New Course Starts September 2026 - Limited Spots
Be the neighbour lady to hang out with in Spanish, and not just the guiri that lives next door.
The Spanish for Advanced Beginners' Storytelling Course for International Women in Madrid.
So you already know the basics of Spanish and you want to use it.
Because you’ve commited the effort, time, money and mental health to it.
Yet you still freeze when you want to tell your new Spanish friend a cute story from the weekend, because:
- The words in Spanish don’t come, even if you’ve learned them before.
- The tenses are all wrong, because you only know the present… and maybe one past?
- And you’re not even sure how to begin in the first place.
So you reluctantly tell the story in English… and your one chance to use your Spanish today is gone. Just like that.
But it needn’t be that way.
It's a fact that Spanish has...
- waaaaay too many verb endings, and
- sooo many past tenses, and
- native speakers talk too fast.
And the classes you went to didn’t prepare you for either of those in spontaneous situations.
However, they did prepare you to
- know the name of every single conjugation under the sun (on paper and with gaps at the end of the verbs),
- all the words there are to name stuff in the house. (insert crying emoji here), and
- to know that tortilla de patata goes with onions. Or else. 🧅
And I know You've...
- Gone to an academy, but it was full of 20-year-olds wondering where to party tonight with completely different communication needs than yours.
- Tried apps and all you got is constant blackmail from the green bird to "not lose your streak".
- Watched endless videos and tried to do the ghosting technique, but it's still not enough.
- Avoided Spaniards because you're not confident enough to chit chat with them. And
- Nodded during long conversations where you only understood "joeee, tío" and “vale”.
And What's Worse Is That...
…you’ve started to believe that maybe learning and speaking Spanish just isn’t for you, (never mind feeling fully integrated).
The Good News Is That...
There’s another way to learn Spanish —one designed for International Ladies in Spain like you, that
- understands your life situation,
- it’s based on stories, interaction and repetition, and
- it finally makes those past tenses stick.
This is where it happens.
TPRS* and stories are the answer to you absorbing Spanish.
You tell stories.
I tell stories.
We all do.
And you learned your first language with stories.
So why not learn Spanish with storytelling?
What Exactly Is TPRS?
It stands for Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling and it’s a methodology for language learning that uses
- the power of stories,
- questions and answers,
- (a lot of) repetition, and
- context
for you to absorb the language and speak it fluently, without the need to memorise anything.
Forget
- Endless and boring conjugation rules that you won’t remember when talking spontaneously.
- Learning long lists of vocabulary, 90% of which you will never use in your day-to-day.
-
The books divided by topics that don't interest you, and are not natural.
Like, why do you need to wait until unit 6 to learn pains and aches?
Or wait until level B1 for you to say one phrase with more than one past tense?
#notnaturallanguage
So how does a typical lesson look like?
-
We start with a bit of calendar talk: What is happening this week with you?
Very much like real-life chit chat. -
Then we talk about your past or future plans: this way you keep practicing dates, days, months, prepositions, pasts and future, and much, much more without a single fill-in-the-gap exercise sheet.
Yes, you'll be able to do it with my help! -
Story time! One sentence and verb at a time, with lots of questions and repetition for you to absorb Spanish naturally.
This is where we co-create the story to make it more fun and exciting. -
After, you and the rest of compis (classmates) re-tell the story from different angles and points of view.
First with help, then without.
And as you're re-telling it, I write it down for you to read over whenever you like. -
Last, we -you- read together a few pages of a book, which has been carefully selected to reinforce what you've learned.
Does Don Quijote sound familiar? 😉
And then I let you go about your day, because, believe me, your brain will’ve worked a lot.
Hi, I'm Jimena and I arrived here as an expat, just like you.
When I arrived in Madrid back in 2013, that first year was very tough.
I didn’t know exactly how things worked, where things were (try finding biscuits in the supermarket, I dear you), and even as a native Spanish speaker, normal, everyday tasks felt like a neverending battle, as I had to learn some words Spaniards use and their ways.
I kept thinking: How do people survive here without speaking Spanish?
That led me to a path of professional redescovery and since 2017 I’ve helped hundreds of expat ladies in Madrid do more than just learn the Spanish they’ll use in their daily life:
I also help you
- Navigate the culture,
- Understand the different varieties of Spanish you’ll hear on the street,
- Develop tricks to keep absorbing and learning Spanish outside of class, too, and
- where to find the best carpet cleaner in Madrid.
So, if you want to learn Spanish the way you learned your first language — by living it, not memorising it,
you’re in the right place.
