LEEDS LANGUAGE COLLEGE's Blog

Premier Skills is a new website for learners of English who like football.
You can watch videos and read articles about your favourite players and clubs.
You can also learn football vocabulary while you play fun interactive games and take part in competitions.
Go to the website here: http://premierskills.britishcouncil.org/

Spanish and English

This week we have spoken to 4 Spanish students: Veronica, Luis Javier, Juan Manuel and Miguel. They have explained to us the reasons why English can be a difficult language for them and the resulting mistakes they usually make as Spanish speakers.
The main problem is English pronunciation. Spanish people pronounce each letter they read whilst English people don?t pronounce the words the way they read them.
Spanish speakers also find it difficult to understand verb contractions. For example, ?I will go? changes into ?I?ll go?...... ?I would go? changes into ?I?d go?.
These forms don?t exist in Spanish, what makes comprehension more difficult.
As far as verbs are concerned, English verb formation is easier than Spanish verb formation but the English use of tenses is far more complicated. As Veronica explained to us, she always uses one kind of past tense to speak Spanish while in English she has to think about the various possibilities when she speaks in the past.
All of them agree that phrasal verbs are very complex. In Spanish, you don?t have so many uses of just one word. The same happens with prepositions. For instances, in Spanish there is only one preposition to express in, on or at.

Example:
At school-En el colegio
In the garden-En el jardín
On the floor-En el suelo

Spanish people also use more words than English people. This probably reflects the outgoing culture of the Spanish nation, whose citizens generally like speaking a lot.
They also made an interesting final observation: it is often not possible to translate English idioms into their own language or to find an equivalent as there are many cultural differences.

For example, Spanish people usually eat 5 times a day and have a specific word for each meal. They can?t find any equivalent in English. Even if they try to follow the British timetable, it is often difficult for them to have dinner at 6 or 7p.m !

Trip to Brihmam Rocks and Knaresborough

On the 30th of September, our students went on a trip to Brimham Rocks and Knaresborough. The fifteen students left the College at 8.30 for 1.5 hour journey to Brimham Rocks.
Once they got there, they were able to admire the weird and wonderful shapes of the rocks. Some looked like animals, e.g. elephants, bears, others like mushrooms, all of which owe their shapes to erosion.

After a 2-hour walk the students headed to Knaresborough which is famous for being Mother Shipton's birthplace. She is England's most famous prophetess and most of her prophecies proved to be accurate. The students visited Mother Shipton's Cave and observed the strange phenomenon at the petrifying well which changes objects into stone in only 3 months!
They also made a wish at the wishing well of good fortune while holding a coin in their right hand and throwing it into the well.

Afterwards they were taken on a tour of the museum and gift shop. They finished the day walking up to Knaresborough castle and relaxing before the walk back to the coach!

At the end of the trip, they were really tired but enjoyed this fabulous sunny day!

Students' feedback

I had so much fun on the trip. It was amazing, the weather was lovely and I especially liked the shapes of the rocks at Brihmam Rocks, especially the dancing bear! The group was friendly and we took beautiful pictures.
Ali-Libia

The trip was very good, the place very nice and the weather was good. I really enjoyed this trip and I hope we will go on another trip soon.
Najalaa-

The World Curry Festival in Leeds this weekend

The World Curry Festival is a food and entertainment event that gathers people around the theme of curry. Curry is a word used to describe a general variety of side dishes, best known in South Asian cuisines, especially Indian cuisine. The word curry is an anglicised version of the Tamil word kari. The World Curry Festival will take place in Leeds Millennium Square on Saturday and Sunday 3rd and 4th of October from 11.00 am to 5.00 pm. A wide variety of International food, drink, master classes from famous curry chefs, live music and street entertainment will be represented. Food and drink from all parts of the world, including curry from Asia, Africa, America and Europe will be on display and for sale, throughout the event, as well of course, as the Great British curry. Live acts will entertain you with their music, dance and theatre, whilst you browse, chill and savour.For further information on the program and activities of the festival, have a look on the World Curry Festival website: http://www.worldcurryfestival.com/show-highlights

Entrance Fee: Adults £6 per day, Adult Weekend Ticket £10

Home stay, a good solution to practise your English

For students coming to Leeds, there are various accommodation possibilities. Students often choose to share a flat and don't think about home stay accommodation, which offers many advantages.

We interviewed Borja, a 23-years-old Spanish student who has chosen this option. Let's see what he thinks about the experience.

Why did you decide to stay with a host family?

I think it is the best way to learn English, as I can speak with my family every day and put into practice what I have learnt during my classes. Moreover, I wanted to spend time with English people and see the way they live. I meet many foreign people at College and it is really interesting but I wanted to broaden my horizons and experience something else when I get home.

Can you tell us more about your family?

I live with a 38-years-old woman who is a University Counsellor. I also live with her niece who is also a student. The first day, I was really warmly-welcomed; she was waiting for me outside and was really nice. She introduced me to her niece, her parents and her two cats.

What do you most enjoy about your home stay?

She speaks to me a lot and I have the opportunity to practise my English. She also gives me information on bus timetables, the places where to go out and eat in Leeds. She even gave me the telephone number of a cheap taxi company.

What do you least enjoy about your experience?

Commuting to the College. I have to take a bus every day to go to College, since I do not live in the City Centre.

Do you think you will keep in touch with her when you go back to Spain?

Absolutely! I plan to send her a Christmas card and if I come back to Leeds I will visit her!


Leeds Language College can help you find a suitable host family with various possible options: self catering, bed and breakfast or half board. It is important to keep in mind that a host family doesn't always consist of the father, mother and children, as in Borja's case. He lives with a woman and her niece. Nevertheless, his experience has been rewarding. You also have to be prepared to follow certain rules set by the family. Some families will let you have more freedom than others. In spite of this, you will practise your English and maybe build a long-term friendship with a native English speaker!