Julia is a great French teacher! The lessons were engaging and fun. Julia made it feel easy to…read morelearn a difficult language like French and my French comprehension and reading has improved a ton! I highly recommend Julia for private French lessons.

Julia is a wonderful French tutor for many reasons. She is a great teacher because she listens and…read moreis very patient. I never felt intimidated speaking around her despite my horrible pronunciation. I really like her lesson plans which are digestible for people who are looking to learn French after work. In addition, Julia is was flexible with rescheduling if needed. I really enjoyed talking with Julia about French culture which is nice if you want a break from grammar and vocabulary!

I have been improving my french now for many years, using classes and individual lessons both in…read moreSan Francisco and France (many locations). Arcene is the only french tutor I have used in SF, and would not switch to any other. For the price that Arcene charges, he is really unbeatable value for a very skilled teacher. I know all this sounds hyperbole, so some specifics may help; - A part of each lesson is conversation. Arcene is a good conversationalist, by which I mean that he draws out the student with leading questions, and gets the student to talk about themselves. e.g. on my very first lesson with him we went through the vocabulary for my 'life story' - how I was going to introduce myself to others during an upcoming visit to France. - Arcene listens well, takes notes, and corrects after the conversation, point by point, without breaking your flow at the time. He will suggest better ways of expressing things, and use your bad grammar usage as launching points for instructions in some point of grammar (pronouns, tenses, verbs etc). - Arcene would usually then go through a structured description of that point of grammar, whatever it might be, and write down the information at an appropriate level of difficulty, using examples. Sometimes the writing was a little untidy, but I would rewrite these later into my own book anyway. - There is a good mix of technically correct grammar and good daily phrases. - He's quite funny, does not take himself too seriously, and as I can see from the other reviews, many of his students also consider themselves to be friends with Arcene.

Arcene is great. I…read moremet him a few years ago while I was studying for law school classes at Maxfields cafe in the Mission. I overheard his lesson at the next table and immediately wanted in on it. I asked for his info, then I had a few lessons with him before I headed to Paris for a month. I felt like my lessons with Arcene really helped me communicate with Parisians, whether it be ordering breakfast, asking for directions, or exchanging something at a small hardware store (my biggest achievement thus far). Last year, my friend and I asked Arcene to lead our "French Club," which consisted of meeting at a French cafe for some coffee and conversation every other week. Arcene gave us little homework assignments, and was very flexible as far as just letting us do as much or as little as we wanted. I would recommend Arcene to anyone, whether as a supplement to a formal class or just for conversation. He is extremely intuitive at telling where each person is and what they need to know. Plus, he is super interesting so you actually want to figure out what he's saying!

I studied French with Elisabeth years ago at the Alliance Française, and took a break for a few…read moreyears once my first kid arrived. I only recently discovered, thanks to the magic of Google, that Elisabeth has founded her own school, Savoir Plus. I signed up immediately. Like most Americans, I studied a second language in high school: 4 years of French. And like most Americans, at the end of it, I could barely order a croissant. For years, I believed I would never speak or comprehend another language. Seven years ago, I enrolled in French classes at the Alliance Française on a whim. My first teacher was OK. One week, I missed a class and did a make-up class with Elisabeth. Elisabeth was so animated, energetic and dynamic that it felt like the material from several hours with my first teacher were compressed into one. I stuck with Elisabeth, and studied French with her for three years. Within months, I was making progress that I never anticipated. I could follow clearly what this fast-talking (in advanced levels!) Frenchwoman was saying. I could listen to Radio France Internationale or Europe1 and understand the newscasters. I could comfortably read Le Monde or Libération. Under her tutelage, I was mastering French grammar to the point where it was helping my English grammar. In class, we read novels by Anna Gavalda, and in my spare time, I went back and read books I read in high school in translation -- Candide and L'Étranger -- in French. She had us watch classic French comedies like "Le dîner de cons" and "Le bonheur est dans le pré" that were hilarious and further trained my ear. Elisabeth adapts readily to all levels of students. At the advanced levels, she speaks quickly, but with great clarity. She is great fun to listen to. She is super-serious about ensuring that you master French grammar and pronunciation, but she's not above teaching you to swear, too. Studying with Elisabeth is a cultural education, not just a language education. You'll hear about current events in France, about the big names in French politics, about how a drunk Serge Gainsbourg once scandalized Whitney Houston on a TV show... everything. If you read a short story with her, she'll dig into all of the cultural subtleties, indicators of class; she'll show you how a French person would read it. It's rare to meet someone who loves their work as much as Elisabeth does. She teaches a full slate of classes as a one-woman show that other French schools need a staff of 10+ people to cover. If you go elsewhere for French language instruction, it's a crapshoot on the quality of the teacher you get. At Savoir Plus, you can be assured, you are getting *première classe*.

Savoir Plus is a remarkable language school and I recommend it highly. I have been a student at…read morethe school for a number of years and, as a result, I have been able to observe all aspects of its operations. The level of teaching is first-rate. Because of the particular courses that I have selected I have had Elisabeth Bonamour du Tartre, the founder of Savoir Plus, as my instructor. Her credentials are impeccable and her teaching skills are excellent. It was evident to me from the beginning that she strives to insure that her students will succeed. In this regard, she assesses the skills and progress of her students continuously and she will adjust course materials and teaching methods to make certain that they understand thoroughly the topic at hand and apply it correctly, the latter being essential in matters involving grammar and phonetics. While the primary goal of Savoir Plus is to have each student master the French language and become truly conversant, I can say from my personal experience that the school offers even more as each course that I have taken incorporates an elevated understanding and appreciation of France, its culture, history, politics and arts. I look forward invariably to attending class each week because I know that it will be challenging, enjoyable and rewarding. Unequivocally, Savoir Plus is the best.

