Habla Ya Spanish for Travelers - Day Classes
Habla Ya Spanish for Travelers - Day Classes
Habla Ya Spanish for Travelers - Day Classes
4.5
This location was reported permanently closed
About
Habla Ya offers 1-Day long Spanish for Travelers Courses, as well as week's long Spanish Immersion Programs including lodging, Spanish lessons & tours. We provide a complete immersion experience into the Panamanian culture and language. Habla Ya is located in the heart of modern Panama City close to a vast amount of hotels, bars, parks and shops, perfect for learning Spanish in the City.
Duration: More than 3 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
103 reviews
Excellent
88
Very good
8
Average
1
Poor
2
Terrible
4
Y F
1 contribution
Jul 2022 • Solo
Not recommendable at all. I had the worst language learning experience with them. They gave me a spanish teacher who was constantly on her phone, i couldnt understand her at all. I wanted to stop taking lessons and we decided that i will get a refund off about 60% of the money for my remaining lessons. Now they are not answering emails anymore and they still owe me more than 200 $. I stay away frome them and there shady businesspracitces
Written March 26, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Simon Tusek
Calgary, Canada9 contributions
Dec 2019
My wife and I really enjoyed our time at Habla Ya. Our Professor, Simon Abraham, was patient, and understood our different learning needs. The course was challenging (4 hours per day + homework), and very rewarding. All the staff at Habla Ya were friendly and helpful. The after class activities with our Professor and other students were not only fun, but gave us real life practice using our newly acquired Spanish skills. Muchas Gracias Simon y Habla Ya!
Written January 31, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Toni C
New York City, NY9 contributions
Mar 2016
Since I was going to Panama for 2 wks thought I'd learn some Spanish. If you have some knowledge of Spanish Habla Ya may be okay but I speak absolutely no Spanish so school totally not for me. Instructor Nohely spoke no English only Spanish, an all-around ongoing challenge to understand what she was saying; no teaching skills, unqualified/uncertified to teach Spanish to English speaking students. No class outline, no homework, a workbook was provided. Worse thing, of 5 students in class two adults, three 12-13 yr old rambunctious, disruptive, silly boys from a Bahamian school who were total distractions to any attempt to learn and teacher lacked ability to reprimand or control them. My 5-day course was reduced to 4 days due to Good Friday, 3rd day of class was karaoke/games with entire school participating mostly 15+ fellow students of "silly boys"; I would have preferred getting what I paid for ie, a class rather than standing watching room full of very loud youngsters. Last day of class [without "silly boys"] was mostly spent teaching the teacher ENGLISH!
Acoustics in school poor, walls thin. Ivan & female at front desk not very knowledgeable, friendly, helpful. Small group of students went to fish market for dinner w/ Ivan as our guide...he didn't know where he was going, we got lost walked forever to find restaurant. IMHO there's something not right about the entire operation and think it's a ripoff.
Acoustics in school poor, walls thin. Ivan & female at front desk not very knowledgeable, friendly, helpful. Small group of students went to fish market for dinner w/ Ivan as our guide...he didn't know where he was going, we got lost walked forever to find restaurant. IMHO there's something not right about the entire operation and think it's a ripoff.
Written April 15, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Francica C
2 contributions
Aug 2018 • Solo
It has been a few days since I have been back from spending two weeks at Habla Ya, I took a while to give a review because I wanted to give a fair assessment. Firstly, the location in Panama City was great, and the assistance given by the staff was excellent, I think the customer service should be given a top grade 100% simply because they helped tremendously to make my two weeks enjoyable (and indeed it was, there is a lot to do in Panama City) Special thanks to Ashley at the front desk. Everyone was extremely helpful and kind.The facilities at the school was sufficient and it met my expectations.
I had day classes Monday to Friday at 2:00 - 6:00pm honestly I would have preferred classes in the morning because the evening classes hindered some of the things that I would have liked to do. However, the activities arranged by the school that I took part in were enjoyable, especially the Salsa classes. The fact that my fellow students were from different parts of the world added to the pleasantness of the experience.
