How Does the New A1 Professional Spanish Curriculum Work?

In this A1 Professional Spanish Curriculum, you'll learn the building blocks of the Spanish language. It follows the A1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). And we've focused on vocabulary that is particularly useful for professional settings.

The curriculum is broken down into several modules that include warm-up, learning, practice, review pages, and quizzes to make sure that you truly understand the material before moving onto the next module.

The warm-up serves as preparation and provides context for the main content of the module.

The tasks in the warm-up will either introduce you to new vocabulary for the first time, or review content you have already learned that will be used in the current module.

Below is an example of what you will find in the lessons:

Each task will have an accompanying question that will help you practice the content. If you don’t know how to answer a question or need more details, you can check the explanation section below the question.

After the warm-up, you’ll head over to Learn. This is where you’ll see the new words you’ve learned in action! You'll listen to short sections of monologues or dialogues and answer questions about them to make sure you understand their meaning and how they're used in real conversations. This is also where you’ll learn some theory when needed.

The curriculum also has fill-in-the-blank questions that will help you practice writing in Spanish.

After Learn, you’ll move on to Practice where you'll complete more open-ended tasks that test your comprehension and your ability to write in Spanish.

At the end of each module, there is a Review section with grammar highlights and a glossary of the main points and concepts covered. You can use these review pages to help you study for the quizzes.

The last portion of the module is the Quiz. Quizzes are designed to test your understanding from the material covered in the module.

Throughout the certification, each chapter will have these quizzes. You’ll need to complete them in order to qualify for the exam at the end of the certification.

The certification exam will be the final item released for this certification. We are currently publishing the first three chapters, and future chapters will be released progressively as they are developed by our instructional design team. Once all the chapters are available, we will release the certification exam.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is all of this really free?

Yes. freeCodeCamp has always been free, and we’ve now offered free verified certifications for more than a decade.

Can I study the Spanish curriculum in languages other than English?

We aim to make every course available in all supported languages on freeCodeCamp. Check your account settings to see if the course you are studying is already offered in your preferred language.

What language skills does the Spanish curriculum cover?

The languages courses currently cover listening, reading, and writing. We have plans to add speaking later on.

Are the audio in the language courses and exams recorded by native language speakers?

Yes. All the audio lessons present in the language courses were recorded by native speakers of that language.

I am Deaf or hard of hearing. Can I still study the language courses?

Yes! All audio lesson have closed captions and transcripts available for reading.

I am blind or have limited vision, and use a screen reader. Can I still take the language courses?

Yes! freeCodeCamp courses are designed to be accessible, and you can take the language courses using a screen reader. If you run into any accessibility issues, you can report them on our GitHub repository so the community can address them.

What are the letters and numbers after the curriculum name? (For example: A1, A2, B1)

These labels refer to the CEFR levels, which is an international framework used to describe language proficiency. A1 and A2 represent beginner levels, B1 and B2 represent intermediate levels, and C1 and C2 represent advanced levels. Each level indicates the skills and knowledge you are expected to have at that stage of your language learning journey.

Anything else?

Good luck working through freeCodeCamp’s languages coursework.

Happy learning!

We just published a course on the freeCodeCamp.org YouTube channel that will teach you all about beginner-level Spanish using the highly regarded textbook Aula Internacional 1. This comprehensive, step-by-step course is designed specifically for complete beginners and aligns with the A1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Taught entirely in Spanish to immerse you from the start, this course provides a solid foundation in essential vocabulary, grammar, and conversational skills, making it ideal for anyone starting their language-learning journey. Virginia teaches this A1 level coruse. She is a certified Spanish teacher with 16 years experience teaching Spanish.

The course is divided into easy-to-follow segments that guide you through real-life topics and practical language use. You'll start with basic introductions and learn fundamental verbs like ser, tener, and llamarse. As you progress, you'll explore important grammatical structures such as the present tense, articles, prepositions, and the differences between ser, estar, and hay. The course also covers essential everyday topics including the weather, colors, shopping, describing people, family, food, and navigating your neighborhood.

Beyond vocabulary and grammar, the course emphasizes real-world communication. You'll practice using demonstratives like esto and este, learn how to use verbs like gustar, and get comfortable with reflexive and irregular verbs. Later lessons introduce quantifiers, personality adjectives, and even dip into the pretérito perfecto, which is a stepping stone into past tenses.

Whether you're learning for travel, work, or personal growth, this Spanish course offers an accessible and thorough path into the language.

Watch the full course on the freeCodeCamp.org YouTube channel (11-hour watch).