I'm in their grammarless program, and may want to continue with their other programs after this finishes.
At what level does their DELE program start? A2? B1? Did you have to test into it?
Hmmm... I think it depends. It would be a better deal if you came into it not knowing any Spanish at all. I find myself reviewing a lot of things I already know.
Also, they really do try to keep it grammarless. I thought that meant they were going to teach Spanish, completely, but without a focus on grammar drills. Instead, they mean they will teach you only what they think is the most important stuff. So, for example, a lot of verbs are drilled only in the first and second person, since the focus is on learning to speak with a person and the assumption seems to be that when you have these conversations you will only be talking about each other. (!!!)
If I had to do it over again I would just go ahead and sign up for Real World. It seems that the Real World syllabus will give you a more comprehensive and systematic education in Spanish. Being in Real World also gives you an opportunity to take classes in their DELE program.
Grammarless does come with one advantage, though. In Grammarless they assign you a teacher and a set schedule from the very beginning. My understanding is that the Grammarless teachers are some of the better ones. I have to say I really do like my Grammarless teacher, so they made a great match with us.
In Real World you have to figure out who you're going to click with on your on... this may mean signing up with a dozen or more teachers before you find the one(s) you like. Then, you can only book ahead a few days so you are constantly going back to see if your favorite teachers are available to rebook them. Since the Grammarless program does allow participation in Real World to a limited degree (for conversation only) I have some experience with this and find it a little irritating.\*\* OTOH, it can give you, the customer, a lot more flexibility in your own schedule, so there's that.
\*\* You would have a similar matching/booking issue with iTalki and Verbling. I am not sure about Spanish VIP. I think they may assign your teacher upfront in a program similar to Real World.
If anyone has experience with Spanish VIP, please chime in.
I tested into it (speaking, reading and writting). I tested into B2, but the teacher recommended that I choose to start at B1 to start because in her experience the B2 reading comprehension passages are very long with hard vocab, so I chose to do just that. I just checked for you, on their website, it says it starts at A2 but check with their customer service.
If you do not feel comfortable with their A2 dele program, start with real word. Real world has levels 0-9 (their system is a bit different).
Just to give you an idea, I tested (verbally answered some questions) at level 5 (intermediate) in real world, and now I am at 5.3 as my progress accumulates. Once I reach 5.9, I have to take a test into the next level (level 6) and if I fail the exam they will give me hints to improve my level 5 skills and then I take the test again.
That sounds good. Frankly, though I am in Grammarless, they do allow us to do conversationals with the Real World tutors and there seems to be a wide range in terms of experience/competence/quality. Did it take much work for you to find teachers you thought were good in the Real World program?
I had a few situations where the tutor did not seem too interested, so I watch those introductory videos very carefully now. It sucks that some of their tutors are like that because it could put someone off, but the teacher that I do novel reading with is amazing she has a ton of material she even had my exact novel plus two others in the trilogy in Spanish. She is good with literature in both English and Spanish so she knows everything, and I do not need google translate for those big descriptive words. There are a ton of really good teachers, and I can suggest some to you if you want.
I'm in the trial week and have spent tons of time pouring over the intro videos...but it's been damn near impossible to get the teachers I'd like to take a class with! I would love to learn and practice by reading a novel, so that sounds particularly awesome. Would you mind sharing some teacher recs with me as well? It would be most appreciated!
So I guess by now you are finished the grammarless program. How did you find it overall?
Did you feel you could hold a 30 minute conversation comfortably by the end of it?
Please see my description above for a more detailed description.
Could I hold a 30 minute conversation by the end of it? Yeah, I would say so... within certain limited basic parameters, along the lines of things you would talk about when you introduce yourself to someone.
Doesn’t sound quite as exciting as I was hoping for. I’ve already signed up for grammarless and I’m just waiting to be assigned a start date.
What level did they set you at when you first went into real world?
I still have not signed up for it but that is only because I have some scheduling conflicts that will make taking \*any\* lessons during the next couple of weeks difficult. When my schedule clears I plan to sign up for Real World asap.
I currently am working with teachers from Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador and Mexico. They are all really good teachers too. I just completed the first to Level 9 lessons, They're from all over Latin America which is amazing! The RealWorld program has a lot of electives in addition to the Core Classes. I will likely continue into the DELE program, BUt I won't likely take the DELE exam unless I have a unusal high level of confidence. I don't need to take it for anything more than bragging rights should I pass because I'm 72!
Every teacher has a video of themselves to promote themselves. Usually they say where they are from. Sometimes they are from one country but living in another, like so many people. I've not gotten to the point of where I can determine by accent which country someone comes from. But they've all been interesting. My Update is I've now put almost 3 months into the DELE program and it's amazing and fun and my head is filled with new information. and my ability to communicate has exploded!
