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Cactus Language Newsletter – July 2015

Welcome to the Cactus Summer newsletter!

Our new quarterly newsletter brings you top tips and ideas for the coming months, as well as some offers and incentives to learn a language while the sun’s shining…

1. Junior language camps – a wise choice for the summer

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The summer holidays may be upon us, but it’s not too late to book a holiday of a lifetime for your children. Our junior language camps for 5-18 year olds are fun-packed, educational and confidence-boosting!

2. 10 top locations to learn Spanish this summer

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Tropical beaches, magnificent colonial cities, superb water sports, Mayan ruins, sumptuous food, wine tasting and nightlife…whatever you want from your holiday, you can find it with a Spanish course!

3. Sneak Preview! Ollie Phillips in Spain

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Cactus Ambassador Ollie Phillips has recently jetted off to Spain with Cactus, to practise his Spanish in Seville and catch some waves surfing in Cadiz. We asked you what you wanted to see Ollie do in Spain and you voted flamenco…so see Ollie dancing flamenco and look out for the upcoming video of his trip!

4. Join Cactus at the Language Show and The Expat Show – Autumn 2015

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Whether you’re learning a language for relocation, work, love or brain power, join us at these two fantastic shows where you can try a language class for free, win a language course and claim your free language learning voucher.

5. NEW Corporate Language Training Website

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June 2015 marked the launch of our new Cactus Language Training website, your new platform for private and corporate language training worldwide. To celebrate we are offering a £50 voucher off your next course!

Have a great summer and we’ll see you in September!

The Cactus Team

Tennis fever: Top French tennis phrases

With Wimbledon upon us, it’s time to pick up more than your racquet…here are our top tennis expressions in French and English!

With tennis season in full swing – the French Open recently finished and Wimbledon finally here – it is customary for local tennis courts to become full as wannabe Federers dust off their racquets and tennis fever sets in.

This year why not impress your friends with more than your passing shot? Here we bring you essential tennis vocabulary and expressions in French, for use on or off court and preferably with a bowl of strawberries (fraises) and cream (crème) to enjoy afterwards.

Top 10 French Tennis Vocabulary:

Backhand Revers
Forehand Coup droit
Serve Service
Smash Smash
Game, set, match! Jeu, set et match!
Umpire Arbitre
Ballboy Ramasseur / ramasseuse de balles
Out! Out!
Foot fault Faute de pied
Tramline Couloir

Top 10 French Tennis Expressions:

Great shot! Joli coup!
You cannot be serious…that shot was in! Vous n’êtes pas sérieux… la balle était bonne!
Can I have another ball please? Je peux avoir une autre balle s’il-vous-plait?
I saw the chalk flying! C’était pleine ligne! (J’ai vu la craie voler)
Somebody’s mobile has gone off in the crowd Un téléphone portable a sonné dans le public
It’s another ace! C’est un autre service gagnant / ace!
He’s broken his serve! Il a fait le break!
That’s a killer drop shot C’est un amorti gagnant (qui tue)
The rain covers are coming out…play is suspended Les bâches imperméables sont sorties…le match est suspendu
It’s gone to a tie-break…there’s nothing between them! Ca va être un jeu décisif / tie-break…un rien les sépare!

Wimbledon takes place from 29th June – 12th July 2015. Cactus runs foreign language evening courses in Wimbledon and in other locations across London and the UK

English courses in London are also available throughout the year.

10 top locations to learn Spanish this summer

If you want a little more from your holiday this summer, a language course is the perfect option. Not only can it be booked last minute, but you can get all the sand, sea, culture and history that you’d expect from a regular holiday. Spanish is our most popular language and with Spanish courses in Spain and across Latin America, there is a language course for every taste!

We’ve asked our language holiday advisors for their recommendations as to the best places to go this summer in Spain and Latin America. And who better to ask – they are the ones who have visited and taken courses in our many destinations.

It’s not too late to book – just take your pick, and get it in the diary!

