Spanish is set to overtake German as the No. 2 foreign language taken by secondary students in Britain, according to a report released this week by the National Centre for Languages, also known as CILT.

French remains by far the most commonly taught foreign language. Although the number of Spanish students has increased in recent years, the switch in positions for the No. 2 spot seems to be more because of loss of interest in German. Read more...

If you've learned anything about French pronunciation, you know that it is very common for sounds of words to be omitted as the sounds of one word flow into the next. The same thing happens in Spanish, but to a lesser extent. The process is known by linguists as elision. And, of course, we do the same thing in English, doncha know?

Probably the most common conjunction in Spanish that is used to tell when something occurs is cuando, as in the sentence "Estudio cuando es necesario" (I study when it is necessary). However, cuando can only get you so far when setting a timeframe. Our newest lesson looks at various phrases that act like conjunctions, so you can say things such as "Estudio siempre que tengo la oportunidad" (I study whenever I have the opportunity).

In English the passive voice is used constantly — in fact, the opening part of this sentence used it. But in Spanish the passive voice is a relative rarity, especially in everyday speech. One of the most common mistakes made by beginning Spanish speakers is to use the passive voice excessively.

You can tell you're using the passive voice when the subject of the sentence is acted on by the verb, as in the sentence "The car was sold." In Spanish, you could use the passive — "el coche fue vendido" and you'd be understood — but as this lesson on the active voice advises, you'd be more likely to express that thought in other ways such as "vendieron el coche."