I took private Spanish classes for several months with Francisca Zúñiga and I would highly recommend her to other students. She is very professional, extremely organized and always well-prepared and energetic for every class. During my sessions, we used a variety of teaching tools, including workbooks, discussion, audio, and role-playing. The topics were well chosen, and I immediately was able to incorporate the material into my daily interactions in Santiago. Every class was unique, fun, interesting and challenging. What makes Francisca stand out from other instructors is her experience, education and that she truly understands what language learning entails. For instance, she knows the most common problems and areas of difficulties when a native speaker of English attempts to learn Spanish. The latter is, I believe, a real talent which makes her one of the top language instructors in Santiago.
When I met my teacher María Ignacia Martínez I couldn't speak any Spanish. But now
that I've been living and studying in Chile for a year, I can say that my Spanish has
improved a lot. If there was something I didn't understand, my teacher used other materials
to help me better comprehend the topic and I always felt that she prepared for each class.
María Ignacia dedicated herself to explaining to me very well the difference between the
Spanish used in other countries and the one used in Chile. That has been of great help to
me. In addition, whenever I had doubts about Chilean expressions that I had heard, she
kindly answered my questions, given that the culture and history of Chile were topics that I
learned in her classes as well. Thanks to my teacher, I gained a lot of confidence when it
comes to managing myself in this country and today, I can say that I have solid support. I
recommend taking classes with María Ignacia because she is a very nice person.
I have been living in Chile for many years, but I barely spoke a word of Spanish. This is
because I worked for an international organization and English was our working language.
Last year, I started working at a Chilean university and urgently needed to improve my
level of Spanish.
A friend recommended Español en Chile Institute and I started taking online classes in
January 2023. I am a very shy person, so individual online classes work very well for me.
Now I can practice my Spanish regularly with my teacher Sabina Canales. During the
class, I can learn authentic Chilean Spanish. We talk about our daily life, our achievements,
and problems.
I'm glad I started learning Spanish with Español en Chile Institute, something I should have
done years ago. I hope to be able to speak Spanish fluently in the near future.
Before arriving in Chile, I did not know any Spanish. My arrival in the country was a
completely different and new experience, both culturally and with the language, since my
mother tongue is Arabic. I took Spanish classes for 8 months with a wonderful teacher,
Catalina Espinosa. I learned very quickly with her, and after 4 months of classes, I began
to communicate effectively in everyday life and in my work. Catalina helped me a lot to
learn, and thanks to her very entertaining way of teaching, she made me want to know
about Spanish more and more. The classes were fun, productive, full of passion, and
positive energy. They contained everything: interesting conversations, games, audios, and
written texts. Today I have been in Chile for about a year and a half, and I feel very
comfortable with Spanish. I am able to speak fluently and communicate in almost all
spheres. For that, I am very grateful to her.
I wish my teacher great success in her career.
I am happy to share my experience taking Spanish classes with Claudia Valenzuela in
Chile. In 5 months, I went from level zero to completing the B1 book. I now have a good
understanding of Chilean Spanish. I recommend Claudia as a dedicated and passionate
teacher. Her focus on core fundamentals laid a solid foundation for my progress. Her ability
to speak French and English was a great help at first, as it allowed me to better understand
explanations and facilitated my learning.
Claudia not only helped me develop my language skills, but she also gave me a deeper
understanding of Chilean culture, which further enriched my learning experience.
Thank you for opening the doors to a fascinating new language and culture!
When we arrived in Chile a year ago, we did not speak any Spanish.
Our courses with Gabriela Gateño were incredibly entertaining moments that we really
enjoyed.
The courses always responded to our needs: we not only learned a lot about Chilean
culture, our new city, the beautiful places in Santiago and Chile, but also about the
country's history.
The best thing about the classes was that we never had the impression of "being in a class".
But rather, it felt more like talking with a friend who helped us develop our language skills,
always valuing each other.
Thank you so much, Gaby!
When I took my first class with my teacher, and now friend, Ángela Galdames, online due to Covid-19, I only knew two Spanish words: “hola” and “chao.”
Thanks to her excellent teaching, I now have much more confidence living in Chile. During our classes, we use the textbook to learn as well as through stories and jokes, which is why I have been able to learn so quickly. Since Ángela is a native speaker from Chile, she has taught me a lot about Chilean culture which has been amazing.
