SPANISH

Why Spanish?

Spanish is not a language spoken solely in Spain; it is spoken as a mother tongue in many islands under the sovereignty of Spain, as well as in many South American states. The Spanish language is also the second official language in the United States. Statistics reveal that by the year 2020, out of every 100 Americans, 35 of them will be speaking Spanish as the mother tongue. Even today, 3 Americans every 10 can speak Spanish.

In recent years, as a result of trace, culture and education agreements reached between Turkish and Spanish governments, the number of those wishing to learn Spanish has increased and the demand is rising.

Recently, Spanish has become the second language taught in school from Germany to Japan.

Yet another reason why there is a growing demand for the Spanish language is that, after English, it is the most widely used language in the European Union. Ankara University TÖMER is one of the leading institutions to meet this demand.

Lessons

In TÖMER, all classrooms are furnished with a “U-type” seating system so that learners can communicate with the teacher as well as their peers comfortably. Each class features modern, electronic teaching equipment; in accordance with international language learning standards, each class can hold 5 to 16 learners. Language teachers at TÖMER are members of Ankara University. The medium of instruction is Spanish, as a result of which learners are exposed to the foreign language itself from the very start. 

Courses for General Purposes

Spanish courses consist of 10 levels: 4 basic levels, 4 intermediate levels, 2 advanced levels. In order to be successful at the final test given at the end of each term, learners need to prove proficient in each language skill tested (reading, listening, speaking, writing). If a learner fails to get a pass mark in any one of these skills, he or she is asked to take a second test for this skill only.

Coursebooks include Ven 1, Ven 2 and Ven 3; there are also exercise books, listening and DVD material, and supplementary material designed by TÖMER Spanish Unit. In addition to all these, selected texts from various story books are studied and translation of current news items into Turkish is carried out.

Courses for Specific Purposes

Courses for specific purposes include test preparation classes (DELE, AIESEC) and classes for translation-interpretation tests given by government and private institutions. These classes are organised upon request.

Speaking Classes

Upon demand, speaking courses are organised for learners currently attending TÖMER Spanish courses. Speaking classes are run by Spanish, Mexican and Columbian native speaker teachers at various times of the day. Learners in TÖMER Spanish courses can attend these classes free of charge.

Final Tests

Normal courses cover 40 class hours and intensive courses cover 48 class hours; at the end of each semester, learners sit for a final test that includes sections on four basic language skills. Grading criterion is presented below. If a learner fails to meet the pass mark required for a skill, a second test is given for the skill concerned only. Yet, learners who fail in more than one skill are asked to repeat the level.