Takes a week to get a response, which is like a month in NY time…read more This delayed scheduling other important meetings because I was holding slots open for 3 times I had suggested. I also was taking classes in NY. I got sick and had to return to TX immediately. I was never refunded the difference. Also, when I started I was placed in a class 3 days late which put me behind on the basics and made me behind even though I was able to make them up. Do not start in a class that has already started insist on beginning. There are classes on other websites for $30 an hour. While I appreciate a structured program the convenience and speed of communicating with someone directly is a win.

So far, so good! I am taking Brazil Ahead's Portuguese for Spanish Speakers" class with…read moreinstructor Natacha and learning Brazilian Portuguese faaster than I thought possible, with a patient, well-trained and fun instructor, and in a wonderfully convenient midtown location. Classes start on time and end on time. Will add to this review as my intensive (2 times per week) class progresses.

I've been coming here for a while, starting with very little French background. I see that some…read morehere felt like they were moved up a bit too fast. Honestly I don't see that happening, there are so many opportunities to review, from conversation to boot camps. The teachers are so supportive. I also take advantage of all the social nights and work shops. I've met a lot of really good people here!!

took Coucou's online placement test and was placed into an intermediate-level class. Unfortunately,…read morethe placement was not accurate. There was no real evaluation, just an online quiz, and when I arrived in the class, I quickly realized after a few sessions that it didn't match my needs at all. The class was pure conversation with no grammar explanations, no structure, and no rules, which made me feel completely lost. I actually needed more grammar-focused support, not just conversation. When I tried to switch levels, I wasn't offered a proper solution. Instead, I was only given about 70% credit for my remaining classes, with a two-month expiration. I couldn't use it because I was traveling, and their response time was slow, so the credit essentially became useless. Overall, I was disappointed with how the placement was handled and how inflexible the school was in helping me find the right level. I expected a more supportive and structured experience.

I attended the Book/ Cinema Club held in Italian Forever's summer session and I enjoyed it…read moreimmensely. The teacher, Chiara, was very funny, helpful, friendly, and made class very enjoyable. Being a native Italian herself, she was able to shed light on a lot of Italian idiosyncrasies. The class material varied in between grammar, comprehension, vocabulary, and conversation. The book she chose, Io Non Ho Paura by Niccolo Ammaniti, seemed daunting at first, but I found I was able to read much more quickly and comprehend much more by the final day of class due to more exposure to the language and Chiara's help. The small class size is a benefit to anyone who is learning a language. It allows everyone a chance to participate and ensures that no one's needs are left unattended. I recommend this place and its classes to anyone who is serious about learning the Italian language and about its culture.

The best Italian class I have ever taken. Small groups, Sandro is an excellent teacher and I feel…read morethat I have learned a lot. Can't wait for next semester!

Thank every god in every heaven for Dina Shen!! I found Dina's Fast Learning Chinese from Yelp and…read morewas skeptical that the glowing reviews were for real, but now I'm joining the ranks firsthand!! I'm "good with languages" but had zero experience with Mandarin other than a general fascination, and admit to being a little daunted by what I perceived as an almost impossible task: learning Mandarin without any prior experience or opportunity for immersion. Dina takes this daunting situation and makes it approachable, understandable and addictive!! She is such a kind and patient teacher. She's incredibly nurturing and supportive, but doesn't just nod and smile and tell you that you're doing great when you're not -- she takes the time and care to gently correct my pronunciation to make sure that I'm mastering the Mandarin tones. As her student, I feel that she genuinely cares about my progress and is personally invested in it. Dina's Level 1 course is all about giving us a foundation to understand how the mechanics of how Mandarin works rather than just having us memorize rote phrases or characters. She teaches us grammatical patterns and explains the nuances of how Mandarin differs from English in a way that turns those differences into assets to learn the new language rather than impediments to it. I've just completed her Level 1 one-on-one tutoring and will definitely be continuing on to Level 2. I work nearby in the area and take my sessions during my lunch break -- I work in a very stressful job and half of the time when I'm heading to my session, I'm anxious about some crazy thing at work and tired, but EVERY TIME, I leave feeling rejuvenated and inspired and excited to continue learning Mandarin. And now, thanks to Dina, I have confidence that I have a decent beginner's foundation in speaking, reading and writing Mandarin and have a brilliant, kind teacher who can help turn that foundation into something even stronger. If you want to learn Mandarin and live near NYC, I can't recommend Dina enough!!

