This exciting second course in Spanish grounds you in the building blocks of fluency, giving you the thrill of communication in this global language. In each lesson, you'll learn core grammar, the skeleton" of the language; essential and useful vocabulary; and the cultures surrounding the Spanish language. Learning Spanish II takes you from the beginning stages of Spanish to a more advanced level of communicating in the language."
Learning Spanish II: How to Understand and Speak a New Language
Take your Spanish to the next level with an engaging and amazingly effective language-learning system.
Rated 4 out of
5
by
Spot The Cat from
Excellent teacher, only wish he didn't use English
Very good teacher (ignore the conservative dress sense). My only wish is he didn't spend so much time translating everything he had already said into English. Firstly, it wastes valuable recording time; secondly it's an intermediate level so students can pick up on what's been said. Saying that, it gives you the tools you need. The rest is up to you
Date published: 2024-10-18
Rated 5 out of
5
by
peter123 from
Where is SPANISH III and IV ?? We need more !!
Spanish Class I and II are an excellent place to start the effort to learn Spanish. Now that I am completed both courses, I hope the professor and Wondrium will provide us with more advanced classes, muy pronto !!!
Date published: 2024-05-30
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Charlie44 from
Clear, organized and entertaining
I have been learning Spanish for several years, using many different learning tools. Despite much of the content in this course being familiar to me, I greatly enjoy the way the Professor organizes his material, communicates clearly and mixes in very entertaing ways of presenting his topics. I look forward to logging in every day.
Date published: 2024-03-15
Rated 1 out of
5
by
DrGary from
Scam
I purchased both Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 from their special sale catalog of $20 each with a total of $43.60. On the next day they had charged me $151.10. I called their customer service and was treated very rudely by a woman with very broken English. I asked for a full refund after she blamed me for the problem. Instead of giving me the complete refund, she refunded me a third of the price twice. Two weeks later, two telephone calls and numerous emails they keep telling me they will refund on a specific day but it never happens. The last email states in a few days I will get my refund. I searched the web and have found that they pull this scam on thousands of people hoping that people will not notice the over charging on their credit cards. Hey, Great Courses, I know you will not post this comment but you cannot stop me from posting this on every social media platform and it is completely true. Over the last 15 years I have purchased close to $2,000 of your courses and now you treat me like this. You need to stop this scam of over charging. You have lost me as a great customer.
Date published: 2024-01-11
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Anne M from
Outstanding - one of the best language sets ever
I wanted to brush up my Spanish and was thrilled to find this and the first course. Dr Worden is absolutely excellent! Highly, highly recommend.
Date published: 2023-11-24
Rated 5 out of
5
by
bla23 from
Bill Worden is an excellent professor
Bill Worden is an excellent professor. He makes each concept easy to understand.
Date published: 2023-10-24
Rated 5 out of
5
by
jhawk from
Excellent course to learn the language
I first purchased and took this course as well as his Spanish 1 course at the end of 2019 to prepare for a trip to Spain. Then...Covid. I am planning to travel there later this fall and have taken both courses again twice recently and along with following most of Professor Wordens' recommendations to listen to Spanish programming, etc, I am feeling confident with my ability to communicate with native speakers when I am there. This professor is excellent and motivating and I highly recommend both of his courses to anyone wanting to be able to speak to others in Spanish
Date published: 2023-06-20
Rated 5 out of
5
by
popquiz from
Learning Spanish II: How to Understand and Speak a
I am so grateful to Professor Worden! I took his Spanish I course and am taking his Spanish II course. From his outstanding instruction, I have developed much skill and confidence in Spanish. In fact, from his teachings I have been able to volunteer in a local pantry where many South and Central Americans people come for assistance. In addition, he so heightened my interest in Spanish culture and language that I spent one-month in Spain in an immersion course.