I have to sing the praises of Babble-On! The team here did a great translation and notarization for…read moreme, which was not accepted by the Secretary of State for a rather ridiculous reason. I had waited in line for a few hours at a Secretary of State pop-up event only to be disappointed by the news that my translated document could not be accepted. I called Benjamin and he quickly resolved the issue, personally bringing me a new document so we could get the issue resolved. I am beyond impressed and so grateful for the amazing service. I will use Babble-On for future translation needs and highly recommended for anyone looking to support an amazing small, local business. Many thanks, Benjamin! I am so grateful for your above and beyond help today. If you're considering utilizing Babble-On services, do it!

Really doesn't get better than this! I needed my birth certificate translated and certified and the…read moreprocess was extremely fast, easy, and all-around a pleasant experience. When I submitted my birth certificate, I had an estimate in my inbox within half an hour and I found the cost to be reasonable ($85 for translation and certification). The whole process was extremely easy; you upload your document, they email you with a quote, you pay, they translate, and a few days later, you get a PDF file sent to your email address. All of this done online and quite expeditiously! Is there anything better than getting something so important done, without having to leave your house? In addition, I found Babble-On to be highly professional overall, in terms of their communication, that they are clearly organized and good at what they do, and that they turned out a very official-looking document. I was initially a bit hesitant to upload my birth certificate to a company I knew nothing about other than Yelp reviews, but once they got back to me, I quickly felt assured at the legitimacy and professionalism of the company. In the end, I feel my trust was well-placed and I would absolutely use them again. Highly recommend if you're in the market for translation services.

I pride myself on knowing the different pastas without asking the server when dining at an Italian…read morerestaurant. Agnolotti, cavatelli, bucatini -- the list goes on! my love for perfectly al dente pasta knows no bounds. Well, the problem became apparent when we booked our trip to Italy a couple of months ago. I freaked out because my Italian is non-existent and so... HOW THE HECK AM I GOING TO ORDER A COCKTAIL AT THE BAR?!?! * well, you speak English of course! * I wanted to be able to confidently order in their language and sure, I can Rosetta Stone my way into learning Italian, but why not learn it from a REAL live Italian? Idesli offers Italian classes twice a week, but it didn't work with my schedule. Carla, the director, was flexible and accommodating. She worked with me to find a schedule that would fit and answered emails promptly. I got six private, 1.5 hour sessions at a fair price. My instructor, Valentina, is patient, kind and engaging. I learned so much with the personalized attention and she always encouraged me to email her if I had any questions. Learning another language is hard! It's like learning how to walk all over again. I'm planning to continue where we left off when I get back from my trip to Italy. I can say that in the short time I've had with Valentina, she taught me the most valuable lesson one can ever learn: the difference of intonation. Did you know that in Italian, penne = pasta, but pene = penis? o_0 You can't exactly order "pene" at a restaurant, right?

I just finished a 10 lesson Spanish package with IDESLI and had a great experience…read more A little background on me: I minored in Spanish and studied abroad in Chile during college but found myself a few years out and faltering in my language abilities. I was presented with the opportunity to travel to Bogota, Colombia for work and began taking lessons with IDESLI to get back up to speed. I can confidently say that after 9 lessons I felt so much more confident in my Spanish abilities. My instructor Monica gave me great feedback and mixed the classes up with conversation, practices, and lessons. She gave me some great resources I can use later on as well. After these lessons I have used my Spanish so much more, in my professional as well as personal life, than I would have prior. I highly recommend IDESLI to anyone looking to take private Spanish lessons in the Bay Area. The private attention I received rivaled any college class I took. This is truly a great value. If I ever find myself needing to freshen up my abilities or to advance my abilities I will be going back to IDESLI.

Nando is more than a teacher, he's a friend for life. I'm so…read moreblessed to have met him. Absolutely going above and beyond and is not the everyday teacher you'll meet. He's the best and i meet him on almost a weekly basis (when i'm not traveling) for over a year now.

Nando is an amazing teacher…read more My husband and I started learning Spanish with Nando back in February this year to prepare us for a month long South America trip. Let me tell you this, I did not know Spanish at all and my husband had very minimal understanding (from high school). We just got back from our SA trip last week and we thought we both did pretty darn good job communicating in Spanish. Nando really got us up to speed!! It was amazing how we can communicate comfortably. Unbelievable. Nando offered us a customized lesson plan that allowed us to learn quickly. He also incorporated some interesting activities and games with his lessons that made the learning process MAS DIVERTIDO! We honestly would recommend him - 1000% - to anyone who wants to learn Spanish. We are looking forward to having more classes with Nando.

Fernanda is a very intuitive, empathetic and energetic teacher, and each time I have a class with…read moreher, it is over before I know it. Her classes are a mix of conversation, grammar, translation and even some written expression and she teaches in a very lively manner using materials such as a workbook, magazines, film reviews and homework assignments in her lessons. She knows how to coax conversations out of me, elementary as I am in Spanish. Every time I finish a class, I am newly excited about improving my Spanish. I highly recommend her classes!

I've been taking Zoom classes with Fernanda for a couple weeks now. It's been going great - she…read morealways comes prepared for our lessons, and I have already improved so much. We have a great blend of conversations and grammar, which has been great for my beginner level.

I really like it here. The teachers are very warm. The environment is gorgeous. The work is hard…read moreand there are a great many opportunities to practice. J'aime bien ici. Les enseignants sont les meilleurs.

You learn to speak french in a emersive environment. They also have an extensive library to…read moreexplore! Ils sont fantastiques!