From Confident to Integrated
Is the Storytelling-based Course for Spanish Advanced Beginners that gets you dominating the pasts, and your present in Madrid.
When?
From the 2nd week of September 2026 to the end of January 2027.
Where?
Online on Zoom
In Madrid for the face-to-face classes and the immersive activities
Limits
Minimum 3 students to open the group. Maximum 6 students, to make sure everyone gets enough talking time per class.
This is what in 4 months you'll be able to do:
- Tell a story from your weekend to a Spanish friend, from start to finish, mixing past tenses, without switching to English halfway through.
- Follow conversations in Spanish, even if you don't understand every single word.
- Tell your life story to a stranger while you wait for your delayed flight in nearly flawless Spanish (true story!).
- When something exciting or horrible happens, explain what happened to a doctor, a landlord, or a friend, without your new bestie ChatGPT on standby.
- Say your opinion in Spanish because you do have one.
- Stop relying on apps for everyday life.
And above all, feel normal speaking Spanish and understanding what is going on around you.
How much is this, Jimena?
4 Monthly Payments of €260, but Save Your Spot Now For
-
2 Live, Online Sessions each week for 16 weeks, that will be recorded for you to watch if you can't make class
-
1 face-to-face Session each month
-
2 live, Immersive Activities in Madrid
-
All material included
-
Access to me via WhatsApp
Safe payment with debit or credit card through Stripe. Terms and Conditions apply, as well as my Privacy Policy. Please read them carefully.
This is definitely for you if...
- You know the basics of Spanish but struggle with the pasts.
- You're ready to speak in the past naturally, while reinforcing the present...
- You're overwhelmed by traditional language learning methods.
- Grammar is a struggle and it confuses you because of all the incomprehensible names of the tenses.
- You feel insecure whenever you need to say something in Spanish.
- You've reached the end of your Duo-lingo streaks and still feel like you need (much) more speaking practice.
- You're tired of relying on ChatGPT or Google Translate for simple, every day tasks.
Do you have more questions?
Is it necessary to sign up for the whole course or can I try it for one month?
No, you can’t sign up only for one month, but I do offer you to save your spot until mid August.
In case you change your mind, just send me an email and you will get your deposit back.
If you´re not sure if this course is for you and want to talk to me first, you can schedule a free Zoom call here.
What happens after I pay the deposit to save my spot?
Once you pay the €50 deposit, your spot in the course is saved.
If you change your mind by August 15th, you can send me an email to info@jimenaibarra.com and I’ll refund your deposit, no questions asked, and not further payments will be due.
If I don’t hear anything from you after August 15th, I’ll send you a payment link for the first month of the course, which should be settled by August 28th.
Once the first payment is completed, you’ll get your €50 deposit back.
This payment will create a standing order for the next 3 months, so that you don’t have to think about paying and I don’t have to remind you.
If the first payment is not settled by August 29th, the deposit will not be reimbursed and you may lose your spot in the group.
If you’re not sure if this course is for you and want to talk to me first, you can schedule a free Zoom call here.
Is there a trial period?
There is no trial class as such, but a one week money-back gurantee from course start.
To access the course, though, you’d have to pay in advance, whatever plan you decide to choose.
I’m not a complete beginner but I’m can’t hold a conversation, is this something for me?
Absolutely! You’ll review the basics and build your confidence and conversation skills from there. You’ll be flying in no time!
I’m not sure this course is for me
This course is NOT for you if you…
- … want to focus on grammar and learn from there;
- … can already hold a conversation in Spanish.
- … want a traditional learning methodology.
What happens if I can't go one day?
I know that life happens and Murphy’s Law is real, that’s why I’ll record every class and will share the video on the Notion page of the group, so that you can have access to it at any time.
There are no discounts for not being able to attend a class.
What happens if you Jimena get sick?
If I -Jimena- get sick or have to move the class for whatever reason, I’ll let you know ASAP. But I promise that I always try to show up in class, no matter how bad I feel.
In any case, if I need to cancel or move the class, we will either reschedule it or give an extra class.
What does the price include?
- Access to your group’s Notion page
- Access to the group’s WhatsApp chat
- All the material, which you will find in the Notion page.
- One in-person “class” per month.
- 2 immersive activities in Madrid with the rest of my students.
How can I pay?
Only bank card with Stripe with recurring payments, so that you don’t forget and I don’t have to chase you.
Please note that I’m not responsible for any additional bank fees you may incur.
Safe payment with debit or credit card through Stripe. Terms and Conditions apply, as well as my Privacy Policy. Please read them carefully.
