Spanish Courses - Schools in Chile, South America: Learn Spanish

Join us on some of the finest Spanish courses in Chile and you will be immersed in a country that has a magnitude of beauty and contrasts. Chile offers a complete portfolio of stunning nature, and a wealth of history, culture and traditions made complete with a vibrant and colorful lifestyle. Enroll in one of our Spanish courses in Chile and be indulged in a country where you can enjoy incomparable and unforgettable moments while you study, learn and speak Spanish in Chile.

With its remote and dizzyingly beautiful landscapes and vast tracts of untouched wilderness, Chile has contrasts of astonishing scenery that few other countries can match. It is a country distinct from much of the rest of South America, being both affluent and advanced yet with so many vast areas of untouched natural beauty. At one end of the immense spectrum, you have the driest desert in the world and then at the other end lies gigantic ice fields and glaciers and in-between is the whole mind-boggling spectrum. And don't forget, towering over it all is the impressively long spine of the majestic Andes, punctuated by colossal peaks and smoldering volcanoes.

Chile - History

Prior to the coming of the Spanish in the 16th century, northern Chile was under Inca rule while Araucanian Indians inhabited central and southern Chile. The Araucanian Indians were finally conquered in the early 1880s. Although Chile declared its independence in 1810, decisive victory over the Spanish was not achieved until 1818. In the War of the Pacific (1879-84), Chile defeated Peru and Bolivia and won its present northern lands. A three-year-old Marxist government of Salvador Allende was overthrown in 1973 by a dictatorial military regime led by Augusto Pinochet, who ruled until a freely elected president was installed in 1990. Since that time, sound economic policies have added to stable development and have helped protect the country's pledge to a democratic and representative government. Chile has increasingly assumed regional and international leadership roles befitting its status as a stable, democratic nation.

Spanish Courses Chile - Geography

A long and narrow coastal Southern Cone country on the west side of the Andes Mountains, Chile stretches over 4,630 kilometers (2,880  mi) north to south, but only 430 kilometers (265 mi) at its widest point east to west. This covers an incredible mixture of landscapes.

At 292,240 mi² (756,950 km²), Chile is the world's 38th-largest country (after Turkey). It is similar in size to Zambia, and is a little larger than the state of Texas.

Copper and nitrates are mined in large quantities in the northern Atacama Desert. The relatively small Central Valley, which includes Santiago, dominates the country in terms of population and agricultural resources. This area also is the historical center from which Chile expanded in the late nineteenth century, when it integrated the northern and southern regions. Southern Chile is rich in forests, grazing lands, and features a string of volcanoes and lakes. The southern coast is a labyrinth of fjords, inlets, canals, twisting peninsulas, and islands. The Andes Mountains are located on the eastern border. Chile is the longest (N-S) country in the world (over 4,200 km / 2,600 mi), and also claims 1,250,000 square kilometers (482,628 sq. mi) of Antarctica as part of its territory. However, this latter claim is suspended under the terms of the Antarctic Treaty, of which Chile is signatory.

Chile controls Easter Island and Sala y Gómez Island, the easternmost islands of Polynesia, which it incorporated to its territory in 1888, and Robinson Crusoe Island, more than 600 kilometers (375 mi) from the mainland, in the Juan Fernández archipelago. Another controlled but uninhabited landmass which belongs to Chile is the islands of Sala y Gómez, San Ambrosio and San Felix. These islands are distinguishable because they add to Chile's claim to territorial waters out from its coast and into the Pacific Ocean.

Spanish Schools Bolivia - Economy

Chile has a market-oriented economy characterized by a high level of foreign trade. In the early 1990s, Chile's status as a role model for economic reform was increased when the democratic government of Patricio Aylwin strengthened the economic reform began by the military government. Growth in real GDP averaged 8% during 1991-97, but fell to half that level in 1998 because of tight monetary policies implemented to keep the current account deficit in check and because of lower export earnings - the latter a product of the global financial crisis. A severe drought exacerbated the recession in 1999, reducing crop yields and causing hydroelectric shortfalls and electricity rationing, and Chile experienced negative economic growth for the first time in more than 15 years. Despite the effects of the recession, Chile maintained its reputation for strong financial institutions and sound policy that have given it the strongest sovereign bond rating in South America. By the end of 1999, exports and economic activity had begun to recover, and growth rebounded to 4.2% in 2000. Growth fell to 3.1% in 2001 and 2.1% in 2002, largely due to lackluster global growth and the devaluation of the Argentine peso. Chile's economy began a slow recovery in 2003, growing 3.2%, and accelerated to 6.1% in 2004-05, while Chile maintained a low rate of inflation. GDP growth benefited from high copper prices, solid export earnings (particularly forestry, fishing, and mining), and stepped-up foreign direct investment. Unfortunately, unemployment continued to be high. Chile deepened its longstanding commitment to trade liberalization with the signing of a free trade agreement with the US, which took effect on 1 January 2004. Chile signed a free trade agreement with China in November 2005, and it already has several trade deals signed with other nations and blocs, including the European Union, Mercosur, South Korea, and Mexico. Record-high copper prices helped to strengthen the peso to a 5½-year high, as of December 2005, and will boost GDP in 2006.

Chile - Food

Examples of typical national dishes are empanada (combination of meat, chicken or fish, with onions, eggs, raisins and olives inside a flour pastry), humitas (seasoned corn paste, wrapped in corn husks and boiled), cazuela de ave (soup with rice, vegetables, chicken and herbs), bife a lo pobre (steak with french fries, onions and eggs) and parrillada (selection of meat grilled over hot coals, often including delicacies such as intestines, udders and blood sausages). Seafood is good. The most well known seafood in Chile is the huge lobsters from Juan Fernández Islands. Abalone, clams, sea urchins, giant choros (mussels), and prawns are also common.

