Spanish Immersion Programs & Curriculum in Peru

Spanish Immersion for Lifelong Learners

This curriculum is for adults who want Spanish to enrich their understanding of Peru and make travel more meaningful.

Private instruction allows you to study at an appropriate pace while exploring subjects that interest you. Your lessons can prepare you for everyday communication and help you understand what you encounter during visits around Cusco.

Spanish for exploring Peru

Your curriculum may help you:

• Introduce yourself and meet local people
• Talk about your interests and previous travels
• Ask and answer practical questions
• Order food and discuss Peruvian dishes
• Shop in markets
• Ask about textiles, crafts and regional products
• Use taxis and other transportation
• Request directions
• Arrange visits and excursions
• Describe archaeological sites and landscapes
• Talk about past events
• Explain future plans
• Express preferences and opinions
• Understand common Peruvian expressions
• Read cultural and historical information
• Write personal messages
• Participate more confidently in conversations

History and culture as learning material

Peru provides an unusually broad range of subjects for Spanish study:

• The Inca Empire
• Earlier Andean civilizations
• Cusco before and after the Spanish arrival
• Machu Picchu
• The Sacred Valley
• Quechua language and identity
• Indigenous communities and traditions
• Colonial architecture and religious art
• Peruvian independence
• Regional festivals
• Textiles and traditional crafts
• Peruvian gastronomy
• Geography and biodiversity
• Contemporary Peruvian society

Your instructor can select readings, vocabulary and discussion activities suited to your level. Cultural content supports the language curriculum instead of becoming a separate lecture in English.

Spanish Immersion for Professionals

The Professionals program is intended for people whose work brings them into contact with Spanish-speaking communities, colleagues, clients, students or research participants.

Cusco is particularly relevant for professionals working in tourism, healthcare, education, archaeology, anthropology, environmental conservation and international development.

Communication within your field

Your course may prepare you to:

• Describe your education and professional role
• Explain the purpose of your work
• Conduct interviews
• Ask clear follow-up questions
• Gather and verify information
• Explain procedures
• Give instructions and recommendations
• Communicate with clients, patients or communities
• Participate in meetings
• Coordinate schedules and field activities
• Conduct telephone and video conversations
• Present projects or research
• Write professional emails and reports
• Summarize findings
• Address concerns and misunderstandings
• Use culturally appropriate forms of communication

Specialized areas

Professional Spanish can be developed for fields such as:

• Healthcare and public health
• Education
• Archaeology
• Anthropology
• History and cultural heritage
• Tourism and hospitality
• International development
• Social and humanitarian work
• Environmental conservation
• Agriculture
• Research and academia
• Journalism

If you bring nonconfidential materials, your instructor can build activities around the language you actually use. These might include interview questions, presentations, questionnaires, field notes, terminology or correspondence.

The curriculum can also examine communication across cultural and linguistic differences, including the importance of Quechua in many Andean communities.

Spanish Immersion for Business Executives

The Business Executives curriculum is designed for managers, entrepreneurs and organizational leaders working with Peruvian or Latin American partners.

Private instruction concentrates on the responsibilities associated with your position rather than following a general business course.

Executive situations

Your learning plan may include:

• Presenting your organization
• Explaining products and services
• Describing operations
• Communicating strategy
• Leading and contributing to meetings
• Delivering presentations
• Discussing budgets and results
• Explaining forecasts
• Negotiating commercial terms
• Evaluating proposals
• Managing projects
• Establishing responsibilities and deadlines
• Assessing risks and opportunities
• Giving feedback
• Resolving disagreements
• Developing professional relationships
• Participating in business meals
• Writing executive correspondence

Peru’s economic and professional context

Business content can reflect sectors important to Peru, including tourism, agriculture, gastronomy, natural resources, cultural heritage and international development.

Classes can explore forms of courtesy, relationship-building and professional communication that participants may encounter in Peru, without assuming that every organization or individual communicates in the same way.

For executives working across several countries, the curriculum may compare Peruvian vocabulary and business practices with those found elsewhere in Latin America and Spain.

Spanish, Quechua and regional identity

Peru is linguistically diverse. Spanish is spoken throughout the country, while Quechua, Aymara and other Indigenous languages remain important parts of national life.

In Cusco, you will hear Spanish influenced by the Andean environment and by contact with Quechua.

Your lessons can introduce:

• Vocabulary commonly used in Peru
• Expressions heard in Cusco
• Quechua words incorporated into regional Spanish
• Features of Andean pronunciation
• Formal and informal forms of address
• Differences among coastal, Andean and Amazonian Spanish
• Comparisons with other Spanish-speaking countries
• Internationally understandable alternatives

You are not expected to learn Quechua as part of the Spanish curriculum. However, understanding its cultural and linguistic importance provides valuable context for communicating in the region.

Personalizing your curriculum within the Peru Special

The shared itinerary includes classes, meals and cultural experiences in Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. Within that itinerary, your private curriculum can reflect your Spanish level, interests and professional objectives.

Your learning experience may include:

• Language preparation for visits and excursions
• Vocabulary connected with Peruvian history, culture and gastronomy
• Discussion and follow-up activities based on shared experiences
• General, professional or executive Spanish suited to your goals
• Individual feedback throughout the program

The Cusco and Machu Picchu immersion is offered on selected dates. Each Special has a defined arrival date, departure date and shared itinerary.

The published Peru Special includes:

• Private Spanish classes
• A curriculum personalized to your objectives
• Boutique accommodation in Cusco’s San Blas district
• Meals and selected dining experiences
• Published cultural activities and excursions
• Learning materials
• Personal feedback
• Transportation according to the published itinerary

Private classes are arranged for one participant or for two people studying together, according to the format and availability of each Peru Special.