Étudiant universitaire international. Espagnol de langue maternelle et méthodes d'enseignement flexibles pour répondre à tous les besoins

En savoir plus sur Paul

• 1) Do you speak this language fluently because of your origins or because a teacher inspired you to learn?

  I speak French and Spanish natively due to my very diverse upbringing. Given I was born and raised in a Spanish-speaking country and spoke French at home with my family it has been second nature to me to speak multiple languages. Furthermore, living and pursuing further studies in the UK for more than 6 years has developed my fluency in English.

• 2) Can you name a living, historical or fictional character that you think is the emblematic representative of the language's culture?

  In my opinion, Baltasar Gracian is one of the most important Spanish figures to have ever lived. His most famous work is 'El Criticon' - a novel of the same calibre as Don Quixote de la Mancha - written during the Spanish Golden Age.
  
  For French culture, I would say Napoleon is an emblematic character due to its historical importance in the French Revolution as well as to its legacy that is still present nowadays.

• 3) Is there a typical word, phrase, tradition or behavior in the language that you particularly like?

  What I like most about both French and Spanish is the variety in accents there is depending on where you are, the excellent gastronomy unique to each culture and the wide variety in landscapes in each country. Whether it's the Spanish tapas or the more than 1000 different varieties of French cheeses, each culture has everything it needs to make you fall in love with it.

• 4) Why does speaking this language matter to you?

  Spanish and French are two of the most spoken languages in the world. In addition, I find fulfilment in transmitting vast amounts of culture both from Spain and France to my students.

• 5) What is the main difficulty in learning this language and what can help the process of learning?

  I have observed grammar to be the main difficulty in learning these two languages. More specifically, verb tenses have always been the most prominent brick wall students hit. However, my approach to teaching is tailored to each student and focuses on overcoming these difficulties in the most efficient way possible.

• 6) Provide a valuable anecdote related to your language learning or your days at school.

  Learning a new language can feel tedious at times and hard to grasp, especially if you're learning only in a classroom and not getting out in the real world. All my life I've been juggling between multiple languages. What I've found is that, for example, travelling to Spain, speaking and living with native people makes the experience of learning Spanish much easier, fun and makes you feel like it is meaningful and useful. My advice is this: go out, travel and get immersed in a different culture and you'll see how much better you will get at a language.

• 7) How has travel or a specific trip helped you to increase your skill and knowledge of the language?

  Like I said before, travelling has always been key for me to increase my knowledge and fluency in a language. Being immersed in a specific culture and country teaches you the language in a way that classrooms don't have the ability to.

• 8) What makes you a Superprof in language?

  I think what makes me a Superprof isn't what I teach but rather the way I teach it. I believe that making my students feel comfortable with making mistakes and stepping out of their comfort zone are the most important ways to promote a long-lasting love for learning as well as the language.