Reviews for Beginners Level: Spanish for Absolute Beginners

I took Spanish in high school and college. It was the perfect refresher course for me.

At age 70, I decided to try again to learn Spanish. I chose the Beginner's level because I needed the review and did not want to be "left behind in the dust" by younger students surging ahead with their quicker brains! I appreciated the way the course was structured. Common topics of "getting to know you" conversation were introduced early in the course. I felt I could quickly make sense of basic Spanish grammar which helped my ability to communicate more easily what I wanted to say. Many "holes" in my understanding left over from former beginning classes were filled in nicely. I feel much more confident about trying to communicate in Spanish (at least at a rudimentary level!)

I liked that the course was on-line, the class consisted of 3-6 persons, and there were options of days and times - especially the availability of a Saturday class. The workbook was easy to understand and exercises helped with the retention of the language. At the end of the 10 week course I am able to read, write, understand and engage in a Spanish conversation. I cannot wait to start level 2.

The course was comprehensive, challenging but manageable which I loved. We moved along at a fairly rapid pace but that kept it interesting and enriching. Also each stage built on the previous one and the progression was logical and the foundations we acquired solid.

I thought the course was great! I had taken Spanish in grade school as a child so I was starting for the basics. You learn a lot of foundational information in the class but its really up to you to practice what you’ve learned during the week so that it sticks.

This is a great intro course that covers a variety of basics: family, household items, numbers and more. Highly recommend it!

I was very impressed with the structure of this course . Grammar has always been difficult for me In my own native English. I love how the GRAF method gradually eases you into the structure of the language. I learned a lot more than I thought I was capable of.

The class materials were clear and well written, and the instructor was terrific. I will definitely sign up for another class and will recommend Berges to friends and clients. Great value for the money as well.

The material is presented most efficiently so you can readily understand the nuts and bolts of pronunciations, grammer, pick up vocabulary. The practice portions of the class helped solidify the information in actual speaking. Having the flexibility to use make-up lessons when schedule conflicts arise made sure I didn't fall behind. The tips in the Berges newsletter for how to get additional practice are really important to use - practicing every day is really important!

This was a wonderful course. I actually had taken this course before. The second time around I got to appreciate the pace and level of the lessons much more as I was more relaxed and able to reabsorb the knowledge.

I really enjoyed this class and I felt that It provided me with some basic Spanish language information that I need to move on to the next level. I highly recommend Berges institute!

This was a wonderful addition to my week! I felt like I was making real progress without feeling overwhelmed by the pacing or amount of homework.

The course was enjoyable as well as educational! I feel I learned a lot in a short period, and I am looking forward to the next level of instruction.

This course was what I'd hoped for and then some. I have difficulty learning foreign languages, but happily, this technique and this teacher suit me and I'm enrolling in Part 2. Julia is a wonderful teacher. She explains grammatical points clearly. She is patient and kind and handily involves the students in conversation with one another. I especially appreciate the points she makes about how something is said in Mexico v. in Spain or even in certain other Latin American countries. I enrolled in her course because my future extended family is Mexican and it was important to attune my ear to the Mexican dialect, so these explanations are really useful. So why four stars and not five? Three reasons: 1. There's no in-person option yet--and I understand that it's not possible yet, but being in person would ease conversation and build an esprit de corps amongst students. 2. I wish you used Zoom instead of BlueJeans. Zoom is just a better platform. Hope you'll consider changing. 3. I wish there was more written homework along with video components so that students could respond to Spanish spoken at conversational speed. But maybe that's to come in the more advanced modules. Looking forward to the past tense. Many thanks.

I loved this course! María Chanamé is an awesome teacher. It was the perfect pace for me, always felt challenged but never intimidated. Definitely a safe and comfortable place to make mistakes and learn a lot. I’ve already started level 2 and it does not disappoint either!

Great course and I learned a ton. A lot to fit into a few months, but the workbook was very helpful.

The course was well organized and has really helped me kickstart my journey with learning Spanish. I would highly recommend this program and am already signed up for the next level!

The course is well structured and professional in every way. Everything about Berges is designed for a students maximum advantage and growth. The learning process is very detailed and swift. The amount of material covered in just ten weeks is amazing.

Really great primer on elementary Spanish and covered a lot of information quickly without being overwhelming.

Good pace, great blend of reading/writing/speaking/listening skills.

The content was clear and well sequenced.

The course was excellent and so was the teacher.

It was great! Learned alot and María was very patient and helpful.

