I have been taking classes at Centro Latino for 4 years now. The entire time I have been working with Ximena, and she has been so great as a teacher. She cares a lot about my learning individually and is constantly catering the class to my strengths and weaknesses. We play fun games, listen to spanish music, learn about the history of various countries and their people, and do it all in spanish as a double-learning opportunity. I went from not remembering any of the spanish I learned in high school to being able to understand and converse more confidently than I ever have. The classes have emphasized proper grammar but also really help with interacting socially and in certain situations with spanish speaking people. I have used the skills I've developed to have many full, 30+ minute conversations with people in spanish speaking countries, and it's given me an opportunity to connect with people I wouldn't have otherwise. Highly recommend them. read more

I like the teachers in this school. They are engaging and knowledgeable in their grasp of Spanish. However, the school has little control over what is actually taught in class. I recently finished beginner 1 and moved on to beginner 2 with a different teacher, and found it almost impossible to adapt to. It turned out that my first teacher combined materials from different sessions. Also, the teacher in the second class was giving out handouts and assignments from an older edition of the textbook. As a result, even though I bought the book, I still had to copy the items from the teacher's book because each edition has different page numbers and homework questions. I wish there could be more uniformity in this school. read more

I just finished the first month of the beginners series and my experience was pretty bad. The teacher and other staff are very friendly and helpful, but the curriculum (at least from this teacher) needs a lot of work. He said on the first day that we would focus on speaking and we did a bit on the first day, but most of the class was him asking us what vocabulary we knew on a certain topic. He would write them on the board and add some new ones. Sometimes we would repeat after him as he read the words aloud. We also did some work from a textbook which involved him reading from the book and we would do some exercises with a partner. Every once in a while we did some random worksheets that seemed to be thrown together. There was overall no consistency or coherence from week to week and few structured opportunities to practice new vocabulary in conversation. When I began looking for a Spanish class it was very important to me that I have the chance to speak with other humans. That is why I opted for a $300/month class at Centro Latino rather than a free app or other low-cost option. For this price, I expected a well thought out curriculum with a structure for starting to have simple conversations. But this class turned out to be a huge waste of time and money. I recently started an online program called Go Spanish, which I HIGHLY recommend (they have a 5-day free trial!). You take group classes online (over video) and have a chance to meet and speak to learners from all over the world. I pay $40/month for unlimited classes and even the most beginning speakers in my classes construct their own simple sentences and participate in conversations. I suggest that Centro Latino take a look at their model and the types of exercises they have for beginning students. read more

I'm really enjoying my experience here. I was interested in trying to learn Spanish after struggling in both high school and college. I reached out a month prior and it was easy for me to get picked up in a starting program. I do the remote class with Rafael. I think it is the combination of how Rafael teaches plus being less stressed since I am not being graded or doing tests that makes this an environment where I am having an easier time learning Spanish. There are frequent moments of "oh, that makes sense" that I internalize during class and can see in conversations outside of class. It's low stress, educational, and having engaged classmates make it all the better. read more

Great language classes in small groups. The folks at the front desk are very friendly and helpful and the classes are fun and engaging. Especially Jacob does a great job of giving individualized support while also moving the class along at a good pace. Reasonable pricing. read more

I am believing I lost my money. The link provided for zoom it doesn't work and nobody answered the phones.

Unprofessional they will take two months to pair you with a Spanish tutor for one on one sessions. I got tired of waiting and just signed up for online classes on an online platform called preply would recommend them over this place for sure. read more

I took classes a while back but unfortunately i had to move away. I loved the classes! I definitely recommend taking classes here. Brianna and Esther are very professional and they are always happy to answer any questions. read more

