Think Spanish “Cool School” for the Month of May is: COINED International

COINED’s expertise is intercultural programs – fully immersing students of all ages in an authentic language and cultural learning experience. COINED has been teaching students since 1971 … with over 35 years of experience it’s safe to say they know what they are doing and they do it well!

With six different cities to chose from you might have a hard time deciding where to start your immersion. The good news is they are all such great locations that whatever decision you make, you can’t go wrong. Explore the cosmopolitan culture of Buenos Aires, have fun with a younger crowd and the university life of Cordoba, climb to the top of The Andes in Mendoza, explore the wonders of Patagonia in Bariloche and even travel up to Ushuaia, the closest city to Antarctica. Or perhaps, in the end, your adventure will lead you to the modern capital of Santiago in Chile.

With COINED you have the opportunity of staying with a host family or with local students where you can practice and improve your language skills outside the classroom. In general, the results of these experiences are long-lasting friendships. This is a great advantage, as you can continue practicing your Spanish several years after you have finished the program, via letters, e-mails, and telephone calls. In any case they will take into consideration your likes and preferences regarding smoking, children, pets, and special diets.

Our favorite COINED schools are in Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile

THE COINED SPANISH SCHOOL IN BUENOS AIRES

Buenos Aires is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Latin America and has a strong European influence. Entertainment never ends: from sunup to sundown there are countless cultural places to explore, restaurants to indulge in and shops to shop in! When you aren’t basking in the cultural perfection of this city, you will be studying Spanish at the beautiful COINED school building located in one of the most valued historic buildings of Buenos Aires, "Palacio San Miguel". Located downtown, just 5 minutes walking from the "Plaza de Mayo" the COINED school has easy access to bars, shops and restaurants. The school has 20 spacious air-conditioned classrooms, a computer room for students, a cafeteria, and a video room. As part of the Spanish course, COINED offers 2 organized activities every week and a daily schedule of cultural events, including visits to theatres, museums, and festivals as well as information on ticket prices. Activities include: tours of local places of interest, dance classes. cooking classes and even special invitations to parties and fiestas!

SPANISH COURSES IN SANTIAGO DE CHILE

You hear a lot about Buenos Aires and not as much about Santiago. Santiago is an amazing city that has lots to offer and within a days travel you can visit some breath taking locations; explore Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak mountain in the Americas, go wine tasting in Chilean vineyards, relax on the beach, or hit the slopes at some of the best Chilean ski resorts.

All the Spanish courses will give you the chance to have a taste of the real Chilean way of life. Spanish courses are designed to enable you to learn Spanish in an effective way. Santiago, its capital, has a population of 5 million people and is located in the central valley at the foot of the Andes. Santiago is South America's self proclaimed “most modern city” and is a city full of charm and character.

The COINED Spanish school in Santiago de Chile is located in Providencia town. The Spanish school was built in 1925 by Ricardo Larraín Bravo, a recognized architect of the time. Now the building is considered a National monument and belongs to the historic center of Chile. The Spanish School has 12 classrooms, Video room, Internet, cafeteria and a big terrace with a wonderful view of the city center of Santiago. The school also arranges activities and excursions at this location to fully maximize your time and your learning experience.

At both locations you can take private or group classes and will be studying with top-level teachers. COINED also offers internships and volunteer programs which is an entirely different and exceptional experience. Please visit these links to learn more about these opportunities:

• Interships with COINED
• Volunteer Opportunities with COINED

We think these testimonials from past students sum up the great experience you will have studying abroad with COINED. The cultural and language immersion is at the heart of what we believe in at Think Spanish and COINED has done an amazing job at creating a truly memorable cultural and language learning experience for students of all ages!

“Not only did I learn to speak Spanish but most importantly I learned about the Argentine culture and felt part of it! For me my volunteer work was an incredible experience which I would recommend to anyone! I would do it again any time!” – Female Student, 21 years old

“I could not have passed a more productive or congenial month improving my Intermediate Spanish than the month I spent here in Buenos Aires! The staff are attentive and thorough, and my instructor excellent. Rigorous attention was paid to both grammar and conversational skills in a helpful weave that advanced my abilities quite rapidly. Then, of course, there is the wonderful city of Buenos Aires to commend itself with its tremendous cultural offerings, cuisine, transport system, night life, and welcoming people. Can't wait to return!” - Male Student, 61 years old

Cinco De Mayo and Staying Healthy!

Unfortunately the fear of "swine flu" put a damper on Cinco De Mayo festivities this year. The news reported that Cinco de Mayo festivals and celebrations were cancelled nationwide. Did any of you get the chance to celebrate this year? If you did, let us know! How and where did you celebrate?