The tuition was good, I had classes with Juan at the B1 level, and while the tuition style would have been excellent for someone who had little or no knowledge of Spanish for me (although the revision was good) I became a bit bored after a few classes. Most of my learning took place in the city. While my speaking ability has improved I think it was more due to the external environment than the classroom. In hindsight maybe I should have opted for private classes to cater for my personal needs.
Other than that the experience at Habla Ya was great. Panama City is wonderful. However, I would recommend this school more for beginner learners of the language cause the style of teaching caters to that.
I had day classes Monday to Friday at 2:00 - 6:00pm honestly I would have preferred classes in the morning because the evening classes hindered some of the things that I would have liked to do. However, the activities arranged by the school that I took part in were enjoyable, especially the Salsa classes. The fact that my fellow students were from different parts of the world added to the pleasantness of the experience.
The tuition was good, I had classes with Juan at the B1 level, and while the tuition style would have been excellent for someone who had little or no knowledge of Spanish for me (although the revision was good) I became a bit bored after a few classes. Most of my learning took place in the city. While my speaking ability has improved I think it was more due to the external environment than the classroom. In hindsight maybe I should have opted for private classes to cater for my personal needs.
Other than that the experience at Habla Ya was great. Panama City is wonderful. However, I would recommend this school more for beginner learners of the language cause the style of teaching caters to that.
Written August 20, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
J_Legal
Laval, Canada145 contributions
Jan 2018 • Solo
I am just back from a fabulous month with Habla Ya spent in all of their locations across Panama. Not only did my Spanish improved a lot, I was able to live a great experience with a solid team. I extend special thanks to all my teachers: Yarixel (Panama City), Sergio (Bocas del Toro), Leidys (Boquete, for my Group classes) and Kimberly (Boquete, for my private classes). They were all great, very professional, eager to help, very supportive and most importantly amazingly great people. Leidys even went beyond her workweek by offering to me help for my day in David as she was available for me on WhatsApp even on a Sunday!
The quality of the classes, to my opinion, is excellent. The programs are very well designed and very interesting, and your file seems to flow seamlessly between the 3 locations.
I also would like to extend a special thanks to the 6 people managing the Front Desks across all locations. Great teamwork!
Bravo Habla Ya, I give you five stars! You will remain forever in my memory!
¡Muchas gracias y hasta luego!
The quality of the classes, to my opinion, is excellent. The programs are very well designed and very interesting, and your file seems to flow seamlessly between the 3 locations.
I also would like to extend a special thanks to the 6 people managing the Front Desks across all locations. Great teamwork!
Bravo Habla Ya, I give you five stars! You will remain forever in my memory!
¡Muchas gracias y hasta luego!
Written February 20, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
D O
London, UK8 contributions
Sep 2017 • Solo
I've taken forever to write this as I've wanted to be sure I do the school enough justice. I spent two weeks in Panama City and two in Bocas and started off knowing nada!
I took group classes in both cities however, I was lucky enough to be the only one in my class for majority of my time in the City. Which leads me onto my teacher Stella. An AMAZING teacher, person and woman. As well as teaching me the standard syllabus teachings, we would have long conversations in Spanish about life, my time in Panama etc etc and I feel this helped me greatly and enabled me to gain confidence. As well as being a great teacher, she is so funny and full of life. I thought I would dread 4 hours of one to one classes, but I looked forward to every one, because she made them so interesting. I cannot applaud her enough and will never forget her.
The ONLY disadvantage of the Panama City campus is the group classes being from 2-6 or 1-5 or so (Can't remember). This made it really hard to do any activities in the morning or early afternoon as you'd have to rush back for class.
Major kudos to the girls at reception too! They are doing an excellent job. They would often pretend they couldn't speak English in an attempt to encourage us to speak Spanish. Thank you ladies!
My final two weeks were in Bocas Del Toro. My teacher here was Yeremy - surprisingly young teacher - and I say this as his teaching methods were so good! You'd never believe how young he is. Our classes were so engaging and well thought out by him. Every class was different and I loved it. We'd do Spanish exercises, games and have conversations both in the classroom, at the local hostel lounge area or the beach. Was perfect really. Yeremy did really well to take us from A1 to A2.
