Students may choose Regular or Intensive courses. The Regular courses are four hours per day while Intensive courses are six. Group classes average 4-5 students with a maximum of six. Before the course begins, students will be tested to evaluate their level of Spanish. Following the test they will be assigned to one of six levels which correspond to the following modules:

Module I

Beginning and upper Beginning:

The goals of these introductory courses are to achieve a basic level of oral communication in the present, future and the past tense. At the same time students will acquire a general knowledge of Costa Rica and Latin America. Students will learn the minimum vocabulary and grammatical structures needed to communicate with the Spanish speaking community.

Module II  

Elementary and Intermediate levels:

In elementary and intermediate classes, basic communication skills will be strengthened and expanded by more complex verb forms including the preterit, conditional and subjunctive. Various didactic methods are used including practice with written Spanish and works with various topics of the Costa Rican and Latin American experience.

Module III  

Upper Intermediate and Advanced levels:

In these courses, students review the grammatical problems of Spanish as a second language and work with more advanced topics. In addition, students will strengthen their existing knowledge and minimize their weaknesses. Intercultural analysis of Latin America, the interpretation of literal works, and the improvement of written Spanish are emphasized.

Each level includes grammatical structures of the Spanish language, the presentation and discussion of details and special characteristics of life and society. Technical Spanish and Composition exercises are available (optional). Modules II and III include writing exercises, Module III includes (optional or combined) Technical Spanish, contemporary Latin American literature, Latin American tradition and folklore, Latin American political and social issues.

In addition to our working files we also use local newspapers, magazines from Central America, songs, videos about the Latin American reality, illustrations, maps, books and many other materials, which are especially prepared for use in PVLI. We also visit places related to the topics and invite experts to give lectures. Discussion themes are presented in sections and include a variety of listening exercises.

Occupational Spanish
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