We hope that the Think Spanish community is staying healthy and strong this season, but just in case, let's review some Spanish phrases for use with the Doctor.

Review and practice the Spanish phrases listed below. In addition, you can click here to listen to these Spanish phrases spoken aloud:
Listen To At The Doctor Spanish Phrases


¿Donde te duele? Where does it hurt?

Tengo un dolor de estomago. I have a stomachache.
You can use this phrase to describe where you feel the pain in Spanish. Just replace stomach with any other body part that has pain.(cabeza: head ; espalda: back; muela: tooth, toothache; piernas: legs; brazo: arm)

Tienes una fiebre de 102 grados. You have a fever of 102 degrees.
Another word that is used to say fever in Spanish is calentura.

Mi niño tiene una cortada en el brazo. My son has a cut on his arm.
You can also say su brazo instead of el brazo, to clarify that the cut is on the arm of your son.

Me duele la cabeza. I have a headache.

Dieta y ejercicio te ayuda a mantener la salud. Diet and exercise helps maintain good health.

Termina toda la medicina recetada. Finish all of the prescription medicine.
This phrase is commonly seen on the prescription medicine bottle.

Tu presión de sangre esta bien. Your blood pressure is OK.

Quiero hacer una cita con el doctor. I want to make an appointment with the doctor.
The Spanish word cita is a powerful word that can mean appointment, meeting, and date depending on the context.

Regresa a verme en dos semanas. Come back and see me in 2 weeks.

¿Tienes un doctor familiar? Do you have a family doctor?

Esto no te va a doler. This won't hurt a bit.
Famous line from the doctor! A good example of expressing something that will (or won't) happen in the future.

Medical Spanish - Pronunciation Practice

Click on the icon to listen to the phrase as it is spoken in Spanish. Even if you don't think you will "need" to use these phrases, you can use this exercise to practice your Spanish pronunciation. Practice and Repeat!


¿Tiene tos? Do you have a cough?

¿Qué medicina toma? What medicine do you take?

¿Tiene fiebre? Do you have a fever?

¿Tiene escalofríos? Do you have chills?

¿Ha tenido dolor muscular? Have you have muscle pain?

¿Ha tenido dolor en los huesos? Have you have bone pain?

¿Ha tenido comezón? Have you had itching?

¿Está herido? Are you hurt? (male)

¿Donde le duele? Where is the pain?

¿Puede hablar? Can you talk?

Respire profundo. Breathe deeply

¿Ha tenido vértigo? Have you had vertigo?

¿Ha tenido palpitaciones? Have you had palpitations?

Think Spanish Recommends - Notes in Spanish

We are always looking for new and authentic audio products for learning Spanish and when we find a good one we are excited to test it out and let everyone know about it. We were thrilled to come across Notes in Spanish! We highly recommend the authentic, and what's more, fun conversations that they offer. Read below for our brief description of the product and start listening (and learning!) with them.

Notes in Spanish brings you free, fun, up-to-date and authentic Spanish audio conversations between Marina, a 'Madrileña', and her British husband Ben, who has lived in Spain for the last ten years. Although Ben is practically bilingual, he still makes the occasional mistake, which is when Marina's instant corrections are invaluable: they help correct the same mistakes most Spanish learners make all the time! It's a really useful learning experience.

There is a huge amount of free audio here for all levels from Beginner to Advanced, and a few paid supplementary materials with transcripts and exercises for those that are extra keen to make the most of the audio!

Start listening now over at Notes in Spanish:
http://www.notesinspanish.com/free-audio/

Think Spanish Free Article of the Month

Learn about Easter Traditions in Cuba while learning Spanish!

Think Spanish Audio Magazine is a great way to increase Spanish fluency, improve your grammar and vocabulary and increase listening comprehension... at home! Click here to enjoy this month's free Think Spanish free article and audio: Un Lento Retorno

Don't forget to check our blog archives and enjoy the free articles from previous months!

Spanish Body Idioms

In the Spanish language many idioms are used that relate to parts of the human body. In this article we show some you of the ones we have using different body parts as well as different movements. If you know some "body idioms" not listed here please share them with us!

PELO - HAIR
No tener pelos en la lengua: not to mince words -- Le dije que era un sinvergüenza porque yo no tengo pelos en la lengua. I told him he was shameless because I don´t mince words.

Poner los pelos de punta: to give someone the creeps -- Sólo pensar en el accidente me pone los pelos de punta. Thinking about the accident gives me the creeps.

Tomarle el pelo a alguien: to pull someone´s leg -- Sus amigos le están tomando el pelo. His friends are pulling his leg.

