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Word of the Month: Free-for-all

Shana Goodwin, May 1, 2022

While May’s “Word of the Month” isn’t really a word you might find yourself using a lot, it’s a great example of a compound word. Compound words can be confusing...

How-To Writing: English in the Kitchen

Shana Goodwin, April 8, 2022

Recently, one of my students and I have been learning about process writing, or how-to writing, which can be a great, accessible place to start writing instruction. Read on to discover a fun how-to writing lesson plan that includes spending a good portion of class time in the kitchen!

Word of the Month: Majestic

Shana Goodwin, April 1, 2022

What does the word “majestic” mean? Recently, some of our staff members went on a camping trip to Iguazú Falls on the border of Brazil and Argentina. We arrived at Iguaçu National Park quite early in the day, and hopped on a tour bus for the scenic drive down to the waterfall. On the way, we saw a small capybara ...

Celebrating Pi Day

Everett Button, March 15, 2022

Yesterday at Primavera English we celebrated Pi Day, which is a special day for math fans. It is Albert Einstein's birthday and also celebrates Pi (π)...

Word of the Month: Resource

Shana Goodwin, March 1, 2022

As ESL teachers, we are constantly adding to our resource library, or our supply of books, games, useful websites, and other material we can use for classes. Of course, our most important resource is our teaching staff, or our human resources. We couldn’t exist without them!

What Is the TOEFL, and When Should I Take It?

Shana Goodwin, February 19, 2022

If you’re planning to study or live abroad, you may need to consider preparing for and taking the TOEFL iBT test. This test is the most widely used English language proficiency test in the world, and is known to be extremely rigorous. It is important to give yourself plenty of time to prepare for this test: it’s not easy!

Word of the Month: Fresh (fresco)

Shana Goodwin, February 8, 2022

When I sat down to write this post, I thought of the word “fresh” immediately: the weather has been so wonderfully refreshing and cool this week after several weeks of super hot and humid weather!

A Letter Journey

Michelle Cavanna, January 24, 2022

Besides sending us on imaginary adventures, this fun activity provided good descriptive writing practice and taught Val the basics of letter writing (an ancient but useful – and classy! – skill). We hope you enjoy reading our letter journeys!

“Be” or “Have”?

Shana Goodwin, January 17, 2022

Which one is correct: “I have twenty-four years” or “I am twenty-four”? Native Spanish speakers who are learning English often confuse the verbs “be” and “have” when talking about age. This is because in Spanish, the verb “tener” (to have) is used (“tengo veinticuatro años”), so it’s natural to simply translate this into “I have twenty-four years.” Unfortunately, however, this is incorrect. In English, the verb “be” (ser/estar) is used when talking about age: “I am twenty-four.”

A Cycling Adventure

Hanna Cavanna, January 4, 2022

Today I want to tell you about a project I am very excited about. Yesterday my son Denton and husband, Reuben, set off with another father-son duo on a bike expedition from Asunción, Paraguay, to the Atlantic coast at Curitiba, Brazil, a journey of one thousand kilometers. Besides being an amazing adventure, the trip is a fundraiser for the PROED-SERVOME school in Bella Vista, Asuncion...

Word of the Month: Habit (hábito)

Shana Goodwin, January 1, 2022

Happy New Year! We’re expecting great things to happen in 2022, and we’re especially excited about all that our students will achieve this year. One word we talk a lot about at the end of the year and the beginning of the new year is “resolution.” What is a resolution? Basically, it’s the decision to stop a bad habit and replace it with a good one...

Pizza at Primavera!

Emily Thomson, December 13, 2021

Who doesn’t love pizza? Last Friday evening, we invited our teen students to join us for a pizza party. But what made the event fun was that each student made their own pizza (or pizzas) themselves! This was a great way to practice food and cooking vocabulary, and learn some new culinary skills in the process...

Word of the Month: Christmas Vocab!

Shana Goodwin, December 1, 2021

As I mentioned in a previous post, I love Christmas, so I couldn’t decide on just one word for December. As a bonus this month, enjoy learning (or refreshing your memory with) the following list of Christmas vocab words!

