Duration
30h Th
Number of credits
Lecturer
Substitute(s)
Language(s) of instruction
Spanish language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
This course is divided into two main parts. On the one hand, it offers an in-depth and contrastive analysis of selected structures of the Spanish language that pose particular challenges of comprehension and expression for French-speaking learners. The course will focus primarily on the following topics:
i) the meanings and uses of the verbs ser, estar, and haber;
ii) the meanings and uses of passive constructions (both periphrastic and those formed with se);
iii) the meanings and uses of the gerundio, the present participle, and verbal periphrases;
iv) the meanings and uses of relative clauses;
and v) the meanings and uses of the subjuntivo and of modality within the sentence.
On the other hand, this course includes writing and translation exercises designed to apply and deepen the theoretical knowledge acquired.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- identify and name some of the main interferences between French and Spanish at the morphosyntactic, semantic, and pragmatic levels;
- analyse these structures and explain how they operate, using appropriate metalinguistic terminology.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
A good command of French is required. As for Spanish, it is recommended that students have completed Langue espagnole I and II, or possess an equivalent level of proficiency (B2-C1).
A solid knowledge of basic grammatical terminology is essential. In case of gaps in this area, reference works are listed in the course bibliography. It is also recommended that students have previously taken a course in general and/or Spanish linguistics.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Each topic is developed in three consecutive stages:
- awareness-raising, through gap-filling exercises or the translation of short texts from French into Spanish or vice versa, depending on the nature of the problem;
- grammatical analysis or theoretical explanation of the issue;
- and finally, writing and translation exercises allowing students to verify and enrich their understanding of the topic in question.
The use of artificial intelligence for completing these exercises is discouraged: not only would it hinder the student's personal reflection process, but AI is also not truly "intelligent" and produces numerous errors on a daily basis, including the linguistic interference errors that this course specifically aims to better understand and overcome.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Further information:
Primarily face-to-face, although it is possible that, exceptionally, a session may be held virtually or replaced by work to be carried out independently by the students.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus
Further information:
Mandatory readings
Alonso Raya, R., et al. Gramática básica del estudiante de español. Barcelona: Difusión, 2015 (edición revisada).
Alonso, I. "Formas impersonales". Dificultades del español para hablantes del francés. Madrid: SM, 2003.
Alloa, H., & Miranda de Torres, S. Hacia una lingüística contrastiva francés-español. Córdoba: Comunicarte, 2005.
Bein, R. "La 'equivalencia cero' interlingüística". Voces. Revista del Colegio de Traductores Públicos de Buenos Aires, 1996 (pdf).
Camprubí, M. "La voix attributive". Questions de linguistique romane contrastive. Toulouse: Presses Universitaires du Mirail, 1999.
Di Tullio, Á. "El modo", "Perífrasis verbales" y "Se pasivo y se impersonal". Manual de gramática del español. Buenos Aires: Waldhuter, 2010.
Duviols, M., & J. Villegier. "Les relatifs". Grammaire de l'espagnol. Paris: Hatier, 1994.
Ferado García, A.L. "Las cláusulas relativas en francés y su traducción al español". Çédille. Revista de estudios franceses, nº4, 2008: 107-118.
Fortineau, C. "El gerundio francés y tres de sus traducciones españolas: el gerundio, en + gerundio, al + infinitivo". M.Bruña Cuevas et al. (dir.). La cultura del otro. Español en Francia, francés en España / Primer encuentro hispanofrancés de investigadores (APFUE/SHF), Universidad de Sevilla, 29 de noviembre - 2 de diciembre 2005. Sevilla: Universidad de Sevilla, 2006. 803-815.
García Santos, J.F. "Ser y estar". Sintaxis del español. Salamanca: Santillana, 2007.
Gómez Torrego, L. "Valores gramaticales del se". Gramática didáctica del español actual. Madrid: SM, 2010.
Lieberman, D.I. "Ser, estar y haber". Temas de gramática del español como lengua extranjera. Buenos Aires: Eudeba, 2011.
Matte Bon, F. "El subjuntivo español como operador metalingüístico de la información". Marco ELE. Revista de didáctica, nº6, 2008. URL: http://marcoele.com/descargas/6/mattebon.pdf (consultado el 28 de octubre de 2025).
Palma, S. Éléments figés de la langue. Étude comparative français - espagnol. Paris: L'Harmattan, 2006.
Pérez, M.R. "Subjuntivo español y subjuntivo francés: a propósito de una traducción de L'Étranger, de Albert Camus". J. Stolidi (ed.). Recherches en linguistique espagnole. Aix-en-Provence: Université de Provence, 1994. 367-380.
Ventura, D. "Le gérondif espagnol et son homonyme français : quelles équivalences ?". Thélème. Revista Complutense de Estudios Franceses, vol. 30, nº1, 2015: 129-144.
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
written exam ( open-ended questions )
Further information:
The written exam includes an application exercise and a theoretical question to be developed. The exam will be assessed according to the following criteria:
i) relevance of the answers;
ii) knowledge demonstrated;
iii) conceptual accuracy;
iv) clarity of expression; and
v) accuracy in the use of the working languages.
The exam will last three hours and will be held in person.
Work placement(s)
n/a
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
The course is given in Spanish.
Contacts
For further information, please contact n.licata@uliege.be.