learning spanish- cheap alternatives

[luckysevens]

1000 pesos is about $265US, thats $12 a day or so for classes, that seems reasonable...

 

[laureltp]

1000 pesos is about $265US, thats $12 a day or so for classes, that seems reasonable...

Well that's the thing. It may seem reasonable in dollar amounts, but when you are here on pesos it's a slap in the face. After paying our usual expenses (rent, food, utilities) we usually have a few hundred pesos left at the end of the month.

But I can't hardly complain I know there are a lot of people out there who can't even make ends meet much less have a few hundred extra.

 

[laureltp]

Hi, Laurel. I also think private lessons might be a good investment -- 40 pesos is really quite a reasonable price! Since you are already getting daily conversational practice (the most important part of building fluency) with your friends, it sounds like you shouldn't need to take that many lessons -- just enough to cover the specific questions you have. Maybe you could find a couple of people to join you, since group classes are usually given at a discount. In the meantime, scrap the grammar books and try to read as many authentic materials as you can -- you'll pick up more vocabulary and syntax than you realize just by seeing/reinforcing them in context.

I do agree that 30 or 40 pesos is a reasonable amount but only for a teacher who really can help. That was my only problem, when I asked questions to the teacher I had she didn't know the answers so I felt like I was throwing away my money. Do you know where are good places to look for good Spanish tutors? I'm not entirely certain where to start the search.

And yes I agree that reading in Spanish does amazing things to help pick up on the structure of the language. You get the chance to stop and think about it and see it. Right now I am reading "El shock del futuro". It's really amusing since it was written in the 1970's. The guy actually made some really accurate predictions about us! I recommend it if you have the time.

 

[starlucia]

I do agree that 30 or 40 pesos is a reasonable amount but only for a teacher who really can help. That was my only problem, when I asked questions to the teacher I had she didn't know the answers so I felt like I was throwing away my money. Do you know where are good places to look for good Spanish tutors? I'm not entirely certain where to start the search.

I agree that finding a knowledgeable, experienced teacher can be difficult -- there are just as many unqualified porteños offering to "teach" Spanish as there are Americans/Brits who think that simply being a native speaker qualifies them to teach English. I did a lot of research before choosing a tutor -- since I was willing to pay a bit more for high-quality instruction, I made sure to interview beforehand about education, experience, fluency in other languages, letters of recommendation, methodology, etc (my teacher is brilliant and I'd be happy to recommend her, but she charges 65 pesos an hour -- not sure if that's out of your range.) I do recommend trying to find someone who has acquired a second or third language past adolescence; I think that being an adult language-learner makes you much more able to relate to the student experience of trying to master a foreign grammar and vocabulary. I started my search on Craigslist and began contacting potential tutors from there; you might also want to ask around for recommendations from other English-speakers who felt like they truly got their money's worth out of their lessons. And maybe check around the universities? You might be able to find some brilliant college student/future teacher willing to work cheap for the sake of getting experience.

 

[Flinn]

Hello Expats,
I´d like to join this thread because I´ll face a similar situation soon:
I´m working here for one year now, having my internal spanish lessons at work and I feel quite safe with my spanish. But In the end of July my wife will move to Argentina, too, with spanish knowledge "0 kilómetros"

Of course she needs and wants to do a spanish course as soon as possible, but not individual lessons with a tutor or someone learning english (or german) but in a language school because as I´m working all day she also needs to socialize with people from the "neighbourhood".

Any recommendations for a school? Or is there only the famous one in Recoleta? I´d prefer one in Zona Norte, near Escobar / Maschwitz...

Thanks a lot!

 

[JamesKTusa]

I recommend private lessons. 30 pesos is a good price; you can get them for 25 if you take more hours. You can meet a bunch of different private tutors for a FREE interview. If you don't get what you want out of the interview, DON'T call them back. Arrange an interview with a different tutor, and keep going until you find the one that gives you what you feel is most helpful to you.

