Absolutely the best language school in Los Angeles! I have tried everything and I have to say the 1 on 1 approach at Strommen is perfect. My friends are shocked at how much Spanish I have learned in such a short time. The group classes are also fun because you don't meet in a stuffy classroom but rather at a cafe or even the teacher's home. If you are looking to learn a language, don't mess with the other schools and give Strommen a call! read more

Simply the best language school in Los Angeles. It isn't a traditional school, as students don't meet with teachers in conventional classrooms. I meet my Spanish teacher at a little cafe near were I live. I get a coffee and hablamos espanol! I have tried many other language schools in LA and as I already noted, Strommen is the best. The staff is very friendly and my teacher is fantastic. The price is really affordable for private classes, and I like that Strommen is a Co-op so I know the teachers are happy. If you are looking to learn Spanish, don't mess around with Rosetta stone, call Strommen! read more

I apologize for this review is waaaay overdue. NICHOLAS is an excellent and skilled tutor. I took Chinese with him and he made learning and adapting to the language extremely accessible and easy. He is not only very kind hearted but he is very dedicated and flexible. He makes the lessons in a way I could teach myself when he isn't present. I absolutely recommend taking Nicholas!!! Amazing and simple. read more

I started taking Italian lessons because my serious boyfriend is from Italy and I would love to be able to talk to his family in their own tongue since he is the only one who speaks English among them. Strommen is not only affordable, but I was even able to take one-on-one lessons with my own tutor, Valentina Petringa. She is a great teacher and really gives you insights not only into the nuts and bolts of the language, but also the cultural significance of phrases. I've already improved so much! I highly recommend Strommen! read more

I highly recommend Cynthia for Spanish at Strommen Tutoring. She clearly loves to teach and personalizes your lessons to your learning style and pace. Her ability to provide useful explanations (how it differs from English) and useful context (language you can use in your life) has resulted in real progress. I'm new to learning a language and Cynthia puts me at ease, encourages but still challenges. She is fun, and interested in lots of topics (music, travel, food, etc.) which makes conversation a great way to learn. Cynthia is very prepared and often brings custom teaching aids to help me learn. I think her knowledge of the language coupled with her expertise in teaching makes her a unique and effective teacher. If you want to learn Spanish I highly recommend Cynthia and Strommen. read more

I am an opera singer who needed to improve my Italian language skills for both in general, and, specifically, for auditions for a Young Artist Program in Siena Italy. Strommen matched me to Carlo, a native Italian, of course. Thanks to working with him one on one for a few months, my ability to become conversant in Italian greatly improved, and, guess what? I was accepted into the program. I highly recommend Strommen, as well as Carlo. He is a great teacher, both patient and knowledgeable. Thank you again. read more

I have been taking Italian with Sara Zanelleti with Strommen for at least a year. (I had taken before so I was not a beginner.) She is very encouraging, which is important since learning a. New language can be a long and hard process. I highly recommended her. Very easy person to stumble through a new language with read more

I was recently on break for Chinese New Year in LA. I attend a film school in Beijing, and although my program is in English, I work with a lot of my Chinese peers, and I wanted to brush up on my Chinese skills. Although there was a little confusion in the beginning of which tutor was available (I talked to three different people and got a different response from all), I was eventually paired with Tina, from Taiwan. We found a perfect schedule where we can cover everything from writing scripts, to watching a famous Chinese soap opera and discussing it afterwards. She even tailored the schedule so I felt that I had enough new vocabulary to learn, but also discuss the cultural aspects of Ancient China. Scheduling with the tutors is also incredibly easy, Tina was incredibly flexible and easy going. Love her! I would highly recommend Strommen to all my friends read more

I am a French 3A student with Fabrice. I have been studying French with him since French 1A. His instruction is great - he plans for off-book review of homework, which really makes you know if you have mastered the concepts. Class is always fun -- I work 60-75 hours a week and the best part of my week is my 1.5 hours with Fabrice on Sundays! read more

This review is specifically for Yoán -- I've been taking private Spanish lessons with him for the past year, and my experience has been outstanding. I entered our sessions with a basic conversational Spanish background, and Yoán has helped me to really refine my grammar and vocabulary, in addition to teaching me all of the tenses in a structured manner. Our sessions are fun and dynamic, and Yoán also asks me what subject matter I'm most interested in so that he can focus the content of our lessons. If you're interested in learning or improving your Spanish, I would highly recommend taking classes with Yoán! read more

