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Word of the Month: Intuition

Jeanette Bazeley, April 1, 2023

What is that feeling deep in our gut, apart from logic and rational thought, that makes us choose a career, a job, a life partner, or even something as simple as what to buy or what to wear? What is the instinctive feeling of a mother that her child is unwell even before there is any evidence?...

Word of the Month: Strategy

Yolanda Wegner, March 3, 2023

The word strategy often suggests scenarios such as trying to win a game of chess or running a successful business. But it is also an important skill for many other factors of our personal lives such as getting a project done or learning a new language...

The Art of Learning

Yolanda Wegner, February 6, 2023

There are many ways to absorb a new language and practice the words and rules of English as you learn them. One of these ways is through creating art together. In the context of English class, I have the privilege of helping my student to discover her talents and beautiful gift for creating things...

Sensitive or Sensible?

Jeanette Bazeley, February 1, 2023

In English, there are many words that sound similar to words in Spanish but cannot be directly translated. These words are known as false cognates or false friends. It’s important to learn these words because you could save yourself some embarrassment in the future!...

Star Gazing to Splatter Paint

Ana Meier, January 10, 2023

The vocab for the last week had been astronomy, gaze, universe, telescope, reflect among others. Time to move on but one more class of review was needed, the final tap of the hammer on the nail. All weekend long my brain weaved in and out of various topics concerning life and the general upheaval of the world but somehow, it always returning again and again to this specific class; how can I make these words interesting so ten-year-old Felix remembers them?...

Word of the Month: Aspiration

Jeanette Bazeley, January 2, 2023

Happy 2023! A new year brings many new ideas, projects, challenges, and aspirations. Here at Primavera English, we hope that learning English with us will be one of your aspirations!...

Word of the Month: Carol

Jeanette Bazeley, December 1, 2022

Christmas is coming! In many American and British homes, singing carols, or Christmas songs, is an important aspect of Christmas. Many of these carols date back to the 16th and 17th centuries and it is thought that originally, some of these songs were written...

Private Class or Group Class: Which Is Best for You?

Shana Goodwin, November 22, 2022

If you are thinking about starting to take English classes, one important choice to make is whether to take private classes or group classes. Here at Primavera English, we offer both, and in this post I’ll outline some of the benefits of each...

Word of the Month: Fabric

Shana Goodwin, November 1, 2022

What does the word "fabric" mean in English? Be careful: the word fabric has a false cognate in Spanish: “fábrica,” which means “factory.” However, we do use the verb “fabricate” to mean “to make or build,” which is much closer in meaning to the Spanish...

How to Improve Your English for the Duolingo English Test

Shana Goodwin, October 24, 2022

An increasing number of international ESL learners are taking the Duolingo English Test (DET) in preparation for studying in universities in North America, Europe, or Australia. Below we have outlined the most important language skills to master before you take the Duolingo English Test, as well as where to find resources so you can improve those skills...

Word of the Month: Introduce

, October 1, 2022

What does the word "introduce" mean? The most common meaning of the word introduce is #1; to make someone or something known by name. As seen in meaning #3, introduce can also mean to insert something, as its often confused false friend in Spanish (introducir) suggests...

Word of the Month: Realize

Shana Goodwin, September 1, 2022

The word realize can be confusing because in Spanish, the verb “realizar” means “to perform or carry out,” (basically, the second meaning of the verb realize in English. It’s much more common to use a verb like “to complete” or “to do” rather than realize...

Why Should Kids Have Hobbies?

Emily Thomson, August 24, 2022

We at Primavera English believe it is essential for kids and adolescents to have hobbies, or creative activities that they can enjoy in their free time. Not only do hobbies help kids learn problem solving and life skills, but they can also be great educational opportunities...

Improve English Pronunciation with Tongue Twisters, Part 3

Shana Goodwin, August 15, 2022

As I have written in previous posts in this series, one great way to practice pronunciation is to learn tongue twisters – they are fun, challenging to the brain, and can show you which sounds you have a hard time pronouncing. Two sounds that can be especially difficult for native Spanish speakers who are learning English are “b” and “v,” because in Spanish, the two letters are pronounced almost identically...

Word of the Month: Potential

Shana Goodwin, August 1, 2022

What does the word “potential” mean? As an English teacher, I’m inspired every day by my students’ potential: they all have dreams and goals that they are working hard to fulfill, and I know they’ll go far!

Meet the Teachers!

