Advanced Spanish Meeting Highlights

Tuesdays are for OKC Spanish meetings!

It's kind of a long story...

The RSVP list sat empty.

Only one name was recorded.

At 7:00PM, only I was present.

Then a new face appeared.

Then a familiar face.

We discussed some very unexpected and amusing topics.

Then someone asked about the book I had brought (not expecting anyone to show) and I didn't shut up for about ten minutes.

The end.

Anniversary Party! Latin Dance Social! A Winery Tour! A Foundation Spanish Meeting! Check out our calendar!

¿De qué hablamos?

Technically, this evening was designated as a Discussion Meeting, and we were planning on reading this month's lectura. But, when I saw that the RSVP list was empty (other than myself), I decided to bring a book to read and leave after a bit. But lo! A new person saw our meeting on the bookstore calendar and decided to take a peek. Then one of my VIP's showed up!

We talked about frogs and toads, played vocab guessing games when we couldn't remember certain words (and then confirmed the correct word on Spanishdictionary.com), my VIP recommended a mole recipe by a person named... Patty Somethingorother (🤦‍♀️), explained how the group and the meetings work to the new guy, and I gave them a preview of the August topic... and I appreciate the feedback that I got! I was able to make some adjustments to make it easier to work through for the Intermediates and Advanced. I do have a habit of choosing difficult articles, but I promise that I'm getting better! 😁

¿Qué aprendimos?

I think my favorite topics for this evening were the Chalkboard and the Frogs!

• Vocab: la pizarra, la tiza, y el trapo

• Ranas toro and Lagartos cornudos

  • When using double-worded terms such as these, if the second word is a noun do not pluralize it (ranas toro). If the second word is an adjective, do pluralize it (lagartos cornudos).

• Terms for setting off fireworks (encender) and discharging a firearm (disparar)

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Al fin y al cabo

During the meeting, we discussed the different formats that our group uses to practice Spanish. The new guy was looking for a group where he could practice everyday conversations, which we do offer in our Advanced Pláticas meetings. We don't offer Intermediate Pláticas, because spontaneous conversation for lower fluency levels presents an uncomfortable amount of frustration when you have six people staring at you, waiting for you to find the word that you can't remember, and the other participants become disengaged while they wait respectfully.

That's why we have set topics, discussion questions, and adequate time to prepare for our meetings. Not only does the meeting content provide learning opportunities for new vocabulary, but it also exposes you to proper use of grammar - such as por vs. para, imperfect vs. preterite, etc. These are things that you can use in any conversation, even though you might have learned it from an article about World War I. Set topics also help all participants prime their listening comprehension for expected words and ideas, which helps them improve that skill.

While I do not support "perfect practice," the lack of topic, structure, and vocabulary makes it difficult for others to follow a spontaneous conversation, and it is tougher for me to offer meaningful feedback and corrections when there are so many vocab and grammar issues. Most adults have a very normal struggle to translate their complex English thoughts into Spanish when their Spanish just isn't up to the task... yet!

... But after hearing him out, I was very glad to remember that I have added a quick start-of-meeting chat for the Intermediates, which basically imitates the Introductions part of the Beginner meetings, and is a lite version of the spontaneous plática that the Advanced benefit from: a very nice middle ground for the middle level! Intermediate meetings starting in August will feature a section titled "Ponernos al Día," where participants are expected to prepare a brief response to one of the listed prompts.

In January 2026, I visited a tiny cafetería in Madrid, Spain

It also inspired me to rethink the old Intercambios we used to have. I'm leaning towards more of the style that I saw in Spain - meeting up in a cafe, pairing up native speakers from each side, ideal for intermediates and up.

I'm not actively trying to not have a personal life, but who else is gonna do what I do? 💪

I run OKC Spanish as a volunteer, so donations and attendance really keep me inspired to create more learning opportunities. Donate a coffee break to help me get a few new special events posted!