Program Reviews

We did a two week course at the Bocas campus with an amazing teacher Iraida! We had very very little Spanish and were in the most basic course that was perfect for our needs. There were 3 people in the class for the first week and then it was just us! We completed almost the 3 week course in 2 weeks, iraida tailored everything to our needs! She is possibly the most patient person on the planet, she corrected our mistakes gently and consistently. We had lots of fun in the lessons, playing games and going on an excursion one day. Absolutely loved our time there, made so by our teacher! Would recommend.

I completed intensive Spanish immersion classes with Habla Ya over 1-week. My instructors were Yesus and Ana. I learned a lot over 4 days, was able to explore the city (with my instructors) which gave me opportunitities to speak in a natural environment. I love Panama now, and throughly enjoyed working with Yesus and Ana at Habla Ya. I would recommend this program to others who prefer learning in an open and flexible environment.

I had an excellent experience learning Spanish in Books del Toro at Habla Ya. I took group classes for 3 weeks with Erian my first week and with Iraida the second and third weeks. The group class sizes were always very small with about 3-5 students in the class including me. The teachers were very qualified and prepared for class. The classes included many opportunities to practice speaking, which is what I wanted the most out of class. I had learned Spanish previously in high school and university but I felt I had forgotten many of the verb tenses I had learned. The pace of the classes at habla ya helped me to relearn what I had forgotten and the extensive practice using them in conversation helped me to use them more naturally in conversation. I feel much more confident in my speaking ability after taking these classes. Thank you so much!

Habla Ya is the 7th Spanish school I’ve studied at in Latin America. I’m happy I chose to study at the Boquete campus. The town itself is beautiful and I had a great walk to and from my homestay through the lush scenery every day. My teacher, Alex, made class fun and lively. I could tell the other teachers, like Laidys and Erian, were also effective teachers. I was most impressed with how helpful and lovely Giselle was in the front office. She helped arrange a great weekend trip for us with one of the many tour agencies in town. Julio, an Habla Ya Travel Consultant, helped us plan our weekend in Panama City even though we were not taking classes at that campus. The staff, other students, my homestay family - they all made my time in Panamá unforgettable!

My 2 weeks at Habla Ya in Panama City included a wonderful language learning experience as well as many fun excursions. I had private lessons with Esther for 4 hours each day. She was a great teacher and helped me to increase my language skills, especially my vocabulary. The front desk staff were warm and welcoming and helped me to plan tours to the Panama Canal, San Blas Islands, and Monkey Island. I would definitely return to Habla Ya.

I first met Leidys during my time at Habla Ya in Boquete. She's absolutely lovely - so I was very excited to hear that she was going to teach my online classes.
Leidys is a very professional teacher who focuses on the aspects that are most helpful to me. I particularly asked her for listening and speaking practice and there has not been a moment where she wouldn't come up with great topics to work on. She makes sure to always have advice how to avoid common mistakes and how to specifically improve my Spanish. I'm very happy to have her as a teacher and can definitely recommend her as a teacher.

I was only at hablaya panamá city for one week and I feel like my spanish has gotten better already. I took clases from 2:00 – 6:00 pm from Monday – Friday and I enjoyed every momento of it. My profressor was very attentive to each students’ needs and used a pace that was very helpful. Every day of class was so much fun! I stayed with a very awesome host family where I got to practice my spanish even more. I can’t wait to return to hablaya and continue learning!

Last week I studied Spanish in a small group (1 or 2 others) with an amazing teacher, Iraida. She was my age (23) and we were able to have many conversations (in Spanish of course) about her life and experiences and ours (also all from different cultures). I believe that in a week time I have improved my Spanish in a way that I am now able to make full sentences in numerous situations, and my vocabulary has improved a lot. Lastly I really enjoyed playing games in class to study Spanish in a fun way. Thanks Habla Ya and especially Iraida!!

I love these schools! I spent two weeks in beautiful Boquete with Leidys, and I can't say enough good things about her. She is a clear and concise teacher; you will grow leaps and bounds in a short amount of time! I also had my two sons, ages 12 and 7 in the program with Kimberley, Yeremy, and Alexander and they have very positive experiences.
We are currently in Bocas Del Toro and we are having excellent experiences here as well. We just finished our first week and have one week left. My teacher here is Sergio and he is also excellent. My sons have Jessica and Lynette and they both are growing and comprehending so much! We will have four weeks total in the program by the time we return home, and it will be difficult to say goodbye to the beautiful country and people of Panama. :)
If you want to learn a lot in a short amount of time come to Habla Ya! They do a wonderful job with their methodology and with their teacher training. I am planning on continuing with online lessons after I return home!

My wife and I attended this program for a month. We both had had previous Spanish courses in the US but had forgotten much of it. From day one it was all Spanish with the instructor (Iraida) who was very patient as I butchered the language especially trying to roll my rr's (which did get better). We used a mini group format for just my wife and I which worked best for us since we were at the same level (low ability). We also attended 2 hours of private instruction in the afternoon after a 3 hour break . My wife was focusing more on medical Spanish (with Sergio) and I was working on making the basics solid. We did finish our basic course and receive our first level certificates. We enjoyed Bocas and the school and hope to return for more instruction.

The office staff at the school in Bocas (Carlos, Cesear and Ludo) were always very helpful and very eager to assist us with anything we wanted to know about (such as places to tour in the area). I wanted to surf (surfed for many years) but getting a board and then transporting to the other island to surf was becoming a problem. The guys in the office put me in touch with Chapos (great beginner instructor and good surfer) so he and I went surfing one morning (I paid him as a guide service) and it was well worth it. The office guys can help out with private tours if you want too, since they are a great source of local knowledge.

Our only negative was our lodging (1 bedroom Bocas Condos) which was represented as quite and it was not. 2 dogs barked all hours of the night which made sleep difficult. Possibly the studio rooms on the opposite side of the building maybe ok. The building is secure and close to town. It seems that the staff in Panama City handles the lodging so there is no checking on the actual accommodations therefore the information about lodging may not be accurate. Muchas Gracias Iraida y Sergio.
Mike & Kaja