Since March of 2005 John has been leading a Spanish language practice circle for people who love the language but never get a chance to speak it—or hear it. True, Spanish is a language heard more and more often in our lives in many parts of America, and certainly here in the Chicago region; but most of us only hear it from afar or on the run—in public places, on TV or radio--and can barely hear what’s being said. This is a chance to whet your appetite for this language.

If you’ve come to this page, you probably already know a fair amount of Spanish, so here goes: 

A cada participante se le da la oportunidad de hablar un poco sobre el motivo de su presencia, acerca de su experiencia con el español, y así sucesivamente.

Casi siempre contamos con un “invitado especial” originario de algún país de habla española—han venido chilenos, colombianos, mexicanos, venezolanos, nicaragüenses, dominicanos, españoles y puertorriqueños. En la segunda mitad de cada sesión todos dirigimos a estos hispanohablantes las preguntas que tengamos acerca de sus países de origen.

Estas sesiones son útiles sobre todo para los que ya tienen alguna experiencia con el idioma, o sea alumnos avanzados o intermedios. Pero suelen atraer también a algunas personas que apenas hablan el español. Tratamos de incorporarlas lo mejor posible.

The sessions are held every first and third Wednesday at the main branch of the Oak Park Public Library on Lake Street near Oak ParkAvenue. A free service to the community, many from outside of Oak Park have attended.  Usually ten to fifteen people show but there have twenty or more on some occasions.  Most are from this suburb bordering Chicago, but a few from suburbs further west or from Chicago itself. As mentioned above in Spanish, John usually has one native speaker on hand to serve as "special guest".  Some sessions attract three or four native speakers.  The bulk of those attending, however, are people who are intermediate speakers or advanced learners.  A few people who attend speak very little Spanish at all but desire just to hear the language and strengthen their determination to learn it.

During these two-hour sessions, John skillfully makes sure each participant has a chance to say at least a few things about herself or himself in Spanish. English is definitely not spoken here.  The “invited guests” have included friends from Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, and Spain, not to mention native speakers born in Chicago who also have come. Circle participants get a chance, therefore, in the second half of the session, to direct their attention to these native speakers, asking them questions about the guest's country, their customs, and about Spanish as it is spoken in their particular country or region. The conversation is usually quite lively and stimulating. John gives many tips and pointers on a large white board provided by the Library. The setting is very attractive and comfortable.

Our next session will be Wednesday, November 5, 2008. 

Click here for a list of past guests.