We just love breaking free! That's how they see it
Plus-que-parfait, pretérito perfecto simple or Adjektivdeklination. Grammar for the sake of grammar? Boring exercises or simply reciting conjugations? Get rid of them! Learning a language is so much more than just studying forms. We have known for years that you live a language and not just learn it. Being able to express yourself correctly or write without mistakes is and remains a must, of course, but that alone does not yet capture the nuances that make a language a whole world. And that is why we are constantly seeking out that world in our lessons.
For our students, pronom relatif rhymes just as well with a visit to the French Château d’If or congiuntivo imperfetto with a meeting with the writer Paolo Cognetti. El año Picasso? Then we take a virtual tour of Madrid or talk to a Spanish painter. Want to get to know the Langhe, Naples or Siena better? Then you could join our Italian teachers. Or maybe a few days in Bath and Bristol, the Prince's City of Delft, Weimar or simply a day in Ostbelgien auf Deutsch?
You don't even have to travel far to improve your Dutch: simply register for our ICT, Photography, Cooking or Fashion courses at one of our teaching locations in the Flemish periphery.
Our teachers, whether or not native speakers, will happily immerse you in their language and culture. And our students, they just adore it!
Italian
As a lover of culture and languages, the visits and excursions organized by the Italian lessons are a real plus for me. It is not only useful to put your acquired language skills into practice, it is also simply useful to practice the language in a real context. For example, I recently went to Siena for a seminar organized in collaboration with the Università per Stranieri and to the Piedmontese Langhe region. The visits with an Italian guide, discovering places that you would miss as a tourist, the guidance by real experts without having to figure everything out yourself, all plus points for carefree enjoyment and learning languages. I have also been to the theatre in Italian twice in my own country. Finding out that you understand a lot of the new language is very motivating. - Hilde Eygemans -
English
Due to a professional change a few years ago, I came into contact with more English-speaking clients and felt the need to improve my English. CVO Semper gave and still gives me the opportunity to expand my vocabulary and to supplement my grammatical knowledge. I recently enjoyed a very well-organized 4-day study trip to Bath and Bristol where we were guided by local travel guides. Ideal to get in touch with the English spoken every day and its accents. With our class group, a guided tour of 'Art Nouveau' in Brussels is also on the agenda. I'm already looking forward to it! - Annie van Quaethem -
Spanish
I have been taking Spanish lessons at CVO Semper for eight years with great pleasure. The nice thing about the school's approach is that in addition to the classical lessons, there are also extra-muros activities. For example, in recent years we have regularly made a short study trip to Spain. This year we were in the Spanish Basque Country. And the trip actually started with the preparation in class. Teacher Ana took care of the organization and an interesting program, with a mix of culture, history, nature and of course gastronomy. Such a short trip is an opportunity to practice the language in a safe environment and to come into contact with the culture that belongs to that language in an educational way. The groups of participants are always mixed: beginners and advanced students together. This way, the beginners see what they can achieve after a few years and the advanced students are more than happy to help the beginners. As an advanced student, you also notice how far you have already traveled. - Patrick Vanhoucke -
Dutch
Nina comes from Ukraine and has only been in Belgium for 7 months. She is learning Dutch at CVO Semper. Watch the video.
French
Thank you for your voyage to Marseille. It is interesting to know the nature of the different people's pays according to the French language and communication skills. Moreover, this journey is like a breath of fresh air for me. New positive emotions, museums of classic and modern art, hot sea air, pleasant atmosphere of the quays, aromas of the restaurants and, well sure, the famous savon de Marseille. Thank you again! - Natalia Sobko -
The last weekend of April 2023, as part of the French course, we took the TGV from Brussels-South to Marseille with about twenty people; the oldest and perhaps most colorful city in France. Thanks to the organizational talent of the accompanying team of teachers, we not only had an excellent and well-located hotel as well as an interesting program; the committed guides who showed us around also clearly knew their job. Many participants are already looking forward to the new educational and three-day language immersion that the teachers will devise for us next spring. Oh yes, in the past I have heard the inhabitants of Liège, “la Cité ardente” (where our class also went in December), described as “les Marseillais belges” and after this trip I can understand that to some extent! - H. Gielen -
More information about our activities and lessons, both @class and @home can be found at www.cvosemper.be and be sure to check out our Facebook or Instagram page.