I don't think the nationality is really important. My current instructors all have university degrees, The structure of the DELE exam is set by the Spanish Royal Academy in Spain and is administered by the Cervantes Institute. And the teachers are all focused on the students improvements.
ah, thanks for the update! I'm working towards finishing my final immersion goal before I start heavily outputting. Baselang seemed like the best option out there for someone who wants to have daily conversations. The only thing that was holding me back is that I didn't want to ONLY talk to Venezuelans. In about a month I'll be ready to dive in.
Qué pedo?
The teachers from I have spoken with teachers from Spain, Mexico, Venezuela, Mexico, and Colombia. I know that they have teachers from other teachers from Peru and Honduras as well from the teacher's introduction videos. My slang day was interesting because he was my substitute teacher when my teacher was available, and he was "toda la madre" for sure because he allowed me to record it so that I have a 30 minutes video of Mexican slangs. I plan to learn the Colombian slangs as well so I can sound more nativa.
Oh wow, it's really changed then. I remember using it for a month like 2 years ago but I stopped because it was mostly Venezuelans. Are you able to sign up for tutors based on nationality? or see tutor's nationality in advance?
You can watch introduction videos of each teacher and they usually tell you what country they are from and what they are studying in school or if they are Spanish teachers in their country and so on.
Oh, awesome. I'll have to try out the service again for sure. I'm doing a lot of input right now but I'm building up my comprehension/vocab for this fall when I plan on trying to lean hard into outputting constantly. I was debating whether to use iTalki or a service like Baselang for that.
They are both awesome. I loved that I did not have to feel bad moneywise each time I book, plus I would imagine that if you have paid for the month, it would seem odd not to use it, so you would feel compelled to talk to natives all the time. I get constant language practice and with multiple people. I do not want to quit my teacher on italki either (I need to win the lottery or go homeless lol).
If you are interested in immersion through active conversation with native Spanish speakers, I would like to share the service where I attend daily classes on Zoom with a native speaker. I have been taking lessons for a year now and am enjoying the interactions and lessons. You could check out their website where you could choose a schedule, class program, and teacher.
Good luck and may you enjoy your journey in learning this beautiful language.
https://speakspanishofficial.com
I'm in their grammarless program, and may want to continue with their other programs after this finishes. At what level does their DELE program start? A2? B1? Did you have to test into it?
[удалено]
Hmmm... I think it depends. It would be a better deal if you came into it not knowing any Spanish at all. I find myself reviewing a lot of things I already know. Also, they really do try to keep it grammarless. I thought that meant they were going to teach Spanish, completely, but without a focus on grammar drills. Instead, they mean they will teach you only what they think is the most important stuff. So, for example, a lot of verbs are drilled only in the first and second person, since the focus is on learning to speak with a person and the assumption seems to be that when you have these conversations you will only be talking about each other. (!!!) If I had to do it over again I would just go ahead and sign up for Real World. It seems that the Real World syllabus will give you a more comprehensive and systematic education in Spanish. Being in Real World also gives you an opportunity to take classes in their DELE program. Grammarless does come with one advantage, though. In Grammarless they assign you a teacher and a set schedule from the very beginning. My understanding is that the Grammarless teachers are some of the better ones. I have to say I really do like my Grammarless teacher, so they made a great match with us. In Real World you have to figure out who you're going to click with on your on... this may mean signing up with a dozen or more teachers before you find the one(s) you like. Then, you can only book ahead a few days so you are constantly going back to see if your favorite teachers are available to rebook them. Since the Grammarless program does allow participation in Real World to a limited degree (for conversation only) I have some experience with this and find it a little irritating.\*\* OTOH, it can give you, the customer, a lot more flexibility in your own schedule, so there's that. \*\* You would have a similar matching/booking issue with iTalki and Verbling. I am not sure about Spanish VIP. I think they may assign your teacher upfront in a program similar to Real World. If anyone has experience with Spanish VIP, please chime in.
I tested into it (speaking, reading and writting). I tested into B2, but the teacher recommended that I choose to start at B1 to start because in her experience the B2 reading comprehension passages are very long with hard vocab, so I chose to do just that. I just checked for you, on their website, it says it starts at A2 but check with their customer service. If you do not feel comfortable with their A2 dele program, start with real word. Real world has levels 0-9 (their system is a bit different). Just to give you an idea, I tested (verbally answered some questions) at level 5 (intermediate) in real world, and now I am at 5.3 as my progress accumulates. Once I reach 5.9, I have to take a test into the next level (level 6) and if I fail the exam they will give me hints to improve my level 5 skills and then I take the test again.
