Do you know what speaking Spanish can do for you?
First and foremost, help you feel at home in Spain.
Because home is where your loved ones are and you can be yourself, because you can communicate.
If you can´t communicate, you’re not fully home… yet
There is a way to change this feeling of not-being-quite-there-yet
It’s not easy.
And it requires time and effort.
I can help you here.
But first let me tell you the story of two friends of mine.
The first one
is one of the first people I met when we moved to Madrid.
She was (is) here because of her husband, they had two small children (teenagers now) and they were (are) a fun-loving, beautiful family.
You know the way people seem to have everything under control and have their s** (excuse my French) together?
Well, that was her.
Until she confessed to me, that she didn’t feel at home in Spain. She still missed her country too much. Things weren’t getting easier because she couldn’t speak Spanish. She could understand almost everything, but not speak it properly.
And she struggled with the cultural differences between her country’s and Spanish customs.
Not speaking the language properly made her feel more frustrated.
The second one was a mom of the kindergarten my kids went to.
A really nice lady, she was also here because of her husband’s work, and had two small boys.
She had left her job back home to come to Spain and became a stay-at-home mom.
But although she had friends and her kids, too, none of these friends were Spaniards.
All her friends were German or English-speaking ladies. And me, because I speak German, but also because I was also new here and my life was in chaos: we had a lot in common. (Not in the chaos part, the other one).
I remember her telling me:
“if I could only speak the language, I would be able to enjoy more my life here. I would be able to do so many more things and be more independent.”
I guess, what I’m trying to tell you here is…
That learning Spanish is much more than just speaking a language. It means…
having the freedom to do more things on your own
taking part in conversations with your spouse’s family – and laugh at your father-in-law’s jokes.
Explaining to the doctor what is wrong with you or your kid and understanding what he/she says
having exactly the birthday party that you want for your children (or yourself), because you will have looked for and hired exactly what you need.
being able to travel to places only known to locals
going to the hairdresser without thinking about the language barrier
feeling proud of yourself for doing something difficult (yes, let’s be honest: it’s not easy)
opening professional opportunities for you – like my friend, the first one. She even has her own company now.
being able to complain and/or give out whenever you need to, in Spanish. This, I can tell you, is very useful and rewarding.
understanding the local slang, instead of only standard Spanish
making many more friends and acquaintances, not only from Spain, but all Latin America.
being able to travel to Latin America without having to worry about the language
being yourself when you speak Spanish
delaying the onset of diseases like Alzheimer (I’m not joking, the science says so) and increasing your memory capacity.
wouldn’t it be great, being able to do all this?
Having said that, I have a course that may interest you.
When?
October 2023
I will post here the next time I open this course
Time?
A1: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10.30-11.25
A2: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11.30-12.25
Cost?
€170 per month
So, how much time is that in total?
The number of total hours depend on you how fast or slow we reach the objectives.
In any case, half of the total hours will be face-to-face and the other half online.
I also expect you to do some work individually at home.
Otherwise, the objectives may not be met and it would be very frustrating indeed to put all that effort and not see the expected results.
This part is as important as the classes because it’s when you make the language part of your life.
How is the course?
Tuesdays is an online class on Zoom.
Thursdays will be the face-to-face part.
This will take place in El Soto de la Moraleja.
The aim of the face-to-face class is to practice what was learnt online.
important
The groups are very reduced:
Max. 6 students!
Ready?
Jimena, I don’t know you
why should I learn Spanish with you?
Well, other than the fact that I am great have years of experience teaching Spanish as a foreign language and I having done many, many training courses for teachers with the Instituto Cervantes,
(because the truth is that speaking the language alone doesn’t make you a teacher)
I am also an expat like you and understand what you’re going through.
Not only because we both live abroad, but because I have also learned English, German and French as foreign languages, and know what it is like to learn a language like that.
So where have I taught before?
I’ve taught private classes for a number of years.
And earlier this year I collaborated in two projects to teach Spanish to Ukrainian refugees.
One project was only online (you can see a video about it here, it is called ProyectoU) for people across Spain.
And the other project was teaching daily face-to-face to refugees who came to Madrid. Apart from being a teacher, I was also the course coordinator in this project, because I plan my classes and courses based on practical, real-life oriented objectives. And on the strengths of my students.
Which means that I decided what the students were going to learn to reach the objectives (being independent and finding a job) as fast and effectively as possible.
I am very proud to say that, after having arrived with zero Spanish (they didn’t even know the Latin alphabet), this Ukrainians now speak enough of it to be able to work.
I especially remember Nadia: a mother of 7, who used to give me a hug every class.
One day, she even wiped the whiteboard for me without needing to. And when the other students asked her why she was doing it, she just said,
“because Jimena is a great teacher (and needs help with this...)"
So, if you want to learn Spanish based on real-life objectives, like…
talking about who you are, where you come from and your interests.
telling people what you did last weekend and what your plans for your next family holiday are.
telling the doctor what is up with your child or you and be able to understand him or her.
describing to the real estate agent exactly the house you’re looking for and the characteristics the neighbourhood should have. Oh, and then decorate your new house having bought the stuff yourself.
going to any clothes shop, ask anything you need, understand, return and buy without second guessing yourself.
Food! Understand the dishes and ask about the ingredients in case you can’t or don’t want to eat something. Also, go to the supermarket and know how your favourite food is called here… and find it.
and many more practical things like these.
Do you have more questions?
Yes, it is necessary to do the whole course to see real results. If you want to talk to me first, you can schedule a free Zoom call here.
No, there is no trial class. Please do schedule a Zoom call with me here. This is free and will help us get to know each other and see if we want to work together.
A1 is beginner.
Level A2 is the continuation of level A1, but to do it you need to have completed level A1 not too long ago, or be able to hold a very basic conversation.
If you're unsure of your level, please contact me per email on: info@jimenaibarra.com
Ok, so I don't promise anything, because your progress doesn't depend on me alone. You have an important role to play here, too. And I have no control over this part.
However, if you attend all classes, do the work at home and practice a little bit everyday, you will see results quickly.
There are no discounts for not being able to attend a class. However, everything will be uploaded in the platform that I use for my classes, padlet. You will find there everything you need to catch up. Plus, I will upload the video of the online sessions there, so you can watch them again at your own pace.
- The printed book with digital licence (I will get that for you)
- Access to padlet, the platform that I use to upload material and ressources
- Access to me via Whatsapp.
Only credit card with Stripe. Please note that I'm not responsible for any additional bank fees you may incur.
No, I don't think so.
Behind each class is a fair amount of work that the students don't see. So the prices covers for all of that and extra material that I bring to class.
It is always a good investment to learn something new, especially if this knowledge is going to make your life easier. Yours and your family's.
So if you want to invest in your life in Spain and your future…
