I've been taking lessons with Ina once a week for several years. I learned Spanish as a child, but hadn't taken more than beginner lessons. Ina has gently and very patiently helped me to break some bad grammatical habits that I'd previously picked up as a result of not having had much formal training. My comprehension and vocabulary in Spanish have increased through practice speaking to her. I'd still like to work more on my grammar especially verb forms like imperfect subjunctive, but I'm confident that Ina will help me improve in that area as well. read more

I was excited to find someone who teaches Spanish and offered zoom plus weekends. I contacted Ina letting her know my availability would be weekends. She proceeded to take my call... before the call I messaged her if it was okay to call her at the time agreed. She said yes, as soon as I called her she was ending a session and was so very rude and dismissive.. she told me that she wouldn't have availability and to call her next month. I told her I am Mexican and pretty much know some and have people around me who speak Spanish.. she rudely rushed me off the phone and said no sorry nothing available and hung up in my face. I think these reviews are paid because my experience off of a 3 minute phone call was unbelievable! So sad, she sounded like she hates what she does. :/ read more

Our son struggled terribly with high school Spanish. He started tutoring sessions late Junior year and by the end of senior year he was able to pass Spanish 3 and graduate on time. Ina was patient and well organized, often correcting his teachers assignments when she found errors in them. We will be forever grateful! read more

Ina is absolutely wonderful. She is extremely knowledgeable, patient, and caring. She has worked diligently to get me up to speed and is very organized. Ina always knows where we left off, she's always on time, sends reminder texts about class, and comes prepared to teach me new information each day. Ina is outstanding both professionally and personally, and truly cares about me as an individual not just a student. She is clear about her expectations and provides you with the necessary materials to succeed. In addition, she is a comedian!!!! I spend each class laughing and truly enjoying my time with her. I am so grateful to have her as a teacher! She is the best you'll find!!! read more

I've been taking weekly Spanish lessons with Ina for a couple months now and have been very pleased with the progress. She is warm, friendly and always ready to spend our time together at my pace. She is incredibly knowledgable about grammar and wants you to learn the right way before taking short cuts. I highly recommend Ina for a Spanish tutor. read more

I have been working with Ina for 10 months and continue to be challenged and learn more and more in each session. I recommend Ina as a Spanish teacher and will continue to work with her! read more

Cristina is the most amazing, patient, meticulous, and FUN tutor my child had. She was terrified of her Spanish teacher at school and Cristina came to the rescue just in time for CPR. Cristina also instilled in her a love for foreign languages, other than Spanish. She is kind and patient, but structured and organized. The best tutorial experience my child had during highschool. read more

This review is for María, Ina's colleague who I was connected to through Ina's program. I have been receiving one-on-one lessons with María for almost two years now. I work on grammar, conversation, vocabulary, listening and reading through our hour long sessions and she always adapts her lessons to ensure I am engaged and constantly progressing. With María, I've gone from beginner to intermediate and have built so much confidence in my Spanish language skills. As a person who has taught English as a foreign language I can vouch that her skills in teaching language and ability to work and truly connect with her students (even at a beginner level) is exceptional. I cherish our lessons and look forward to many more. read more

Ina is a terrific tutor with lots of patience and many approaches to teaching. I'm an adult learner who started with very limited Spanish, and I've learned way more with her than I have with other apps and classes! Ina identifies each student's individual learning level, style, and ability and teaches accordingly, so you'll always get the best method for you. Highly recommended! read more

Ina is incredibly helpful and a patient instructor. Very affordable rates and she has a friendly demeanor. Highly recommend !

