I pride myself on knowing the different pastas without asking the server when dining at an Italian restaurant. 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? read more

I just finished a 10 lesson Spanish package with IDESLI and had a great experience. 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. read more

I am working in high-tech industry with a very strong passion for traveling. That is why I have decided to start a Spanish Course with IDESLI and this was a GREAT IDEA. The classes are really interactive and besides the grammar and vocabulary, you learn a lot the culture and tradition of places which is such an added value! I had classes first with Carolina and now with Alex, both of them are fun and not "conventional" teachers even though they teach you all you need. I would TOTALLY recommend taking spanish classes with them! read more

I am a professional working in the hi-tech industry. I attended an english advanced course at Idesli to refine my accent, improve my writing and review my grammar. The teacher check your common mistakes at the beginning of the course and work to improve those. The teachers are nice, friendly but very professional and experienced. The classes are intense but fun. At the end of the course I can say I've improved a lot. I highly reccoment Idesli if you are in San Francisco and want a fun and useful english course read more

I had very little & just basic knowledge of Spanish when I started my classes at IDESLI. I attended classes 2 times per week and in just a couple of months was pretty comfortable in basic conversational Spanish and learned a good amount in terms of grammar as well. Our teacher made it really fun for us and it was never a "strict" conventional classroom which made it enjoyable & easier to learn. It was so good that I would come from the East Bay just for these classes! Sad that I had to stop (because of my own work & personal schedule). But I will start again at IDESLI as soon as I can fit it into my schedule. I will not take a class anywhere else. read more

First and most importantly, I want to say that IDESLI is AMAZING! I studied abroad in Mexico while in college, but I have to admit that I've gotten quite rusty in the few years since. I was looking for an opportunity for some review when I found IDESLI. As a commuter from the East Bay, IDESLI's easily accessible location right off of Embarcadero BART was a major draw. I chose to attend the 9am class and made it up to the 5th floor about 10 minutes early. (Note: If you arrive early and the doors are locked, just hang out in the elevator lobby. The doors are not unlocked until 9am.) My first day, I found my class in the coffee room and was greeted by my first friendly and bubbly instructor, Carmen. The class was small, on any given day only 4-6 students. The atmosphere was like a conversation with a group of friends, themed around the vocab or grammar of the day. Halfway through my six weeks, we had an instructor switch to Elias. I admit that after having developed such an affection for how awesome an instructor Carmen was, I was a bit nervous about the new guy, but Elias was as equally knowledgeable, friendly, and fun as Carmen! Overall, the experience was great. By the end I felt like I had made significant progress, and I would recommend IDESLI to anyone who wants wants a local SF immersion into the Spanish language. I'd give it 6 stars if I could. read more

I started out with very basic Spanish and after a year and a half of twice-weekly individual courses, I am now able to converse very comfortably with my Spanish in-laws. My teacher, Carolina, is absolutely phenomenal and tailored all of our classes to my needs. She helped me immensely with both Spanish language skills and Spanish culture, a very important element of truly being able to communicate with my husband's family. Finally, one of my favorite things about IDESLI is that I can do my classes online over Skype when I have to travel for work. This was so convenient and really a life-saver when I had a crammed work schedule. read more

We brought IDESLI in to teach Spanish to our startup employees once a week, and had a wonderful experience. Our instructor was extremely enthusiastic and tailored classes to our specific needs. Students were at different levels, but all were able to improve considerably. Organizing and scheduling classes was simple. It doesn't get easier than having class in one of your own conference rooms. Definitely give IDESLI a shot! read more

I had the most wonderful experience with IDESLI. My Portuguese professor, Celso, was among the best teachers I've ever had, and I'm a little sad to be at the end of my course of study. I learned at a very fast rate, but my teacher was also able to find time to open my eyes to Brazilian music, poetry, and film. I highly recommend IDESLI if you're in the Bay Area and looking for fast, effective, well-priced language learning. read more

