Go Spanish Now

My teacher Juan Felipe Diaz is a very professional and interesting teacher. He has very delightful personality, also he always tries to make classes very interesting. I had chance to review the book as well as extending my learning to Spanish songs, movies, and other fun stuff.

Juan Felipe Diaz is a great teacher. Patient, thorough, prompt, flexible. I highly recommend him.

I was looking for a place where I can learn Spanish in a small group class with flexible schedule and at reasonable price. That’s how I found Spanish Now and I am so happy that I find it. I started as a beginner at level 0 without any knowledge of Spanish. Before I started my first class, I was pretty nervous and had no clue what to do. I came to their Bethesda location, the place was easy to find and parking was easy too. Everyone was very friendly and they greeted me warmly in Spanish even since day 1. I like their idea of being immersed in the environment so u can catch up new words quickly. Enrique, the principle of the school is a very caring, fun and knowledgeable guy. He helped me to find the schedule that suited me perfectly and even I missed two classes, he kindly helped me to make up the sessions accommodating my busy schedule. I feel like they are treating you much more like friends than students.
Gonzalo is my instructor and he is one of the most patient teachers I have ever seen. As a rookie student, I have to learn everything from the scratch and of course with lots of silly questions. Gonzalo always tried his best to answer me and he will write down the things that I didn’t understand and reviewed them next week until I got it. Learning a new language can be frustrated sometimes and he always encouraged me to do more and follow the baby steps with patience.
I have been studied here for 6 months and thanks to Enrique and Gonzalo, my Spanish has improved greatly and steadily.
If they can have classes in more locations, that would be better.

I’ve been a student at Spanish Now for nearly six years. I started as an advanced beginner or low intermediate. Now I speak Spanish more-​or-​less fluently. It is such a gift to be able to communicate in Spanish — I never have to use a translator in my work and I can socialize with ease in Spanish. I have used multiple strategies to learn the language, but Spanish Now has been a big part of my progress. I’ve had the same professor throughout my time with Spanish Now — Laura — and she’s an excellent instructor who maintains high standards. She prepares a workplan for each 8-​week session. There is generally a mix of grammar, reading literature from various Latin American authors, and discussing current events. Some of my fellow students have been in my class for years and there is great camaraderie. We encourage one another and celebrate birthdays.
No mistake about it – learning a language takes time and effort — the results are not immediate. If you stick with it, take full advantage of the class and also study and practice on your own, the results can be transformational. I have had an excellent experience with Spanish Now.
I did read some of the comments from others about administrative difficulties in getting a refund. Can’t speak to that — I’ve been continuously enrolled for years — but can attest to the fact that they have always billed me accurately and I’ve never had a problem.

DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR MONEY. You may never get it back.
I followed the terms of my contract to rescind the contract. I asked for my refund in a timely manner pursuant to the contract terms. It took me over two weeks to get my money refunded on PayPal. I had to leave multiple messages on the voicemail at the office in Bethesda. I also wrote a letter to the president/​owner. It wasn’t until I made a complaint to the Better Business Bureau that I got my refund. (If you want to read a bad complaint, go to that website!) I suggest to anyone to read carefully the contract terms before going to the first class. If you need to rescind the contract, you must do it immediately on the day of the first class by email. Takeaway: if after the first lesson you have any doubt about the class’s quality, email the school immediately to get out of the contract. Don’t wait.
The reason I rescinded the contract is my class was too easy for me. This is the danger of signing up for a class with a school that has no placement test. In retrospect I wish that I had asked for the opportunity to sit-​in on a class to observe the teaching pedagogy and the content before paying for the course. I recommend going to the Spanish Now office to review the books that teachers use for each of the levels before ordering any of their textbooks through Amazon.
I am updating this review to inform you that immediately after posting it, the company withdrew from the BBB. They no longer seek accreditation. Now, complaints to the Better Business Bureau do not matter. You can still see the complaint of another Spanish Now student on the BBB website. Like mine, her complaint was about refunding. You cannot see my complaint. Perhaps there was a way to avoid having my complaint made public by the BBB that involved the company’s withdrawal from the BBB. The owner/​president did inform me that he had received a letter from the Better Business Bureau regarding my complaint.

If I could give no stars I would. They don’t teach ANYTHING and the instructors are rude. My «teacher» tried teaching me Spanish songs instead of actual Spanish grammar/​vocabulary. Im an adult not a child. Also, this is NOT a way to learn or teach a language. When I politely said this to the instructor, she told me to leave. I then tried to get a refund which they also refused to process. This is a SCAM!!! They should be reported to the better business bureau!

PROS:
– small classes (3 students)
– held in a metro-​accessible public space (not a Panera, etc, so do not have to order food each week
– entertaining and knowledgeable teacher Andres — the two hour lessons go by quickly
– one of the cheaper courses in DC
CONS:
– little structure to course, so no textbook or formal lecture/​syllabus — this is okay for me as I have previous classroom experience, but I think it’d be hard for someone coming in new to the language

I was looking for a Spanish class that wasn’t expensive and was flexible. I first looked at Berlitz and they were prohibitively expensive, especially for someone not having a job that would foot the bill.
When I was taking classes, we met at Panera and Borders. They have classes in Virginia and Maryland. Classes are grouped together based on skill level and usually consist of 3 – 4 other students. We met once a week for 2 hours. I thought the pace was good. The instructor I had was Nestor and he was a really good instructor. I definitely recommend him.