I've been learning Spanish with Ina for 7 months now and I love it and her. As an adult learner, my retention is not as great as it used to be. She is patient and willing to speed up or slow down depending on my comprehension. Ina is engaging and personable and I highly recommend her! read more

I have experienced different enrichment classes and tutors for my kids. Ina, by far, is the best one! She has been working with my middle school daughter for about a year. Ina is patient, kind, and friendly. But she also has high expectations too for my daughter to achieve. Ina cares about the success of my daughter and has taken the initiative to teach her more Spanish than she needs for school. Ina told me her goal is to make sure my daughter is a fluent speaker and to prepare her for high school Spanish classes. I appreciate Ina's academic approach. I highly recommend Ina for adults and kids who are taking Spanish in school. read more

I have been taking classes with Mrs. Ina for around 5 weeks now, and I can honestly say I'm so happy I did. Mrs. Ina is extremely patient, explains concepts very clearly, and communicates clearly. All of our classes have been over zoom, and they have gone smoothly. I would love to have an in person class with her at some point which I think would be fantastic as well! read more

I have been a student with Christina for 8 months so far. She took me from knowing very little Spanish to speaking Spanish comfortably at my work in the pharmacy. We have many patients who only speak Spanish, so my drive to help them brought me to Christina. I'm not fluent; I still have a while to get to Spanish conversation level, but that is what is expected when learning a language. It takes years to get fluent. Because I'm in my first year, she emphasises 'gramatica' so you learn all the tenses/ verb conjugations. I see her twice a week in 2 hour sessions, and I need to emphasize the importance of seeing her or any teacher consistently because if you don't use it, you lose it. I went on vacation for 10 days and came back to her, and it took a a whole week to get back to speed. She pushes you hard and is strict, but that is my preference in a teacher. I need structure and pressure to continue my learning. You need to do homework as well. Usually, she gives you a few pages so it's not bad. What I love about her is her drive to want you to succeed. She will spend as long as needed to solidify certain subjects until you feel comfortable. For example, I had an issue learning present subjunctive and proper usage of it. She spent three to four weeks on me with example after example pushing me until it finally clicked. I like how flexible she is with scheduling, she tries to accommodate you. She even does skype / video chat if you are traveling or unable to make it to see her. Personally, I prefer in person, so I haven't video chatted. I took Spanish classes to level three at school. I noticed having her as a teacher has taken my Spanish learning to such a high level than college/ high school classes. Her price is affordable, and she is a top notch teacher. She tries her best to get you to your goals, but you also need to be prepare to work hard as well. Good luck on your Spanish learning journey, and I hope this review helped you. read more

My 9th grader went to Cristina struggling in Spanish 2, He barely had a D. He started seeing her in November and by the end of the year he finished with a high B. She is a straight forward kind lady. She is personable and tried to be flexible with her busy schedule. What I appreciated most was when she felt my son was strong enough to only see her once a week she verbalized that to me. We will definitely use her next year. read more

Ina is a wonderful teacher. Ina herself is organized, knowledgable, and personable. She instantly connected with us on our first visit. We left inspired and motivated to study and practice. We had planned a trip to Buenos Aires and decided we wanted to brush up on our Spanish as it was beyond rusty. Ina was so excited for us to visit BsAs and really prepared us for the trip in a few months. She assessed where we were with our Spanish (Castellano) comprehension and speech, and met us at our level. We learned more than we thought we would prior to leaving and were able to communicate pretty well with our extended family down there. We love working with her so much that we have continued our Spanish lessons with her on to fluency. read more

Ina is a smart, caring & informative teacher. If you want to learn Spanish you must learn with Ina! She explains things very well, has patience and gently pushes you enough to where you learn at a rapid pace. She will make you feel very comfortable & keep you motivated (because let's face it...learning a new language can be tough & get discouraging at times). Ina is an excellent teacher. I highly recommended you work with Ina! read more

Ina is a wonderful Spanish teacher! I already knew some Spanish but I want to become fluent for my business and was very impressed during my first class with her because she spoke only Spanish with me. We had a conversation in Spanish so that she could assess my level and determine how to prepare for my lessons. I look forward to seeing her weekly because she really challenges me with the grammar and I love just speaking Spanish with her, even though I stumble a lot. She is very encouraging and a pleasure to have as an instructor! I highly recommend taking lessons with her because she meets you where you are in your knowledge of the language. Monica Ferris read more