Could I love this place any more than I do? I took a beginning spanish class for a couple weeks at the Albany Adult school and the teacher was phoning it in for a class of 30 people. I learned nothing. It was the most depressing thing and big waste of time. Then I discovered Centro Latino. The classes are small and you get tons of personal attention. You really learn to speak Spanish. The format is quite intensive and they are definitely more expensive than Albany Adult School, but if you want to learn Spanish, this is absolutely the way to go. I've had classes with Erica and Theresa. Both great, but Theresa really whips your spanish butt into shape. She moves quickly, pushes hard and you learn Spanish! It is like spanish bootcamp! Erica is a little softer in her approach, and the class is a bit easier... she is great too. I am so thankful I found this place, it rocks! read more

This is a great place to take Spanish classes. I took private lessons along with my cousin and we loved them. I am thinking about joining some regular classes when they are all in person. We took classes with Ximena and she was wonderful, Brianna was also very helpful. read more

I upgraded my review to three stars because the head of Centro Latino addressed my review of two stars personally, and told me that she will makes some changes. I really appreciate it when a business takes the time to read their Yelp reviews, and address people's concerns. The staff is very nice and so are the fellow students. My disappointment occurred when I took a six-week class (Advanced) for $220. The class consisted of conversational practice as we were guided and corrected by a native speaker. One student took up a significant portion of class time discussing his personal topic, and the rest of us sat and listened. The instructor made no attempt to draw others in. I am currently taking an eight-week (Advanced) class here in Oakland for $120. The instructor demonstrates creative techniques in keeping a balance of students listening and speaking. This class is twice the size of the class that I took at Centro Latino. read more

I went to Centro Latino back in 2014 and had an okay experience. The staff was very friendly and helpful, and I enjoyed the socializing aspect of the classes. However, I actually got the most help from an online program called Language Convo. It was much less expensive and I was able to work one on one with a Spanish speaking tutor over video conferencing from Guatemala. I am still friends with this person! I highly recommend Language Convo! read more

Took classes with Aurea all summer long during COVID via Zoom and she was an excellent teacher: very patient, warm, and willing to answer questions. I was really pleasantly surprised by how well classes flowed despite being held online. My Spanish definitely improved given that I've hardly practiced it in years (since high school)! read more

This is a really great school. They have a rolling multi level program that you can do two nights a week and also add a Saturday morning class if you have time. The price is pretty reasonable (approx $22 ph) and the classes are small. Everyone is super friendly and it has a nice location. You just have to put the time in if you want to learn. read more

I took a Spanish class here for about 3 or 4 months. It was great. One month there were only 2 other people in the class, which meant the students got a ton of attention. I learned a ton of Spanish in a short amount of time and had fun doing in. They have several teachers and also have Portoguese classes. They also do one on one tutoring. I'm definitely partial to my teacher Teresa who was a blast and very easy to learn from. read more

I took spanish classes at Centro Latino for a little over a year and was very sad when I had to leave the class about a month ago since I moved out of state. By the time I left, I could have conversations about a wide variety of topics and I'm now able to read books in spanish at about the reading level of Harry Potter (i still have to look up vocabulary fairly often, but not so often that it feels too much like studying. It's actually starting to feel like recreational reading!). The course is great for adults looking to learn in a fun and comfortable environment. I really appreciated my teachers understanding that I had a demanding job and that some weeks I was able to commit less time to my spanish studies that I would have liked, while other weeks I was able to study a lot! Also, taking the class on Saturday for two hours was much easier to manage with my job than an evening class so I was glad they had that option. When I had weeks that I needed to travel for work (or vacation), I was able to make a plan with my teacher to make up the material, sit in on a different class during the week, schedule a few private lessons to catch up, or if I really couldn't fit in anything just show up the a week later with a bit rusty spanish. Also, I appreciated that the responsibility of learning was on my shoulders and that they were there to help me but not babysit me. The class sizes were small (three or two of us for my whole year! Just a few weeks where we had four or five) and when we were really confused about a topic, we could just add more lessons on that before moving on. Most importantly, I had a lot of fun and I finally got over my fear to speak. I chose to learn spanish since my fiancé's family does not speak english. And although I had spent a lot of time with native speakers previous to starting the class, I always felt too self conscious about my spanish to say more than a handful of words. My teacher (Humberto) as well as others in the school (Esther and Marcel in particular) created a very safe environment where I immediately felt excited to speak instead of afraid. My teacher and classmates quickly became friends I was excited to see and people that I was used to only speaking with in Spanish. I would highly recommend Centro Latino! read more

