Speak Spanish
Plunge! Spanish Immersion students after 40 hours!
Spanish Language and Culture Programs
It’s a fact: conversational ability in Spanish is becoming increasingly useful in the U.S. At Speak!, we offer a broad and varied curriculum that includes short term immersion courses, workshops and longer-term courses for all levels, beginners through advanced. All classes are limited to 8 students (average class size=5), guaranteeing everyone ample speaking time – the only way to learn! In addition to our on-site courses for individuals, we can also organize a class for you, your group (of colleagues, friends, travel buddies) or business.
The Spanish Curriculum: From Pasaporte to Plunge!
- Plunge! Spanish: 2 week immersion course (40 hours)
- Spanish TUNE-UP: intensive review course for the experienced, but rusty
- Pasaporte: conversational Spanish for beginners and travelers
- Entrevista: conversational Spanish for advanced beginners
- Cuentame: intermediate Spanish conversation and grammar
- Perspectivas: advanced Spanish conversation and grammar
- Step-up-to-the-Plate Spanish: intensive conversation workshop
- Training Programs: Spanish programs customized for your workplace
- Individual lessons and Custom Courses: you name it, we can tailor a program to you!
- Spanish Conversation and Tutoring Groups for Children and Adolescents
One-on-One Spanish Course
Program Description
Whether you are a busy professional or an upcoming traveler, if you are committed to improving your Spanish our custom one-on-one course is ideal for you! Lessons will be tailored to your linguistic level and goals in order to achieve superior results. We will do our best to work with your schedule and match you with an instructor who will best help you meet your specific goals.
Possible Programs:
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10 hours -$600
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20 hours -$1100
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UVA Faculty/Staff Education Benefit Special : 38 hours: $2,000 (over one year).
- 60 hours : $3,000
Please note that many employers will reimburse for language training. University of Virginia employees and most Postdoctoral and Research Fellows are eligible to apply annual education benefits ($2,000/year) to language training at Speak!
Plunge! Intensive Spanish for Beginners and Intermediates: Levels 1, 2 & 3
It’s a fact that frequent exposure to a new language and lots of practice is the best way for beginners to learn. Our two week immersion course, taught to a small group by two instructors, meets every weekday for 4 hours over 2 weeks for a total of 40 hours (the equivalent of 2.5 regular courses!). Level 1 is geared towards total beginners; Level 2 requires completion of Level 1 (or the equivalent) and involves a review of the present tense with the bulk of the verb work focusing also on the past tenses (preterite, imperfect). Level 3 is for intermediate students who wish to further practice what they know and further perfect speaking abilities in more complex situations and grammatical structures. The focus is always on speaking and instructors strive to tailor exercises to the needs and goals of individual students. If two levels are offered simultaneously, we will divide into 2 groups (with two different instructors) based on level.
Plunge! Level 1 (ideal for beginners)
- Instructor: Kimber Hawkey & Team
- Lesson times: Monday-Friday 9am-1pm
- Course dates: June 18 – June 29
- Tuition: $450; $395 full-time students (Payment plans available).
Plunge! Level 2 (ideal for advanced beginners or anyone who’s taken Plunge 1)
- Instructor: Team
- Lesson times: Monday-Friday 9am-1pm
- Course dates: June 18 – June 29
- Tuition: $450: $395 full-time students (Payment plans available)
Plunge! Level 3 (intermediate)
- Instructor: Team
- Lesson times: Monday-Friday 9am-1pm
- Course dates: June 18 – June 29
- Tuition: $450: $395 full-time students (Payment plans available)
Pasaporte 1 : Conversational Spanish for Beginners.
2-Week Intensive Summer Session
- Instructor: Speak! Team
- Lesson times: Monday-Thursday, 5:30-7pm
- Course dates:
- Early summer: June 4 – June 14
- Late summer: July 30 – August 9
- Tuition: $225 per student + materials fee
This course is perfect for the true beginner, or anyone needing a refresher. We use a dynamic, conversational and thematic approach for talking about daily life and for traveling in a Spanish-speaking country. You will learn to master basic grammar and pronunciation and get plenty of speaking practice in a variety of situations.We learn how to talk about ourselves, our families, our interests, and how to get things done while traveling, such as food/clothing shopping, reserving a hotel room, and understanding the menu/ordering, making inquiries about schedules.
Pasaporte 2 : Conversational Spanish for Beginners 2
- Instructor: Kimber Hawkey
- Lesson times: Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:30-7pm
- Course dates: May 1 – May 31
- Tuition: $225 per student
2-Week Intensive Summer Session
- Instructor: Speak! Team
- Lesson times: Monday-Thursdays: 5:30-7:30pm
- Course dates:
- Early summer: June 18 – June 28
- Late summer: August 13 – August 23
- Tuition: $225 per student
For beginners with a basic knowledge of Spanish, Pasaporte 2 offers a great way for getting back into Spanish after a lapse! This course will focus on developing basic oral communication (speaking and listening) skills in Spanish while learning more about the culture of the Spanish-speaking world. We will build a repository of useful vocabulary and learn to conjugate verbs in the present tense (especially irregular verbs) and in the preterite (focus on regular verbs). We will practice through repetition and role-playing until selected basic structures and vocabulary become natural for the students.