I've been studying Spanish with Axel in Los Feliz and all is well! It's the perfect fit for my schedule/location and his personal approach to my goals is fitting the bill. I can't recommend him enough! read more

So I married a German. In addition to being a potential title for my autobiography, I also decided this would be a good time to learn German. Not an easy task I discovered rather quickly. I Rosetta Stone-d, podcasted and Pimsleur-ed my way to a decent vocabulary and some pick-up lines that weren't really useful since my wedding and all, but I felt I wasn't learning much that was applicable to actually having a conversation with my in-laws and/or other German speakers, and I had no foundation in grammar, or knowledge of the many, many rules the German language loves to adhere to, until it doesn't. I decided private lessons were the way to go, so after a fair amount of research, I signed up with Strommen. I couldn't be more pleased. Isabella is great and she's very tuned into my needs as a student, taking into account both my limitations, and my strengths and previously acquired knowledge, and tailoring the lessons as needed. I finally feel like I'm learning the language in a way that's applicable to real-life usage, along with a sound base in grammar and the meant-to-be-broken-when-we-say-so rules of German. The textbooks and lessons are definitely challenging, but I feel like I have the help I need, rather than just drowning in a sea of umlauts and terrible, terrible mistaken articles. Strommen has been a great find, and I highly recommend Isabella for German (and I love her dog too). read more

I've been taking Spanish lessons for 3 months now and I have to say Strommen works for me..... bading badong ka ka ka ka Scorchio!, si, fluent. Karen you're the best. read more

For those looking to take French lessons- I've been taking classes with Fabrice and it always is one of the highlights of my week! He is not only organized, but he also will teach you additional things along the way that are of particular interest to you. There is ample opportunity in his group lessons to practice reading, writing, and speaking, so whatever your reason is for learning French, I think you will be satisfied. read more

My experience with Strommen has been amazing. I've been taking the French classes beginner level for about 16 weeks. It's a fun group of people and the teacher is great - he is always well prepared patient and gives you plenty of time to ask questions or get clarification. Homework assignments are helpful and reinforce what you learn in class each week. I would highly recommend this school. I did a fair amount of research and I can say a credible, affordable, convenient school like this is hard to find. read more

I have been taking the group french classes at Strommen with Fabrice for the past 4 months and it has been great. The structure of the class is a good mix between language/grammar rules and common everyday expressions (like how to order at a Restaurant). I love that the class is set up outside (Griffith Park) and I don't have to be yet in another office like environment on my Saturdays. From the first meeting, Fabrice tries to speak French most of the time, which I admit was a bit intimidating at first. However, very soon you realize it is a safe place to make mistakes while your senses get used to the sounds and structure of the language. Fabrice does a fantastic job of teaching at a good pace for everyone in the group. He's very patient yet always makes sure to correct mistakes. All in all, it has been a very rewarding experience and I'm planning on continuing for as long as schedule allows. read more

How many folks can say they saw a mama deer and her fawn in their Spanish class? I can. I love taking Spanish in Griffith Park. The atmosphere is so much nicer than being inside a traditional classroom or office building. The air is fresh and the scenery beautiful, which makes learning even more of a delight. My teacher, Cecilia, is fantastic. She is encouraging, positive, and great at explaining concepts and answering all kinds of questions. Learning Spanish is fun, and thanks to Cecilia's expertise, learning to speak Spanish fluently seems to be an attainable goal. read more

I am the only member of my family that is not fluent in Italian - especially after leaving home and moving to CA, I knew I needed some help. The cost of an hour of one-on-one class is lower and more effective for me to learn, plus it's on the East side where i live. Marianna is an AWESOME teacher - patient, friendly, not intimidating, motivating and supportive. I really look forward to class with her and have seen my progress happily moving along! read more

I am so glad I have found Valentina who is an Italian tutor here at Strommen. She is a wonderful teacher and I have learned more in one year than I ever thought was possible!! Grazie Valentina e Strommen! read more

I took a lesson with Marianna initially because of all the good feedback here. She was excellent. I really enjoyed her teaching style! Unfortunately, I didn't realize how far away her location was from me. It was easily over 1 hour each way which was just too much time to be sitting in traffic... If you're closer than me, I would highly recommend her! read more

Fabrice is the best teacher! I was trying to learn french on my own for four months. After my first two weeks with him I felt as if I learned what I was practice for four months within those two weeks. He teaches french in a way where it is easy to understand and helps simplify the language so it is easy to retain. He also provides good learning tools outside of his classes so you can constantly challenge yourself. I still feel like I have a lot to learn but other French natives say my french is very good and I owe that all to Fabrice. If you are ready to learn and actually understand request Fabrice as your teach and you will be speaking french in no time! read more

