Habla Ya Spanish Schools

A Week to Remember

We just returned from a week in Boquete Panama where we took Spanish classes at Habla Ya. My instructor, Leidys was a perfect match for me. I was the only student in the class but received private instruction at the group rate. Leidys asked about my goals and then designed the class around them. She was incredibly patient with me, and spoke clearly and fairly slowly. My listening comprehension definitely improved. I was hesitant to speak at first, but Leidys chose topics that I could relate to and I got up the courage speak. Leidys never made me feel badly when I made mistakes. She was consistently kind and encouraging. The course was taught completely in Spanish which was initially intimidating, but I am convinced it is the best way to learn. Leidys’ explanations of grammar were very clear. She provided excellent examples.

We stayed with a host family and enjoyed our time there. Speaking Spanish in the home was a continuation of the classes and pushed us along in our learning.

Boquete is a charming town surrounded by incredible natural beauty. We rented a scooter on our last day and rode into the mountains. The scenery was breathtaking. We wished we could stay longer and hike the many trails that are available.

My husband also liked his teacher. We agreed you can’t go wrong with Habla Ya. If you are able to get into Leidys’ class, consider yourself very lucky! Muchas gracias, Leidys!

publicado 5 anos atrás

Great Experience

I spent 6 weeks studying at Habla Ya in Bocas and Boquete and had an awesome experience at both locations. My teachers were Lineth and Leidys, and both were excellent. They did a great job of making the classes challenging and fun at the same time, and I learned a TON of Spanish. When I arrived in Panama I knew only the most basic Spanish, and after 6 weeks I was having conversations with locals. The student body at Habla Ya comes from all over the world and I really enjoyed making new friends from around the globe.

If you take the classes seriously and try to speak with locals outside of class hours you will be amazed at how quickly you learn!

publicado 5 anos atrás

Great Experience!

I had a great experience with Habla Ya in Bocas del Toro. My teacher, Iraida Howard, was incredibly patient and taught me so much during my 4 weeks in her class. I started at the introductory level and Iraida answered all of my questions and challenged me in a supportive and encouraging way. I would love to return to Habla Ya someday to continue working on my Spanish! My husband and I appreciated the variety of activities provided by Habla Ya, including the Cacao Farm tour, exploring the beautiful beaches around Bocas, and enjoying many meals with teachers and other students. Overall, Habla Ya provided an enriching and memorable experience!

publicado 5 anos atrás

Habla Ya Boquete was a great place to learn Spanish

Habla Ya was a great experience for both learning Spanish and experiencing the culture of Panama. I speak some Spanish and wanted to improve my language skills for an upcoming trip to Ecuador. I spent two weeks at the school in Boquete and definitely accomplished my objective.
My teacher was Leidys Pitti and she was excellent. The classes lasted 4 hours each weekday and were conducted entirely in Spanish. This contributed to the total immersion concept and really worked quite well. Leidys also spoke very clearly and slowly which was a great help for improving my comprehension. She followed a structured lesson plan complete with workbook and examples on the whiteboard, but there was also plenty of free-flowing conversation about subjects in which I was most interested. Leidys was a joy to work with and you would be lucky to have her as your teacher.
Boquete is the perfect location to study Spanish. It's a pleasant little town in the mountains of Panama with plenty of restaurants, etc. Importantly, few of the locals speak English so I had to use Spanish. Luckily, everyone was patient and appreciated that I was there to learn their language. I stayed with a host family a short distance from town. The Del Cids were a wonderful, traditional, couple who also did not speak English. This provided a great opportunity to practice my Spanish and learn about the local Panamanian culture.
One final note about the Habla Ya school staff and policies. Every staff member I had contact with, whether the initial phone conversations with Tori, helping organize a tour with Ivan, and arranging my ride back to the David airport with Giselle, was great. They all made sure my experience went well.
I was scheduled and paid for group lessons. When I arrived, they felt I was not at the same level as the rest of the group, so I ended up with private lessons for no additional charge. This worked out great and demonstrates the school's focus on the needs of the students.

publicado 5 anos atrás

Learn Spanish in Boquete!

