Reviews for Beginners Level: Spanish for Absolute Beginners

I’m learning Spanish from a strong foundation and each week my comfort increases. My instructor is very knowledgeable, patient and makes the students feel secure even if we make mistakes we are corrected respectfully!

Level one is for students who want to learn Spanish. You need to put study time in between classes otherwise you will not get the full benefit of each class. You will cover a lot of material in the 10 weeks and at the end really feel that you have a great start on your Spanish journey.

The course is helping to make my (poor) grasp of Spanish more systematic and to give me an overall sense of the various areas studied.

Class is great. The only thing as it just goes so fast. So much information to digest before we're moving onto the next.

My teacher, Mónica Negron, is absolutely wonderful. She is quick, encouraging and kind. The class is well paced and not boring. Now that we are approaching the end, I am noticing that I am not absorbing as much as I had hoped. Now I feel overwhelmed by the amount of vocabulary. There are so many irregular verbs and things that I have to memorize. Which is fine. But I am fairly certain I'm going to flunk the test. I think the lesson plans are great, the homework is great. It's just a lot of memorizing at a quick pace (for me). I wouldn't want you to slow things down too much, though. I think the classes are energizing and not boring.

I’m enjoying the course and appreciate how much I’m learning. However, I sometimes feel that a lot of new material is introduced in a single class, making it challenging to fully absorb and practice each concept before moving on. A little more time for review and application would help me build confidence and retain what I’m learning.

Gloria is a great teacher! This is my second time around (only made it to class three last time), but Gloria is really good at motivating and never makes me feel silly for not knowing something straight away.

Gaston is an excellent teacher. He is patient and knowledgable. The course is comprehensive, thorough, and well organized Having the hard copy of the book makes homework easier. I’ve learned so much in just 6 classes! Highly recommend.

Great beginner’s course!

Excellent course. Specifically: -Clear explanations -Repetition of ideas that can be confusing -Emphasis on participation Only issue I found was the class duration. Sitting for 1 1/2 h is too long . I think the homework sections can be shortened and the classes can be 1 1/4h. I find myself waiting for the end after 1h.

A lot of homework! However, the instructor is very patient. I have learned more from this Beginner's class than from any other beginner's class that I attempted.

I have studied a little Spanish in the past and I found the level to be perfect for me. I found that using this method of study I am understanding more about how sentences are constructed and practising speaking each week. The tutors are great and the whole experience is very well organised.

I like the pace of the course, the content, the amount of homework, the challenges are adequate but not too difficult. Nelson doesn't waste time in the 1.5 hours and sticks to the content. I hope to take his course for level 2.

The beginner-level class at Berges Institute is very well planned and structured. It is here at Berges that I finally feel I have made real progress in understanding and using the language. The amount of homework can feel daunting at times, but I feel that the regular practice is a big part of why my Spanish has improved so much. I’m very happy with my experience at Berges Institute and would highly recommend it to anyone who is serious about learning Spanish.

Learning a lot in a very short span of time. Love the instructor and love the class format, the homeworks, which really help, and the speed of the class.

So far this method is working well for me. Our class (taught by Ana) has lots of participation. We write sentences and questions, then share and converse with the class. Ana is an upbeat teacher and encourages us while gently correcting us. She also gives us phrases and expressions used in real conversations (so we'll talk like a local, and not like a textbook). The homework takes me about 2 hours a week, which reinforces with practice and repetition. I feel like I'm making real progress in learning.

I found the beginners’ Spanish course much faster-paced than I had expected for a beginners’ class, it missed several basics in my view. Several of the other attendees appeared to have considerably more prior knowledge, which made it difficult to keep up and, at times, left me feeling that I was falling behind. I also found the teaching style of the first tutor quite abrupt, which made the experience less enjoyable and made me feel less confident about asking questions and participating. I subsequently joined Nelson’s class and found this a much more positive experience. His teaching style was relaxed, clear and encouraging, and the pace was much easier to follow. I felt much more comfortable asking questions and was able to take in and understand the material far better. Overall, I think beginners’ classes would benefit from ensuring that participants have a genuinely similar starting level and from allowing a little more time for new learners to absorb the basics. Nelson’s approach showed me how much more enjoyable and effective the course can be when the pace and teaching style are suited to complete beginners.

I’m enjoying the course . Rolando is a good teacher . He is attentive and cares about his students.

The level is too advanced for a beginner. The teachers need to slow down. Please have the teachers to post the answer keys for all the homework. Thanks

Been very happy with my level 1 class. Rolando has been a great teacher and makes learning Spanish fun. Looking forward to taking additional levels and mastering the language.