SPAN10002: Spanish 2

2 written assignments (600 words each) during semester [30%](15% each)
Oral presentation (equivalent to 400 words) during semester [10%]
Online work (equivalent to 400 words) during semester [10%]
1 Oral exam (equivalent to 800 words) in week 11 [20%]
2-hour final written exam (equivalent to 1200 words)during exam period [30%]

By the time you're at Spanish 2, you're well and truly used to learning languages and should be well on your way with the Spanish language. The advantage that French, Italian and Latin learners, and indeed anybody who has studied a language before, quickly dissipates during Spanish 2. So too does the false sense of security that you're lulled into by Spanish 1. This is absolutely a subject that requires constant revision, even for the very best of students.

Overall, this is still a fun and engaging subject like it's semester 1 counterpart. Particularly for people studying science or biomedicine, it is a good break from those subjects and is particularly good in your first year because it provides somewhat of a step between high school and university. Like I've alluded to, this subject becomes a lot more challenging. You leave the present tense and very quickly start to hammer through the various past tenses and some of the grammatical oddities of Spanish. Given that most of the tutors are native speakers, or at the very least are not native English speakers, this can be a little onerous as they often struggle to explain grammatical concepts in ways digestible by English students. For the discerning student, this can actually be a good thing because it encourages you to learn the grammar by yourself, which is probably the best way to do it in all honesty.

The introduction of the preterite along with the imperfect past tense can become difficult. The preterite in particular is difficult to conjugate and the pair of them together can become very confusing. This is further complicated by the very rushed introduction of the present perfect towards the end of the semester. In English, we would use one verb type for all three—that is the past tense—but in Spanish there are certain rules, which are often difficult to digest, that determine which verb tense is used. Often these rules change from country to country. For example, the present perfect is used far more often in Spain than it is in Latin American countries.

Spanish becomes a lot more serious, but the tutors are still really sweet and the tutorials are still fun. It seems a little shallow, but Spanish provides a perfect opportunity to make friends and build some amazing relationships with people. The classes are always very close and everyone tends to get along very well. This is a great departure from certain subjects wherein barely anybody talks to anybody. The environment in Spanish classes makes the rigours of this subject much more easy to deal with, as there's a great sense of camaraderie in each class. For me personally, this aspect of Spanish was invaluable and made it a very enjoyable class to attend, which is something we do really need at Uni!!

Unlike last semester, the presentation is given in Spanish and not in English. This makes it a lot more difficult, but it is certainly very exciting to see everyone get out the front and do a fantastic job. At first, I was worried about the presentation being in Spanish, but even for the weakest students, it provided a great opportunity to speak some great Spanish. It made me value just how much we had learned, when even weaker students who had no enthusiasm for the subject whatsoever were forming large passages of fluent Spanish ad hoc, after only 16 or so weeks studying the subject! The presentation also provides a good opportunity to get over some of your inhibitions and get to know people in the class. The supportiveness of the classes and tutors also makes it a hell of a lot easier—this is a very good audience to speak to, believe me! (my class kindly laughed at all my tacky, pathetic jokes in Spanish!).

I would definitely recommend this subject. There is a myriad of extra resources for students, it is extremely well set out (for example they publish a course guide that says exactly what each class will do in each lesson, which chapters and which exercises). There is a very clear sense of what one needs to know and needs to do and there is never any ambiguity about concepts or what constitutes a good mark. A good mark comes simply from knowing whatever has been taught. This is the only subject I've taken thus far wherein no one has said "what do we need to know?", which really is something to commend I believe! The tutors are all lovely and will enthusiastically help you outside of class. They're also very contactable via e-mail. Whilst Spanish 2 was certainly a lot harder and more frustrating, it is definitely worth it. The class is fast paced and you constantly feel as though there's something to be achieved, even though the classes still remain fun and give time to get to know everyone!

¡Tomad esta clase!

No, though the exam is in the same format as the Tarea. Practice exams would be a waste of time.

3.5 Out of 5

Exploraciones (Blitt/Casas). This is the same book as Spanish 1 and must be purchased new.

2 x 1.5 hour tutorial per week, 1 x 1 hour tutorial per week

2013, semester 2

H1 88