Tutor with 20 years of experience of tutoring Spanish, degree in Spanish and Latin American studies teaches Spanish beginner to advanced level, conversational and holiday preparation, GCSE/A level.

Learn more about Jayne

• )Do you speak this language fluently because of your origins or because a teacher inspired you to learn?

  I learned to speak Spanish when, after having studied it at GCSE level at school. I found myself living and working in the Canary Islands during which time my desire to be able to communicate with the locals became the impetus for my discovering more of the language. I subsequently spent around three and a half years living in and travelling around Spain and Mexico, and the process falling in love with the places, the cultures and the people.

• Can you name a living, historical or fictional character that you think is the emblematic representative of the language's culture?

  Cervantes' Don Quixote is in my opinion a fictional character that could be described as a representative of Spanish culture, his adventurous and eccentric nature, along with the fact that he was created by probably the most famous author of the Spanish golden age literature genre, Miguel de Cervantes, makes him stand out as emblematic.

• Is there a typical word, phrase, tradition or behaviour in the language that you particularly like?

  I particularly like the word 'estrafalario' which means eccentric or outlandish, to me it sounds quite onomatopoeic. Although it may be something of a generalisation I like the emotional openness and warmth of the Hispanic people.

• Why does speaking this language matter to you?

  Speaking Spanish matters to me because after so many years of studying, teaching and enjoying being immersed in the language I now feel that it is almost an integral part of me, it is one of my passions in life and always a great pleasure.

• What is the main difficulty in learning this language and what can help the process of learning?

  The verb tenses are generally considered to be one of the more complex parts of Spanish. Taking a systematic, logical approach to learning verb conjugations can help, perhaps more important though is to find a way to have fun with and enjoy the learning process.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your language learning or your days at school.

  One time in Spain, before I had had much opportunity to learn the language, I was with a group of English and Spanish friends, we went for something to eat and towards the end of the meal one of the Spanish speakers used the phrase 'te das cuenta' which means 'do you realize', unfortunately as non of us spoke very good Spanish we thought they were asking us to pick up the bill, 'cuenta' also means 'bill' in Spanish. This caused a good deal of confusion and later on laughter when we realized our mistake. It highlighted to me how helpful it can be, in terms of avoiding awkward misunderstandings, to have more than just a very basic knowledge of the language..

• How has travel or a specific trip helped you to increase your skill and knowledge of the language?

  Living in and travelling around Spain and Mexico for around three and a half years helped enormously in familiarising me with and in deepening my passion for all things Hispanic.

• What makes you a Superprof in language?

  My passion for and dedication to constantly expanding and improving my knowledge of the Spanish language and culture and therefore my ability to help others deepen their own understanding and knowledge of the subject.