We will provide you with all the tools you need to learn Spanish. How quickly you learn is up to you. How many classes per week do you want to take? How many hours outside of class are you willing to study? Are you willing to do homework?

No. We will supply everything you need. It is all included in your tuition.

Classes begin on the hour and end fifty minutes later (ten minutes before the hour).

That’s up to you. We recommend that you take a minimum of two classes per week. If you take fewer, you are apt to forget half of what you learned between classes. The ideal schedule for someone who wants to make rapid progress would be 5 classes per week.

A. That depends on the level at which you begin and the amount of time and effort you put into learning. And it also depends on your inherent aptitude for languages. We are all born able to learn language easily and to mimic many of the sounds that we hear.

That skill appears to be reduced for many people when they reach puberty. Others are gifted with the ability to learn new sounds and languages quickly. You know where you fit along a spectrum from "a little difficult" to "piece of cake". Everyone can learn foreign languages.

Some of you will be able to proceed rapidly; those of you at the "a little difficult" end of the spectrum will need to work harder and take more time.

Keep in mind that every student brings her own innate abilities with them.

Some of you will learn more rapidly than others. Some have a good ear for language, others struggle with pronunciation. Some of you will be eager to speak up in class, in Spanish; some of you will be very shy about speaking in front of others; we will get you out of your comfort zone and quickly you will be speaking Spanish.

Some of you will embrace learning the difficult parts such as verb conjugations; others will be afraid of the verbs; rest assured we have a system that classifies the verbs and simplifies the project of learning the conjugations.

Check out How to Learn Spanish at the Carranza Academy for more information.

We have designed our Learn Spanish Your WayTM programs to accommodate every innate skill, every quirk of your style of learning and every level at which you begin.

The answer below fits a student in the middle of the spectrum.

A student who begins with no Spanish who takes 4 or 5 classes per week, does the homework assigned and studies at least two hours per classroom hour should be able to engage in conversations about everyday situations within 4 weeks. It only gets better after that.

If you take fewer classes, don't do the homework, don't study much it will take longer. It depends on you.

Yes. In fact, if you really want to make rapid progress, you should take 2 classes per day, five days a week. But that can be too much for many of you.

. A. Every student is different. Each brings her own knowledge of Spanish (maybe none), her own goals for studying Spanish, her own aptitudes.

And each student has a unique style of learning. Some love the classroom, can’t wait to speak, enjoy and learn from the interactions with classmates. Others are more bookish, want to study alone. Some like the challenges of expanding their vocabulary or learning the rules of grammar.

In group lessons, some enjoy the interaction with other students, some are shy about speaking in front of the class.

With Learn Spanish Your WayTM we will take your needs and learning style into account when designing a personal learning plan for you. We will also work with you to tackle your weaknesses.

If you don’t like verb conjugations – that is most of you – we will walk you through it one verb at a time. We have a system for learning the conjugations; it's not as difficult as you might think. Check out the Carranza Academy System for Conjugating Spanish Verbs.

If you are shy and embarrassed to talk, we can surprise you. We will have you speaking Spanish quickly. If you have trouble listening and pronouncing, we will focus on that.

For more information, click here the How to Learn Spanish at the Carranza Academy of Languages.

A. The fact that you have asked this question tells us that you know there are differences.

The reality is that there is no "Latin American" Spanish and, indeed, no uniform Spanish in Spain.

Like English, Spanish is spoken as a primarily language in many countries of the world. And in other countries, like the United States, it is a significant and widely-spoken language.

The pronunciation, usage, local idiom, and even the grammar and verb conjugations are somewhat different from country to country and even from place to place within a country.

Spanish in Galicia is different from Spanish in Murcia. Spanish in Puerto Rico is different from Spanish in Mexico and both are different from Spanish in Argentina.

The various dialects spoken in Spain, called Peninsular Spanish, are perhaps the most "different" because they use a plural form of the personal pronoun "you" (vosotros) and there is an additional conjugated-verb form to accompany it. And in Spain they have distinctive – but easily understood – variations in pronunciation.

