I have been taking Italian language and literature classes with Polyglottist Language Academy off…read moreand on since 2017. I initially started taking classes because I had planned a trip to Italy for the summer, but after my trip I was motivated to continue. I have since returned to Italy 2 more times. I've taken Italian classes with several instructors including but not limited to Sole, Valerie, Cinzia, Oscar, and Francesca. I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every class. The instructors are knowledgeable, patient, and eager to create a positive and enriching learning environment. Olga has been even more accommodating in light of the difficulties that arose with COVID-19 social distancing protocols, even allowing classes to take place on Zoom. I would 100% recommend taking classes with this academy!

Hi, I highly recommend this Academy and in particular our great teacher Francesca Lorenzon…read more Francesca is an excellent teacher, who truly cared about me and the rest of our class. She made sure that we learned about culture, geography and language. She always welcomed our questions and was just fun to be around. This carried forward into the overall classroom experience where all had a good time and ended up going out to lunch every few weeks. I studied Italian for eight months to prepare for my trip to Italy and highly recommend Francesca and the Academy. Joe

Arturo is a patient and calm teacher. He helps you understand the language easily and converses…read morewith you so you can practice speaking what you've been taught. It is nice having classes with other students and allows for more opportunity to speak the language. He also provides notes for each lesson plus grammar practice. If you want to learn Spanish and have fun while doing it - this is the place for you!

I am travelling to Spain this summer, where I will take an Spanish course, and in preparation, I…read morethought I would enroll in a class here. I'm taking classes right now, and while the first week was great, I'm really not so into it now. I'm in the advanced beginner level, as I took Spanish in high school (about ten years ago). I am not fluent at all, but have some vocabulary, and can conjugate in present tense. Pros: 1. Right now, it's just me and the instructor. So, I'm stoked about personal instruction for just $14 per hour. (Cost depends on length of course. Check the website for more info. http://institutomesoamerica.com/) However, I don't believe this is the norm. 2. Instructor seems to be patient with me, as I try to figure out how to conjugate the past tense. UPDATE: He's not so patient anymore... see below... 3. Must think of third "pro" Cons: 1. Teaching method is not creative. I have dittos, from which I conjugate verbs. Sometimes they are in sentences, sometimes, just the verb. Today we did this for over 2 hours of the 3 hour class. So freaking boring. 2. Sometimes I feel like the instructor is SUPER bored. Which makes my selfconciousness kick into high gear. 3. I do not feel that there is enough interaction between me and the instructor. 4. Instructor claims to use a NATURAL teaching method, and a NEW approach to teaching Spanish. Ummm. What?? Reading off a ditto is natural and new??? 5. Instructor IS bored! He taps his fingers, stretches and is not patient. Corrects me before I have the chance to correct myself. 6. Misspellings on the dittos. Gets annoyed when I don't understand the words, which happen to be in ANOTHER LANGUAGE AND ARE MISSPELLED. 7. Doesn't follow along on the dittos. Corrects me even when I'm right, as he's not looking at the ditto. 8. Somehow thinks that I will remember EVERY word we've used previously. Thanks, but I'm not magic. But I will definitely try suggesting some other activities to the instructor, and asking about specific things that I would like to learn, such as practicing being at a hotel/train station/restaurant. Hopefully, the instruction will improve. UPDATE: I added a star, because I felt satisfied with the resolution I recieved. I was unhappy with this particular school and recieved a refund. Very honest and wanted to resolve the problem, and I appreciate that.

Centro Latino has improved my Spanish skills immensely! They are kind and friendly and the teachers…read moreare very knowledgeable. They ensure that you understand the language and ensure that you improve your listening, speaking, and reading skills! And the company is very good at communicating. The schedule is very flexible and can work for anyone's schedule. Highly, highly recommend!

I have been taking classes at Centro Latino for 4 years now. The entire time I have been working…read morewith Ximena, and she has been so great as a teacher. She cares a lot about my learning individually and is constantly catering the class to my strengths and weaknesses. We play fun games, listen to spanish music, learn about the history of various countries and their people, and do it all in spanish as a double-learning opportunity. I went from not remembering any of the spanish I learned in high school to being able to understand and converse more confidently than I ever have. The classes have emphasized proper grammar but also really help with interacting socially and in certain situations with spanish speaking people. I have used the skills I've developed to have many full, 30+ minute conversations with people in spanish speaking countries, and it's given me an opportunity to connect with people I wouldn't have otherwise. Highly recommend them.