Due to medical issues I received an incomplete grade in a 2nd-year college-level Spanish course I was taking, leaving me to complete my coursework and finish the class on my own. Because much time had passed during my recovery process, I essentially had to re-learn the language I had studied, which I never could have done without the assistance of Cristina. I came upon her website and was immediately impressed by how detailed, helpful, and organized it was: characteristics which Cristina epitomizes herself. From the moment I first contacted her, I knew I was in good hands, evident from her high level of professionalism and determination to help me be successful. I came into our first tutoring session without a lesson plan or any direction for how I wanted the meetings to run. I only brought my book, and showed Cristina the various chapters of what I needed to learn. From there, Cristina created a highly organized plan and schedule for what we needed to cover, and as we progressed in my studies she made sure to tweak our calendar to include various areas where I needed more assistance. Unlike your standard tutor, Cristina taught me how to speak Spanish, and is truly one of the best teachers I've had (including those I've had in a classroom.) As I've gone through school I've worked with several tutors in various subjects, but have found none of them to compare with Cristina's level of excellence. She is a true perfectionist and doesn't work at anything less than the highest quality of performance. Thanks to her I passed my class with flying colors, and will be heading off to UC Berkeley in the fall. If I hadn't received the grade I did, I wouldn't have been able to transfer, so I am especially grateful to Cristina. Throughout our months together my handle of the Spanish language grew exponentially, and I feel incredibly comfortable being able to read, write and converse using it. I wholeheartedly recommend Cristina to anybody interested in learning Spanish. She is the best out there. read more

I'm so grateful to have Ina as my Spanish tutor. I'm a college English professor, and am always impressed by Ina's patience, insight, and positive attitude. She is encouraging and gentle even when I struggle with new concepts or vocabulary. She provides the perfect balance of writing, reading, listening, and speaking. I leave each lesson feeling energized and confident. I've been wanting to improve my Spanish for years, and wish I would have called her sooner. Highly recommended! read more

Ina is just what I was looking for. I am trying to gain fluency in Spanish to help me get an edge in the job market as a fire fighter, and I realized it was not going to happen on my own. The weekly structured lessons help to push me along, and I really feel like Ina will get me to my goal. First off, she is from Argentina, so she is a native spanish speaker. I can't move to a spanish speaking country anytime soon so this is as close as I can get. Her rates are very reasonable, and she has been very flexible with my crazy work schedule. She does her best to give you as much as you can handle in an hour and is a very patient teacher. She has a lot of tools and resources to help you along and keep it interesting. You can go as fast or as slow as you would like, but you will get the most out of the lessons when you do your homework and come prepared. If you want to gain fluency or just need help with your spanish class, you can't beat working with ina. read more

I have been driving from Livermore to Lafayette to work with Ina once a week for the past 4-5 months. She is personable, dependable, and honest. She assessed my skill level in our first meeting and has adjusted our lessons to meet my specific goals. She is busy, and communicates well about upcoming sessions or if there is a day that she will be unavailable. I am really happy with how my fluency is improving and think my 1:1 sessions with Ina are making all the difference! read more

Ina is as good as it gets!! Experienced, professional, highly motivated and a wonderful person!! Now I have the foundation to speak and understand basic Spanish:) I recommend Ina to anyone at any level of Spanish who wants to learn more!! read more

Ina is a fantastic teacher! I have been taking classes with her for about a year now and my Spanish has improved consistently since our first lesson. She knows her stuff and with a couple lessons she can teach you too. read more