I studied at HablaYa in Boquete for 5 weeks. All of the teachers and staff were incredibly nice and super helpful. My teacher, Alex, did a great job of ensuring that all students participated in and learned from the class. On Fridays, he organized field trips to practice Spanish outside of the classroom and to learn more about the local culture. The classes were interesting and engaging, and my Spanish abilities improved significantly during my time at HablaYa!

publicado 5 anos atrás

Spanish Classes in Boquete, Panama

I only spent two weeks in Boquete with Habla Ya, but I learned so much, and cherish my time there! All of the teachers and staff were incredibly nice and helpful. My teacher Alex Cano made learning the grammar basics easy and fun, and he incorporated conversational exercises throughout class to improve my speaking skills. Alex was flexible with class time to include specific things I wanted to learn, and he even planned a field trip to the three waterfalls since I wasn't able to book a tour!

publicado 5 anos atrás

Habla Ya - What You Should Know

Habla Ya may not be the best at teaching Spanish, but it absolutely excels at manipulating its online presence to create a sunny impression that is, to some degree, simply mirage. I recently signed up for a four-week course in Bocas del Toro, and the course material and teaching techniques were so heavy on grammar rules and scarce on casual conversation that I found the whole thing detrimental to my learning Spanish. After a week and two days, I dropped the class, knowing I’d have better success with Duolingo. One would hope that if the program didn’t work for you, the school would acknowledge your experience, issue a refund, and try to part with conciliatory words. But that simply didn’t happen. It turns out the owner is filled with so much hubris and sense of entitlement that he thinks he has a right to keep my $700 fee even though he failed to deliver, even modestly, on what I paid for. It is simply worth noting that if you plan to enroll, don’t pay for more than a week at a time, just in case it doesn’t work for you, as it didn’t work for me. Also, be wary of their specials. They’re never quite as advertised.

publicado 5 anos atrás

Boquete is beautiful

My family of five settled in Boquete for 6 weeks to study Spanish at Habla Ya. We were split into classes by age and Spanish level. My husband had never studied Spanish before and so was put into a beginner adult group class. Similarly, my two younger children joined a beginner group class while my older daughter (13) was put into an intermediate group adult class with me because she already had a foundation in Spanish. At times, the school had very few students and my family ended up being the only ones in each of our “group” lessons. My oldest had a harder time because she didn’t fit into the schema that they’ve developed. She wanted to be with other kids her age but the classes were too basic for her. However, the school tried to accommodate our needs as best they could and the teachers really demonstrate that they care about student progress. I studied with Leidys Pitti for 5 weeks. She did a great job incorporating conversation into our daily classes and making note when we had an opportunity to practice new skills.

I am so glad we chose to study Spanish in Boquete because it was the perfect place to settle in for 6 weeks. The center of town is always bustling with friendly activity, people saying hello, shops, restaurants, and, lots of beautiful fresh produce at the outdoor market stalls. In addition, the weather in Boquete is refreshing and always the perfect temperature. On extra warm days, showers would come in and cool the air down to a comfortable range. We also met a lot of friendly people from the area and everyone was willing and generous about letting us practice our Spanish, even though they speak very good English themselves.

The kids loved the variety of extra activities that they could participate in around Boquete, such as white river rafting, zip lining, rock climbing, hikes, horseback riding, and swimming in the mini canyons. If you’re on a tighter budget, the hikes in the area are spectacular and only cost a small fee for the taxi ride to the trailhead. The food was also a highlight for us. We had some really spectacular meals both local food and other cuisines. The family favorite was Colibrí, a restaurant on the gardens of the hotel where we stayed (more about Isla Verde below). Colibrí agreed to teach our family a private cooking class after my husband talked to the chef about his and the kids’ interest. They thought the class was phenomenal and learned new techniques, and how to make some of the best food we’ve ever had.

The traditional Panamanian food of the area includes a soup called Sancocho, rice, beans, a meat, plantains, and a side salad. There were a number of local restaurants that served this food beautifully. Our favorite was Las Orchillas. The other cafe that we really enjoyed was called Sugar and Spice which had great breakfasts and salads for lunch.

Finally, the place where we stayed was absolutely perfect for us. We rented a large roundhouse at Isla Verde. The house was a single room with a loft. It was small but didn’t feel too tight or crowded for our family of five. The house was surrounded by beautiful gardens and fruit trees. The staff was extremely helpful all the time and we met some wonderful other guests from all over the world.

publicado 5 anos atrás

Spanish lessons at Habla Ya Panama Boquete

My family and I attended Habla Ya Panama in Boquete for six weeks, in anticipation of a move to Chile for a year. The experience was great.