The class is very good. I love the text book. The interactive structure of the class even though it’s online. Highly recommended for beginners

I am glad I selected this program to learn Spanish. I appreciate that the course uses the construct of the Spanish language as a foundational teaching. This approach facilitates my learning the language and not just memorizing words. Well worth the investment. I am now advancing to Lesson 2.

As a beginner, the teacher makes me love Spanish and always impatient to get to her class. Everyone always involved and she does cares to explain every little details.

Very well organized, the Graf method is excellent.

This course was extremely well organized and straightforward. I love using the Graf method and am very excited to move onto Level 2!

I have tried to learn Spanish in the past, using many different approaches, but I have found this course to be the most useful. I appreciate the methodology used and the delivery method. Works for me so far!

I thought the course was good and the materials were all helpful. I liked the format and sequence of what was taught.

I was a bit intimidated after taking the first class. We covered a lot on the first day and there was a lot of memorization involved. My memory is not that good so that’s why I was intimidated. But I studied every night and each class thereafter was less intimidating. By the middle of the course, all that memorization helped me comprehend new topics later on! Can’t wait to take Course Two!

Excellent teacher: knowledgeable, patient, and funny. I wished she thought next levels.

Very enjoyable course; liked the pacing. Ian was an excellent instructor!

This was a great intro to Spanish. The approach offers a solid foundation for new learners.

I thought the instructor was terrific but the textbook was confusing at times.

Maria was great and the content helped a lot although I still struggle with the basics here and there but I have a good foundation I think

It was a great intro into Spanish and the course materials/assignments were super helpful

The course was excellent. I studied French for many years, but had no formal instruction in Spanish. I knew some words and phrases that I had learned from friends or from using apps and online self-study programs. The course pulled everything together by helping me to understand the grammar and have confidence that I was saying things correctly. I saw a huge improvement in my ability to read and understand Spanish. I also enjoyed the learning environment. Even though the course was online, I enjoyed the interaction with fellow students. I highly recommend this course.

The Beginners Spanish course is very well designed. The rules of grammar are presented in a very focused way which allows for easing into conversational Spanish. Looking forward to Level 2.

Eva actually taught this course, because Nelson was out on family leave. She was friendly, clear, and very encouraging and helpful.

I enjoyed this Level 1 class. It was exactly where I needed to start and felt the pace of the class was perfect.

The course was great as far as materials and the instructor. I just found 90 minutes to be a very long time to commit on a weekly basis. I’d prefer an hour long course.

Julia is great. The curriculum works well. I would have valued a bit more learning around everyday phrases and some basic aids to communicating, such as what I believe is a very commonly used verb quierer and tips like tener que. I am now learning about these in a different format that I am trying, which is more about learning to speak and comprehend, quickly. I suggest including the key verbs --- with reflexives, of course, we need llarmarse and levantarse, but do we really need to prioritize verbs for shaving and putting on makeup? Nonetheless, I am using what I learned with Julia a lot, and I would recommend to anyone the foundational benefits provided by Berges and Julia.

I was in a class with some great students and we had a very wonderful and patient instructor Alan Z. He made learning Spanish fun and interesting.

This course was simply superb! The format is simple yet, challenging. Nick Garcia is an amazing teacher, easy going, kind, patient, and very knowledgeable. The lesson format is cumulative. Each weeks assignment would lead to not only a comprehensive understanding of the elementary basic use of sentence structuring and beginners conversation, but also works to build confidence in the student. I was very pleased with my progress and the ease by which the course was taught. I have signed up for the 2nd session with Nick- Highly recommend!

The course was enjoyable and helpful in keeping me focused. At times it went too quickly, but Edgardo was always willing to clear up misunderstandings. I felt motivated and confident enough to register for the next level.

Course was easy to follow and taught well. Homework was just enough to understand the concepts.

It was a great course. I really enjoyed it and learned a lot. I have already signed up for the spanish 2 class. Maria was an amazing instructor. She was friendly and very accommodating to the class. Making us all feel comfortable and slowly interacting more as the class progressed. I look forward to taking more classes

I loved the course, it was the perfect pace for beginners - I felt like I learned a lot but wasn’t overwhelmed. Nick was a great instructor

I had taken Spanish many years ago and thought that I needed a refresher/back-to-basics type of class and I got that and so much more! By the end of the class, I am able to converse and speak about myself and others in Spanish, which is a huge leap. I'm excited to keep learning as I've signed up for Level 2! I love this method of teaching & learning as it's realistic and easy-to-understand.