UCL CENTRE FOR LANGUAGES
& INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
SSCs 2015‐2016 Spanish Syllabus B
Prerequisite for entry
Successful completion of Spanish Syllabus A at the UCL CLIE or a similar course and have limited experience of dealing with authentic material. Course duration Year 1 students: double‐block (16 x 3‐hour classes. Block 1: 8 x 3‐hour classes; Block 2: workshops and tutorials related to Project). Year 2 students: single block (8 x 3‐hour classes). Self‐Study 40 hours in total. Course codes LCSM6002. Aims and Objectives
The aim of the course is to give students an opportunity to revise their survival skills and acquire more sophisticated ways of dealing with practical matters. This includes revision and consolidation of vocabulary, grammar, morphology, syntax and phonetics. Some content related to medical studies will also be included. Students should be able to communicate in and understand Spanish on many practical everyday matters related to various aspects of Spanish and Latin American culture. Cultural awareness will be developed. Language learning skills, including autonomous learning and how to approach authentic material, will be enhanced. Some transferable skills will also be covered. Functions
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describing hospital staff and their duties; giving instructions;
talking about transport facilities for patients;
making future appointments;
describing how to clean a wound;
using the phone;
narrating past events and describing characteristics and activities in the past;
expressing an opinion ‐ likes and dislikes, talking about healthy habits;
expressing anger/joy/surprise/disappointment;
expressing wishes/obligations/needs;
persuading someone to do something;
describing medical work experience in Spanish America;
expressing doubt;
agreeing/disagreeing;
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obligations and needs;
talking about what you are doing; talking about future events. Course Content
Main topics/themes to be covered
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Hospital staff; 
Hospital uniforms, bed linen and in‐patients clothing; 
Transport for patients and casualties: stretchers, minibuses, ambulances and helicopters; 
Looking after a wound at home; 
Healthy food. Bad eating habits and health problems in Spanish America; 
A nurse, a GP and a paediatrician give an account of some of their experiences at work; 
Hospitals in Spanish America; 
Hygiene through the ages; 
Biography. Hippocrates and Severo Ochoa; 
A day at work in a hospital; 
Articles related to medicine. Linguistic Structures
Phonetics
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the sounds of Spanish (vowels, diphthongs, consonants);
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stress;
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intonation;
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spelling.
Morphology
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personal pronouns: subject, direct and indirect objects, prepositional, reflexive;
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comparative and superlative adjectives;
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adverbs ending in ‐mente;
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prepositions;
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the imperative affirmative (regular and irregular forms);
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the gerund;
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the indefinite;
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the imperfect;
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the future; 
revision of the present, perfect and participle.
Syntax
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también/tampoco;
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time: ya, todavía/aún, hace/hacía;
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frequency: siempre, nunca, casi todos los días, una hora al día;
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conjunctions;
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ser/estar;
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gustar;
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soler + inf.;
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tener que + infinitive;
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haber que + infinitive;
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acabar de + infinitive;
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dejar de + infinitive;
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volver a + infinitive;
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pensar + infinitive;
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decir/creer (past) + que;
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seguir/continuar + gerund;
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quedar/quedarse;
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pasárselo bien/mal.
Discourse Strategies
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introducing an excuse: es que ....
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introducing a suggestion: ¿por qué no…? / ¿y si…?
Learning Resources 
ELE Actual A2, Libro del alumno, Virgilio Borobio (SM) – ISBN: 9788467547474 Recommended: 
ELE Actual A2, Libro de ejercicios, Virgilio Borobio (SM) – ISBN: 9788467547474 
Shaum’s Outlines Spanish Grammar (McGraw‐Hill) – ISBN: 9780071830416 
Bilingual Dictionary (Collins) – ISBN: 9780007382385 Authentic material from various sources (press, internet, TV, etc).
In addition there is a wide range of language learning materials available for self‐study in the Self‐Access Centre.