I took Italian 1a and 1b with Garrett, and loved the class! His method of teaching and the setting made learning fun and interesting (I miss my classmates already too). This was the type of language class I was looking for that was not boring or taught in a very dry manner. The class was not only engaging, but allowed me to practice as well. I'm hoping to visit Italy soon, and it helps that the class also taught more colloquial convos and the culture so that I don't go there and talk too formerly straight from the book (possibly earning weird stares from people). I highly recommend taking the classes here if you want to not only have a fun time learning the language, but also learn a lot of things that will be relevant to what you are trying to accomplish! read more

I'm almost finished my first 10 pack class with my Italian tutor Marianna. I cannot stress this enough - she is AWESOME! I'm going to Italy in 2 weeks and feel totally confident that I can converse well enough in Italian to get around. Since the friend that I'm traveling with doesn't speak any Italian whatsoever, it will be up to me to steer us in the right direction. Marianna is personable, tailors her lessons to the "real Italian" (not the way they teach you in the book), makes me speak with her during our sessions and patiently corrects me but makes the whole experience a ton of fun. I never liked taking language classes in school growing up but this is a totally different and very enjoyable experience. At first I was hesistant about spending the money but honestly it was the best thing I did. Grazie mille Marianna! read more

Marianna is absolutely wonderful! If you want a teacher who will give you personalized attention, understand your needs, and keep you on your toes all while having fun then Marianna is the one for you! I needed an intensive session in Italian to prepare me for an immersive internship experience in Florence, Italy. She has given me so many tools and motivated me to accomplish more than I thought I could in a such a short amount of time over the 10 hours I signed up for. Pick Marianna for Italian at Strommen - Bravo!!! read more

I am taking Russian through Strommen and Narine Valdiks is my teacher. Narine is a fantastic teacher and I plan on taking lessons from her until she won't let me any more! She is so patient and really takes her time to help you get it right. I always leave her class still feeling excited about learning the language. I am a distance student and she very graciously accepted that challegence and we meet via Skype for which I am also very thankful for and think speaks to her flexibility and willingness to try anything to help students succeed! I highly recommend Narine! ! read more

Fabrice is honestly the best! I am so glad I found the classes at Strommen because they really do have the best teachers at really affordable prices! Fabrice is patient, but he also challenges us because we all come to his classes wanting to be fluent in French. Learning a new language later in life can be difficult, even when one is doing it for fun. Fabrice never makes us feel silly or stupid when we make mistakes or have questions. He gives us a strong foundation in the language, not only in speaking and comprehension, but in reading and writing. It really prepared me when I was working abroad in Paris and now that I am back in Los Angeles, he continues to help me build on that initial foundation. He makes the classes fun and has a great sense of humor and he also is very methodical in his methods. I have had some teachers in the past who would assign homework randomly and never review it and the classes would feel scattered and disjointed. As a result, my learning felt the same, with lots of gaps in what I knew and didn't know. Fabrice doesn't do that- everything he assigns is for a reason and we always review those assignments in class and learn from any errors we made along the way. I love my classmates and we all agree what a great teacher he is and how his guidance is getting us all closer to our goal of fluency. I will continue to work with Fabrice as long as he will continue to have me in his classes! read more

I'm from Switzerland and I stayed in los Angeles for 2 months-vacation. So I decided to take English lessons while I was here and I found Strommen on the Internet. They were very responsive and well organised. Yoan was my tutor and we had 3 lessons a week for less than 2 months. I was very stressed about speaking english but he made me feel more comfortable. He' s very smart, fun and relaxed and made the english lessons very interesting and different each time. I also learned a lot about the American culture, which was great. I will miss these lessons. Thanks to him and strommen. I highly recommend them. read more

I feel so lucky to have stumbled upon Strommen at the Los Feliz street fair! I'd been looking for an affordable, flexible and fun way to pick my French back up and they immediately set me up with Fabrice who is absolutely wonderful! He's a great teacher who is always patient and lets you set the pace. I've learned more in the past few months than I ever did in a high school or college class. read more