We initially chose EBI for its Spanish immersion program and were soon delighted to discover it's…read morealso an International Baccalaureate (IB) school. While raising bilingual children is important to us, the IB curriculum has become the most enriching part of our experience. Its inquiry-driven approach inspires curiosity, deep thinking, and a genuine love of learning that keeps our children engaged. Our top priority was to find a school where our kids would enjoy learning, ask big questions, and develop a global perspective--and EBI has exceeded our expectations. The teaching at EBI is high quality. The educators are thoughtful, skilled, and dedicated to helping each child succeed. They create a supportive learning environment that emphasizes both academic and social-emotional growth. Group work and collaboration are central to the school's approach, helping students build important interpersonal and problem-solving skills. EBI has been a great fit for our child with a learning difference, and also the one that doesn't have a learning difference because of their commitment to differentiated learning, which supports all learners! The inquiry-based model allows them to engage with the material without relying on memorization or worksheets. We appreciate the strong Learning Differences and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) support team as well! The EBI community--teachers and parents alike--have been fabulous!

I absolutely adore EBI. My daughter started last year in kindergarten and spoke zero Spanish. I…read morewatched her this morning give a full report, in Spanish, from the beautiful book that she had made in her first grade class. She is absolutely thriving! She is greeted each day with smiles from her peers, the staff and her incredibly enthusiastic and dedicated teacher, Maestra Rosy. She has even requested to be enrolled in the aftercare program a couple days a week to stay even longer at school! I think that really says something. EBI is more than just a Spanish Immersion school. It's a beautiful community full of incredibly interesting parents and staff from diverse backgrounds who have all converged for the purpose of raising "Global Citizens." The IB education looks at how we are all connected and teaches our children to be critical thinkers. I feel blessed to be a part of this community and would highly recommend them to perspective families. My only regret is that we didn't enroll her starting in PK!

Had a great time taking private lessons from Ximena on a weekly basis, she had a curriculum,…read morelessons, books and cultural activity. I became somewhat fluent and went to Chile towards the end of my classes. Highly recommend.

I have been studying with Easy Spanish Para Ti (ESPT) for almost one year now and I can say that I…read morelove it! Stephanie has always been so nice and accommodating from the moment we first spoke. I have had a few teachers since starting and they were all wonderful. However, my current profesora, Grace, has been nothing short of wonderful! All of the students I have met have enjoyed there experience at ESPT and all recommend it. I recently traveled to Mexico for two weeks and my experience was amazing, as I could completely converse in Spanish (with some gracious understanding by the locals) and got around with no problem. Many were impressed with how much I've learned when I told them I had been studying full time for only a year. I highly recommend joining me at ESPT if you want to accelerate or begin your Spanish journey.

Wonderful classes, native certified instructors under the guidance of Italingua's director…read moreFrancesca Gaspari. I've learned lots in less than a year. I love and respect my instructor Diana Alberghini. She knows how to teach to all students and encourages us all to work hard while she eagerly transmits her italian culture at the same time. Looking forward to my next class online. Totally recommendable. A presto!

I've been taking Italian classes with Italingua since September 2023 mostly for fun and incredibly…read morethankful for the progress I made in the language thanks to ItaLingua. The instructors are excellent and know how to keep a class engaged - there's a particular effort in making sure the classes are not too big so everyone gets the chance to practice speaking. Highly recommend it!

The founder of Bay Language Academy, Essia Bouzamondo-Bernstein, is an incredible woman in my book!…read moreShe started this business as a way to help others since language is one of the most important ways we connect with one another. My youngest son has been taking Mandarin for about a year now and he just loves it, which amazes me since he's usually so particular, but he adores his teacher (even the new one) and the curriculum is both engaging and interactive, which has helped him retain what he has learned. Now my oldest is also taking the same class, and his review of his first day was "awesome!" This is a high quality program at a very reasonable rate. Your child will benefit so greatly from learning any of the many languages they offer (I know they offer French, Russian, Korean, Spanish, etc.), and even you and other adults would also greatly benefit to learn a new language or refresh an old one. Lastly, their location is just breath-taking as they're situated within the Harbor Bay Business Park that oversees the tranquil ocean and beautiful San Francisco skyline, which is just icing on the cake.

My daughter loves taking French classes there!read more

I've been studying ESL at Berkeley Adult School since 2024 and I really like it here. The teachers…read moreexplain clearly and make learning fun. The classmates are nice and come from all over the world. I can feel my English getting better and I'm so happy I joined this school.

I took a class with Crystal Graves who has to be one of the worst instructors I've ever had. The…read moreclass was on Zoom. Most of the world has been using Zoom for years and has an understanding of how to use this platform. Ms. Graves has chosen not to master online instruction. Due to her poor instruction, the class was very disorganized. Also, it would have been nice if she had a quiet space to teach without personal interruptions. The final kicker was trying to get students to buy things off her Etsy site. I felt the class was a waste of time and dropped it which is sad because it could have been so much better.