I decided to learn Chinese in preparation for a trip to China for the World Expo, but mostly…read morebecause I'm interested in being able to better understand and work with the most important growth economy in the world. Before the class, everyone I know told me how Mandarin is SOOoOoOOOoo hard and I TOOOOoooOootally shouldn't bother. Whatever, doodz! I, for one, welcome our new ant overlords. Dina Shen is the instructor and progenitor of Fast Learning Chinese, and I love her like I loved my first grade teacher. She's so smart! And pretty! She's one of those rare teachers who clearly LOVES teaching, and she's incredibly professional. But, as a professional, she makes her class--with her own curriculum and CD--fun, clear, engaging, and (like it says on the box) very very fast. You won't have time to doodle in her class. Not only that, but Dina encourages you to come to the first class before you pay so you can decide for yourself whether or not you think you can learn from her. A month in, and I haven't noticed any dropouts (and my friends told me horror stories about packed college Chinese classes with four lonely students left by the time midterms rolled around). There's no machismo to the course. The vibe is welcoming and inclusive. And if you have trouble and need to repeat the course, her repeat fee is something like half the original cost, which I think shows genuine generosity and dedication. She also holds the same class on different days of the week, so if you have to miss class one week, you can make it up on another day. A huge, huge plus. I leave every class inspired and excited to be learning Chinese, and I'm proud to be learning from such a wonderful teacher. I can already show off to my Chinese clients, and while I know I've got a long way to go, it tells me a lot about Dina's class that after a month they already understand me. That's a big deal with a tonal language! I plan to go on to Level II after this one, which was not in my original plan... It's just that much fun. I cannot recommend Fast Learning Chinese highly enough. Go learn something from Dina.

Oh boy. What can I say about SLC? I don't think I have the words to explain how amazing this place…read moreis, but I'll try. I'd always wanted to learn ASL, even as a child, but I was never in one place long enough to do so. When I moved to NYC and found myself with some free time, I thought it was the perfect time. I looked up different schools and places for me to learn ASL. I compared prices. I read reviews. I did my research. SLC was and is the best option. It's located in midtown so it's super convenient. They have classes throughout the week and on weekends to accommodate every schedule. If you divide the price by the amount of hours, it's the best deal. But best of all, the teachers are AMAZINGGGGG! I absolutely LOVE the teachers at SLC. They are all fantastic! For levels 1&2, I had Alan Abrams. He's an excellent teacher to have in the beginning levels because he voices and writes a lot so you really understand what he's talking about. He signs really slowly for everyone. He makes triply sure that everyone understands before moving on. I honestly think he spoiled us with how slow he went. Lol. We just all understood him so well. He also encourages participation by asking each person questions. And he's really funny. Alan is such an entertainer. He really tries to make us all laugh and keep us all entertained. He's really goofy and kind of crazy. I actually really wanted him as my teacher for all the levels and was nervous to leave him. My level 3 teacher, J.W. gave me nothing to worry about. He's also silly and goofy, but not in a crude Alan way. Lol. J.W. hosts the monthly ASL Slams and is really comfortable teaching. He signed faster than Alan, but still at an understandable pace. I had a lot of fun in his class as well and wanted him to teach my level 4 class, but alas, that was not to be. J.C. aka John Colons taught my level 4 and 5 classes. He's hilarious and loves to tease his students. You can tease him back. He can take it. He shares his personal stories with the class and encourages us to do the same. He likes to fingerspell with style so he'll teach you to do the same. I had too much fun in that class! I would have loved if he taught my level 6 as well (are you seeing a pattern here?), but I knew that we had hit our limit. So sad. Robert Parcels taught my level 6 class. He likes to start class off with people sharing any news they've come across. He pushes everyone to participate and really tries to prepare you for conversation class. (dun dun dun!!!) He is an excellent teacher, knowledgeable and easily understood. Crossing my fingers I have him for conversation class!! So the rule here is that you can only have any one teacher for a maximum of two classes. Why? So you get to experience different signing styles and accents. When I first found out I could no longer have Alan teach me, I was a petulant child about it. I whined and pouted. I was so comfortable with Alan. I understood him. He understood me. We had a good thing going. Why mess with that? But Alan Roth, the director, assured me that J.W. was one of the best teachers at SLC. And of course, he was right. J.W. was awesome. They are all awesome. Come here. You will not regret it.

It seems almost impossible that there is only one place in NYC (other than LaGuardia, but that's a…read morecollege so that's a different story) that teaches ASL - American Sign Language. I was looking for one on Yelp and there was only 1 review at the time for this place. But then I remembered a conversation with a dear friend years ago when I expressed interest, and it just so happened that he took classes here before and highly recommended it. If you: 1) want to learn something different 2) want to learn how to sign so you can talk about people in front of them without actually talking 3) want to learn about "deaf culture" (all I can say is WOW! It is totally a completely different culture) 4) want to learn ASL but aren't looking to earn credits 5) want to be a better person Then this is for you. Once a week (2.5 hour classes with a 15-min break in between) for 6 weeks per level. If you can't make a class on a certain day, you can ask to make up a class on a different day. *Unless they cancel the class, which actually happened to me... so I lost a class and couldn't get a refund. As for the classes -- they are fun! We make up skits to learn how to sign without speaking and play lots of games. We go around to answer questions and end up getting to know each other. We laugh through the entire class... it's pretty much the most fun you can have in a classroom setting. I can only hope to advance to conversational level one day and be able to communicate fluently and beautifully like everyone here! It truly is a beautiful language. All the teachers are friendly and funny. I almost didn't want to write this review because I wanted to keep this place all to myself!!

