I think the model that Berges has, with a monthly rate as opposed to a per-class rate, is a great feature, especially when learning a language is a long and slow process. The process does not have to be financially out-of-reach. I am taking a weekly grammar class and a weekly conversation class, so I feel like I am getting a very good value for my money, especially with the caliber of teachers that I have experienced. I wish I had found Berges sooner. If you are on the fence - I say go for it. And I suggest if you aren't happy after your first class, take another with a different teacher. Everyone has different teaching and learning styles, and you just need to find the right fit for you.
Cheryl S.
5.0
2024-05-29
The Basic Conversation course was a fantastic way for me to get to practice what I have been learning in the other courses. Nicolás kept the conversations rolling even when there were students with different levels of conversational ability.
I was a bit nervous and apprehensive at first about taking a course that was just going to be focused on conversation but after the first class all of the nervousness I had went away.
Olessia Bauer
5.0
2024-03-24
I enjoy the basic conversation course. I have taken it a few times. While the course is designed for basic conversation, students of different levels can benefit from it. The majority of the time only Spanish is spoken, but English is used by students and instructors if needed. The instructors normally use whiteboard and chat to spell out new words or remind us of the grammar rules. The class has a good pace when all can participate. The instructors can offer topics for the day or ask the students to drive the conversation. Overall, it is a well-structured course for the beginners.
Elizabeth Schadrack
5.0
2024-03-23
I really enjoyed this course, especially since I took it in combination with a weekly grammar course (level 3). The classes reinforced one another well. I actually have even more notes from the conversation class, as there were constantly new words and phrases classmates or Gloria used that I want to commit to memory, or uses of grammar I overheard that needed some reflection. I liked the small classes and variety of themes. I'm more motivated now to keep learning Spanish-- and it was great to hear from multiple people recently that I have noticeably improved in the last few months!
Kyle Vodden
5.0
2024-03-20
I love this class. We talk about current things or personal things, but the subject matter is interesting and we are all involved. The time goes by quickly and it seems we still have more to say, so we look forward to the next class.
Darian Woods
4.0
2024-02-24
Fairly well coordinated although it was easy to get distracted and in-person would be better
Christie Jeffers
4.0
2023-11-01
Basic conversation class seems to be whatever the teacher decides. I have a very good teacher who has increased my fluency. I enjoy the class and plan to continue.
Francis Baumgart
5.0
2023-09-28
Excellent !
Carole OBlenes
2.0
2023-08-14
I did not like it as well as other conversation classes I took. It was boring.
Jane Hindman
5.0
2023-07-31
Conversations are not just interesting and fun but also important. Yesterday I found myself explaining to my partner something I had learned about myself by answering one of our class member’s questions for group discussion. I really like getting to know the other students and the instructor on a personal basis; that conversational intimacy is essential for the social interaction that informs and enhances language learning.
Mary Mcintyre
5.0
2023-04-18
The course was very interesting and engaging. Silvana keeps the class moving and divides it into sections: sharing activities, talking about the articles read etc. It helps that she shares her screen. A very patient, knowledgeable teacher!
I know all of your classes are online, alas, nothing beats face to face!
Judith Solano Mayer
5.0
2023-03-30
The preplanning was spot on. For the first class he he brought questions that could elicit answers on many levels. The homework outline has us choosing from various current topics in various fields of interest. I think the part about coming up with our own questions is a good idea because it forces me to switch to a different vocabulary--from being a listener that only responds to being the questioner.
Our particular class had four people. I was very grateful for that. Although I think I might have a larger vocabulary than the others, I am very slow at getting it out of my mouth. With only four people, event those who were really struggling had sufficient time to develop their answers. Señor Alvarez was very gracious with time.
Steven Zalaznick
4.0
2022-12-21
I have enjoyed participating in Basic Conversation. The class is instructive yet fun. Everyone gets tongue tied trying to speak in their newly learned language. The instructor moves things along aiding, correcting and introducing new vocabulary as needed/
I find the readings interesting and they introduce me to vocabulary of every day terminology that might not be part of a planned lesson.
Ulli Kotanko
5.0
2022-11-24
I really enjoyed this series of conversation classe very much. Juan Carlos created a stress free atmosphere and encouraged the students to talk freely and without hesitation. The topics were very interesting and had meaning. I highly recommend this class!