Not only has she taught me so much in class, but she has helped me with questions that have come up in my daily life. I am grateful to have such a great teacher and friend, and thankful to Español en Chile Institute for introducing us.
I have tried learning Spanish on my own, using programs and apps to teach myself; and while they are great, I was too lazy to go back to it each day on my own. Thankfully now that I am taking classes with Amilcar Noguera, not only am I learning about the basics and rules I didn't know of before, but I'm also having someone to expect me to study everyday, keeping me focused on learning a new language, and enjoy my time while doing it!
I can say without a doubt that the highlight of my week was my time learning Spanish with Maria Santano. She has such an amazing attitude and passion for her work. I felt that she truly taught me in a personal way by challenging me where I needed it most. Through her guidance and tutelage, I grew more confident speaking Spanish and felt that my comfort with the grammar really improved. This is what quality teaching looks like and it inspired me to continue learning the endlessly fascinating Spanish language. Thanks, Maria Santano!
Since March 2018, I have been taking Spanish lessons with my teacher Amilcar Noguera twice a week. I am quite happy because since we have managed to significantly improve my level of Spanish to communicate orally as well as my knowledge of the grammar. It has not been an easy process, especially since bad linguistic habits are difficult to get rid of when you have been living in Chile for more than 20 years. I recommend Amilcar as a teacher without any doubt, I highlight his patience, constructive criticism, and determination.
I am an Italian computer engineer and I have been living in Santiago for a year. I had Spanish classes for a total of 40 hours with Ángela Galdames, at an intermediate level. Angela is a very kind person and her classes are very entertaining. It was my first course to learn Spanish and an excellent opportunity to improve my speaking skills, considering that I didn't speak any Spanish at all.I learned a lot studying with Ángela, her way of alternating reading exercises, audio, and written assignments facilitated the learning process which was almost automatic. Thanks to her lessons it was much easier for me to improve my language skills at work where technical language is used on a daily basis. I highly recommend Angela's classes and will always be grateful for what she taught me.
The reasons I have greatly appreciated the Spanish classes taught by Francisca Zúñiga could be summarized in two words: professionalism and flexibility. First, flexibility: the first day, Francisca came to my house with her idea about the journey I would have to take to learn Spanish. After a few days, she realized that I progressed faster than she thought because of my previous knowledge of Portuguese. Therefore, she found herself with an important decision to make: either to continue under her current plan for my education or to tailor the curriculum to the person who was in front of her. She chose the latter and this proved to be an enormous benefit to me. I learned a lot in a short time and I also saved money. None of this would have been possible if Francisca had not been prepared to go above and beyond in doing her job. The fact that she changed her plans to suit my needs demonstrates her desire to be helpful to others, her love for her job, and loyalty to the demands of her profession: knowledge, timeliness, accuracy, and systematic and detailed preparation.
Francisca Zúñiga is a very good teacher of Spanish and a very kind and professional person. During the 2 years studying with her, I can see that I have learned very fast and now I have the chance to enjoy my life in Chile in a much better way as well as handling things at work with much more ease. As the name suggests, “Español en Chile” teaches you the language and the traditional culture and customs of the country, that is why I recommend to all the foreigners living in Chile, who enjoy the Chilean language and culture, to join and get to know "Español en Chile" to learn from their excellent teachers.
María Santano is a very good teacher. I already had a more advanced Spanish level when I started taking classes with her but María adapted to my needs. She is always ready and explains clearly, which is perfect since I work 100% in Spanish and her private classes helped me a lot to improve it.
Also, since she is from Spain, often describes the difference between the language in Spain and Chile, which is very useful to me since I learned Spanish from her country during school. Therefore, it was easier for me to understand and memorize all the words and expressions used in Chile.
Before beginning my classes with María Santano, I had never taken one-on-one language
classes. After living in Chile and moving back to the U.S., I was scared to lose my Spanish. I
am so grateful to have found Español en Chile Institute and María. I have absolutely loved
my classes. It’s been a bright light during the pandemic to have her fun and engaging
classes to look forward to every week. Her kindness, patience, and dedication are
unmatched. The energy she brings to class is truly special.
As I’m hoping to take the DELE exam in the future, I have so appreciated her incredible
attention to detail and thoroughness. The personalized classes and the flexible weekly
schedule and timeline have helped me so much. I always leave classes with a smile,
wanting to talk to my family in Spanish the rest of the day!