My experience thus far (and I have no reason to doubt it not continuing) is fantastic. I have had group language instruction for years and have tried other tutors on a short term basis and I have to say Strommen Tutoring (Garret Strommen, "il capo di tutti capi" -- the boss of bosses -- is my Italian tutor and he's really great). Finding a really good language tutor is not merely about finding someone who's a native speaker or fluent. Yes, either of those is extremely important. The real value, however, comes in the tutor's ability to first put you at ease and then to actually *teach*. Seems easy, but it's not. Teaching effectively is not just an acquired "academic" skill-set but comes from within, from the individual's desire to share knowledge with others and to do it with the same enthusiasm with which you should be there to learn the language in the first place. At least, that's my 2 cents, from someone who's not a newbie to learning a foreign language but wishes I had this tutoring in the beginning of my study. read more

Very good experience. Professional, courteous, patient (and this is VERY Important when dealing with languages), and punctual. I really enjoyed my lessons with Strommen and I highly recommend it. read more

My husband and I have been taking Spanish lessons from Cynthia for a few months - she is a fabulous teacher and always makes it fun to learn! She is very good at explaining things - even if we do not get it the first time, she finds a way to explain things so that it makes sense. I would highly recommend Cynthia if you want a fun, knowledgeable, and excellent teacher. She is always prepared and challenges us to get better - it is really enjoyable and productive to work with her as our teacher. read more

I have always wanted to learn Arabic since college, and learning "important" words from my Arabic-speaking friends. I wanted to get key phrases for an upcoming trip to Israel/Jordan. Dr. Daniel Delshad listened and gave me what I needed to be polite and understand basic phrases. Once I'm back I'll restart my lessons so I can learn to read and write. I like the fact that I can do my lessons via Skype from anywhere in the world. read more

I joined a Spanish class with Strommen and the methodology wasn't a great fit - the instructor was good, and so was the class... But I wanted more conversation. So, I called and asked if I could get a partial refund, which I knew was against policy. I couldn't. After hanging up the phone, I got a call from the President of the company who listened to me, understood, and transferred my credits towards private lessons. I am grateful and highly recommend this outstanding organization to anyone who wants to learn a language. It's rare to find such integrity and empathy anywhere. read more

I've taken two terms of German group-classes with Emanuel. The price is right, and the instruction is top-notch. There's light homework each week that doesn't feel like it's a chore, but it's helpful. The classes are at an outdoor space, and it's quiet enough to maintain attention, but not so sterile as a classroom. I highly recommend this company -- they're easy to work with -- and Emanuel for German, specifically. read more

Very understanding teacher, nice students, fun class. Encourage to learn French in many ways!

I travel every summer to a different country. I found it has been useful to be able to read and communicate in languages other than English. I am an impatient learner though and dislike traveling in traffic, sitting in classes with students who have tons of questions, etc. Strommen Tutoring offers personal, one-on-one learning experiences to fit your schedule and learning style. I am learning German with Lon. He is knowledgable, patient, encouraging, and interesting. My only regret is that I didn't start my classes sooner. read more

I have been taking private Spanish lessons with Azucena F, through Strommen and absolutely love her and the lesson time! She makes learning fun, is extremely patient, and is in tune with what I need help with the most. I feel so lucky to have found her! read more

The Strommen Center provides excellent language learning services. I am currently taking the Group Class: Spanish 1C with Cecilia. Cecilia is an incredible teacher. I arrived early for my first class and although I was nervous, I felt comfortable enough to launch into basic conversational Spanish with her. She is incredibly welcoming and never makes you feel bad for your mistakes. While I was speaking, I noticed how easily she corrected my errors by gently repeating the phrase or word with the correct pronunciation or grammar. My first class flew by quickly with a structured curriculum that reminded me of my Spanish classes in high-school--but this time it was fun and engaging. My group class is quite small so learning is faster and more hands-on. Cecilia guides you through all the necessary grammar and vocabulary while providing opportunities to practice with the other students. She teaches the entire class in Spanish, but it isn't hard to follow along because she uses physical queues and drawings to explain what she is talking about. This makes picking up the language much faster than typical classes which are taught in English. I look forward to each class because it provides the structure and instruction I need to improve quickly. We are assigned weekly homework that helps you with keeping up the practice throughout the week. I've noticed a huge improvement in my Spanish knowledge, ease of speaking, and pronunciation since beginning this class. My husband who is fluent in Spanish has made note of my rapid improvement. I am looking forward to my next class with Strommen and I hope I am lucky enough to take another class with Cecilia! read more

Great service on my document that needed translation and on a timely and professional manner. Thank you Garrett!

If you want to learn Italian go with Mara. Having dyslexia, I've always struggled with languages. It's a joy learning with Mara. She's very focused and makes our private classes fun and interesting. In just two months I've definitely made progress and am looking forward to going back to Italy with a much better vocabulary this summer. Thanks Strommen! read more