With more and more Spanish-speaking people living in the United States every year, learning the Spanish language is becoming ever more important. In the law enforcement field, mastering basic Spanish will give you more power to handle situations involving Spanish-speaking victims, witnesses, or criminals. It's also a smart career move, because adding Spanish skills to your resume can open doors to new job opportunities.
Whether you're new to the Spanish language or just want a refresher, this course will teach you the basic Spanish phrases you need for everything from making casual conversation to handling life-or-death situations. You'll start with simple vocabulary for everyday topics including colors, numbers, conversational phrases, family names, and words for asking questions. You will learn Spanish terminology you can use during arrests, traffic stops, medical emergencies, and many other common law enforcement situations. By the end of this course, you will be well on your way to being a Spanish speaker and communicating more effectively with the Spanish speakers all around you.
Tara Bradley Williams has authored several Spanish textbooks and occupational Spanish reference guides, including the "¡A Conversar!" and "¡A Trabajar!" series. She taught Spanish and English as a Second Language at the high school and community college levels for over 10 years. She has also operated a Spanish language school and served as a medical interpreter. Tara has BA degrees in Spanish and Sociology from St. Norbert College and an MA in Higher Education and Adult Studies from the University of Denver. She has studied Spanish at the Universidad de Ortega y Gasset in Toledo, Spain and has lived and traveled extensively in Spain and Latin America.
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
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Lesson 1
¡Bienvenidos! (Welcome !) In our first lesson, you’ll master the building blocks of Spanish. First, you’ll discover how easy it is to spell and pronounce words en español. After that, you’ll learn how to count from 0 to 19.
Lesson 2
La familia is central to Latin American life, and knowing “who’s who” can be a big help when you’re talking with witnesses, crime victims, or suspects. Today you’ll learn the Spanish words for family members, and pick up some easy conversational phrases you can use every day on the job. In addition, we’ll talk about pronouns and explore the role of gender in Spanish.
Lesson 3
What color was the suspect’s car? Which way did he go? How fast was he driving? After today’s lesson, you’ll be able to answer all these questions easily en español. We’ll start by talking about the Spanish words for colors, and then move on to directional words (with some prepositions thrown in as a bonus). After that, you’ll learn how to count all the way to 199.
Lesson 4
Law enforcement professionals are always on the go—so you’ll want lots of action words in your Spanish vocabulary. To help you use Spanish verbs easily, I’ll introduce you to my simple conjugation system that uses only three tenses (present, easy past, and easy future). In addition, we’ll look at two interesting verbs that mean “to be:” ser and estar.
Lesson 5
Asking questions is a big part of your job, and today you’ll find out how to query your witnesses or suspects en español. After that, we’ll look at powerful words for describing objects, people, and feelings. And in this lesson, you’ll master the very important little word hay—something you’ll definitely want to add to your repertoire.
Lesson 6
In this lesson, we’ll add more high-octane words to your vocabulary for talking about people. You’ll learn how to describe their ages, their hair colors, their ethnicity, their legal status, and even what they’re wearing. In addition, we’ll talk about the weather en español. I’ll also introduce you to four handy little words—este, esta, ese, and esa—that will help you stretch out your sentences.
Lesson 7
It’s time to talk about . . . time! In today’s lesson, you’ll discover how to talk about the hours of the day, the days of the week, and the months of the year in Spanish. As a bonus, you’ll learn how to identify the major parts of the body and obtain answers in emergencies by asking questions like “Where does it hurt?,” “Are you ill?,” and “What happened?”
Lesson 8
Whether you’re taking dispatch calls or walking a beat, you need to be familiar with your neighborhood—so today, we’ll tour the buildings and places in a typical town. In addition, we’ll explore a house inside and out, and take a look at the objects you’re likely to find there. And we’ll talk a little about weights and measures, including the metric measures many Spanish speakers use.
Lesson 9
Today’s topic is professions—both legal and illegal. We’ll start by looking at Spanish words for emergency responders and law enforcement professionals. After that, you’ll meet some additional professionals and learn their names en español. Next, we’ll investigate words for criminals and check out the weapons they’re likely to use. And just for fun, we’ll talk a bit about Spanish first and last names—which can be pretty confusing when you’re trying to file paperwork.
Lesson 10
Speeders, drunk drivers, red-light runners—you’ll meet all of them in this lesson. We’ll begin with a quick look at words for describing drivers who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. After that, you’ll discover lots of phrases to describe specific traffic violations. We’ll also explore the names for different types of vehicles, and you’ll learn one word you won’t want to use to describe people who break the rules of the road.
Lesson 11
At a crime scene, you often need to talk firmly to suspects and witnesses. Today, you’ll learn lots of useful commands for getting people to do what you want—from polite commands like “sit down” to forceful ones like “Up against the wall!” In addition, you’ll find out how to describe your actions when you’re giving a citation, arresting a suspect, or administering a drug or alcohol test. And finally, we’ll practice saying that all-important Miranda warning in Spanish.
Lesson 12
In your job, you’re likely to encounter all sorts of medical crises—from heart attacks to gunshot wounds and broken bones. In this lesson, you’ll learn Spanish words that can help you deal with common medical conditions like these. We’ll also touch on the topic of direct object pronouns, and we’ll add to your repertoire of commands for emergency and non-emergency situations.
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