I have been really pleased with IDESLI. So impressed by their professionalism, their flexibility to adjust to the individual needs and aptitude to ensure the appropriate level and pace of learning, not to mention their curriculum. The teachers are all native and extremely competent, passionate, engaging and with a lot of experience. It is a pleasure to go to class and you always come out with a full reward of learning. I have been taking Spanish classes and attended both individual and group classes. Both of them are extremely effective and the flexibility of taking both is very useful. I wholeheartedly recommend it. read more

I did some private tutoring in Italian and got a lot out of it. Anna was very forgiving while teaching. She remained quite focused and had a great sense of humor. It was also great to learn about southern Italy. Grazie per le risate! read more

IDESLI is THE WAY TO GO if you want to learn or brush up on your Spanish. I took private lessons with Carla to improve my high intermediate/advanced Spanish and I learned more in 5 sessions than I did in Spanish 4,5 and 6 in college. Carla starts every class with some conversation and then tailors the class around your skill level. Carla also happens to be a complete delight; I can chat with her about anything. I highly recommend IDESLI and will definitely be going back! read more

I studied in Spain and worked for a summer in Costa Rica, but haven't lived in a Spanish-speaking country since 2007. I knew that I had been losing my Spanish skills without much practice here in SF. It's been great to have a few hours each week to refresh my skills. The thing that impresses me the most about the classes at IDESLI is that the teachers don't just know how to speak the language - they know how to get YOU to speak the language. Their classes are engaging and fun, and I'd strongly recommend them if you want to work with a school that delivers high-quality lessons. read more

I took French lessons from Pauline this last spring to prepare me for a trip to Europe this summer. Pauline was great and tailored my lessons for exactly what I needed, which was basic for my level (zero French ability), yet would allow me to communicate a bit with people for the essentials during my travels. She also helped me understand a lot of the nuances about French culture as well. I loved the specific sessions on food and drink too....most important for traveling in France. Thanks Pauline! read more

I took several classes of Portuguese and I have made a great improvement. I love their method of teaching. My teacher Celso made classes more than just a learning language class. He taught me about Brazilian culture and history through conversation. I got way more fluent in a short time plus I had a lot of fun. read more

My experience with Idesli was perfect! They translated all my academic records from Portuguese to English because I was applying to a course at UC Berkeley. Alex and all team did a great job! In less than a week I received the translations perfectly and I sent them to university, being accepted days later. Furthermore, they were very careful with the service and always answered my emails or calls quickly. read more

It is as good as it gets! I started my French lessons with Sophie and I'm more than impressed! They have a bountiful supply of resources, I'm able to practice my grammar and vocabulary with the additional recordings that my instructor has prepared. très bien! read more

I signed up for two Spanish packages with IDESLI and had a great experience. The first package had 5 one-on-one sessions with Carolina, followed by 5 group sessions with her. I was a complete beginner to the language and found Carolina to be an excellent teacher. She was animated, engaged, and focused on using the language in multiple contexts, such as ordering at a restaurant, getting directions, or talking to someone at an airport. Carolina also hosted a cooking class in Spanish for her students which was a great deal of fun. The second package I bought had 10 one-on-one sessions with Carolina and working with her individually in sessions conducted in Spanish was invaluable. I can now hold conversations in Spanish, am able to read simple texts and translate them, and I can understand the language when spoken to. Carolina used multiple media in her sessions; from songs, to clips from shows, to short stories, and she always adapted each class to student needs, whether in a group or while working with me one-on-one. She is a dynamic teacher who genuinely loves her work. The staff at IDESLI (Carla and Anna) were also responsive, organized, and always willing to help out with coordination or to answer questions if needed. This institute is a wonderful resource and I'm already thinking of signing up to take more classes with them! read more

I used IDESLI to translate a legal PowerPoint presentation from English to Spanish. It was important that the presentation be translated well because it was to be memorialized for all of the Superior Courts of California. I could not have been more impressed by the timeliness and high quality translation by IDESLI! For example, I only gave them one week of notice and they were able to complete the job on time. Also, they translated the material in such a way that I was able to identify my translation mistakes and improve my Spanish. Thank you Monica and Carla! read more

We used Idesli to translate a lengthy research survey from English into Spanish and Italian. The Idesli team provided a really fast turn-around on the project and provided a comprehensive end result that we were easily able to upload to our survey software. Excellent service and nice people! read more

