Use one of the easiest tunes to remember the tricky irregular preterite tense Irregular preterite tense can be difficult for many students. We all know that remembering the lyrics to
Sing your verbs: Teaching the irregular preterite tense Read More »
Formal Spanish Greetings- Getting Started Whether you’re traveling to Costa Rica with us this summer or working with Latinos in your own community, properly greeting and conversing with the people
Out of the classroom and into the world: Formal Spanish greetings Read More »
As the Latino population in the United States grows, no business, sector, or industry remains unaffected by this huge demographic. While many businesses are adapting to and marketing to Latinos
You know you have workplace language issues if… Read More »
Basics of medical Spanish: Why the names of medical professions can be tricky… One of the first topics we cover in our Medical Spanish courses is las profesiones –
Medical Spanish Professions: Just call me Doctor Read More »
Spanish Immersion in Costa Rica and the 5 C’s of Foreign Language Education The 5 C’s of Foreign Language Education have been developed by ACTFL as the national standard for
Spanish Immersion and the 5 C’s of Foreign Language Education Read More »
Informal Spanish greetings If you’re traveling to Costa Rica with Common Ground this spring or summer, you’ll be greeted a lot of different ways by Ticos (Costa Ricans). Greeting people
Beyond Hola: Spanish Greetings in Costa Rica (and beyond) Read More »
Simplify your medical Spanish with these verbs! Medical parlance is laden with very specific, nuanced verbs, which often trip up our Medical Spanish students – even at the higher levels.
Versatile Medical Spanish Verbs Read More »
Overarching ideas in Latino culture Whether or not you do business internationally, chances are you work with Latinos in some capacity, be they clients, employees, or colleagues, and therefore deal
From Personalismo to Confianza: Building relationships and Latino Culture Read More »
The internet is full of Spanish teacher resources. Interactive quizzes and printable worksheets abound, but here are some of our favorites that serve 5 distinctly different purposes: 1. Word Reference.com:
Unique Online Spanish Teacher Resources Read More »
What’s in store for High School Spanish students who stick with the language…stay on that path bilingual students! Start studying Spanish in high school – and stick with it –
Ok, so I take another grammar quiz…then what? Tips for aspiring bilingual students Read More »
In our Top 10 Beginner Medical Spanish Errors, we looked at some of the most common errors our students make at the Beginning I level. Here´s another round of common
Top 10 Beginner Medical Spanish Errors (Part 2) Read More »
If you’ve ever had trouble saying “for” in Spanish, you’re not alone! Let’s talk about por vs. para: The key to understanding por vs. para is to think of the
Saying “for” en Español: Por vs. Para Read More »
Let’s talk medical Spanish. What is the best word to use? There are many medical Spanish words and phrases that can stump a medical professional. Some words that have similar
Medical Spanish words to know ¿Cómo se dice? Read More »
Can you help us help the under-served in Costa Rica for our medical missions? Each year Common Ground International leads a medical mission in Costa Rica for student and professional
Donations needed for upcoming medical mission Read More »
Spanish Resources Online: Supplement your Spanish Learning! Whether you want to follow international news, work on your pronunciation, or just find the right Spanish word, here are a few online
Spanish Resources Online: Where to get your daily dose of Spanish Read More »
Day of the Dead- A celebration of loved ones who have passed on The Day of the Dead, El día de los muertos, is one of Mexico’s most important holidays.
Day of the Dead – What is that? Read More »
Abbreviations for texting in Spanish Ever wonder how to spice up your text messages with some Spanish abbreviations? Here are a few to help you stay on the cutting edge
Texting in Spanish…Ayuda! Cómo se dice LOL? Read More »
Medical Spanish Mistakes: Avoid these common Errors! Everyone makes mistakes, especially when learning a new language!Hopefully your Spanish mistakes have given you and your pacientes a few laughs.Here are the
Top 10 Beginner Medical Spanish Mistakes Read More »
Cultural Values: Working with Latinos When we talked about agreeableness in the medical setting, we saw how the “cultural taboo against expressing negative feelings directly” translated into misunderstandings and ultimately,
Latino customer relations & loyalty Read More »
Making a connection with Latino clients and consumers Since we started our blog, we’ve addressed cultural issues that arise with both Latino patients and employees across many industries. We have
Reaching Latino Clients and Consumers Read More »
Working with Latinos and how to be a successful manager: Over the years, we’ve spoken with a number of non-Latinos who manage Latino employees, but one of the most striking
Working with Latinos: Paternalism Read More »
Have you lost touch with your Medical Spanish classmates? Find Common Ground on Facebook for information about upcoming classes, trips, social events, as well as cultural information, news from Latin
Medical Spanish Students, Find us on Facebook! Read More »
Working with Latinos: Understanding Culture and High-Risk Industries Although workplace safety requirements are generally far more comprehensive in the U.S. than in Latin America, accidents still happen in high-risk industries
Working with Latinos: Workplace Safety Read More »
Potential drawbacks of using bilingual employees as interpreters So far we’ve discussed the intricacies of working with Latino patients in the medical setting, but many of the same language obstacles
Using bilingual employees as interpreters Read More »
Latino Culture- Personalismo Last week we explored the cultural basis of latino agreeableness and its effects in the medical setting. We mentioned that the rate of patient compliance can be
Personalismo – What’s your approach? Read More »
Understanding Latino Culture: Agreeableness As with the cleaning staff manager we wrote about a few weeks ago, the topic of agreeableness comes up a lot with our Medical Spanish students
Latino Culture and Agreeableness in a Medical Setting Read More »
Latino Patients: Understanding the Family and Latino Culture “Why are there so many people in the room?” is a question often asked by our medical Spanish students when talking about
Working with Latino Patients & Families Read More »
U.S. Latino, Chicano, Hispanic? Latinos are the second largest ethnic group in the United States, and about 61% of U.S. Latinos were foreign-born. This means that as of last year,
U.S Latinos: Where does communication break down? Read More »
Cross-Cultural Communication with Latinos Having interacted with people of many other cultures, we’ve seen that often the true stumbling block in relating to people of another culture isn’t just lack
Cross-cultural communication – Where to Start? Read More »
Who is Common Ground International and what do we do? Common Ground International, LLC is a Colorado-based company that strives to provide high quality Spanish and English Language services to
Welcome to the Common Ground International Blog! Read More »
