Application of the comparative method of teaching Spanish as a second foreign language based on English

Importance. This study considers the comparative method as one of the means of developing multilingual competence in the process of multilingual education of linguistic students. The study reveals the concept of educational multilingualism, as well as the concepts of positive transfer and interference. The importance of this work lies in the fact that it reflects the problems of organizing teaching Spanish as a FL2 on the basis of English as a FL1 and their solution using the comparative method.Materials and Methods. Based on the analysis of English and Spanish language systems, aspects suitable for using the comparative method are identified. The study involved 65 students of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University 2-4 years of study. Based on the survey results, a set of exercises is developed and presented to linguistic students. Then the respondents completed a survey to evaluate the effectiveness of the exercises and comparative method.Results and Discussion. According to the survey, 81.5 % of students unambiguously declare the effectiveness of the developed exercises, and 18.5 % – about partial effectiveness.Conclusion. Students noted the effectiveness of the exercises, showed interest in the comparative method, and also saw the prospect of having a comparative component in the process of teaching Spanish as a second foreign language based on English.