First, a word about Boquete and surrounding Chiriqui. We visited in July and early August, which is the rainy season, and the weather was great for us. It was never hot, and there was usually a strong cool breeze, just perfect summer weather. In the afternoons, at least in July/August, it often rains, so you might schedule classes for the afternoon. We stayed at Isla Verde, a series of bungalows with kitchenettes about a 3-4 minute walk from the school. They were surrounded by lush gardens, and I was very happy with our stay there. The restaurant at Isla Verde, Colibri, was our favorite in Boquete, but mostly we ate at the inexpensive local restaurants, Sabrason, Amarillas, and Orchiadas. The main part of the town, Boquete Centro, is fairly small, and has a mix of supermarkets, stores, and restaurants catering to locals, as well as more tourist oriented restaurants. Boquete some great coffee and chocolate shops (this is the source for some of the best coffee in the world). The town is surrounded by verdant hills, which is lovely, and you can buy pineapples and other vegetables on the street and in the fruit and vegetable market for inexpensive prices, so it’s nice to have a place to stay with a kitchen. There are fresh fruits everywhere, a few of which I’d never seen before, and many restaurants have batidas (fruit shakes) and fresas con crema (strawberries and cream). Boquete positions itself as an adventure town, and there is a lot to do outside the town, including hikes, coffee, honey, and chocolate farms, Volcan Baru (which I didn’t visit), and ziplining and other trips. For the hikes, you can just take a taxi to a trailhead, and then catch a minibus back to town. My favorite out of town adventures were a rafting trip and two visits to the Mini Canyons, where you can swim and picnic with the locals in lovely warm water. In town, we had an amazing cooking class experience at Colibri, and a chocolate making experience at A Perfect Pair, which we loved as well.

I came to Habla Ya with no Spanish language experience, and after six weeks I can communicate fairly well, having a conversation with anyone. I’m very happy with the progress I was able to make. My vocabulary is still fairly small, and when native speakers talk with me rapid-fire, I often need to ask them to slow down. For the first three weeks, I worked out of their first workbook, which gave me all of the foundations for the language. It was well organized, and I learned basic past, present, and future tenses, how to conjugate verbs, and a lot of other language structure. The next three weeks I worked out of a second book that added additional tenses, and other concepts. I think the school is very language structure oriented, which worked well for me. For these two books they were essentially laying the foundations for me so that I could add vocabulary later and conceptually know how to use it. The classes we took were from 1-5pm, with a 20 minute break in the middle. I had about 15-20 minutes of homework at night, but then I would generally spend another 40 minutes or so reviewing the day’s work, which was a big help in cementing my learning. Because I was there in the off-season, I had essentially about 3 weeks of private lessons (since there was no one else at my level at that moment), and three weeks with 2-3 other students in the class, who were coming from the US, Germany, and France.

My professor, Pedro Abrego, was great. He’s a quiet person, and fairly reserved, and conveys both humility and an unflaggingly positive attitude. He’s extremely knowledgeable and dedicated to teaching. He keeps the class moving at a quick pace, although he’s happy to work through a concept until you understand it. He will not speak English, which in some cases might have saved some time (it can take me a long time to ask a question in Spanish), but I think that is part of the professors’ training. His explanations were clear, and I couldn’t believe how much I knew by the end. He was a good fit for me, and he pushed me far in Spanish. I appreciated the chance to learn with Pedro.

My professor, Erian Marin, was wonderful. At different times, he taught both me and my kids, and was equally adept at both. He has a great sense of humor, and makes classes fun to attend. At the same time he helped me move quickly through the lessons, he was attuned to the students who might need extra support, and kept us all on the same page. In the case of my kids, he understood how to balance learning with fun and games. My younger son was not as excited about the material as his older sister, and Erian worked hard to keep them both engaged (including the occasional soccer game). I was so impressed with Erian’s teaching skill and charm, and I routinely looked forward to my classes with him.

publicado 5 anos atrás

Trip to Panama

I spent 10 days travelling around Panama and decided to take the opportunity to formally learn Spanish while I was there. I enrolled for classes at Habla Ya and had an amazing time there. Because I was travelling around, I took private lessons which better suited my schedule. My first classes were in Boquete with Leidys. She helped me develop my "Spanish ear" by having lots of conversations. Next was Sergio and Sugeil in Bocas Del Toro. All the instructors are top class and I would definitely recommend attending Habla Ya.

publicado 5 anos atrás