Idelsi is a very good language learning institute. The classrooms are excellent and the teacher I have (Mr. Naeem) is very good. I would highly recommend this institute to anyone wishing to learn or become fluent in a language. Very friendly staff. read more

I just finished 10 classes of group Spanish lessons with Stephanie, and I cannot say enough about the great experience! Years ago, I felt like I was close to fluency in Spanish, but after too long of too little practice, I was really struggling to remember basic verb conjugations and vocabulary. So my hope in taking this course was to regain some of that familiarity and to generally feel more comfortable in everyday conversation. I let Stephanie know all of this when the course began, and she was super responsive to what I wanted to achieve. If I wanted more practice in a certain area, I would ask, and she would assign me homework in that particular area. I was really impressed by how she could attend to the individual needs of group members while still holding a cohesive group study session. If you're looking for a jump start to your Spanish skills, this course, and Stephanie's instruction, are a great way to go! read more

I took intermediate Spanish through IDESLI for work, and I couldn't recommend the experience enough! They're small group instruction courses are really intensive and helped me improve my language skills in a very short time period. Their instructors are all very warm, friendly, and professional, and work with you to customize your language needs. Also, their downtown campus is very central and easily accessible. read more

Fantastic learning experience! Classes are small and cover both verbal discussion and grammar with equal emphasis on both. Carla is always enthusiastic and has a great sense of humor to keep class interesting. For those just learning or someone like me who isn't afraid to speak in Spanish but would prefer to do it correctly, it's a great class and I highly recommend it! read more

I used Idesli to assist with translation for some marketing materials for my company's mobile application, and they are efficient, professional and accurate. In addition to their coursework program others mention here, I would recommend them to businesses needing translation and interpreter services. We will use them again. read more

Awesome translating company! We gave them a script and they turned it around back to our company within a few hours. Very reliable and friendly. Definitely would recommend to anyone looking for a Spanish Translator. read more

I took a few Spanish classes in preparation for my 5-month backpacking trip through South America. The business owner Carla was very responsive by email and super-nice in person. She scheduled my on exactly the dates and times that were convenient for me and even though I was supposed to be in a group class, I ended up in a one-on-one class which was great. Even when I missed and cancelled a class on very short notice, Carla let me use the missed time a week later and again at a time that was convenient for me. What else can you ask for? My teacher Carmen from Spain was super nice as well. She is very encouraging, fun to talk to and very enthusiastic. read more

I loved to study for my TOEFL test here. Besides I passed my test, it was always so nice to go over there and learn with Monica :) They always try to make you feel comfortable and get your best! Highly recommended. read more

I've been taking Spanish group classes at IDESLI for 4 months, and I have really enjoyed the classes so far. The classes have been completely in Spanish so it's great practice for both listening and speaking (I am in the beginner to intermediate range). I've worked with both Monica and Carolina and they are both great at making the learning material super fun and interesting! read more

I had never studied Spanish before and signed up to the IDELSLI 6-week course through Living Social. I have also been incredibly impressed not only at the quality of the teaching but also at how friendly and flexible Carla and Monica have been in accommodating everyone's level of ability, and busy schedules! They are both very fun but professional teachers, and have been particularly attentive to cover both Spanish & South American Spanish. It's been the perfect way to jump-start learning the language! read more

I took an accelerated Italian class prior to vacationing in Italy this summer. The instructor was very accomodating, competent and made the class very enjoyable. When I was in Italy I found that I was able to communicate quite well just with what I learned in the class. I would definitely like to continue my studies with them at another time. read more

My experience with IDESLI has been fabulous. I just finished my 10 private Spanish lessons and have already learned enough to almost write this review in Spanish...almost! Honestly, what sets this organization apart from other language courses is the instructors - My instructor catered the lessons to my Spanish level and quickly adapted to my learning needs and priorities in learning. As a nurse, my goal is to improve my conversational Spanish skills and IDESLI is helping me reach that goal. I am looking forward to continuing classes with IDESLI and highly recommend them to anyone looking to improve their Spanish skills as a beginner or proficient speaker. read more