Date published: 2023-05-26
Overview
About
Dr. Bill Worden is an Associate Professor of Spanish at The University of Alabama. He received his A.B. in Mathematics from Dartmouth College, his M.A. in Spanish from Middlebury College and his Ph.D. in Hispanic Studies from Brown University.
Since 2002, Dr. Worden has taught a wide variety of courses at The University of Alabama, ranging from Introductory Spanish and Advanced Grammar and Composition to undergraduate and graduate courses in 16th- and 17th-century Spanish literature.
Dr. Worden's main area of research is the work of Miguel de Cervantes, especially his novel Don Quixote. Dr. Worden has published in the fields of early modern Spanish literature, colonial Cuban theater, and 19th-century Spanish literature. He has also published on pedagogical topics, including how to teach Spanish at the middle school and high school levels, and has lectured on approaches for helping beginning language students become comfortable speaking Spanish.
Dr. Worden was awarded the David and Ruth Kossoff Prize for Leadership in Language Teaching by the Department of Hispanic Studies at Brown University, as well as the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching by the Graduate School at Brown. In 2013, the Alabama Association of Foreign Language Teachers selected Dr. Worden as the winner of the annual Outstanding Foreign Language Teacher Award for Postsecondary.
Trailer
01: Essentials for Success with Spanish
Begin by exploring key principles of effective language learning. Consider a core approach to building comprehension, focusing on linguistic cognates, context, and the use of conjecture. Then, do a spirited review of definite and indefinite articles, singular and plural nouns, and subject pronouns, and look at some new grammar and vocabulary. Finally, preview the material you'll learn in the cours...
47 min
02: The Present Tense and Prepositions
To build conversational skill, practice the present tense with verbs ending in "ar," "er," and "ir." Then learn some vital irregular verbs and how to use them. Continue with prepositional pronouns (as in "near me" or "next to her"), and some new prepositions (such as "beneath" and "behind"). Finish with a look at the four-part structure of the course, and how to get the most from it....
44 min
03: Indirect Objects and Verbs like Gustar
Here, tackle a variety of new material. Start with a thorough look at indirect object pronouns (as in "to/for you" or "to/for us"), and verbs that use them. Work with a highly useful verb, gustar, which expresses what someone likes or doesn't like, and with other verbs which function similarly. Then explore the geography of the Spanish-speaking world, and adjectives of nationality....
53 min
04: Spanish Pronunciation and Reciprocal Verbs
Look at ways to develop excellent pronunciation in Spanish. In particular, practice Spanish consonant sounds that don't exist in English, focusing on the Spanish "r." Investigate reflexive verbs, and how to use them in conversational speech. Last, study reciprocal verbs, which describe actions done by people to each other, and observe how they work within a romantic story spoken in Spanish....
44 min
05: Advanced Work with the Preterite Tense
First, learn useful vocabulary relating to the kitchen and cooking. Then study grammatical constructions that use the present tense to talk about the past. Delve deeply into the preterite tense, which expresses past actions that are viewed as completed or ended. Sharpen your command of the preterite with key verbs such as tener (to have), ver (to see), dar (to give), and ir (to go)....
42 min
06: Introduction to the Imperfect Tense
Explore important vocabulary regarding time, and how to use it conversationally. Then work with the imperfect tense, which expresses ongoing actions in the past, conditions or characteristics in the past, time or age in the past, and habitual past actions. Practice forming the imperfect with all categories of verbs, and grasp how the imperfect is used in Spanish compared with English....
48 min
07: When to Use the Imperfect and the Preterite
Learn to distinguish between contexts where the preterite is the necessary tense and others where it's best to use the imperfect. As a case in point, see what happens when an action in the past interrupts another action that is in progress. Work briefly with the verb haber (to have) in the preterite and the imperfect. Finally, learn about one of the most important novels in Spanish literature....