CABEZA - HEAD
calentar la cabeza: to worry about something.
Ya se arreglará, no te calientes más la cabeza. It will be be all right, don’t worry about it.

escarmentar en cabeza ajena: to learn from somebody else’s mistakes
Aunque se lo advertí, nadie escarmienta en cabeza ajena. Although I warned them, nobody learns from somebody else’s mistakes.

ser la cabeza pensante: to be the brains.
Es la cabeza pensante de la banda. He’s the brains of the band.

tener la cabeza dura: to be stubborn, obstinate
Vaya cabeza dura que tiene ese hombre. That man’s so stubborn.

en cabeza / a la cabeza: in the first place.
Nuestro equipo va en cabeza. Our team is in first place.

BRAZO - ARM
No dar su brazo a torcer: not to give in, to stand firm
El testarudo de Luis no da su brazo a torcer. Luis is so stubborn he doesn´t give in.

Cruzarse de brazos: to fold one´s arms, not to do anything
María se cruzó de brazos y esperó a que los demás dejaran de discutir. María folded her arms (didn´t do anything) and waited for the others to stop arguing.


PIERNA - LEG
Dormir a pierna suelta/tendida: to sleep soundly
Estaba tan cansado que durmió a pierna suelta toda la noche. He was so tired he slept soundly all night long.

Salir por piernas: a.) rush out of a place b.) used to indicate that relationships (usually business) had an unpleasant outcome.
Querían armar un lío en el bar, entonces salimos por piernas. People wanted to pick up a fuss at the bar, so we rushed out.
Espero que no tengas que salir por piernas de esa empresa. I hope everything works out at this company.


DEDO - TOE
Para chuparse los dedos: delicious, scrumptious
La paella estaba para chuparse los dedos. The paella was delicious/scrumptious.

Elegir / nombrar a dedo: to give someone a job, arbitrarily
La nueva secretaria fue elegida a dedo. The new secretary was given the job.

SPANISH BODY IDIOMS: MOVEMENTS AND POSITIONS

A cuatro patas/pies / a gatas: crawling, on all fours
El túnel era tan bajo y estrecho que tuve que pasar a gatas. The tunnel was so low and narrow that I had to pass on all fours.

Boca arriba / boca abajo: face up / face down
Prefiero dormir boca abajo, pero desde el accidente tengo que dormir boca arriba. I prefer to sleep face down, but since the accident I have to sleep face up.

De pie: standing
Estaba tan borracho que apenas podía ponerse de pie. He was so drunk he could barely stand up.

A pie: on foot
Ella tuvo que hacer el camino hasta su casa en Alameda a pie. She had to make her way to her home at Alameda on foot.

De puntillas: on one’s tiptoes
¿Por qué caminas de puntillas? Why are you walking on your tiptoes?

De rodillas, arrodillado/a: kneeling, on one’s knees
Francisco cayó de rodillas sobre el césped. Francisco dropped to his knees on the lawn.

A la pata coja: hopping
“Mira, Papá”, dijo Suzy, entrando en la habitación a la pata coja. “Look, Dad”, Suzy said, as she entered the room hopping.

Dormir a pierna suelta / como un tronco: to sleep quietly / like a log
Aquella noche dormí como un tronco. I slept like a log that night.

De lado: on one’s side / sideways
Los cangrejos se mueven mucho más rápido cuando andan de lado. Crabs move much more quickly when walking sideways.

A hombros: on one’s shoulders
Bob llevaba a su hija a hombros. Bob Carried his daughter on his shoulders.

Llevar a caballito: to give a piggyback ride
Bobby llevó a su hermana pequeña a caballito. Bobby gave his little sister a piggyback ride.

Summer Camp Study Abroad Programs

This might be the greatest idea for “summer camp” that we’ve ever heard of! Kids and teens can enjoy a study abroad summer camp with don Quijote’s Kids & Teens summer camp programs.

What teenager wouldn't be thrilled to attend summer camp in Spain or Guanajuato! Not only will they keep up academically by taking Spanish language courses, but they will be able to interact with Spanish and international students their own age in cultural activities and sports. The programs last from 2-8 weeks and start in June, July and August and are designed for ages 5-18. In addition to learning Spanish, students will acquire a profound understanding of the Spanish culture and way of life. Also it's worth noting that don Quijote's summer camps offer 24 hour supervision and come with high reviews and references providing parents with peace for mind.

We think this is such a great option... to give your kids a productive AND fun summer and a truly unforgettable experience! You can click here to download a pdf with complete information about don Quijote’s amazing "summercamps"