Judith Gibbs
5.0
2022-11-23
The course was engaging an fun.
Sally Davis
5.0
2022-05-26
The Basic Conversation course is a great way to practice what we've learned in the other grammar classes and put it to use in a low-pressure environment. We learn tons of new vocabulary words that will help in everyday conversation.
Abigail Clark
5.0
2022-05-25
Great course!
Lynn Wentworth
5.0
2022-05-16
I loved this class. The instructor changed part way through but each instructor (Julia and Silvana) was great in her own way. I will be taking this class again.
candace gibbs
5.0
2022-04-30
I have been taking clases with Berges online since October 2020 and have had the best experiences. I recently started basic conversation with Rolando and he is spectacular! He is so much fun which makes everyone feel comfortable in class and helps us to learn and engage in conversation! I hope that you open more clases since my recent one for intermediate got canceled.
Anonymous
5.0
2022-04-28
An excellent opportunity to engage in real conversation about our everyday lives, issues of importance to us, and generally fun exchanges. The instructor inserts clarifications and ways of expressing everyday talk throughout the conversation in ways that are clear and supportive.
sahran odom
5.0
2022-04-21
This course is great to enhance your speaking skill, especially if your not that comfortable speaking. Definitely a great support system and builds your confidence.
Anonymous
4.0
2022-04-21
The class was good overall. It started with 8 students which I thought were too many for the online class. Some were more advanced or talkative than others, thus the time to speak during class varied. At the end of the course, the size was reduced to 4 which was perfect. The remaining people were about the same level, and we spoke pretty evenly. I think the class size should limit to 5 for this particular course to be more effective. The materials we discussed were interesting, and the instructor did a good job facilitating.
Meredith Nemirov
5.0
2022-02-21
I thought the class was excellent. So much so that I signed up for the next one. There were only two other students so I am sure that was a benefit because we got to know each other and there was plenty of time to practice our conversational skills. The homework given was very challenging and I think I improved my reading and writing skills enormously!
Candace Gibbs
5.0
2022-02-09
I took basic conversation with Rolando and was very nervous about taking this class however he immediately put me at ease. Rolando is an amazing teacher who is able to engage the students and also encourage us to discuss complex topics. On top of it all he is so much fun that I look forward to his class every week!
Anonymous
5.0
2022-02-03
This class provided excellent opportunities to engage in Basic Conversation. Rolando led normal interactive-type discussions that gave students a chance not only to respond to questions that he modeled, but also to then frame questions ourselves of one another in an organic way. Periodically, during those conversations, Rolando would also interject reminders about sentence structures and/or colloquial patterns relevant to the conversation. Discussion about the readings was also natural and interesting, giving all students a chance to engage in conversation on the topic at whatever level we were able.
Jerry Crasnick
5.0
2022-02-03
It's a beneficial course because nothing beats free-flowing conversation as a teaching tool. We spent about two-thirds of the time in conversation and the other 30 minutes dissecting news stories that were given to us as homework. In one of my other classes, we put together individual 5- and 10-minute presentations that I found enjoyable. That wasn't the case in this class, but I still got a lot out of the 10 sessions.
Jamie Canton
5.0
2021-12-28
This was a great conversation practice course. The teacher was good at getting us to speak and over time we developed a good flow so that it was just very natural conversation in Spanish. Very enjoyable! Thank you.
Benjamin Charbit
5.0
2021-12-06
I took all 5 grammar courses and this basic conversation course twice.
This was very good in terms of the reading material- interesting articles and it forced me to read in Spanish, try to understand, practice my accent and get a vocabulary list together.
The free flowing conversation in Spanish forced me to speak in Spanish which is the only way to learn and I liked the cultural topics as well.
I will take this course again as I want to be fluent!
Alan Delman
5.0
2021-11-26
I really enjoyed the challenge of speaking and listening to Spanish every week for 90mn
Jerry Crasnick
5.0
2021-11-01
It's 90 minutes once a week, about 98 percent in Spanish. We began each lesson sharing personal updates, then spent about an hour discussing 5 news stories that we were assigned as homework. Then we would spend 15 minutes or so on a designated discussion topic (life in Mexico or Colombia, technology and its impact on our lives, etc.) before signing off with a few more minutes of conversation. In addition, we had to give two fairly lengthy presentations in Spanish -- one on a famous person and the other on a Latin-American celebration or holiday. You have to put in some time outside of class. But if you do, you can make significant progress.
