Instituto Cervantes — Attraction in Albuquerque

I took two Spanish classes here. I am not a fan.

First, although I do believe complete immersion in conversation is a great way for people to learn Spanish, I don't believe immersion is the best approach to teaching. Most of the time, our instructor would deliver the lesson entirely in Spanish, without explaining what she meant in English. When I didn't understand something, I missed everything she said after that.

One day in class, we were studying two different past tenses, and I was confused about them. I asked the instructor if she would please translate a sentence using both tenses into English so I could figure out which one was which. She replied, "We do not translate sentences into English. I tell you the basic function of the tenses, and then we study them in Spanish." That is not helpful to me.

Also, she spoke the Spanish used in Spain; I prefer to learn the Spanish used in Latin America.

Second, it appears that the administrators pulled a fast one on me. I wanted a different instructor for my second class. I called the school to see if he would be teaching the next class, and they said no. A month later, someone from the school called me and asked if I'd like to take the second class. I asked if my preferred instructor was teaching, and they said no. So I reluctantly signed up to take the second class from the same instructor I had had for the first one.

Then, when I got to class on the first day, I saw that, right across the hall, my preferred instructor was indeed teaching the second class! What?!?! It turns out that they need a minimum of five students to justify holding a class. I was their important fifth student. They did not want me to attend the other instructor's class because he already had a full class, and this other one had only four students. Instead of telling me the truth---that they needed me to sign up so they could hold the class with this instructor---they lied to me. That does not sit well with me at all.

And third, the people who work in this program are not friendly. I never felt comfortable going into the office to ask a question. I got a cold reception. Often, they would speak in hushed tones and then stop talking when a student walked into the room. It seemed as though we were a bother to them, an annoyance.

I quit in the middle of the second class. Life is too short to be miserable. In each class, I found myself staring at the clock on the wall, wishing it were over. Usually, learning is fun for me...but not here.

I will not take another class here. There are other...

A great place to learn Spanish! Pure & simple. I signed up for an in-person class that was due to start just after Covid hit, so we switched to Zoom learning. And yet, the instruction & learning remained superb. No one wanted it to be on-line, but we all did the best we could with the hand we were dealt.

The reviews below about Spain-specific Spanish are hard to believe. Not sure who their instructors were, but my teacher Reyes is Spanish and was literally in Spain teaching, and I never felt she spoke to the exclusion of Mexican or any South American lingo. I had just returned from South America when I began taking the class, and I’ve studied abroad in Spain in college, so I’d like to believe I have footing to defend against the other reviewers’ claims. The class gives you a very well-rounded approach to the Spanish you’ll encounter in the world, as well as right here in New Mexico, and audio is played with all kinds of accents & origins.

Speaking of instructors, I can not recommend Reyes high enough. She made the class fun and engaged with all students at our level and challenged us while supporting us. Total rockstar.

I plan to take another class in 2021 when my weird covid schedule clears up, and I hope to see some of you review-readers in...

An excellent cultural gem in the heart of Albuquerque. For those saying, "they teach Spanish from Spain"... where do you think the language comes from? The Institute is named for the most famous writer in the history of the Spanish speaking world and the Institute itself is placed and funded by the government of Spain. This Institute and the annual Flamenco Fiesta are two of the premiere Spanish cultural...