We normally teach without the plural personal you. But we can accommodate your needs if you want to learn the additional verb forms.

Our instructors are native speakers of Spanish from different places around the world. You will hear slightly different accents depending on your instructor. (At the moment, none of our instructors are native speakers of peninsular Spanish.)

But don't worry you will be able to speak with and understand speakers from every Spanish-speaking country. English-speaking Americans, for example, can understand most of the dialects of the British Isles as well as the English of Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the Caribbean and Africa. A few dialects are more difficult than others; it only takes exposure and practice.

Ordinarily we teach in both English and Spanish. English is not required. We have taught students from many countries who are not fluent in English. For beginner students, it does take longer to get started.
Advanced classes are taught mostly in Spanish.

A. English is not required. We have taught students from many countries who are not fluent in English. Beginning students without English take a little longer to get started. Individual lessons are good way to begin.

Advanced classes are taught mostly in Spanish.

We have a variety of plans depending on your needs. There are prices for individual lessons with a single student, different prices for group lessons. We offer substantial discounts for packages of ten lessons. Group classes are much less expensive per student. Check out Tuition. for details.

Depending on your needs and circumstances, we might be able to work out an individual tuition program just for you. We can discuss this after you take your first FREE class.

We also have pricing plans for corporations and institutions that need to train a group of associates.

You can pay by credit card or with PayPal.

We are sorry, but we cannot accept cash.

Yes, if you would like to pay this way, use the Contact Us form at the bottom of the page to tell us what you have in mind.

All prices are quoted in US dollars but when you pay with a credit card or with PayPal the mechanics of exchanging the money from your own currency is seamless.

Payment in full is required before the first class.

Sorry, we only accept payment in full at the time of registration.

Ordinarily we do not. Each student will have taken a free first class before registration for a learning program. That first class is the time for you to evaluate the Carranza Academy and make a decision. If you decide to learn Spanish with us, you will be getting what you have already seen.

The answer is different for group classes and individual classes.

If you enroll in group classes, class will continue as normal on days when you do not attend, just as classes at universities.

If you want a make-up class, ask your instructor to schedule one. You will be charged for make-up classes at our lowest rate for individual classes.

If you enroll in individual classes, missed classes will count as a class taken. Our teachers block time for your classes and need to be paid.

If you expect to miss a class or want to reschedule please contact your teacher with as much advance notice as possible. We will try to accommodate you but there is no guarantee that we can.

That depends. If you are taking individual classes we can, with sufficient notice, reschedule you. Whether we are able to do so depends on instructor availability.

If you are in a group class, we will attempt to put you in a different group, perhaps at a different time. If we cannot work something out, we will hold the remaining classes for you for a period of six months during which you and the Carranza Academy try to find a new schedule that works for you.

Remember, there will be no refunds.

No. We must assign instructors based on their other commitments. All of our instructors are highly qualified.

At the Carranza Academy of Languages your first class is always FREE.

There is no catch. You pay no fees for your first lesson. We want you to “try before you buy.”

The first lesson is a chance for you to get to know us and for us to get to know you. Together (you and we) will find your correct entry level and design a personal learning plan for you.

We will evaluate each student who registers for a FREE first class. Our goal is to come to an understanding with each of you about the appropriate entry level and your specific goals, needs and learning styles. The evaluation begins before the first class.

When you register, we will send you a short self-evaluation form which you can fill out online. Based on your self-evaluation we might send you a short written test.

The first thing in the class will be for feedback from your instructor about your responses to the questionnaire and your test results. If you can speak some Spanish, your instructor will converse with you in Spanish to complete your personal evaluation.

Yes, we do and the price per student is lower. More importantly, we believe that most students benefit from the in-class interaction with the other students. And, to the extent you permit, we will exchange contact information among you so that you can compare notes and study together.

Yes, we do, and sometimes that is the best solution for a student. We believe that most students benefit from interactions with their classmates. In fact, we find it useful to design a personalized lesson plan with a mix of both individual and group classes.

Yes, we do.

Recently, online learning has come in to its own. You are probably aware that online study at all levels, from elementary to graduate degrees, are replacing in-person instruction.

