Blog

1.       Madrid es una ciudad maravillosa, mezcla lugares históricos llenos de encanto con una ciudad moderna.

2.       Madrid es una ciudad llena de vida, a cualquier hora y todos los días de la semana hay actividades que hacer, lo mejor es que se adapta a todas las edades y gustos. A los turistas les sorprende la vida nocturna de Madrid, es una cuidad activa hasta muy tarde en la noche.

3.       La oferta gastronómica en Madrid es inigualable, desde los mejores platos y restaurantes de España hasta lugares que representan muy bien la gastronomía de cualquier lugar del mundo.

4.       En pintura, Madrid tiene varias de las mejores colecciones del mundo, y se pueden visitar los 3 museos que las contienen andando, dando un paseo por la zona centro de Madrid que es muy agradable.

5.       Se puede aprovechar para venir a Madrid y aprender y estudiar español,  para esto te recomendamos nuestras clases.

Todavía lo estás pensando? Ven a Madrid cuanto antes te va a gustar….

The holidays are almost here, so we thought it would be a good idea to teach some words and phrases for Christmas.

December is the perfect month -for obvious reasons- to practice some Spanish Christmas Expressions. During this time of the year, many conversations are focused around Christmas, so you’d better be able to express yourself fluently in those conversations.

Spanish Christmas Vocabulary

We’ll start with some basic, but helpful expressions.

• Merry Christmas [Feliz Navidad]
• Prosperous new year [Próspero Año Nuevo]
• Christmas Eve [Nochebuena]
• Christmas dinner [La comida de Navidad]
• Christmas tree [Árbol de navidad]
• Christmas carol [un villancico]

Christmas Expressions in Spanish

• What did you get for Christmas? [¿Qué te regalaron para Navidad?]
• The Christmas spirit [El espíritu navideño]

One of the greatest things about Madrid it´s that you can find, all kind of museums where you can find valuable information about Madrid and Spain´s history.

If you want to know more about Spain and Madrid, visiting a Museum might be a good idea.

Top 5 museums in Madrid

1. Museo del Prado
2. Museo Thyseen-Bornemisza
3. Centro de Arte Reina Sofia
4. Museo de América
5. Museo Cerralbo

Those are just the “most famous museums”, for example The Prado Museum is one of the most important art museums in Europe and amongst the best in the world. There, you may find sculptures, art objects, paintings and much more.

museo del prado

Less known museums in Madrid

Madrid is a huge city, and there are some museums that don’t get all the attention they deserve. Two clear examples of this are the following museums:

1. Museo Angel Nieto: In this museum you can find all about motorcycling. The museum has tons of pictures, trophies, medals, helmets, etc. Angel Nieto was a multi-time Grand Prix motorcycle roadracing World Champion. He is considered a national hero in Spain. If you like the speed and the motorcycles, you should definitely visit this Museum

2. Museo de Areonáutica y Astronáutica: Hands down, one of the most interesting museums in Madrid. In this museum you can find all the information about the history of aviation. It´s located here: Carretera A-5, km 10,500. 28071 Madrid

Searching and surfing in youtube, we found some interesting videos of celebrities that speak spanish. Some are really good, and others, well they at least try to speak spanish!

• Jennifer Aniston (Friends):

Our Comments: Ok, it was just a sentence, but it was really funny.

• Dakota Fanning

Our Comments: Dakota learned spanish through personal classes, and because of the movie “Men in fire” which she started. It´s impressive the way she speaks spanish.

• Gwyneth Paltrow

Our comments: Gwyneth gives a full interview in Spanish, she speaks fluently and with no problems at all.

• Kyle Minogue

During her concert in Madrid she gave this short speach in spanish. It wasn´t very fluent and clear, although it was nice to see her trying to speak in spanish.

• Hilary Clinton

choosing an spanish academy

We get asked this question a lot of times, and most of the times our answer is: ‘It depends’.

It depends on how well you grasp language in general. There are some aspects of the language that make it a little bit harder than English, for example placing verbs in the right form, knowing where to put the adjectives, masculine and feminine words, etc.

Overall, you need to stay dedicated if you decide to learn Spanish.

We don´t want to be too biased, but finding a good Spanish academy is vital for your learning experience. And of course, language4students is an excellent choice if you are looking for Spanish classes in Madrid.