Ina is not just a native speaker but an actual teacher who understands the ins and outs of Spanish grammar and explains it clearly. She is always very prepared with appropriate lesson plans, tailored to my particular learning needs. I studied Spanish in school for 15 years and then took a 20 year break and now am advanced in some areas and very rusty/completely clueless in other areas. Working one-on-one with Ina is perfect for me because she easily pinpoints what I need to work on. When I took various classes before - Acalanes adult center, private places in Berkeley, I was ahead of my class in some areas and in others I was way behind so it often felt like a waste of time/$. With Ina I get what I need. Also, my goal is to be able to speak Spanish with clients/patients in professional settings (legal and healthcare) and Ina is happy to work on specific work projects I have, helping me translate and focus on what I need to know. At the same time, Ina has always been very direct with me that to be highly proficient/fluent, I will need to have an immersive Spanish experience, and I appreciate her honest setting of expectations. I enjoy the mix of conversation and grammar practice, I find I have more confidence to speak Spanish with strangers after working with Ina. And the one-on-one arrangement with Ina also provides me with greater scheduling flexibility, which is always a great thing! read more

Ina has been working with my two daughters who are taking Spanish I in high school. Kids in their freshman class have different skill levels and my girls started off with none. As a result, they were struggling with some of the basics. Ina worked with them after school for three months on some of the fundamental concepts. Their grades have definitely improved and they really like her (compared to their teacher at school). I have found Ina to be patient, flexible, professional and very capable. We are very grateful for her help! read more

I highly recommend Ina! I am a registered nurse and have been very interested in learning Spanish so I can better interact with my patients. My only language background is a few years of long-forgotten high school French, and I was quite intimidated at the thought of being an adult and starting from scratch. I started my lessons earlier this year and Ina made and still makes me feel comfortable. Ina adjusts her lessons and teaching style based on your goals-mine is conversational Spanish. She focuses on this, but also challenges me to learn language composition and other components outside of just conversation. She accommodates my crazy schedule and is very flexible with lesson times and dates. Ina is kind, approachable, and personable-if you are thinking about trying to learn a new language (even as an adult) definitely give her a call! read more

As an educator and tutor myself, I typically can spot someone who is not only knowledgeable but able to connect with teens. This combination allows for the student to then connect with the material. Ina is a natural. She is funny, engaging and effective. Furthermore, she will be completely honest with the parents and student. She isnt looking to gouge ($) - quite the opposite. Whether she thinks your child needs more sessions, fewer sessions, or even no more sessions, she will let you know. Just a couple months ago I brought my son to Ina. While he is quite smart, he was struggling in his Spanish 2 class. Within about six weeks or so he brought his D up to a B before the first semester ended. For his second semester he has been running with straight A's in Spanish , largely due to Ina. Clearly we highly recommend her! read more

Ina is a fantastic tutor! I would highly recommend her for all ages of students at all levels of Spanish. She is a kind and caring person, highly experienced and professional, accommodates her approach based on her students' needs and (a bonus) -- her Spanish is beautiful, as she is originally from Argentina. It has been a pleasure to work with Ina for over a year now, and my Spanish has improved leaps and bounds. The hour flies by because she is a delight to be with -- am truly grateful to have found her and even though I moved to San Francisco this past year, I still make the commute to Lafayette for my lessons with her because she's that wonderful! read more

Ina is a wonderful teacher. I was very nervous about trying to relearn Spanish after many years. She was very supportive and easy to work with while giving me consistent new information. I highly recommend Ina - an excellent instructor who speaks exquisite Spanish. read more

Me gusta Ina. We studied with Ina for a few months ahead of our family's relocation to Spain. She was super friendly and had a rigorous curriculum that we built upon each week. We learned a lot and laughed as well due to the friendly teaching style. The best part was she let us bring our 4-year-old son on the weekend so that we could study with her without having to pay extra for a babysitter. I loved the idea that our son was nearby listening to us practice our Spanish. I would definitely encourage lessons with Ina to improve your Spanish. read more

I am student at the community college DVC. I took a Spanish 120 class on line and thought that would be enough to prepare me for a 121 class. Boy was I wrong! Typing Spanish online and speaking in a class room are two different things. I came into 121 without the necessary foundation from 120 to be successful in the class. My first test grade was an F and my second was not much better. I needed help. I found Ina online and meet her at her house to discuss my situation. I told her about the trouble I was having and she started reviewing the 120 material that I was missing with me. While at the same time applying it to the new information I was required to learn. My next test was a C. She has worked with me patiently through out this semester helping me to understand grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure. She has a masters understanding of the nuances of the Spanish language. My most recent grade is a direct reflection of the teaching she has given me. I got an A on my last exam and it looks like I will get a B in the class. If you are struggling in Spanish and you need help I highly recommend Ina. It is a fact that without her help I would have failed my Spanish class. read more