Emily Thomson, July 22, 2022

We love our teachers! Primavera English’s dynamic young staff have agreed to answer a few questions so you can get to know them better...

Bored or Boring: What’s the Difference?

Shana Goodwin, July 12, 2022

Fortunately, there’s a pretty simple explanation: -ed adjectives usually describe emotions, or the way someone or something is feeling. And -ing adjectives usually describe the thing that is causing that emotion or feeling...

Word of the Month: Lecture

Shana Goodwin, July 1, 2022

What does the word “lecture” mean? This word has a false cognate in Spanish: “lectura,” which means “reading,” so my students often use lecture incorrectly, when they mean to say “reading.” The words both come from Latin, but the Spanish translation of lecture is closer to “conferencia.”...

It’s All Fun and Games

Emily Thomson, June 6, 2022

Who doesn’t enjoy playing games? This is one of our most important resources for English classes with young learners. At Primavera English we have an extensive collection of board games, card games, and party games (not to mention running games) that can be used in class to practice grammar concepts, review vocabulary, or...

Word of the Month: Career

Shana Goodwin, June 1, 2022

What does the word “career” mean? The word career has a cognate in Spanish: “carrera.” However, this word is mostly used (at least here in Paraguay) to refer to one’s chosen university field of studies rather than one’s professional career. It’s important to note that in English, the word does not refer to...

New at Primavera: Duolingo English Test Prep Classes!

Shana Goodwin, May 16, 2022

Primavera English is now offering classes to help our students prepare for the Duolingo English Test! Accepted by thousands of universities in North America, Europe, and Australia, this is an English proficiency test that can be taken online, on demand, and takes only about an hour to complete. We have designed our personalized course to help you reach your goals as you prepare to take the test...

Word of the Month: Free-for-all

Shana Goodwin, May 1, 2022

While May’s “Word of the Month” isn’t really a word you might find yourself using a lot, it’s a great example of a compound word. Compound words can be confusing...

How-To Writing: English in the Kitchen

Shana Goodwin, April 8, 2022

Recently, one of my students and I have been learning about process writing, or how-to writing, which can be a great, accessible place to start writing instruction. Read on to discover a fun how-to writing lesson plan that includes spending a good portion of class time in the kitchen!

Word of the Month: Majestic

Shana Goodwin, April 1, 2022

What does the word “majestic” mean? Recently, some of our staff members went on a camping trip to Iguazú Falls on the border of Brazil and Argentina. We arrived at Iguaçu National Park quite early in the day, and hopped on a tour bus for the scenic drive down to the waterfall. On the way, we saw a small capybara ...

Celebrating Pi Day

Everett Button, March 15, 2022

Yesterday at Primavera English we celebrated Pi Day, which is a special day for math fans. It is Albert Einstein's birthday and also celebrates Pi (π)...

Word of the Month: Resource

Shana Goodwin, March 1, 2022

As ESL teachers, we are constantly adding to our resource library, or our supply of books, games, useful websites, and other material we can use for classes. Of course, our most important resource is our teaching staff, or our human resources. We couldn’t exist without them!

What Is the TOEFL, and When Should I Take It?

Shana Goodwin, February 19, 2022

If you’re planning to study or live abroad, you may need to consider preparing for and taking the TOEFL iBT test. This test is the most widely used English language proficiency test in the world, and is known to be extremely rigorous. It is important to give yourself plenty of time to prepare for this test: it’s not easy!

Word of the Month: Fresh (fresco)

Shana Goodwin, February 8, 2022

When I sat down to write this post, I thought of the word “fresh” immediately: the weather has been so wonderfully refreshing and cool this week after several weeks of super hot and humid weather!

A Letter Journey

Michelle Cavanna, January 24, 2022

Besides sending us on imaginary adventures, this fun activity provided good descriptive writing practice and taught Val the basics of letter writing (an ancient but useful – and classy! – skill). We hope you enjoy reading our letter journeys!

“Be” or “Have”?

Shana Goodwin, January 17, 2022

Which one is correct: “I have twenty-four years” or “I am twenty-four”? Native Spanish speakers who are learning English often confuse the verbs “be” and “have” when talking about age. This is because in Spanish, the verb “tener” (to have) is used (“tengo veinticuatro años”), so it’s natural to simply translate this into “I have twenty-four years.” Unfortunately, however, this is incorrect. In English, the verb “be” (ser/estar) is used when talking about age: “I am twenty-four.”

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