This free online course is the fifth of six in the Spanish for Beginners program. It will introduce you to the language that you need to:

make phone calls;
talk about what you are doing;
book hotel and other holiday accommodation;
shop for food;
make suggestions, and accept and decline invitations.

Learn Spanish to use on the phone and get things done

During the four weeks of the course, you will learn the vocabulary and phrases you need to get things done, such as expressions to use on the phone, when booking a hotel or a holiday apartment, shopping for food, or arranging to go out. You will also learn to use the present continuous to talk about what you are doing.

You will continue to develop your language skills, and practice how to talk on the phone in Spanish; this can be quite daunting, so you will also find tips and advice on how to do it.

You will find out about several festivals and celebrations from the Spanish-speaking world, including the Barranquilla Carnival in Colombia.

What topics will you cover?

Make phone calls;
Talk about what you are doing;
Book hotel and holiday accommodation;
Shop for food;
Make suggestions, and accept and decline invitations.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

Develop skills in basic Spanish for interacting in common communicative situations
Engage in simple communication in Spanish
Apply the language introduced in the course in order to get things done, making phone calls, booking holiday accommodation and shopping for food
Apply the language introduced to make suggestions and accept and decline invitations

Who is the course for?

This course is aimed at people with little prior knowledge of Spanish, who want to learn the basic language and find out about the Spanish-speaking world. The course assumes that you have already studied the previous four courses in the Spanish for Beginners program. This course is taught through English.

Who will you learn with?

Zsuzsanna Bárkányi

I'm a lecturer in Spanish at the Open University. I'm fascinated by languages, how they work, and how we learn them.

Palma Mackenzie

I've been teaching Spanish with the OU for the last 14 years. Over this time I've built up a wealth of experience in distance learning for adults. I also have expertise producing learning material.

María Fernández-Toro

Lecturer in Spanish at the Open University (UK), Department of Languages.
My research interests include language teaching and learning, intercultural communication, and multilingualism in music.

Who developed the course?

The Open University

As the UK’s largest university, The Open University (OU) supports thousands of students to achieve their goals and ambitions via supported distance learning, helping to fit learning around professional and personal life commitments.

Established
1969
Location
Milton Keynes, UK
World ranking
Top 510Source: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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