High Intermediate Spanish Language

Course objectives:
The capacity to communicate:
-    To be able to understand the principal points of texts that are clear and written in standard language, that address known questions, and known issues, either in work, study or leisure.  
-    To know how to cope in some way with situations that might arise during trip trough areas where you utilize the language, utilizing more habitual expressions in functions of a neutral record.
-    To be able to produce simple and coherent texts about familiar themes in which the student has a personal interest.
-    To be able to describe experiences, thoughts, wishes and aspirations, and to briefly justify their own opinions or explain their own plans.
-    To be conscious of the most important rules of etiquette and to act accordingly.
-    To be conscious of the most significant differences that exist within traditions, the uses, the attitudes, the values and the beliefs that prevail in the Spanish society and in the student’s own society, and be able to adequately respond to these such differences.
Linguistic competencies:
-    To have sufficient linguistic elements as in to describe unpredictable situations, to explain the principle points of an idea or a problem with reasonable precision and to express ideas about abstract or cultural themes, such as music and film.
-    To demonstrate a good rule over elemental vocabulary, despite the possible presence of errors on expressing more complex ideas or to tackle themes and situations somewhat frequently.
-    To communicate with reasonable correction in everyday situations, generally with good grammatical control, despite the influence of the maternal language and the eventual presence of errors, that, however, does not obstruct the comprehension of the message on the part of the partners.
-    To be able to pronounce in a clear and intelligent form, despite a foreign accent that is still perceptible on certain occasions, and possible sporadic errors.

Content of the course:
o    To relate habits in the present
o    To speak in the past
o    To ask and inform on diverse academic or professional situations
o    To remember something or someone
o    To transmit messages
o    To express (and ask for) likes and preferences
o    To express (and ask for) feelings and physical and animated states
o    To suggest activities and react to suggestions
o    To express uncertainty or doubt
o    To express desires, claims and need
o    To express opinions
o    To react to new information
o    To express distinct degrees of possibility
o    To express prohibitions
o    To formulate a hypothesis in the future and in the past
o    To ask for and to give permission
o    To express strangeness and wonder, pity and fear
o    To demand and protest
o    To give encouragement and reassurance
o    To recommend something
o    To give the partner choice

Gramatical Content
Morphology:
Consolidation of the pronominal system and of determination of alternative resources domain and special cases:
-    Personal pronouns: stressed, unstressed of OD and OI, uses of “se”(substituting “le” impersonal, involuntary)
-    Demonstration: to consolidate forms and contrast between grades of proximity
-    Possessives: form and use of the possessive pronoun preceding the article
-    Relatives and Interrogatives, with and without preposition
-    Consolidation of quantifiers, indefinite and expressions of gradation (little, a little, whichever, all [singular/plural]…)
-    The adjective: introduction to the mode
-    Options in gradation
-    Position in the phrase
-    The verb:
    o    Systematization of the indicative verbal tenses (present, preterite perfect, undefined preterite, imperfect preterite and pluscuamperfecto preterite). General contrasts.
    o    Systematization of some subjunctive verb tenses (present, preterite, imperfect). General contrasts.
    o    Systematization of conditional verb tenses. General contrasts.
    o    Future in the expression of probability
    o    Paraphrasing verbs: extension
Syntax

Consolidation of syntactic structures:
-    Simple oration:
    o    Impersonal constructions (hacer/haber/estar/ser)
    o    Total and partial interrogative structures, direct and indirect
    o    Comparative structures
    o    Impersonality: se/uno, tú impersonal, 3rd personal plural
    o    Composed oration: basic conjuctions and contrasts in a more general form
    o    Nouns with an infinitive and with que (ya sé que, quiero que, me apetece que, me doy cuenta de que, la idea de que)
    o    Of relative (que) with or without a preposition
    o    Concessives (aunque)
    o    Causals (porque)
    o    Conditional orations (si)
    o    Temporal orations (cuando)
    o    Introduction to the indirect style
    o    Diverse uses of periphrasis verbs (empezar a + infinitivo; quedarse + gerundio; quedarse + participio; acabar de + infinitivo; etc.)
    o    The prepositions: regimen of verbs and adjectives

Lexical Content
The basic vocabulary and more frequent complete expressions to express the following themes:
-    Personal signs
-    Profession and studies
-    Character and personality
-    Physical aspect
-    Clothing, garments and personal objects
-    Fashion
-    Likes and hobbies
-    Family and personal relationships
-    Feelings moods
-    Activities and physical exercise
-    Dress and personal objects
-    The house and the environment
-    Furniture and fixtures
-    Objects, apparatus, and tools in daily use
-    The city
-    Public facilities and service
-    Monuments and museums
-    Leisure activities and shows
-    Food and Drink
-    Restaurants
-    The kitchen and market: ingredients and condiments
-    Free time
-    Vacations
-    Film and television
-    Sports practices & games
-    Festivities and celebrations
-    Education and training
-    School, University and studies
-    Exams, diplomas and titles
-    Society, State
-    History
-    Territorial and administrative organization
-    Social conflicts
-    Mediums of communication
-    Manners and customs