Prepositions can sometimes be confusing for students learning English. They do not translate exactly from language to language. Sometimes one preposition is correct in one language, but a different one […]
Day 1: Orientation & Getting to know the town of Granada Nicaragua. Today (Sunday) we met up at 9am for a brief tour around Granada to learn about the history
Summer Spanish Immersion Programs in Nicaragua & Costa Rica Begin! Students and professionals from all over the United States begin their Spanish language immersion program with Common Ground International over
Adverbs and expressions of frequency tell how often you do something. In this posting I talk about common adverbs and expressions of frequency. I also tell you where to place
We use the passive voice more often in English than in many other languages. This voice changes the focus of the sentence. In the active voice, the sentence focuses on
Modals are special verbs in English. They behave a little bit differently than most English verbs. For one thing, they don’t take an “s” in the third person singular form.
Double negatives are common in many languages, but they are not appropriate in English. A double negative is a sentence that contains a negative verb and a negative word, such
Every time I promote anything “Medical Spanish”, whether it’s local courses, online courses, immersion trips, free lessons, etc – literally ANYTHING – I ruffle the feathers of a small percentage of the
English has two kinds of nouns, count and non-count nouns. It is important to understand the difference between them. This is because some quantity words go with count nouns and
Semana Santa in Guatemala – Brillant Alfombras de Aserrín This cultural unit explores the vibrant and beautiful tradition of the saw dust carpets or alfombras de aserrín that are created
International volunteer opportunities naturally attract good-hearted people who want to do service learning that feels great and helps others at the same time. Unfortunately, good intentions don’t always result in good
This medical Spanish lesson focuses on talking about the 10 common Medical Spanish mistakes. They are mistakes that many people make, but you can avoid just by thinking about them
Last posting we talked about the present perfect tense. In this posting we continue talking about the present perfect. Today I review how to form the present perfect and how
The present perfect tense in English is a past tense. However, it is different than the simple past. It is a past tense, but it connects with the present. Today
Cognates are words in two more more languages with similar spellings and pronunciations. They also have similar meanings. Some languages, such as French and Spanish, are closely related. These languages
Get these 3 FREE Carnaval Activities to use with your students in the Spanish classroom. They are fun, interactive cultural lessons embedded with rich vocabulary and grammar concepts that are easy
Asking questions correctly can sometimes be confusing in English. You may wonder if you are putting the words in the correct order. Today I talk about two types of questions,
Cultural Lesson all about and Semana Santa and Carnaval for your Spanish classroom! DOWNLOAD NOW! This valuable cultural resource is full of Spanish classroom activities that explore the rich history and celebrations of
English has many words with similar spellings and similar pronunciations, but with different meanings. It is easy for someone learning English to confuse some of them. Today I talk about
This Medical Spanish lesson focuses on looking at the anxiety and embarrassment that male latino patients have when they are coming into the clinic and their provider is a woman.
The 5 2 1 0 diet in Spanish helps you easily talk through the number of fruits & vegetables, screen time, activity, and sugary drinks that are healthy to consume
English speakers connect their sounds by linking words. This makes their spoken English different from their written English. For example, read the sentence, “Do you want a cup of coffee?”
International travel suggestions; especially in Central America International travel is amazingly fun and educational, but it does offer plenty of opportunity for challenges and difficulties. Thankfully, most of these can
Phrasal verbs in English are verbs that consist of two or sometimes three words, such as check in or come up with. These expressions always begin with a verb, but
Let’s Talk About El Día de los Tres Reyes Magos! What is the connection between los Tres Reyes Magos and the 12 days of Christmas? Have you ever wondered why
Every language has idioms. You have them in your native language, but you may not realize when you are using an idiom. When you hear one in English, however,
Las Posadas Navideñas Spanish Class Activities Celebrating Las Posadas in the Spanish Classroom…whether you’re a Feliz Navidad or Felices Fiestas person, it’s nice to do some cultural activities around the holidays in your classroom;
Different Christmas Traditions: Las Posadas December 16th marks the beginning of Las Posadas, a Christmas tradition that originated in Spain and is now celebrated throughout Latin America. This tradition consists
Most of our postings are about speaking. Sometimes, however, you may need to write in English. Maybe you need to write a note to your boss or co-worker. Perhaps
Subject-verb agreement is usually easy in English. However, it is sometimes a little confusing for people learning English. Today I talk about how to make sure your subject and
The past tense in English for regular verbs is easy to form. You probably already know that you usually add “ed” to the base form of the verb. But you
Learning English can sometimes be confusing because English has two present tenses, the simple present tense and the present progressive (which is the “ing” in English”). Most English learners
Thank you for taking a few minutes to share your feedback on the Learning Medical Spanish Facebook group! We’ve been posting content in the group for a few months now and
Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) The Day of the Dead or Día de los Muertos observed November 1st and 2nd is a vibrant and profoundly meaningful tradition
Do you enjoy watching TV? Have you ever wondered if your TV could help your English. The answer is,” Yes.” Today I talk about how to learn English through TV.
Hispanic Heritage Month and Latin American Independence are more connected than you might think! This cultural lesson explores the complex history of how many Central and South American countries gained
Does English pronunciation sometimes give you trouble? Do you ever wonder how to pronounce certain common sounds? Today I go over 5 English sounds that can be tricky to pronounce.
If you ever think “How can I improve my English?”, then you must read this post. Today I’m going to show you how to improve your English in 7 easy
When you’re having those safe sex conversations and talking about how to prevent the spread of STDs in Spanish, it’s easy to get passionate about what you’re educating on because simple
Reflexive verbs are an integral and important piece of Spanish grammar that many English speakers struggle with. We tend to understand clearly when the natural English equivalent includes some
Vagina in Spanish is a word that many of our students get anxious about because they don’t want to offend anyone, nor communicate in ways that they wouldn’t normally in
Functional language proficiency: a working definition, parameters, and examples Functional language proficiency is not a term that you hear everyday, however it’s the crux of what every student learning a
It’s taken me some time to work up the courage to write this post on penis in Spanish. I’m an internal processor, and I’m always catching my wife by surprise
If you’ve ever struggled to recall the parts of the body in Spanish, this post is perfect for you! We’ve been teaching healthcare professionals and students how to talk about
Some of our favorite tropical fruits from Central America may or may not be familiar to you, but here is how you can enjoy them! We love sharing these tropical
When you are learning a language, you often find yourself scrambling to build vocabulary first. Shortly thereafter you realize that you need to string that vocabulary together into meaningful thoughts
The Immersion Fund does fundraising for travel scholarships by partnering with the House of Hope. The Immersion Fund offers unique fundraising opportunities and student travel scholarships for Spanish immersion participants. We
The Immersion Fund is about fundraising with a purpose. The Immersion Fund partners with the House of Hope, a place of refuge and dignity for many women in Managua, Nicaragua.
This glossary of medical terminology in Spanish includes terms in these categories: cardiology, dental, dermatology, diabetes, diseases and conditions, ENT, gastroenterology, geriatrics, gynecology, mental health, neurology, optometry, oncology, orthopedics, pediatrics, radiology,
What is the Tuesday Morning Program and what does it have to do with student fundraising? The Immersion Fund began with two primary goals of raising funds for scholarships for
