SJ Languages Spanish with Sam - Classes for Adults & GCSE Learners

26/11/2025

👀 Fancy a sneak peak! Here’s a tiny taste of what’s in store at tomorrow’s Sip & Speak Spanish evening 🍷🇪🇸

I’ve poured my heart into creating this little booklet for tomorrow’s event in Beccles and I can’t wait to use it with you.

It feels relaxed, friendly and perfect if you love a cosy night out with a twist.

We’re meeting in Beccles at which is the PERFECT place for an evening like this. Just picture an indoor Mediterranean courtyard complete with an olive tree softly decorated for the festive season. 🎄🕊️

If you’d like to join us, message or comment “Wine” and I’ll send you the details.

No Spanish yet? That’s completely fine. It’s fully beginner friendly.

I’m really looking forward to a lovely evening of Spanish, chats and a glass of something nice.

Sam x

15/11/2025

I’m really sad to see more and more universities cutting back on language and music degrees.

First it was the University of Nottingham suspending their language courses… and now the University of Leicester, where I studied Spanish and French, is proposing to close the whole language department because of budget cuts.

The Modern Languages Department staff at the University of Leicester are incredible. They’re experts in their field and they supported us as people, not just as students.

During my final year at uni I went through a really tough time and suffered really badly with anxiety. My mentor who was also one of my Spanish lecturers genuinely kept me going. She taught me what a great teacher really is and the impact a truly supportive teacher can have. I’ll be forever grateful and I hope I bring that same support to my own students.

And language degrees aren’t “just learning a language”. You learn about culture, history, literature, politics, cinema, art, translation, interpreting… and you grow so much as a person.

I wouldn’t have had the chance to study abroad, meet amazing people, see more of the world, or even become a qualified teacher or start my own business teaching Spanish without it.

What makes it even harder is that I’m seeing more adults than ever signing up to learn Spanish with me.

People want to learn languages. The interest is there. But the opportunities for young people to study them at school, college and university keep shrinking.

Closing another language department is a huge blow for language learning in the UK.

If you’ve got a couple of minutes, please sign the petition. It would mean a lot.

Thank you so much. 💛

https://www.change.org/p/save-modern-languages-courses-at-the-university-of-leicester?recruited_by_id=f1822670-c231-11f0-9a5a-efa1ca615fd8&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=psf_promote_or_share&utm_term=psf&utm_medium=facebook

15/11/2025

I’m really sad to see more and more universities cutting back on language and music degrees.

First it was the University of Nottingham suspending their language courses… and now the University of Leicester, where I studied Spanish and French, is proposing to close the whole language department because of budget cuts.

The Modern Languages Department staff at the University of Leicester are incredible. They’re experts in their field and they supported us as people, not just as students.

I went through a really tough time during my final year at uni and suffered crippling anxiety. My mentor (who was also one of my Spanish lecturers) genuinely kept me going. She taught me what a great teacher really is and the impact a truly supportive teacher can have. I’ll be forever grateful and I hope I bring that same support to my own students.

And language degrees aren’t “just learning a language”. You learn about culture, history, literature, politics, cinema, art, translation, interpreting… and you grow so much as a person. I wouldn’t have had the chance to study abroad, meet amazing people, see more of the world, or even start my own business teaching Spanish without it.

What makes it even harder is that I’m seeing more adults than ever signing up to learn Spanish with me.

People want to learn languages. The interest is there. But the opportunities for young people to study them at school, college and university keep shrinking.

Closing another language department is a huge blow for language learning in the UK.

If you’ve got a couple of minutes, please sign the petition. It would mean a lot.

Thank you so much. 💛

Save Modern Languages courses at the University of Leicester

14/11/2025

My little Friday reflection in numbers because it has been such a lovely full week.

38 wonderful adults in my Beccles Spanish classes

1 new learner who jumped straight into the middle of a Beginners course with so much enthusiasm 🙌

4 adults signed up to start with me in January which makes me so happy because our Spanish community grows every single week 🥰

14 people already booked for my Sip and Speak Spanish wine tasting evening🍷

I cannot wait to welcome everyone. There’s a lovely mix of my regular learners and some new faces which I love.