Entrevista: Spanish for Advanced Beginners
- Instructor: Amanda Evans
- Lesson times: Tuesday evenings, 6:30-8:30pm
- Course dates: April 17 – May 22
- Tuition: $185 per student + materials fee
2-Week Intensive Summer Session
- Instructor: Speak! Team
- Lesson times: Monday-Thursdays, 5:30-7:30pm
- Course dates: July 2 – July 12
- Tuition: $225 per student + materials fee
For beginners with a basic knowledge of Spanish in the present tense, or for those who’ve studied Spanish in the past, but need a refresher and desire to improve their speaking-listening skills. This course picks up where Pasaporte 2 leaves off. This course will combine a review of the basics (i.e. regular and irregular verbs in the present tense) and also teach the past tenses through a variety of conversational/cultural experiences.
Cuentame: Conversational Spanish for Intermediate and Advanced Intermediate
- Instructor: Kimber Hawkey
- Lesson times: Monday and Wednesday evenings, 7:00 – 8:30pm
- Next session: April 30 – May 30
- Tuition: $225 per student + materials fee
An ideal course for those who have studied all of the basics of Spanish grammar (in present and past tenses) but wish to review and continue to perfect their speaking skills. Students often bring wine and culinary treats to class to share…feel free to continue the tradition! As per class interest, we may also meet for dinner at one of the local restaurants featuring Hispanic menus. Nos vemos en clase!
Cine Charla: Conversation and Cinema Workshop for Intermediate speakers!
- Instructor: Mary Ann Lugo
- Lesson times: Thursdays, 7:30-9:30pm
- Course dates: June and July
- Tuition: drop-in, $20/class
Give your vocabulary a boost in this Latin American cinema journey in which we will watch and discuss Latin American travel and coming-of-age films over wine! Hang out with us on Thursday evenings for a fun and relaxed conversation hour and a chance to meet other Spanish enthusiasts like you!
Step-up-to-the-Plate! Situational Spanish Conversation
Intermediate and Advanced:
- Come when you can! **You must email instructor to notify if you are attending each week by Thursday 9am** Send Email!
- Instructor: Mary Ann Lugo
- Lesson times: Fridays, 10:45am – 12:15pm
- Course dates: Ongoing
- Tuition: $25 per student per class; $20 per class if you pay for 5 classes up-front at $100
Can you carry out casual convesation in Spanish, yet still find yourself wishing you could express yourself with just a bit more ease and varied vocabulary? If so, join us for this laid back and fun conversation hour in which we will read short stories and newspaper articles, and also watch movie clips over coffee and laughter. Join us to learn vocabulary and new modes of expression! And don’t miss the opportunity to discover engaging Spanish and Latin American authors and cinema directors de moda (in vogue!).
Verbs in Action: Grammar and Conversation Workshop for Intermediate-Advanced
- Instructor: TBA
- Lesson times: TBA
- Course dates: TBA
- Tuition: $225 per student + materials fee
Tenses will be taught, reviewed and practiced using a variety of practical situations to really get you speaking: greetings and introductions (meeting people for the first time, introducing them to your family, friends), talking about your life, asking questions about others (personal life, work, family), shopping at the market, ordering at a restaurant, eating together at table, etc. Levels 2+3 are ideal for intermediate/advanced speakers and will work on more challenging verb forms and moods such as : preterite/imperfect distinction, conditional, future and subjunctive. Register here!
Spanish for Reading Knowledge
- Details TBA
- Tuition: $195 per student
Textbook required: Spanish for Reading and Translation
This intensive introduction to Spanish is designed primarily for students and professionals in all fields that require reading knowledge of Spanish. The course focuses on developing recognition of primary verb tenses and essential vocabulary for reading comprehension across a range of disciplines. Perfect for anyone needing to demonstrate reading proficiency in Spanish, whether in the sciences or the humanities, this class can also be taken by advanced beginners or intermediate students who simply wish to reinforce their reading skills and expand their vocabulary. At the conclusion of the course, an optional mock proficiency test with detailed feedback will be given to anyone planning to take the UVA Spanish Reading Proficiency exam.
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Speak Abroad – Come with us to Todi
Now Enrolling for 2012!
Fall: June 16-30, 2012
Join Christina Ball (Speak!) and La Lingua, La Vita Italian school in the hill town of Todi for a glorious two week cultural and linguistic immersion experience.
Click here for more info!