The Difference between “For” and “To”

Shana Goodwin, November 18, 2021

The simplest explanation for knowing when to use “to” or “for” when talking about a reason or function is that “for” is followed by a noun or gerund, and “to” is followed by a verb. Examples: The ciclovía is a great place for walking and biking. The ciclovía is a great place to walk and bike...

Restroom or Bathroom?

Shana Goodwin, November 8, 2021

Almost all of my students have asked me this at some point: What’s the difference between “restroom” and “bathroom”? When should I use each? The answer is very simple: in my own house, I use “bathroom,” but when I’m in other people’s houses, or in public, I say “restroom.” ...

Word of the Month: Patient

Shana Goodwin, November 1, 2021

What does “patient” mean? Patient is a good word for me in November because I love Christmas and I love birthdays, and both my birthday and Christmas are in December. I always get impatient...

Trick or Treat!

Michelle Cavanna, October 29, 2021

Last night we hosted a crowd of witches, pirates, princesses, and their parents in an October celebration, the first of its kind here (to my memory). Several families in our neighborhood opened their doors to the young visitors to give them candies or cookies. Many of our young English students stopped by to eat...

How to Use “Since”

Shana Goodwin, October 15, 2021

In my classes with adults, or in my TOEFL prep classes, I often hear students confusing their usage of the words “since,” “from,” and “for.” “Since” is used to express the time duration for an action or state that started in the past and is still continuing in the present. It is used with the present perfect continuous or present perfect simple tenses...

Word of the Month: Heavy

Shana Goodwin, October 1, 2021

What does heavy mean? In reality, the word heavy has more than twenty definitions! I only included the most commonly used definitions in this post. In Asuncion in October, the balmy spring weather turns into hot and humid summer, and the air feels really heavy...

Celebrating 1OO Days to Christmas

Michelle Cavanna, September 18, 2021

Learning a language is not only about studying grammar and expanding your vocabulary. It’s important to learn about the traditions and customs of the countries in which that language is spoken as well – and fortunately, that’s a very fun thing to do! This week we invited many of our young students to a party...

Word of the Month: Blossom

Shana Goodwin, September 16, 2021

What better word for September than “blossom”? In Asuncion in September, you can’t walk a block without stepping on Lapacho or Bougainvillea blossoms, or seeing them cascading over walls and doorways...

New Staff Member: A Beta Fish

Jeanette Bazeley, September 4, 2021

Meet the newest staff member at Primavera English! This beautiful blue beta fish now lives in one of our classrooms, where he delights students of all ages. The younger students are enthralled to watch him eat the fish food they give him, and he never misses the chance to show off his lovely colors...

The Difference between In and On

Shana Goodwin, August 26, 2021

In Spanish, the preposition “en” is used to indicate position in space or time. But in English, there are two prepositions that replace “en”: in and on. It can be difficult to know which one to use when, and although they are often interchangeable, here are a few general guidelines...

Word of the Month: pretty

Shana Goodwin, August 2, 2021

Pretty is a pretty common word in English, because it has an adjective, adverb, and verb form. You will most often hear it being used in its adverb form, where it means “moderately,” or “quite”...

The Difference between Make and Do

Shana Goodwin, July 14, 2021

Use “make” when talking about creating, building, or producing something. Use “do” when talking about work or tasks...

A Roundup of Our Favorite Online Resources for Teaching ESL

Shana Goodwin, July 8, 2021

When I’m preparing for class, it’s sometimes overwhelming how many online ESL resources exist, […]

Word of the Month: frozen

Shana Goodwin, July 1, 2021

Fro-zen Verb Past participle of freeze. Example: The lake was frozen last week, but […]

The Difference Between Later and After

Shana Goodwin, June 18, 2021

After you read this article, you’ll be a pro on how to use these two words. Both “later” and “after” mean “at a time in the future.” But the words are used differently...

The Difference Between Say and Tell

Jeanette Bazeley, June 8, 2021

The simple way to think of the differences between say and tell is: You say something. You tell someone something...

Why I Always Include Running Games When I Teach Kids’ English Classes

Michelle Cavanna, June 7, 2021

Running games are an amazing learning tool, giving children a way to have fun, vent some of their energy, learn English vocabulary, and practice teamwork...

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