Joseph Rivera
5.0
2021-10-28
The course was excellent. As a class we were able to practice our skills in a real-world setting as we discussed our day to day lives. It gave us an opportunity to apply the lessons we learned in an organic way that matched how we might actually use them in our lives.
Sarah Manhardt
5.0
2021-09-12
Class was great conversation practice. Nicolás is very skilled in leading and generating conversation
Melissa Ford
5.0
2021-08-08
A great course, the questions and articles for homework were helpful for me to learn new words and feel more confident in my Spanish conversation skills
Jose Castillo
5.0
2021-08-07
I made progress towards my goal.
Rosemary Conlon
5.0
2021-08-03
It is wonderful studying with Rolando. He makes it easy to understand a conversation in Spanish. In addition, he selects a variety of topics to discuss each week so we can expand our vocabulary. I have signed up for more classes with him.
Peter Kulesza
5.0
2021-08-03
Having a conversation in Spanish is a great way to improve your language skills. In this class we read articles and comment on them.
Carole Oblenes
5.0
2021-07-28
Rolando is terrific! Engaging, interesting and patient. The classes were fun.
Maxine Phillps
5.0
2021-05-18
Congenial people, lively conversation. Nelson makes sure that everyone participates and that the topics are interesting.
Samantha Grund-Wickramasekera
4.0
2021-05-16
The transition from Beginner's spanish to Basic conversation was a little jarring. On my end, it was definitely less structured and I did not study my conjugations as often as I should have. However, I feel like more guidance could have been provided as to how to approach reading fairly complex articles in Spanish. In order to save time, I would read the article in English first and then read it in Spanish, which I feel kind of defeats the purpose of the course. Perhaps more guidance on this would be helpful.
Robyn Occhiogrosso
5.0
2021-05-15
Enjoyable, relaxed discussion in Spanish. Eva is welcoming and encouraging, always.
Lisa Drapkin
5.0
2021-05-12
This course was great! Nelson was a wonderful teacher and he made sure everyone felt comfortable. For me it was the right mix of challenging but also not so much so that I felt I wasn't good enough to be there. I would definitely recommend to others.
Peter Kulesza
5.0
2021-05-11
Excellent quality with this particular teacher. I have to say there are not many quality ones. But Andres is.
Maxine Phillips
5.0
2021-03-03
Lively conversation on a wide range of topics with interesting people that I might never meet otherwise.
Doris Hart
5.0
2021-02-25
very stimulating conversations; Rolando is a fine teacher. I learned a lot.
John Sabulis
3.0
2021-02-25
This didn’t seem to be a beginner conversation class.
The other students were a very different and various levels. There was little time for corrections from the instructor and there was some really bad Spanish and painful pronunciation.
Also, the instructor seemed focused on getting through the assignments not correcting grammar or pronunciation.
The assignments, to research and talk about current news events were not picked well. In the second class of the 6 or 7 topics chosen, I researched all of them in El País, La Jornada, La Prensa, News in Slow Spanish, Latin American and News in Slow Spanish, Spain. NOTHING ON ANY OF THEM!
What a waste of time. I left the classes after that, neither the teacher, nor the other classmates engaged me.
I won’t be taking another class at Berges and frankly should have my money refunded.
AP
5.0
2021-02-12
Nicolas keeps the class moving with varied topics for discussion and helpful tips for improving our speaking. I've taken this class several times with Nicolas, because I enjoy his teaching style and how he interacts with all of us students.
ANA
5.0
2021-01-25
Highly recommendable, great for breaking the fear of speaking...interesting topics, everyone equally included, conversation can always go outside of the homework topics so just be brave and go for it :)
Anonymous
5.0
2020-12-02
Excellent online course and opportunity for practicing speaking and listening and reading.
Anonymous
5.0
2020-11-25
The Basic Conversation class with Andres was extremely useful. Andres provided a forum for all students to participate and practice listening and speaking at our own levels about everyday topics and current events. He also set up exercises for us to participate in more rapid-fire production of sentences, using new vocabulary and responding to basic questions from one another. He is an excellent teacher.
Jennifer
5.0
2020-10-21
Very challenging, but forced me to practice speaking Spanish.
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