Finally, I must applaud the standard of home-stays the school has selected. Maybe I was just lucky - but both families I stayed with were absolute gems. Different lifestyles, but so warm, happy and welcoming. Fell in love with both families and I'd say they definitely contributed towards 50% of my love for the experience.
I took group classes in both cities however, I was lucky enough to be the only one in my class for majority of my time in the City. Which leads me onto my teacher Stella. An AMAZING teacher, person and woman. As well as teaching me the standard syllabus teachings, we would have long conversations in Spanish about life, my time in Panama etc etc and I feel this helped me greatly and enabled me to gain confidence. As well as being a great teacher, she is so funny and full of life. I thought I would dread 4 hours of one to one classes, but I looked forward to every one, because she made them so interesting. I cannot applaud her enough and will never forget her.
The ONLY disadvantage of the Panama City campus is the group classes being from 2-6 or 1-5 or so (Can't remember). This made it really hard to do any activities in the morning or early afternoon as you'd have to rush back for class.
Major kudos to the girls at reception too! They are doing an excellent job. They would often pretend they couldn't speak English in an attempt to encourage us to speak Spanish. Thank you ladies!
My final two weeks were in Bocas Del Toro. My teacher here was Yeremy - surprisingly young teacher - and I say this as his teaching methods were so good! You'd never believe how young he is. Our classes were so engaging and well thought out by him. Every class was different and I loved it. We'd do Spanish exercises, games and have conversations both in the classroom, at the local hostel lounge area or the beach. Was perfect really. Yeremy did really well to take us from A1 to A2.
Finally, I must applaud the standard of home-stays the school has selected. Maybe I was just lucky - but both families I stayed with were absolute gems. Different lifestyles, but so warm, happy and welcoming. Fell in love with both families and I'd say they definitely contributed towards 50% of my love for the experience.
Written November 12, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Swiftslug
1 contribution
Dec 2015 • Solo
Alright, I have to put in another plug for Habla Ya! This is really a great school for studying Spanish.
I've just completed my 26th day of classes--15 days two years ago plus 11 more days during this November and December. I'm so happy I'm able to complete my classes online since I had to return early from Panama to the US.
My professor in Boquete this year was Kimberly Tiara Rodriguez Quiros. She is a great teacher!
She uses different modalities to help her students learn, including auditory and visual supports. She teaches at a pace that is appropriate for her students, and is in tune with the varied needs of her individual students in a group class. She listens well, and adjusts her teaching method if needed to make sure her students understand the material. She is also very amable, entonces class was educational and fun. Thank you so much Kimberly!
I am completing my Spanish classes that I started in Boquete Panama at home online. I was honestly a little skeptical if I would learn very much through an online class. I'm very happy to say I learned a great deal in just one two hour lesson. My professor today was Bellalina Batista at Habla Ya in Cuidad de Panama. She is also a wonderful teacher! She gave instruction at a pace that is very good for me, not too fast, and not too slow. She was attune to areas of learning that were more challenging for me, so she walked me through those more slowly and gave multiple examples so I could really grasp the lesson. She also made sure to give me some visual support by writing on the white board, which I really need as a primarily visual learner. Students who attend Habla Ya in Boquete and in Bocas del Toro, or who take online classes, will have very good instructors and learn as much as they put into it!
Again, I receive nothing for my plugs of Habla Ya except the hope that I'm spreading the word about a Spanish language school that is really good, from where I have learned a great amount of Spanish in a very short time period.
Thanks again Habla Ya in Panama!
I've just completed my 26th day of classes--15 days two years ago plus 11 more days during this November and December. I'm so happy I'm able to complete my classes online since I had to return early from Panama to the US.
My professor in Boquete this year was Kimberly Tiara Rodriguez Quiros. She is a great teacher!
She uses different modalities to help her students learn, including auditory and visual supports. She teaches at a pace that is appropriate for her students, and is in tune with the varied needs of her individual students in a group class. She listens well, and adjusts her teaching method if needed to make sure her students understand the material. She is also very amable, entonces class was educational and fun. Thank you so much Kimberly!