I believe the going rate for an experienced, organized teacher in Cap.Fed is closer to 50 pesos/hr. I've interviewed and tried 5+ over the last 6 months and believe a good tutor is much more effective (like 2x) than a bad one, worth every premium peso you pay. To save pesos, I mix private tutors with classes, Spanglish, conversationexchange.com, Michel Thomas CD's, and impromptu conversation with patient porteños. Avoid/minimize speaking English. PM me for refs.

 

[marcopolo]

Laurel

I know a good teacher and I believe she is very knowledgeable about grammar. She is a writer, a linguist and also a very competent English speaker. She is also one of the most decent and interesting people I have met since I came to Argentina.

I think she also charges about 30 pesos per hour and lives in Almagro. PM if you are interested.

Mark

 

[laureltp]

Hello Expats,
I´d like to join this thread because I´ll face a similar situation soon:
I´m working here for one year now, having my internal spanish lessons at work and I feel quite safe with my spanish. But In the end of July my wife will move to Argentina, too, with spanish knowledge "0 kilómetros"

Of course she needs and wants to do a spanish course as soon as possible, but not individual lessons with a tutor or someone learning english (or german) but in a language school because as I´m working all day she also needs to socialize with people from the "neighbourhood".

Any recommendations for a school? Or is there only the famous one in Recoleta? I´d prefer one in Zona Norte, near Escobar / Maschwitz...

Thanks a lot!

When I first arrived here I took a Spanish course at UBA. I thought that although their courses were a bit slow the teacher seemed really well trained and it was a very social and friendly atmosphere. I'd go back there again but obviously can't afford it now or I won't have started the thread

But their main location is 25 de mayo, they have other locations as well. They have two options of either regular courses that are 2 classes a week for 2 hours and it lasts 4 months or they have an intensive course 4 classes a week for 2 months. I recommend the intensive courses. The regular class just seemed too slow to me. I believe it's something like 1,200 per course and after that you get a discount if you continue to take courses with them. Here is their website:

http://www.idiomas.filo.uba.ar/extranjeros/espanol/extranjeros.htm

Good Luck!

 

[Choripán]

When I first arrived here I took a Spanish course at UBA. I thought that although their courses were a bit slow the teacher seemed really well trained and it was a very social and friendly atmosphere. I'd go back there again but obviously can't afford it now or I won't have started the thread

But their main location is 25 de mayo, they have other locations as well. They have two options of either regular courses that are 2 classes a week for 2 hours and it lasts 4 months or they have an intensive course 4 classes a week for 2 months. I recommend the intensive courses. The regular class just seemed too slow to me. I believe it's something like 1,200 per course and after that you get a discount if you continue to take courses with them. Here is their website:

http://www.idiomas.filo.uba.ar/extranjeros/espanol/extranjeros.htm

Good Luck!

UBA Idioma costs a little over 1500 pesos for an 8-hour per week, 8-week course. That works out to be less than 25 pesos per hour, which is by far the cheapest in town. No private school can even get close. And the UBA building is an amazing if dilapidated place to learn. Good, cheap coffee in the cantina, too.

Your best option if UBA is still too expensive would be to leverage the 10 million+ native Spanish speakers in Buenos Aires. As we all know, they are generally willing talk about *anything* at length and love people who make an effort to learn their language. My strategy is to pick a conversation I'm interested in mastering (the weather, world politics, best things about BsAs, etc, depending on current skill level) and then hit the streets looking for anyone who is up for a chat. Repeat this process a dozen times per day and you will be up and running in no time.

PS - Here's something fun to try on the side: strike up a conversation about Argentinian politics with a local taxi driver and see how long he can go without using the words "Cristina" and "puta" in the same sentence. Two minutes tops.

 

[laureltp]

UBA Idioma costs a little over 1500 pesos for an 8-hour per week, 8-week course. That works out to be less than 25 pesos per hour, which is by far the cheapest in town. No private school can even get close. And the UBA building is an amazing if dilapidated place to learn. Good, cheap coffee in the cantina, too.
.

Wow, didn't know it was 1,500 now! Well I took a course there like a year ago, I guess I should have known that inflation would have got to them too!