2 lovely intermediate one to ones and yes Christmas may appeared because Spanish Christmas adverts are too good not to explore

2 French lessons with my younger learners and plenty of practise for me too (got to keep my French practise up!)

6 GCSE students joining me this weekend for exam skills and confidence building

2 lovely voice notes from adult learners practising their speaking

and honestly countless conversations with my adult learners.

My classes are never only about language. They are about connection and real moments.
We chat about losses and illnesses and health updates and recent trips and plans for the week and it always feels special to share that space with everyone

1 little Spotify single released to support daily routine verbs

And I can’t not mention my 3 Labradors who insisted on starring in my Zoom meetings and keeping both me and my VA on our toes 😆🐾

Thank you for learning with me this week and for supporting my little business. Every like share comment and review helps me reach more lovely learners and it honestly means so much.

Here is to more Spanish, more confidence and more lovely people in our little community

Sam x

13/11/2025

🎧 Mi Rutina. My first ever Spotify song is live!

Here is a little Thursday plot twist.
I have somehow added Spotify artist to my skill set and it still makes me smile saying that out loud.

My learners always tell me they remember Spanish so much better with music, so I was playing around with an idea on Suno and having lengthy discussions with Chat GPT (who goes by the name of ‘business bestie’ in our chats 😅😆)to help with the topic of daily routine reflexive verbs and it turned into a full song. As you do.

My song is called Mi Rutina and it is actually quite catchy. I have had it stuck in my head for days so you might as well share the experience too. You’re welcome!

It is now live on Spotify if you fancy a listen.

Here is the link
👉 https://open.spotify.com/album/2KrjDmk0s8CQBobv5doWvR?si=8hLpPznFSuGDb3_Wh-A9PQ

If you give me a little follow on Spotify, you will get the next songs when they land because this seems to be something I do now.

📸 DistroKid even designed a billboard for me which absolutely made my day and gave me a good laugh.

Have a listen, give it a like and share it with anyone who enjoys learning Spanish in a fun and relaxed way.

And keep an eye out because there are definitely more Spanish learning songs on the way.

If you have a favourite music style or genre, or a Spanish topic you’d like to be able to talk about, let me know in the comments and I’ll try and feature it in a song!

Sam x

🎶 Listen, like, share as every bit of support means the world to me.

12/11/2025

Another 3 places for my wine tasting in Spanish event (27th Nov) have just been snapped up and it’s been the talk of my afternoon class 🙌🍷🇪🇸☺️
If you’ve not yet booked but want to come along, click the link in the comments to save your space! 👇

10/11/2025

Some real-life Spanish and a little bit of my heart today 💛

With Remembrance Sunday yesterday and Remembrance Day tomorrow, I wanted to share some of the ways we say I miss you in Spanish.

Whether someone has passed or they’re just far away right now these phrases give you gentle ways to say what you’re feeling, even when the words are hard to find.

I’ve included a few photos that mean a lot to me as they are of me with my brother Phil and my lovely Nan. Two people who were always in my corner and have been on my mind so much this past week. I miss them both terribly!

Swipe through to learn each phrase, where they’re used, and what they really mean in real-life Spanish.

If you’re learning Spanish or just love how language holds emotion, this one’s for you.

Save it, share it, or send it to someone who might need it today.

And if there’s a Spanish phrase or topic you’d love to learn next, pop it in the comments as I’d love to hear.

Sam x

07/11/2025

🍷Sip & Speak Spanish Wine Tasting Evening in Beccles! 🇪🇸

What if your next wine night helped you build confidence speaking Spanish too?

