- +34 923 213 835
- mester@mester.com
- C/ Vázquez Coronado 5, 37002 Salamanca, Spain
We have a dynamic and motivated team of professionals. At the same time, our wide and solid experience (Mester was founded in 1991) makes us experts in teaching Spanish and organizing trips for groups.
According to the Cervantes Institute, 6.7% of the world’s population, or 470 million people, speak Spanish. If we add that to the number of people who study or have studied Spanish, we are talking about 548 million people.
Spanish is the second language with the most native speakers in the world. It is second only to Mandarin Chinese, and is also considered the second language of international communication.
The progressive increase in the number of Spanish speakers continues to grow year after year, while other languages such as Chinese and English have not increased as rapidly. Learning Spanish is undoubtedly an investment for the future.
Some sources project that 7.5% of the world’s population will be Spanish-speaking by 2030 (currently 6.7% worldwide), and even go so far as to say that in 35 years the United States could be the world’s leading Spanish-speaking country.
Languages chosen for foreign language study by students in the U.S. [Source: Modern Language Association, MLA].
Rather than difficult, we would call Spanish a complete language, like the others that derive from Latin. Therefore, students whose mother tongue is from the same family will find Spanish quite familiar, while students with languages from other families may find Spanish more difficult. In this case, we can confirm that Spanish is not difficult, it is just different.
Given the recent economic development of many countries in the Americas, and thanks to the future potential of their natural resources and growing industry, and taking into account Spain’s current influence in the global context, many countries are looking to establish commercial connections with these nations. Therefore, we can guarantee that learning Spanish will be essential to create and strengthen these relationships.
Learning a language is a natural process that always depends on each student and his or her circumstances. There are many factors that influence the assimilation of the contents of a new language, but it is always important to use all available resources to achieve the most complete immersion possible. Furthermore, to learn a language it is essential to know the people who speak it, in their own native territory.
Therefore, at Mester we not only offer students the possibility of intensive language courses, but we also complement the experience with multiple possibilities that will help them achieve their goals in a short time: accommodation in Spanish families, socio-cultural activities to discover the Spanish reality, special elective courses based on communication and culture and much more!
Although it is difficult to give a concrete answer to this question, we can confirm that, after two or three weeks, students will become confident enough to be able to communicate productively.
Our courses are structured in a perfectly balanced way, combining grammatical contents with communicative skills so that learning is progressive, complementary and effective. For students who have never had contact with Spanish before, we always recommend the experience starting from the most basic level, an A1 course for beginners.
Level B1 is often considered the “threshold level”, that is, the point at which the student moves from “studying” Spanish to “speaking” Spanish. At Mester each level is structured to be completed in 4 weeks (80-100 teaching hours), therefore a student starting with an A1 level would have to complete a 12-week course to obtain a B1 level.