Chile is famous for its wine, or Pisco, a powerful liqueur distilled from grapes after wine pressing. Beer is also drunk throughout the country.

Spanish Courses Chile - Climate

Extending over 38 degrees of latitude, from the tropics to the vicinity of Antarctica, and from sea level to altitudes of over 20,000 feet, Chile has a wide variety of climatic conditions. Extreme dryness exists over the northern section of the country; the average annual rainfall in this region is 0.04 inches. Temperatures are moderate along the coast throughout the year and more extreme inland, especially in the central basin.

Central Chile (30-40 degrees latitude) has a Mediterranean climate, with cool, rainy winters (April to September) and no dry season. The average temperatures for the hottest (January) and coldest (July) months at Santiago are 68 F and 46.6F, respectively.

The climate of the southern region is cool and rainy all year long. It is distinguished by copious low clouds. The line of permanent snow is approximately 18,000 feet in Chile's extreme north and it descends to 14,000 feet opposite Santiago and to 2,200 feet at Tierra del Fuego.

Interesting Facts about Chile

The Republic of Chile is an unusually shaped country - long and relatively narrow.

The Andes Mountains run from the North all the way to the South of Chile.

Chile's highest point is Nevado Ojos del Salado (6,880 m).

Chile also has some of the world's highest active volcanoes.

Chile's Atacama Desert, in the north of the country, is one of the world's driest regions.

At the tip of South America is the Strait of Magellan, named after the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan who passed through the Strait in 1520.

Easter Island, famous for its giant stone statues, was named by Admiral Roggeveen, a Dutch explorer, who came upon the island on Easter Sunday.

Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe is based on the adventures of Alexander Selkirk. He was deserted on an island off the Chilean coast and remained there alone for four years.

In May 1960 an earthquake occurred in Chile with a moment magnitude of 9.5. The earthquake triggered tsunamis which traveled from the coast of Chile to the west coast of the United States, the islands of Hawaii and even as far as the Philippines, Japan and New Zealand.

Spanish Courses in Chile - Advice

At our Spanish schools and courses in Chile and throughout South America our advice can really be summed up with one simple word - practice! The kind of study materials you use is not quite as important as how or how often you use them. Your hard work and determination will be one of the biggest factors in successful language learning.

The Spanish school and course you choose in South America is going to be the core of your Spanish study, so make sure you choose a Spanish language course that gives you structured lessons and lots of opportunity to practice your new language skills. Our Spanish courses at our Spanish schools in Chile and throughout South America, will give you the perfect opportunity to study, learn, and practice Spanish in a supportive, well planned and friendly environments.

You must work at your new Spanish language skills every day. Ideally, you should study Spanish an extra hour or more every day. If you can get at least an extra half-hour of study time, that's pretty good too. Try to at least get a little review and study, learn and practice Spanish every single day.

If you attend one of our Spanish courses in Chile and you learn Spanish everyday, you will have a good basic knowledge of the Spanish language in a reasonable amount of time. Your knowledge and ability will increase and improve depending upon what other tools you use and what kind of experiences you have using the Spanish language.

Grammar book. A good old-fashioned grammar book may be boring but they are a great way to really get to grips with the details of the language.

Phrase Book

These are extremely helpful books that you can carry with you. They can be useful for practicing pronunciation, or for quickly finding a lot of more commonly used phrases, words and idioms. Phrase books are always a nice supplement to learn Spanish and they are convenient and cheap.

Dictionary. Absolutely necessary in the long run. You must have a dictionary if you wish to expand your vocabulary, and you will need one in order to take full advantage of many of the Spanish language learning tips set out here. Make sure you get one that translates both ways e.g. English to Spanish AND Spanish to English. It is also helpful to find a dictionary that contains idioms - the phrases particular to the language which you are studying - as well as phrases that are commonly used in the Spanish language, but may be difficult to translate. As an example in English - 'to give the cold shoulder' or 'it's a piece of cake!'

Flashcards

A simple Spanish language learning tip, but a very effective way to review, refresh your memory and expand your vocabulary. There are pre-made flashcards that can be purchased, or for extra help, you can create your own. Keep them with you at all times, in your pocket or in your car, and look at them for a quick review or language lesson at every opportunity. They are very convenient.

Talk to yourself

It may be obvious, but the best way to learn Spanish in South America is to speak Spanish in South America! This convenient method can be use at all times, as you can even talk to yourself. Even if you are in public and don't feel comfortable talking to yourself out loud, you can make it your habit to practice Spanish by thinking Spanish. Throughout the day, think of the Spanish words for everything you pass - objects in your house, things you pass when you are traveling, things you use at work or school, etc. Learn basic Spanish phrases like - ‘it is cold today' or ‘it is sunny today' and use whichever is appropriate when you first look out the window. By putting this tip into use on a regular basis, the vocabulary and phrases will become more routine and automatic.

Practice with friends

Taking it even further than talking to yourself, you can practice with your friends. Even if they don't speak Spanish, talk to the people you know by using your new language. Warn them in advance that you are practicing your new knowledge and they'll know what's coming. Even a simple 'good morning' or 'see you later' in Spanish will make those phrases more natural to you. Your friends may even begin to learn a few words and join in the fun too!

Listen to music

Listen to Spanish music. You'll hear the Spanish language used in a real context and this will help you pick out the rhythm and pronunciation even better. This method will also give you a further understanding of, and appreciation for, the culture and customs of the people. Music in Spanish might be easier to find than others, but Amazon or eBay and many other global websites will enable you to find music in Spanish and many different languages.