Such a great, affordable, and effective way to learn spanish. Every single instructor I've had is…read moreso kind and accepting of all levels. Really grateful for easy espanol!

I found Easy Espanol through their Conversation Club on meetup.com. I only went to one session and…read moreit wasn't quite what I was hoping for. We listened to a very long recording and then read the transcript out loud. I am a bit critical because I work in foreign language training and I know that this is probably the least effective way to teach a language. I was hoping for more conversation, pronunciation and error correction. Granted, it was only one lesson, so I may go back and give it another shot.

-This is my third semester with Parliamo Italiano. Parliamo Italiano is a branch of Hunter College…read morethat offers non-articulated Italian classes.However, certification programs are available. I had previously studied Italian in high school and college, so I took a placement exam prior to registering. Giuseppina (Giuse for short) conducted my placement exam. I feel that I was appropriately placed during my first semester since some topics were refreshers for me, while others were much needed lessons and reviews! -The classes are arranged so that you and your classmates follow the same professor throughout the levels. All professors are native Italian speakers who are quick to correct your pronunciation (thankfully!). My professor Rosanna is amazing. She is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to both Italian and English grammar. She can predict the mistakes native English speakers will make in certain grammar structures and explain to the Italian grammar rule before we make the mistake. Rosanna stays on topic when conducting a lesson, but she always interjects little tidbits of helpful information to correct a student that makes an un-related mistake. -The quality of the classes and the lesson formats are amazing. The founder of the program (Franca Lally) created a curriculum that effectively teaches Italian while encouraging conversational practice. The professors strictly adhere to the original curriculum and often include discussions in each of their lessons. The program sends out weekly emails with the following week's lesson for you to print out or view on your device. -Registering with Parliamo Italiano is a pleasant process. Lauren works in the Parliamo Italiano office and has been nothing but a pleasure to work with. She works efficiently and is willing to answer all your questions. -Cons: On occasion, Parliamo Italiano can be disorganized. They are a branch of Hunter College, so some of the classes are held within the Hunter College buildings while others are held at Casa Lally just a few blocks south of Hunter College. There have been about four occasions over the past three semesters in which my professor, classmates and I were left standing a hallway for twenty minutes because our classroom door was locked. My classmates and I have complained to the program each time this has happened. Fortunately, this is the worst complaint I have about the program. Overall, I highly recommend the program! They have an Open House prior to the Fall and Spring semesters, so check it out!

We have been coming to Language beans for Mandarin since our son was 2. The teachers have all been…read moreamazing, which is the reason our son is still taking classes here. Rachel, the current teacher, has been warm and encouraging and has been able to get our son to start conversing in Mandarin at class, which is a big step forward. Mimi, one of the founders is always pleasant and accommodating as much as possible if we miss a class. The kids in the class get along well and have fun there, which is set up by both the teachers and staff. If our son didn't like coming here, we would have picked a different place a long time ago but he enjoys it and so do we!

I first learned about Language Beans when a parent in my daughter's preschool arranged to have them…read morecome in to do lessons once a week (we are native English speakers). I wanted my child to have exposure to a second language, but I had planned to limit that to Spanish (which I speak a bit and which she got in little bits of in her PreK). She LOVED the Mandarin classes, though -- and when I'd ask her for any Spanish (even basics like hello) she would look at me blankly, but she would sing entire songs in Mandarin. Cut to a year later, and in the fall of her Kindergarten year there was a Spanish after school program associated with her school. I signed her up there (partly for ease/cost, and partly bc I figured we'd switch officially). But again -- blank stares when I'd ask how the class went. She'd bring home little worksheets etc. but it really seemed like the class was kind of dull and not engaging. And she kept asking me to "go back to Mandarin." So for the second semester we enrolled her in the LB class and by luck the same teacher that had taught her preK (Rachel) was teaching the time we wanted. Yet again: SHE LOVES IT. Example: today she spontaneously says from the back of the car: "yi plus er equals san." (1+2=3). She also has used a mandarin word for something (like "snake") at random, and because I speak zero mandarin I'll say "what??" and she'll say "it's Mandarin, mommy!" I also like that the teachers communicate the curriculum really well, and provide helpful material for parents like us who don't speak the language at all. My daughter's also comes home with work that shows how engaged she is; including beautiful written characters that the teacher has meticulously given feedback on. It's clear that she's learning a lot, and enjoying it, which is to me the most you can ask for! So, we're loving it. Highly recommended!