44 min
08: How to Expand Your Spanish Vocabulary
Investigate a two-step approach to incorporating new words in Spanish as an active part of your vocabulary. Next, focus on the Spanish pronoun se, and its essential use in passive and impersonal expressions. Then learn the imperfect progressive construction, vital for conversation, which emphasizes the ongoing nature of past actions. Observe the use of verb tenses in a story from Cervantes....
47 min
09: Mastering the Imperfect and the Preterite
Learn a range of new vocabulary relating to the family. Then take a look at verbs that change meaning depending on their context. Observe how some important verbs have different meanings in the preterite and the imperfect, and how others change meaning when used in the positive as opposed to the negative. Also grasp three rules regarding which syllables to stress when speaking Spanish....
47 min
10: Mastering Direct and Double Object Pronouns
Improve your Spanish pronunciation by working with key vowel and consonant sounds that we may think are the same as English, but are in fact different. Continue with direct object pronouns (as in, "I see them."), and double object pronouns, where two pronouns occur within a sentence ("We send them to him."). Learn how to build skill with these vital elements of conversation....
44 min
11: Expressing Possession in Spanish
Begin this lesson with some highly useful vocabulary regarding shopping. Contemplate three qualities of successful language learners, and how to maximize your own learning of Spanish. Then work in depth with possessive adjectives (as in "my" or "your"), and possessive pronouns ("mine" or "yours"), and practice them in many different conversational settings where they appear....
43 min
12: Using Se to Talk about Unplanned Events
Continue your work with Spanish pronunciation by practicing sounds which can be tricky for learners, such as the Spanish "b," "s," and "d" sounds. Next, learn a useful verbal construction that expresses accidental or unplanned events, such as when someone breaks or forgets something. Finally, take a thorough look at Spanish spelling, and some of the challenges it presents for English speakers....
50 min
13: The Present Perfect Tense
Following work with new vocabulary, delve into the past participles of verbs. In particular, investigate their use as adjectives (as in, "I'm prepared"). Then learn five additional words used in talking about time in different contexts. End this lesson by exploring the present perfect tense (as in "We have slept"), how to conjugate it, and when to use it in expressing yourself in Spanish....
43 min
14: Past Participles as Adjectives and Nouns
Deepen your work with some core elements of conversational fluency. First, refine your knowledge of past participles; both their use in the present perfect tense and their use as adjectives. Practice the present perfect tense with pronouns (such as, "We've given it to them"), with adverbs (as in "I've never met Juan"), and discover how Spanish past participles can also function as nouns....
47 min
15: The Future Tense
Learn two ways to express future actions without using the future tense; one, using the present tense to describe future actions, and, two, using the Spanish construction meaning that one is "going to" do something. Then learn the less used future tense, some key expressions regarding the future, and note how the future tense is also used to express uncertainty or conjecture....
43 min
16: Cognates and False Cognates
Consider the value of making a good first impression when you begin communicating with Spanish speakers. With this in mind, learn a group of effective "conversation openers," to engage with the person you're speaking to. Continue with a range of new vocabulary, and take a close look at the frequency and usefulness of cognates in Spanish-words that are the same as or similar to words in English....
38 min
17: The Conditional Tense
In approaching the conditional, note how this tense is used in English to express potential actions, and to be polite, and how it functions similarly in Spanish. Review the five tenses you've learned so far, and observe how adding new tenses becomes easier as you progress. Learn to conjugate the conditional, and practice its application, including its use to express probability in the past....
45 min
18: Uses of the Infinitive
Explore Spanish nouns that are directly related to verbs, highlighting nouns that end in the suffix "-miento." Continue with a look at important uses of the infinitive in Spanish; its use as a subject ("I like to cook"), an object ("We want to eat now"), and in commands. Also work with three highly useful verbs: dejar (to leave), and sentirse and sentir, which express how someone feels....
47 min
19: Relative Adverbs and Relative Pronouns
Extend your skill with the infinitive with important additional ways to use it, such as its use as a noun. Also deepen your work with interrogatives, focusing on questions involving "what" and "which." Then delve into the use of relative adverbs and relative pronouns, words which link the first part of a sentence with what comes afterwards....