This place is terrific. I sort of stumbled into it and I'm very glad I did! I'm a month into my first class, twice a week intro to Spanish. The class is a great combo of instruction in grammar and vocab, and speaking. We're moving along quickly, covering a lot of substance, but with a lot of time to speak. We started out with 6 students and are now 4 -- all serious, doing the work and intent on learning. Our instructor, Teresa, is patient but also moving us along. She's very good at dealing with the different capabilities within the class and making the whole experience pleasant as well as productive. I studied French in college classes, at UC Extension, and at Alliance Francaise. For language instruction, this is right up there with AF and MUCH better than the others I've named. Others commented on cost -- instruction this good, at this price? This place is a bargain! Also, I like the 2x/week schedule (they offer various options)-- once a week, it's easy to forget from one class to the next. And we cover the material faster. UPDATE: After 3 months, I'm at least as enthusiastic as I was, if not more so. If you want to actually learn Spanish -- speaking, hearing, grammar, the whole package -- this is the place. read more

I spent two weeks in Spanish classes at Centro Latino and learned more in that time than I did with 2 courses of Spanish at a local Adult school. Why? Because Centro Latino tailors its courses to your level AND they build small groups for classes. My class had 5 students (including me) so I got plenty of "talk time" and lots of individual attention! I had Teresa and Patricia as instructors and both were excellent. Too good to be true? Well, sort of. It is expensive and getting my dates scheduled was a little tricky but it is SO worth it!!! Tratelo, es excellente! read more

Fantastic... A bit pricy... But small classes... ( my class had three people in it) Super comfortable. Just finished a summer beginners class with instructor Alex (from Uruguay) and I learned so much in four weeks... Without feeling intimidated. Thank you Alex (and centro latino) for an amazing summer learning experience! Gracias! read more

If you really want to learn Spanish, this is the place to go. The teachers are professional and excellent and also make learning fun. Classes are small and everyone participates. Esther, who runs the business, is exceptionally nice and helpful. I've now studied 2 months of intensive classes at Centro Latino, Beginners and Fast Beginners, and have learned so much. I feel comfortable speaking in Spanish in public spaces now. The students, of various ages, really want to speak Spanish. It is so much fun to learn here. It has been easy to find parking in the area too. read more

I heartily recommend Centro Latino as an excellent, vibrant and nurturing place to learn Spanish. Centro Latino gave me the confidence and level of comfort I needed to continue studying Spanish. Esther, the owner, creates a cozy atmosphere. She has an engaging and encouraging manner as a teacher. It allowed me to get inspired to speak, to take the plunge and attempt to express whatever thoughts or tell whatever stories I wanted to, and to trust in the achieve-ability of a dream I have: to actually one day become fluent in Spanish. Esther got to know and appreciate her students well, teaching to different learning styles and interests. I particularly enjoyed her ability to balance classroom conversations between topical issues and personal narratives. She also seemed to expertly integrate the teaching of grammar with worksheets and other more creative writing and speaking assignments, making learning that much more memorable. Esther always greets me with such warmth and interest, and puts a lot of effort into placing me in the right classes. I am thankful to have such a dedicated guide in this exciting journey of learning Spanish. I have also been very pleased with the other teacher I have had at Centro Latino, Teresa. She is a wonderfully clear, knowledgeable and experienced teacher. She is so deft and thorough with her instruction that it's a guarantee you'll cover all the Spanish grammar there is, if you stick with her. The timing of the length spent on grammar units and the varied exercises given are also marvelously appropriate. You get the repetition you need to remember and the interest you crave to keep you motivated. Teresa also gives you the time and space to make Spanish your own - that is she gives each student ample time to talk about their lives and she teaches to it. read more