to RAE, an acronym for its Spanish title, Real Academia Española. The academy was founded in 1713 and is based in Madrid, but it also plays a role in governing the language spoken in twenty-one other countries through its affiliation with the Association of Spanish Language Academies (Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española), set up in Mexico in 1951 which is a union of all the separate language academies in the Spanish-speaking world.

The Academy is responsible for legislation to promote linguistic unity in the world’s many Spanish-speaking territories in an effort to ensure that local variations in the language should never deviate so far from standard Castilian as to cause Spanish speakers in different nations difficulties understanding one another.

In addition, its remit covers the Dictionary of the Spanish Language of the Royal Spanish Academy (Diccionario de la lengua española de la Real Academia Española) and it operates strict regulations for the addition of new words to the dictionary in much the same way the Oxford English Dictionary does in the UK.

Lingua Clinic provides several teaching options for individuals or groups throughout the London area. Why not see which of our Spanish Languages services is best suited for you, and gain the ability and confidence to speak Spanish when visiting or doing business in the many Spanish-speaking nations in the world.

Studies of languages used on the internet^* show, unsurprisingly, that English is the most-used language online, with around 55% of websites using English as their content language. Spanish is among the group of next most highly-used languages along with German and Russian. What is significant though is that use of the Spanish language online increased dramatically in the ten years between 2001 and 2011, expanding at a rate of 743%, compared to 281% for English. This can perhaps be seen as confirmation of the growing importance of Spanish as a world language and the rapid expansion in the numbers of Spanish speakers in recent years, particularly in the US.

This is great news for Spanish students, as it means that there is a wealth of Spanish language content available online so you are sure to find material on a subject that’s of interest to you. Why not challenge yourself by switching your search engine to Spanish and finding pages related to your occupation or interests? Reading information on a subject close to your heart in a foreign language helps to sharpen your interest and make what you’re reading that much more memorable. It’s a great way to expand your vocabulary in subject areas which are relevant to you personally and makes a useful accompaniment to Spanish lessons. You may not understand everything you read at first, but you can make a note of anything which gave you difficulty and ask your native tutor to explain things for you. Your perseverance will soon be rewarded by a marked increase in your level of comprehension.

^* Source: W3Techs

The presence of Spanish influence and the Spanish language in the Americas goes all the way back to Christopher Columbus’ arrival there in 1492. Over the next four centuries the Spanish Empire expanded across Mexico, most of Central America, the western half of South America and the Caribbean. Its reach even extended to the northern states of Washington and Oregon. Spanish rule in many areas of the Americas endured right up until the revolutionary movements of the nineteenth century, at which point the colonies were lost, but the language remained.

Spanish continues to be spoken across those same areas of Central and South America, and though it now takes second place to English in North America, the number of Spanish speakers is increasing dramatically, more than doubling in the last two decades. Even though it doesn’t enjoy the status of an official language, it’s estimated that by the year 2050 there could be as many as 100 million Spanish speakers in the United States.

With Spanish being so widely spoken in one of the world’s leading economies, and given that several of the emerging economies are to be found in Spanish-speaking parts of South America, it seems certain that Spanish can only increase in importance in the world.

If you’d like to be part of the rapid growth of the Spanish language, you could try one of our intensive Spanish courses, delivered in your home or office at a time to suit your busy schedule.

According to the US Census Bureau, the number of Spanish speakers in the US has more than doubled since 1990 and the number of people aged five and older who now speak Spanish at home as their first language now totals almost 37 million. When we take into account the number of people who speak Spanish as a second language, the total rises to 45 million, and a further 6 million are said to be learning Spanish in the US today. Given this staggering rate of growth, it’s thought that by the year 2050 the number of Spanish speakers in the US could rise to as many as 100 million.

The language first came into the country in the 16^th and 17^th centuries with the arrival of Spanish colonists who set out to explore the areas which have become the modern day states of Florida, California, Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada and Colorado. The Spanish-speaking population has been further boosted by the influx of Hispanic immigrants which began in the latter half of the 19^th century and continues to this day.

Though Spanish does not yet enjoy official status, it is by far the second most widely-spoken language in the US after English, and Spanish speakers outnumber all of the Chinese, Italian, French, German, Hawaiian and Native American speakers put together.

If you want to keep pace with the exponential growth of the Spanish language in the powerful US economy, try our Private Spanish Lessons with native tutors at your home or office throughout the London area.

Spanish is a widely-spoken world language and its speakers are growing in number at a rate of knots. That’s why competitive businesses in Europe and throughout the world are recognising the need to incorporate Spanish into their business literature and online materials. They realise that in order to achieve their full growth potential, they simply can’t afford to ignore the Spanish-speaking sector of their market.

Recent studies revealed that Spanish-speaking countries account for $2.6 trillion in GDP. Spain is the official language in 21 countries; little wonder then that it ranks so highly as a vehicle of international communication, second only to English.

Spanish-speaking customers represent a huge global community who, like any other, have a need for products and services. The immense buying power of this group means that knowledge of the Spanish language is invaluable for any business that wants to compete on the world stage. Whilst there are no official figures, it’s thought that Spanish actually has more native speakers than English. What is certain is that in the US alone, Spanish is becoming more widespread and experts estimate that by the year 2050 there could be as many as 100 million speakers across that continent. What business can afford to close itself off to this lucrative market?

Our Group Spanish Lessons are ideal for colleagues or friends with shared learning goals and abilities to begin or improve their knowledge of this increasingly important business language.

I’m often asked about the benefits of learning Spanish, and I frequently tell my students that one of the greatest benefits is being able to communicate when you visit a Spanish-speaking country.

When you visit Spain or countries in Central and South America, it is of course possible to get by without knowing any Spanish at all; but speaking the local language really enriches your experience and can make your holiday much more interesting and fun.

It doesn’t matter if you know only a little Spanish. Even the most stuttering attempts will be appreciated by the hospitable people that you meet on your travels. And remember, they’re probably no more confident speaking English than you are at Spanish. The important thing is they’re making the effort, so why not meet them half way? You’ll be amazed at how patient you will find them, and you’re sure to improve your skills through the practice your efforts will give you.

Trying to speak just a little Spanish on your holidays will break down barriers and could open doors for you that are closed to other tourists. Your holiday will be much more memorable as a result of the friendships and experiences that become available to you, and you’ll gain a much better understanding of the culture when you’re able to grasp the basics of the local language.

But why be satisfied with just a smattering of Spanish? With our Intensive Spanish Courses you can quickly get up to speed if you’re preparing for a business or leisure trip to any Spanish-speaking country.