Looking for Reputable Spanish Lessons via Skype

February 12, 2018 4:52 PM

I have a upcoming trip to Argentina in 2 weeks. My Spanish is pretty much non-existent. I have been going through grammar books and Duolinguo but I feel to get real learning I need to speak it with real life human being. My goal is to learn basic survival Spanish to make my travel easier. There are a lot of Spanish learning advertisement on Craigslist but I am not sure if they are reputable. Can anyone recommend a online service that they know is good?

I am open to in person lessons and willing to pay. I live in Portland OR and has been in contact with a local company Tierra Education Center but their private lessons availability is limited. So if someone can point to me some local Spanish teacher who is willing to do some one-on-one lessons in the next two weeks it would be appreciated as well.

posted by Pantalaimon to Education (9 answers total)

Best answer: There's a few intercambios at the library between now and two weeks from now. If you can make a couple soon, you might be able to meet somebody through there.
posted by aniola at 5:04 PM on February 12, 2018 [1 favorite]

My Personal Language Tutor arranges $20/hour Skype sessions with native speakers. www.myplt.com
posted by Calisson at 5:13 PM on February 12, 2018

Best answer: Italki is another reputable service. I'd also suggest learning the sounds to complement the tutoring service, maybe via Anki (which is also free). Learning minimal pairs takes almost no time and will help your speaking (i.e. ability for others to understand you) tremendously. Use headphones to really hear the differences.

Good luck, and have fun!
posted by onecircleaday at 5:28 PM on February 12, 2018 [2 favorites]

Italki is great!
posted by Shadow Boxer at 5:29 PM on February 12, 2018

Lingbe looks pretty neat. I might give it a try. It's like intercambio but on the phone.
posted by aniola at 6:05 PM on February 12, 2018

My Spanish speaker is Argentine and available through Skype. I don't know her current availability though. Memail me if interested. I can also make recommendations for things in Buenos Aires if that's were you are spending time. There are also a few language exchanges once you get there.
posted by Che boludo! at 6:19 PM on February 12, 2018

I take lessons at El Nopal in La Paz MX. I've had three teachers so far, all excellent. But I guess Argentine Spanish is fairly different from Mexican Spanish.
posted by bricoleur at 6:26 PM on February 12, 2018

Italki has been nothing but great for me. Having a trusted third party hand all the payments has meant that, on rare occasions when the teacher hasn't Skyped due to technical reasons, the credit refund process has never been an issue. And while intercambios via mylanguageexchange.com can be great, because they are getting paid the Italki teachers are motivated to turn up every time, unlike intercambio partners who might get derailed by a friend's offer of drinks at the bar.
posted by AuroraSky at 12:56 AM on February 13, 2018

Keep in mind that Argentinian pronunciation is significantly different than e.g. Mexican Spanish; I grew up around the latter, find Ecuadorans easiest to understand, and Argentinians most difficult. You might want to specifically find an Argentinian.
posted by aspersioncast at 11:36 AM on February 13, 2018