Location Why Go?
1. Bocas del Toro, Panama Caribbean beaches and islands; excellent diving and surfing; laid-back, rustic vibe; close to the Costa Rican border; on the backpacker trail but still relatively unknown
2. Cartagena, Colombia Magnificent colonial city; Caribbean charm; friendly, warm locals; Colombian Spanish has a reputation for being particularly clear
3. Ibiza, Spain Exhilarating nightlife; spectacular natural scenery and beaches; ancient hill towns; mild climate year-round
4. Jaco Beach, Costa Rica Laid-back surfing and beach culture; relaxed but lively nightlife; courses include Spanish & surfing
5. Playa del Carmen, Mexico Beautiful beach; choice of watersports; lively nightlife; proximity to ancient Maya & Aztec sites
6. San Sebastián, Spain Golden beaches & excellent surfing; famous for its delicious pintxos (tapas); popular summer teen & children’s programmes
7. Santiago de Chile, Chile Southern Hemisphere skiing; vineyards and wine tasting; European in feel; leafy parks
8. Santiago de Compostela, Spain Off the beaten track; classic walking trails; history & culture; traditional bars and excellent tapas
9. Sosúa, Dominican Republic Watersports, especially diving & kitesurfing; attractive climate; cheap destination once there; whale watching in winter
10. Valencia, Spain Vibrant summer location; beaches and watersports including Spanish & kite surfing, impressive City of Arts and Sciences; the place to eat paella

More about Spanish courses in Spain

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Cactus offers Spanish courses in 12 countries worldwide. Courses are available from one week upwards, for all ages and levels, and can be combined with a range of activities from sport and cookery to music and art.

Italian Gelato: cool off in style this summer

It doesn’t need to be summer for the Italians to eat ice cream – indeed, for many it is a daily ritual year-round – but sales of this most iconic of Italian treats, the gelato, go through the roof when the heat rises. Wherever you are in Italy, there will be a queue at your local gelateria, or ice cream shop, and quite rightly so.

Gelato in Italy isn’t ice cream as we know it. In many countries ice cream is made with cream; in Italy, the secret is to make it with milk. It is this that makes their gelato so smooth and creamy, so irresistibly full of flavour. Chocolate gelato is rich and silky; fruity gelato bursts with flavour. If you have anything of a love affair with Italian food, as I do, get yourself to an ice cream shop (gelateria) and indulge in this unmissable and delightful experience.

How to order your gelato in Italy

So it is that ordering gelato from your gelateria is something of an art. You need to know what the different flavours are, do you want a cone or a cup, how many scoops…yes, you can get a long way by pointing, but it pays to learn a few words when it comes to ordering gelato Italian-style. It’s also handy to know that, as in many Italian establishments, you often need to pay and get a receipt before you actually order your gelato; you then show your receipt to the gelato server and say which flavours you want.

Sound like you know what you’re talking about and that first taste of cool gelato on the tongue will be even more satisfying…nothing more to say than buon appetito!

Ice cream vocabulary – the basics:

Una coppa cup
Un cono cone
Un gusti flavour / scoop
Un cono con due gusti, per favore a cone with two scoops, please
Un attimo, per favore one moment, please
Non sono pronto/a I’m not ready
Prego / dime yes please / tell me (from the gelato server)

Popular gelato flavours:

Cioccolato al latte milk chocolate
Cioccolato fondente dark chocolate
Bacio chocolate hazelnut (after the famous Bacio chocolates from Perugia)
Gianduja milk chocolate & hazelnut (like Nutella)
Cioccolato all’arancia dark chocolate and orange
Pistacchio pistachio (NB. ‘chio’ is pronounced with a hard ‘k’)
Mandorla almond
Nocciola hazelnut
Fior di latte literally ‘flower of milk’; tastes like sweet cream
Stracciatella chocolate chip (with fior di latte base)
Cocco coconut
Caffè coffee
Malaga rum & raisin
Zuppa inglese literally ‘English soup’; like trifle, with a custardy base, bits of cookie & sweet wine or Marsala

Popular sorbetto flavours (delicious and very real fruit flavours that usually don’t contain milk):

Cioccolato al latte milk chocolate
Limone lemon
Melone melon
Fragola strawberry
Lampone raspberry
Pera pear
Pesca peach
Frutti di bosco fruits of the forest
Mela apple
Albicocca apricot

Get a head start by brushing up on your Italian before you go! Cactus runs 10-week evening Italian courses in the UK.

Or book a language course in Italy and immerse yourself in the language and culture – just think, gelato every day! Cactus runs Italian courses in over 20 locations across Italy, from the classical hubs of Rome and Florence to the coastal delights of Taormina and Sorrento.

July 2010: This month we’re celebrating summer…

The long days and warm sunshine are putting a spring in our step and making us dream of far-flung destinations where we can dip our toes in water and watch the sunset over a cold beer.

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June 2009: Get ready for summer with Cactus!

With the summer almost here, it’s the prime time to organise a language holiday abroad. Taking a language course on foreign soil is a great way to immerse yourself in the local language and culture, and will ensure that your language skills are enhanced when you return. How much you improve though is up to you. Here are some tips on how to get the most out of your time abroad!

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