42 min
20: Mastering the Uses of Estar and Ser
A grasp of how to use the verbs estar and ser (both of which mean "to be"), is fundamental for communicating in Spanish. Here, study five primary contexts for using estar, followed by eight core uses of ser. Also note cases where both ser and estar are possible. Conclude this lesson by considering how to develop the most effective mental attitude for learning Spanish....
43 min
21: Advanced Work with Adverbs and Adjectives
Refine your facility in Spanish with a review of the three types of adverbs, adding some vital adverbial expressions, such as con frecuencia (frequently). Explore Spanish adjectives which can come before nouns, and nouns that end with the suffix "-ión." Then, learn about Gabriel García Márquez's Cien años de Soledad, one of the two most important and influential novels ...
44 min
22: How to Use Para and Por
Add more adverbs and adjectives to your vocabulary, and learn how to change adjectives into nouns. Study how to use two of the most important prepositions, which can be challenging for Spanish learners: para and por, both of which translate into English as "for." Learn the key contexts for each, and the usage differences you must grasp to speak Spanish correctly....
42 min
23: The Evolution of the Spanish Language
Trace the origins of Spanish, beginning with the early Iberian languages and the introduction of Latin by the Romans. Follow the process by which Latin developed into castellano, or modern Spanish. Learn to make comparisons in Spanish, both of equality and inequality. Also study adjectives which mean one thing when used before a noun, and something else when used after it....
45 min
24: Health and Well-Being in Spanish
This lecture introduces a wide range of vocabulary regarding health. Learn to speak about medicine and doctors, the parts of the human body, and about various common health problems and their remedies. Continue with important vocabulary regarding pleasure and enjoyment. Practice using the preterite and imperfect tenses. Then, consider some ways to accelerate your learning of Spanish....
43 min
25: Advanced Work with Commands
Take a deeper look at commands in Spanish, which you will use constantly in conversation. Begin with informal commands in the second person singular and plural. Then work with the more complex formal commands, negative commands, and commands in the first person plural. Study the geography of the U.S.-Mexico border, and the Mexican states and cities that adjoin the region....
41 min
26: Introduction to the Subjunctive Mood
The subjunctive mood in Spanish expresses subjectivity on the part of the speaker. Look into the meanings of this important mood, how to conjugate many verbs in the present tense of the subjunctive, and how to use it in one specific context: with expressions of desire. Also investigate the historic influence of Germanic languages on Spanish, particularly regarding Spanish vocabulary....
42 min
27: Expressing Doubt with the Subjunctive
Look again at the question of assimilating new words in Spanish, and steps you can take to expand your vocabulary. Practice the subjunctive as it's used in expressions of doubt or uncertainty, and also with certain important impersonal expressions. Learn new vocabulary relating to the world of art. Then explore the life and works of the great Renaissance painter, El Greco....
43 min
28: Expressing Influence with the Subjunctive
Review the uses of the subjunctive mood that you've learned to this point, and the typical structure of sentences where the subjunctive appears. Continue with a new context for the subjunctive: expressions of influence. Learn more useful impersonal expressions that require the subjunctive. Finally, take account of the enormous impact of Arabic language and culture on Spanish....
43 min
29: Expressing Emotion with the Subjunctive
Practice using some key Spanish verbs that have to do with the act of seeing or looking. Then, study another context for the subjunctive mood-the expression of emotion-along with some new vocabulary relating to emotional states. Consider an important way to think about language learning. Also discover another important influence on Spanish: the indigenous languages of the New World....
42 min
30: Next Steps toward Spanish Fluency
In this last lesson, learn about the different varieties of Spanish spoken around the world, and the differences you'll encounter in grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. Continue with a look at some new and useful vocabulary. Conclude by taking stock of where you are in your Spanish studies, and some key ideas on how to keep moving forward....
39 min