We have designed the Carranza Academy of Languages as an online learning institution. We use online platforms to bring our students and teachers together. We want each of us to see and hear one another so that we can learn together.

We make the process simple – and largely transparent.

No, we do not. The Carranza Academy of Languages is an online learning platform.

If you feel that your classes must be in person we can refer you to known instructors in a few locations. Contact us.

We do not. The Carranza Academy of Languages is a virtual organization; we have no fixed location for offices, staff or instructors. They teach or work from a variety of locations.

The company does have a registered address but we do not use it for communications between the school and others. Please do not send anything to that address as we will not receive it.

Yes. Be glad for the tests. How else are you and we going to assess your progress towards your goals?

You will conduct a self-evaluation prior to your first FREE class. At that time, we might ask you to take one or more brief tests. We will discuss the results with you and make suggestions as we develop your personal learning plan.

As you move through your studies we will occasionally test you so that we can both see how you are doing.

None of these tests should intimidate you. There are neither passing nor failing grades; we won't tell anyone else.

But you and we need to know that you are learning – or not. If you are having difficulties, we want to help you by changing your personal learning plan, recommending another approach, whatever we can do together to improve your learning experience.

There will be continuous feedback. If you are enrolled in a one-on-one class we will talk about your progress frequently – as often as either of us feels necessary.
If you are enrolled in a group class we will provide individualized, private feedback along the way and at the end.

Absolutely. In individual classes, tell your instructor immediately during class – or, if you want, text her later – how you feel about your learning experience.

If you are enrolled in a group class you can text your instructor at any time to evaluate or criticize your experience.

We do not want you to raise issues that are individual to you during class time; it is unfair to the other students.

There is an exception, however.

If at any time you feel that your instructor or a fellow student is not living up to our Standards of Acceptable Conduct , please raise the issue immediately, in class, if you are comfortable talking about it in front of the others or raise the issue by text or email.

Remember, the Carranza Academy of Languages does not tolerate sexual harassment or any other kind of harassment or intimidation.

If you are having a problem with your instructor you should email us: admin@spanishyourway.net. We will keep your comments private unless you want to include your instructor in the discussion.

We award Certificates of Accomplishment for the successful completion of a learning unit. These certificates are awarded for achievement, not for attendance.

The certificates are attractive and, printed on high-quality paper with a high-resolution printer, they are suitable for framing.

The Common European Framework is a system around which schools of language structure their courses. We use it and most other Spanish-language schools do as well.

Having a common frame of reference makes it relatively painless for students to transfer among schools.

If you want to know more about our curriculum and the Common European Framework please jump to How We Structure Our Courses.

DELE Spanish Diplomas are official titles certifying degrees of competence and mastery of the Spanish language, granted by Spain's Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport.

The DELE is a series of tests, one for each level within the Common European Framework.

The Instituto Cervantes organizes examination sessions, while the Universidad de Salamanca in Spain designs the exams and is in charge of corrections and the final evaluation of all exams.

A. Probably not. But it depends on your goals. If you intend to become a Spanish-language instructor, the answer is yes. You will also need it for certain jobs in government, industry and private organizations.

For most of our students DELE Diplomas are unnecessary. When you receive a Certificate of Accomplishment from the Carranza Academy of Languages we are certifying that can speak, understand, read and write Spanish at the level of achievement. We are confident that you will in fact be comfortable doing those things.

For that reason, we do not issue certificates of attendance or completion or good behavior. We award certificates because the student has mastered the material and is ready to go out into the world at the particular level of mastery.

The DELE exams are more rigorous, academic exams.

While a student who has earned a Certificate of Accomplishment form the Carranza Academy of Languages has learned all of the material covered in the comparable DELE exam, most students need some additional preparation and coaching for the DELE.

Yes, we can. Some of our instructors, including the three founders, are certified by the Instituto Cervantes to provide coaching instructor to help students prepare for the DELE.

Yes. Contact us using the form below and tell us what you need. We will work with you to design a learning program that accommodates your goals.