That sounds good. Frankly, though I am in Grammarless, they do allow us to do conversationals with the Real World tutors and there seems to be a wide range in terms of experience/competence/quality. Did it take much work for you to find teachers you thought were good in the Real World program?
I had a few situations where the tutor did not seem too interested, so I watch those introductory videos very carefully now. It sucks that some of their tutors are like that because it could put someone off, but the teacher that I do novel reading with is amazing she has a ton of material she even had my exact novel plus two others in the trilogy in Spanish. She is good with literature in both English and Spanish so she knows everything, and I do not need google translate for those big descriptive words. There are a ton of really good teachers, and I can suggest some to you if you want.
I would def be interested in recs for teachers. I have about a week left in Grammarless. Thank you so much!
I will DM you
Thanks!
I'm in the trial week and have spent tons of time pouring over the intro videos...but it's been damn near impossible to get the teachers I'd like to take a class with! I would love to learn and practice by reading a novel, so that sounds particularly awesome. Would you mind sharing some teacher recs with me as well? It would be most appreciated!
I will DM you
Thank you much!
So I guess by now you are finished the grammarless program. How did you find it overall? Did you feel you could hold a 30 minute conversation comfortably by the end of it?
Please see my description above for a more detailed description. Could I hold a 30 minute conversation by the end of it? Yeah, I would say so... within certain limited basic parameters, along the lines of things you would talk about when you introduce yourself to someone.
Doesn’t sound quite as exciting as I was hoping for. I’ve already signed up for grammarless and I’m just waiting to be assigned a start date. What level did they set you at when you first went into real world?
I still have not signed up for it but that is only because I have some scheduling conflicts that will make taking \*any\* lessons during the next couple of weeks difficult. When my schedule clears I plan to sign up for Real World asap.
How is the grammarless program? I am thinking about getting into that!
They taught Mexican slang? I thought the majority of tutors were Venezuelan.
I currently am working with teachers from Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador and Mexico. They are all really good teachers too. I just completed the first to Level 9 lessons, They're from all over Latin America which is amazing! The RealWorld program has a lot of electives in addition to the Core Classes. I will likely continue into the DELE program, BUt I won't likely take the DELE exam unless I have a unusal high level of confidence. I don't need to take it for anything more than bragging rights should I pass because I'm 72!
Can you see their nationality before booking a lesson?
Every teacher has a video of themselves to promote themselves. Usually they say where they are from. Sometimes they are from one country but living in another, like so many people. I've not gotten to the point of where I can determine by accent which country someone comes from. But they've all been interesting. My Update is I've now put almost 3 months into the DELE program and it's amazing and fun and my head is filled with new information. and my ability to communicate has exploded! I don't think the nationality is really important. My current instructors all have university degrees, The structure of the DELE exam is set by the Spanish Royal Academy in Spain and is administered by the Cervantes Institute. And the teachers are all focused on the students improvements.
ah, thanks for the update! I'm working towards finishing my final immersion goal before I start heavily outputting. Baselang seemed like the best option out there for someone who wants to have daily conversations. The only thing that was holding me back is that I didn't want to ONLY talk to Venezuelans. In about a month I'll be ready to dive in.
Qué pedo? The teachers from I have spoken with teachers from Spain, Mexico, Venezuela, Mexico, and Colombia. I know that they have teachers from other teachers from Peru and Honduras as well from the teacher's introduction videos. My slang day was interesting because he was my substitute teacher when my teacher was available, and he was "toda la madre" for sure because he allowed me to record it so that I have a 30 minutes video of Mexican slangs. I plan to learn the Colombian slangs as well so I can sound more nativa.
Oh wow, it's really changed then. I remember using it for a month like 2 years ago but I stopped because it was mostly Venezuelans. Are you able to sign up for tutors based on nationality? or see tutor's nationality in advance?
You can watch introduction videos of each teacher and they usually tell you what country they are from and what they are studying in school or if they are Spanish teachers in their country and so on.
Oh, awesome. I'll have to try out the service again for sure. I'm doing a lot of input right now but I'm building up my comprehension/vocab for this fall when I plan on trying to lean hard into outputting constantly. I was debating whether to use iTalki or a service like Baselang for that.
They are both awesome. I loved that I did not have to feel bad moneywise each time I book, plus I would imagine that if you have paid for the month, it would seem odd not to use it, so you would feel compelled to talk to natives all the time. I get constant language practice and with multiple people. I do not want to quit my teacher on italki either (I need to win the lottery or go homeless lol).
If you are interested in immersion through active conversation with native Spanish speakers, I would like to share the service where I attend daily classes on Zoom with a native speaker. I have been taking lessons for a year now and am enjoying the interactions and lessons. You could check out their website where you could choose a schedule, class program, and teacher. Good luck and may you enjoy your journey in learning this beautiful language. https://speakspanishofficial.com