Choosing Spanish

Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world after Chinese. It is the official language of Spain, Equatorial Guinea in Africa and 19 countries in the American continent. With more than 500 million speakers worldwide, the number is on a rapid increase. It uses the Latin alphabet, is phonetic and descends from Latin, bearing a resemblance to other Romance languages though it has absorbed several Arabic words over the years. It is the 3rd most studied foreign language and understandably so, since speaking English and Spanish makes a person able to communicate with 80% of the world’s population.

During lessons, importance is given to the four language skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking at all levels whilst tackling intercultural aspects. At Intermediate and Advanced level, cultural themes are dealt with in more depth. The option of studying one literary text at Intermediate level could also be considered, depending on availability. Furthermore, at Advanced level, students are expected to read and appreciate critically a minimum of two literary texts.

Courses available

You can study Spanish at:

Course Prerequisites Duration Lessons Practical/Tutorial Sessions
Advanced Level

A minimum of grade 5 at SEC Level or equivalent is required

 2 years 5 lessons per week 1 tutorial per week
Intermediate Level Good knowledge of Spanish up to SEC level is assumed. 2 years 3 lessons per week N/A
SEC Level No previous knowledge is required 1 year 4/5 lessons per week N/A

The teaching programme is supplemented by:

  • Occasional outings to events and institutions related to the language and/or its culture
  • Occasional guest speakers

Further Studies/Career opportunities

  •  University of Malta/Foreign university
  • Careers in tourism, international business, the diplomatic service & EU institutions, translation and interpretation & education