I am completing my Spanish classes that I started in Boquete Panama at home online. I was honestly a little skeptical if I would learn very much through an online class. I'm very happy to say I learned a great deal in just one two hour lesson. My professor today was Bellalina Batista at Habla Ya in Cuidad de Panama. She is also a wonderful teacher! She gave instruction at a pace that is very good for me, not too fast, and not too slow. She was attune to areas of learning that were more challenging for me, so she walked me through those more slowly and gave multiple examples so I could really grasp the lesson. She also made sure to give me some visual support by writing on the white board, which I really need as a primarily visual learner. Students who attend Habla Ya in Boquete and in Bocas del Toro, or who take online classes, will have very good instructors and learn as much as they put into it!
Again, I receive nothing for my plugs of Habla Ya except the hope that I'm spreading the word about a Spanish language school that is really good, from where I have learned a great amount of Spanish in a very short time period.
Thanks again Habla Ya in Panama!
Written December 22, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NoBoundaries
4 contributions
Jun 2019 • Solo
You can't go wrong when you choose Habla Ya as your school to learn Spanish. All of the staff and professors are friendly and helpful. Class sizes are small so there's no way for you to be overlooked. I had a great experience and I especially connected with Stephany, my professor. Stephany is vibrant and has a fun, interactive way of teaching so that you understand.
Written June 18, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tyler2012
Hong Kong, China14 contributions
Jul 2018 • Solo
Habla Ya Spanish Intensive Language School in Panama City was such a great experience! From start to finish the school went out of their way to accommodate my wishes and designed a personalized curriculum for a two-month program. The school picked me up at the airport to welcome me to Panama and took me to my hotel where I could get a feel for the city before I moved in with my homestay family & started classes. Habla Ya was very thoughtful in their selection process of pairing me with the right family. I had an amazing time learning Spanish in my one on one classes with my professor Jesus. He was extremely personable and patient teaching me Spanish, culture and history of Panama. Being just the two of us in class Jesus really went out of his way to make sure that everyday was fun while fitting in our full daily classes load. Living in neighborhood with a family I feel that I learned soo much more than if I stayed in a hotel or dorms. Ashley and Dwan are the dream team to greet you with a big smile every day, always willing to help to ensure that you have a great stay in Panama. I am still very close to my host family and we still stay in touch months after my stay in Panama City. I highly recommend Habla Ya Spanish Language School to anyone who wants to learn Spanish. Regards Belmiro
Written November 18, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ricardo Chin
Medellin, Colombia9 contributions
Aug 2017 • Solo
I attended Habla ya Panama (Panama city) for 2 weeks at the start of August in 2017. I was in intermediate level and had Stella as my professor. I was very lucky as it was quiet at that time of year and I was alone in the class which obviously meant I had all of Stella’s attention for myself which for me was brilliant. I found Stella very friendly and easy to learn from which made the experience all the more memorable. The interactions I had with the other members of staff were always very friendly too the whole team were all more than happy to help with anything and always giving recommendations and good advice on place to travel to travel to or bars & Clubs to go. I will definitely go back next time I’m in Panama to further my Spanish and I would recommend Stella to anyone interested in learning Spanish for the 1st time or wanting to improve upon the Spanish they already have.
Written April 22, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Foi uma experiência muito boa! Desenvolvi o idioma muito rápido, professores preparados, metodologia excelente. Agradecimento especial a professora Ana, ela é incrível, aprendi muito com ela!
Enriquecimento cultural, convívio com outras pessoas de diferentes nacionalidades, aprendizado sobre o Panamá, passeios.
Recomendo a escola Habla Ya para todos aqueles que buscam aprender espanhol, me ajudou muito as aulas que tive.
Eu estava recém chegada a escolae acolheu, me ajudou em vários aspectos, nessa fase difícil de adaptação a um novo país, melhorou minha auto confiança para falar e resolver os problemas do dia a dia.
Vi outros alunos também que apenas falavam inglês desenvolver as habilidades de espanhol, a escola abre seus horizontes para novos desafios.
Written November 15, 2019
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