Join me (Sam from SJ Languages) for a relaxed, feel-good evening of wine tasting with a Spanish twist — where you’ll:

✔️ Taste and rate 5 delicious wines
✔️ Learn real-life Spanish phrases (support for beginners + fun extras for confident speakers)
✔️ Enjoy light, Mediterranean-style tapas (buffet-style!)
✔️ Use a beautiful tasting booklet you’ll take home
✔️ Spend the evening in a friendly, no-pressure space

📅 Thursday 27th November
🕖 7:00 pm
📍 The Printing Press Wine Bar, Beccles
💷 £35 pp (includes wine samples, light tapas and your booklet)
🎟️ Spaces are limited – booking essential

Whether you’re just starting out, currently learning with me, or haven’t spoken Spanish in years — you’ll be right at home here.

🫶 Hosted in collaboration with the fab team at (for the dreamy tapas) and the gorgeous (a gorgeous venue with serious Mediterranean vibes 🌿🍷)

💌 DM me to book or tap the link in bio to grab your spot!

Sam x

05/11/2025

🍷✨ Sip & Speak Spanish – Wine Tasting Evening in Beccles! 🇪🇸

Looking for something fun and different to do in Beccles?

Come join me (Sam from SJ Languages) for a relaxed, sociable evening of wine tasting with a Spanish twist!

We’ll taste 5 delicious wines, learn how to describe them in real-life Spanish, and enjoy light, Mediterranean-style tapas - all in the gorgeous setting of Printing Press Wine Bar (think indoor courtyard, total Mediterranean vibes and even an olive tree 🌿🍷)

Here’s what your £35 ticket includes:�✔️ Wine tasting – 5 lovely wines�✔️ Light tapas by Old School Coffee Ltd (buffet style)�✔️ Your own take-home tasting booklet�✔️ Real Spanish phrases to practise — suitable for all levels�✔️ A warm, fun, no-pressure atmosphere!

📅 Thursday 27 November�🕖 7pm�📍 The Printing Press, Beccles
�💷 £35 pp�🎟️ Spaces are limited and tickets selling fast so pre-booking essential

Whether you're just starting Spanish, currently learning with me, or haven't spoken it in years you'll be right at home.

Book your ticket here: https://bookwhen.com/sjlanguages

💌 Or DM me if you have any questions!
�Tag a friend and come make a night of it! 💃

Hope to see you there!

Sam x

31/10/2025

Still not over this trio in full Halloween glam at dog school this week

Didier and Dobby were spooky spider twins and Dora rocked a pumpkin jumper like the queen she is 👑

No idea how you got them all to sit still for a photo againbut thank you so much! They have the best days at school and we love seeing all the photos and videos 💛

I’ve been a bit quieter on here after a rough cold that made me take a bit of time out but I’ve really enjoyed being back to teaching Spanish this week.

The hours in class have flown by (spookily fast) and it’s been so lovely hearing all the Spanish everyone’s using again. I’m so proud of each and everyone of my students 🙌

And on Tuesday, one of my lovely learners was helping my pups with the trick-or-treat games at dog school… actual truco o trato with sits, snacks and very wiggly tails

Dogs, Spanish and a wonderful community in Beccles 💛Honestly, my kind of week

How’s yours been?

🎃 Spooky
🧡 Cosy
🍷 Or totally deserving of a glass of wine?

Drop your week in emojis below

And speaking of wine… something muy emocionante is coming in November. I’m so so so excited for my November event

Think real-life Spanish, relaxed convo and a proper vino-fuelled night out at and

My students have had first dibs on tickets for my evening of Wine Tasting in Spanish but more info and bookings will open to everyone on Monday

Curious? Drop a 🍷 below and I’ll DM you a sneak peek 👀

22/10/2025

I’ve messaged everyone but just in case you’ve missed it, all in-person classes in Beccles today and tomorrow are postponed.

I’ve got an awful cold, a sore throat and a very raspy hoarse voice 🤧😷

A few days of rest and I’ll be back to online lessons at the end of the week and in-person next week 💛

No photo of me as I look dreadful so here’s a gif of how I feel…

And if anyone’s got any top tips for soothing a sore throat, send them my way. I’ve hit my limit with soothers and hot Ribena 🫖🍋

Much love,
Sam