tl;dr - José is an incredible Spanish teacher who not only has the technical ability to teach…read moreSpanish as a foreign language, but more importantly, he has the personality to keep it fun, relevant, and engaging. I would highly recommend him. -- I had studied Spanish for a few years in high school (20+ years ago), but had effectively forgotten everything. While on vacation in Mexico City in December, I decided that I wanted to learn Spanish again once I got home to San Francisco. So, I researched Spanish classes, Spanish schools, private Spanish tutors, etc. -- and felt overwhelmed by choice. However, in reviewing José's info, I found him to be uniquely qualified and decided to engage with him. Several aspects stood out in my decision making process: - Formal education (MA in Applied Linguistics, DELE examiner) - Track record and solid reviews on Yelp and HelloSpanish - Educated in both Spain and Mexico (able to teach geographic nuance of Spanish) - A logical website that made it clear he understood how students want to learn - Competitive pricing - Online platform to book classes, pay, etc. - Very responsive Since the first class, the experience has been fantastic -- José is disarming, friendly, patient, and supportive; but, he also holds you accountable to grow, learn, and progress. He spent the first class getting a sense of my current level and desired objectives -- and, from there, tailored a plan to help me advance. José is very organized and helps you keep focus to be able to progress in a logical, methodical manner. Classes are fun, topics are relevant, and the experience feels personalized. I'm just about to complete my third month of classes with José and am thrilled with the progress that I've made in this short time. Learning a language can be a scary and daunting task, I'm happy to have José guiding me along the way!

Jose is the best teacher!…read more He is patient, knowledgable, and tailors his lessons to help you get the most out of them. When I started taking lessons with Jose, I had only done Duo Lingo Spanish and had several years of French to help/hinder my comprehension of Spanish. In just the first month of lessons, I was able to go from not understanding any spoken Spanish (but being ok with reading menus) to being able to understand amounts and tell taxi drivers addresses correctly. With Jose's patience, I can now have basic conversations with native speakers and don't feel totally lost when navigating through Mexico.

¡Dios Mio! There…read moreare the good things, then there are the bad things. Here's the good stuff: - Dino knows languages. Um, lots of the them. - His curriculum is as flexible as you need it to be. Not just from a course load, but maybe you got your ass kicked at work that day, and don't want to work super hard on verb tenses: He will adjust to your goals and your emotional needs that week, that day, that moment. - Homework is dependent on you, he can assign or not assign: it depends on what you want. - The schedule can be flexible. Travel a lot? Got personal stuff? He can work around it. - His teaching style is thorough, thoughtful, and useful. There isn't a single session that feels like fluff or wasted time. And even after an hour or so, your brain is still ready for more. I started at once a week. Then went to twice a week. And if I could've found the time, I would've done three times as week. The Bad: - Dino is a giant presence. Literally. People want to stare at him. It'll put you in the spotlight. You will meet people and interact. You may have to put your new skills to the test. Buen suerte, mijo. - Your friends will be jealous that you are kicking their ass with your new language. It's ok, you deserve the kudos. - You will go to every taqueria in SF and order in Spanish. Locals might hate you for that. Or love you. Kinda depends. I little knowledge is dangerous. - You may fall in love. Go find out why. Seriously, Dino is an animal with languages. A strong, understanding beast who will help you with a thoughtful program, designed for your needs. Get to it.

I went through three ho-hum Spanish teachers before finding Dino. First off, Dino loves language…read more It's infectious. The history of it, the semantics, the quirk, the slang. Which means your lesson isn't going to be some dry textbook-style drone. It's going to be as colorful as Dino himself. To top this off, Dino is kind of a language genius so his immense intelligence and understanding of the ins and outs will be gifted to you in the hour sessions. Bonus! He meets most students at Cafe Flore so you can have a glass of wine which loosens the tongue for those who find it tied. Dino has also started teaching Spanish classes for our restaurant employees which has been such a boon for an industry where language is what creates the gulf between front and back of the house. So whether you want individual lessons or a group class, Dino is the man.

I am an "intermediate beginner" in Spanish and have very much enjoyed working with Ricardo. He's…read morevery personable and enthusiastic. I feel his lessons are designed specifically for me. We do grammar, vocabulary, conversation, story telling; and his exercises often have an element of playfulness I really appreciate. I admit there are times I feel overwhelmed by what I don't know, but he is SO supportive and encouraging it gives me the confidence to keep learning. Thank you Ricardo! And thank you Se Habla Español.

I HAVE HIGH RECOMMENDATIONS for "Se Habla Espanol," a privately-owned Spanish language school in…read moreSF's Richmond district. Silvia and Ricardo both are native speakers and Spanish teachers. My friend told me about this school, and we started taking classes there several months ago. Silvia is a wonderful and patient teacher. and is a lot of fun to work with. We do a lot of laughing in the class, but we laugh in Spanish! My friend and I are "beginning intermediate" level - we've each had some Spanish previously but are nowhere near fluent. So we're focusing mainly on speaking correctly and reviewing correct use of verb tenses. I'm taking Silvia's class concurrently with a class at CCSF in the evening. I cannot recommend Silvia highly enough and encourage you to give her and Ricardo a call if you want to learn to speak Spanish.

We chose La Scuola three years ago for its combination of warmth and strong academics. I toured a…read morelot of K-8 schools and the warmth and personality of La Scuola stood out. Dig a little further and I was impressed by the International Baccalaureate program and language immersion. I have to say we haven't been disappointed. Our child loves the school and is always happy. I have been hugely impressed by the teaching standards and communication. Just fyi, we have no Italian at home and love that our child is learning the language and will take on Spanish in the coming years. I can't recommend the school enough.