If you go to an academy that doesn´t provide you some basic stuff, then learning Spanish can indeed be a difficult task. What ‘stuff’ are we talking about? For example, take this checklist with you and review it when looking for a Spanish academy:

• They give you the opportunity to take part in realistic Spanish conversations.
• Small groups of people
• Native teachers is always a plus
• Fun and dynamic classes

Those are just some points that you need to be aware of to make Spanish an easier language to learn.

Find those in an academy, and we guarantee you that learning Spanish won´t be hard at all.

Get to know us better! If you live in Madrid, please come and visit us, call us or leave us a message at our contact form.

Ten good reasons for spending a summer in Madrid

Are you looking for places to go this summer, and you can make up your mind?

I can give you ten good reasons for coming to Madrid this summer…

1. As I write this, I’m sitting in one of the nice terraces in the centre of Madrid, on a lovely sunny day… the weather is fantastic (a little bit hot, but in the shade and having a cold drink, as you watch people go by, it is fantastic!). You’ll be amazed by Madrid’s blue sky and very special light, and the great amount of sun you can have every day.

2. The terraces, as you walk around you’ll be surprised of how lively this city is! The streets are always (and by this I mean always, from 9 am to 3 am) crowded with people, here they are making life in the street. The terraces are the perfect spot to watch the city life on first row… also there are many in which you can have amazing food.

3. The spirits are always high in Madrid; summer seems as a happy mood season. Madrilènes are always happy, friendly and willing to give you a hand, they help you find your way in the city, and they are very fun and they do their best to communicate with you.

4. Whenever the temperature gets too high, you can always go to a public pool; very good fares, good layout in different spots in the city; my favourites: Piscina Saiz de Baranda, Moncloa, Complutense…and freshen up.

5. Museums; what new can I say? When you feel like seeing some nice painting, you have in a excellent location, and a walk away, the three painting stars Museo del Prado, Museo Reina Sofia and Museo Thyssen Bornemisza , these three form what is known as the Triangle of Arts ( they are located very nearby) . I personally recommend some others Museo Convento de las Descalzas Reales (amazing building, excellent paintings, with guided tours in English), Museo Sorolla, Academia de San Fernando.

6. Retiro Park it’s true that Madrid does not have a beach, but having the “Parque del Retiro “in the middle of the city, you won’t miss it. It is an amazing natural site, has a great pond in the middle with fantastic sculptures all around. In the summer, under the shade of a tree is another great spot to enjoy Madrid. And if you like sports, feel free to practice your favourite, there’s plenty of room!

7. Now it’s time to eat something, one of the best options is going out for tapas. The tapas are great representations of the typical Mediterranean diet. The best part is the ritual about the tapas, you go there and share the food with your friends while you have a beer or a glass of wine, then you hop to another tapas bar, and try some more, in the meantime you talk and socialize, it’s really fun. There is a large variety of tapas, one of my favourites: the pincho de tortilla! One of the nicest places to go for tapas in Madrid is the Latina district. For more information about tapas in Madrid visit: http://www.esmadrid.com/monograficos/tapas/monografico.html

8. So, now after a real tapas diner, you are ready for a drink and a little party around. Madrid is also amazing for its night life. You can find party spirits high everyday of the week, amazing! There are so many places for going out and having fun, doesn’t matter what your taste in music or party is, you’ll find the right place. People are very friendly and you will have great night. I your party spirits are high, don’t worry party is nonstop at Madrid. For more information about party places at Madrid you can check: http://copasmadrid.blogspot.com/

9. Since people in Madrid are always nice and friendly, you’ll find it almost mandatory to learn Spanish, you can use your summer / holiday spare time in Madrid to make a Spanish course and since Madrid is a friendly city you will have plenty of time to practice in real life situations. Madrid is an open city for people coming from abroad.

10. To relax after a tiring, week a great option is to go to the movies, a good option for knowing the countries culture is going to watch a real Spanish movie ( it might be a little hard if you Spanish Skills are not to high), you will really enjoy it; don’t miss directors such as world famous Almodovar and Amenabar. If you feel like watching international movies, don’t worry in the centre of the city you will find several theatres which play movies in original version. http://www.madridinfosite.com/en/entertainment/madrid-cinema.aspx#vos
Now I gave you ten reasons for spending a great holyday in Madrid with my own, very personal view of what I like the most of this wonderful city. Hope this post will help you make out your mind and enjoy Madrid a little more this summer.

MIBA. 2009.

MIBA. 2009. All rights reserved

In a sentence: Madrid is the most exciting capital city of Europe.