Spanish and Portuguese speakers have a natural advantage when learning English, thanks to thousands of shared cognates. Words like tolerate, continue, separate, and impede closely resemble their equivalents in Romance languages, making them immediately accessible to learners—even at beginner levels. Yet, this powerful resource is often overlooked in the classroom.

In this capsule, Paul Seligson explores how building on learners’ existing knowledge can dramatically accelerate their English acquisition. 

 

By strategically using their first language, teachers can enhance comprehension, boost confidence, and foster fluency without relying on constant translation or overly complex explanations.  Teaching from what students already know, empowers them to communicate more effectively from A1 onwards.

  • Seligson also challenges the early introduction of phrasal verbs, which often confuse and discourage learners. Instead of teaching expressions like put up with or split up with, he recommends simpler, more transparent alternatives like tolerate or separate, which learners can use immediately. This approach not only improves fluency but also builds linguistic self-esteem.
  • He critiques the traditional “monolingual native speaker” model, arguing that it doesn’t reflect the needs of Latin American learners. Instead, he advocates for a context-specific approach that leverages linguistic and cultural similarities. In fact, he notes that our students can understand and potentially use literally thousands of English words with minimal effort—if we guide them effectively.
  • This capsule also highlights the importance of adapting curricula to local contexts. While the CEFR provides useful vocabulary benchmarks, it also encourages teachers to expand, omit, or adapt content based on learners’ L1 and local relevance.

Paul Seligson is a highly experienced Latin American specialist, MA in TEFL, CELTA assessor and author of 21 coursebook series. With over four decades observing Romance-language teachers, his work focuses on practical, context-based English teaching.

This capsule invites you to rethink your teaching approach and discover how tools like cognates, L1 use, and contextual adaptation can transform your classroom. Because the goal isn’t to create mini-native speakers—but confident, capable communicators who can use all their linguistic resources to thrive in English.
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