My kid is in 1st grade and we have loved La Scuola since she started in Kindergarten. We were drawn…read moreto the school for the international community, the IB system, and the Reggio Emilia philosophy. Also, my daughter came in with no Italian language skills in K and the teachers did a great job of making sure she was following what was happening until she picked up the Italian. There were a few others like her and they did an awesome job integrating them into the language having other kids help with translation when needed.) We are thrilled to be able to be part of this community for a whole 9 years!

Sev is an incredible tutor. My brother and I both have been working with him for 6-8 months now and…read morehave experienced stellar results. His rates are very reasonable, especially considering how talented he is. He is very patient and tailors the format to your level, style, and preference. He is also very fun to work with, has a great sense of humor, and is extremely knowledgeable. I plan to continue working with Sev for years to come, and I recommend that anybody looking to learn or polish their French skills gives him a try.

Sev has been tutoring my daughter for three years now, since she was 10. He's a fantastic teacher…read moreand skilled at personalizing his lessons to the interests, abilities, and age of his clients. His lessons for my daughter have involved a combination of grammar and vocabulary, reading and writing, discussion, and fun things, depending on the mood. On a nice day they might walk around the neighborhood talking about things as they go. Or (more when she was younger) they might watch silly videos and talk about them--in French of course. He's incredibly good at figuring out what will get her interested and talking. Now that she's older they converse like adults. It's been fabulous to watch her progression with him. With Sev you will get not only a very skilled teacher, but one sensitive to the needs of his client and the needs of the moment. Whatever you are looking for in your French lessons I am absolutely sure that he can provide. And he's a fabulous person to boot. Do yourself a favor and contact him! You will be so glad you did.

I did the online private class with Guro Ferlie. I knew I was ready for something beyond a beginner…read moreclass but didn't feel like I was ready for something very advanced. The class was great to brush up on grammar rules and practice my speaking. Guro Ferlie was very attentive and affirming, cheering me on when I spoke well. She also used different materials (movies, songs, stories, and exercises) that helped me practice my reading, speaking, and writing. Would recommend if you're looking for something in between intermediate and advanced or looking to improve your understanding your grammar as a native speaker!

I appreciated this class to get just a start on learning Tagalog. You definitely have to do your…read morehomework! But I loved Guro Ferlie and the community of our class, meeting others who want to learn Tagalog too. Would recommend if you're interested in getting started.

Nando is more than a teacher, he's a friend for life. I'm so…read moreblessed to have met him. Absolutely going above and beyond and is not the everyday teacher you'll meet. He's the best and i meet him on almost a weekly basis (when i'm not traveling) for over a year now.

Nando is an amazing teacher…read more My husband and I started learning Spanish with Nando back in February this year to prepare us for a month long South America trip. Let me tell you this, I did not know Spanish at all and my husband had very minimal understanding (from high school). We just got back from our SA trip last week and we thought we both did pretty darn good job communicating in Spanish. Nando really got us up to speed!! It was amazing how we can communicate comfortably. Unbelievable. Nando offered us a customized lesson plan that allowed us to learn quickly. He also incorporated some interesting activities and games with his lessons that made the learning process MAS DIVERTIDO! We honestly would recommend him - 1000% - to anyone who wants to learn Spanish. We are looking forward to having more classes with Nando.

My child has been in the EFBA program in San Francisco at the Mercy High School Campus for one…read moreyear. He has enjoyed the lessons, the other students and especially the teachers! He has learned a lot in just one year, and not only can he converse in French, but read and write it too! He has become more confident in asking, and conversing with native French speakers, and with others. In addition, he has learned some fun songs and games in French, and has made a lot of new friends in the program. He is going into the first grade this year, and will continue in this wonderful program twice a week. My older children had gone through a different after school program years ago before the EFBA was available, and wish that their program had been as good as this one. They are in high school now, and are taking French in school, and have noted how much he has learned in the EFBA program at a young age. All the instructors are native French speakers and trained instructors. The teachers are kind, organized, really care for the children, and make learning fun. They did seasonal crafts, and special performances at various holidays, and my son really enjoyed the school's celebration in January with Galettes des Rois (King Cakes) a lot. It brought the community together, and it was fun to celebrate this holiday with others, and learn new traditions. The families in the EFBA community are all very nice, and it has been a good experience for the parents to make friends with each other too. This year the EFBA is offering the extra enrichment opportunities of the "Museum Quest" and "Kid's Night Out" for free with your child's enrollment in the program. The Museum Quest is a really nice opportunity for the children to socialize, and have fun in French with local field trips. The Kid's Night Out is a evening for the children to have fun with activities in French, while the parents can have their own date night. These programs are offered during the month. There are programs for French speaking children, and also for students that are new to French, so your child will be placed in a group of peers that will be at their same level of French learning. We highly recommend this program, and look forward to our son progressing through the program through middle school, where he can then take the DELF French examinations that will qualify him as proficient for future enrollment in a French University, if he ever chose to study abroad. The best part is that his French accent, and familiarity with French have been developed at a young age, so his language is very natural. His French step -grandmother is very impressed with his French, and loves having a young grandchild to converse with in her native tongue! She is a retired French language and literature professor, and has been very pleased with his education in the EFBA program.

EFBA is a mostly volunteer-based nonprofit offering high quality yet affordable French after school…read moreprograms in local public schools. We hire credentialed French teachers to teach children, age 5 -18, both native-speakersand from Francophile families, and prepare them to earning diplomas granted by the French Government and accepted in French-speaking universities. Through a global yet flexible curriculum, K -12 children - depending on the school, will get a fantastic exposure to French. It gives an educational, affordable, yet fun environment for your children to learn French.