Ina's style and humor are refreshing. Her professionalism and expertise in teaching non-Spanish speakers her beautiful language are impressive. I highly recommend Ina to anyone that is interested in "brushing up" their skills or those that are interested in learning a new language. Ina is simply the BEST!!! read more

I have been working with Ina for several months to help me achieve fluency in Spanish. I have gone through the Rosetta Stone program which provides a good foundation but it doesn't help with grammar nor conversational nor listening skills. Ina is a very good teacher having a solid grasp of grammatical rules. She is quite a good conversationalist and provides for a comfortable and enjoyable learning environment. I look forward to my classes each week and I feel that I'm making the improvements I've been seeking. I would highly recommend Ina for Spanish instruction whether for formal studies or lifetime learning. read more

I had the pleasure of having Ina tutor me as part of an intensive Spanish program over the course of several months. Ina proved herself to be a well-prepared, flexible, and highly-motivated teacher who helped me to meet my objectives. Ina has extensive teaching experience and always had new materials to challenge me each class. Ina teaches children, high school and college students along with busy professionals, and I am impressed by her ability to cater each class to the specific objective of her students. Ina's rates are highly-competitive and she offers discounts if you take more than one class a week. There is no better Spanish teacher in the East Bay, especially at her hourly rates. Ina also has a comprehensive knowledge of English--very helpful for a foreign language teacher--and is adept at providing colloquial translations from Spanish to English. I also took many classes via Skype with Ina, and if you are busy this is an excellent means of keeping up your language study. In summary, if you live in the East Bay and are serious about learning (or improving) Spanish, there is no better option than Learn Spanish With Ina. read more

UPDATE: The website is now called http://www.buendiaina.com and I am putting a copy of this same review under that business name as well.

As an almost-fluent Spanish speaker, I was looking for someone who I could meet with to practice business Spanish for some upcoming work meetings in Argentina. Cristina is great and has helped me improve my conversational Spanish, particularly with the use of subjunctive and conditional conjugation. In just a few weeks of meetings with Cristina, I was actually learning grammatical rules that I apparently never absorbed or properly learned in college. Cristina is very friendly and has been a pleasure to work with. I was very happy to find someone like her right here in Lafayette. read more

Having Ina as my teacher has been a pleasure and a great learning experience. She is very patient and explains everything in great detail and make sense of the language. Spanish classes have enhanced my life and helps me connect with coworkers and people in the Spanish speaking world. I highly recommend Ina as a teacher and learning Spanish. read more

The entire experience has been wonderful. She holds private lessons that are briefly updated to me on my daughters progress and she's very engaged and positive. My daughter really looks forward to attending her Spanish class and because Ina is such a delight in teaching, my daughter is learning quickly! Ina is very organized and ensures you are happy with her service. She has exceeded my expectations and we look forward to the continued lessons as my daughter has made huge leaps in a couple of months attending 2/week. I wish I needed to learn Spanish so I could learn from Ina :) but I am fluent! Our family loves Ina and I highly recommend her for students who are focused on learning how to speak Spanish and are looking for an experienced, knowledgeable teacher who can gauge one's learning capabilities and set up a path for success! read more

I wish there were more stars to fill in. I went through the Defense Language Institute to learn Russian and am fluent, I also speak French through high school and college courses and my own studies. I know that I am hard to please with language courses because DLI instructors are so good and I can learn pretty quickly on my own. I always wanted to try private lessons though and I got a message on a social media networking platform about Ina. I have learned sooo much Spanish in such a short time with Ina that I feel her lessons are comparable to the lessons I received at DLI for Russian. I heard one of her other students when she came in speaking and it was incredible, she sounded like a native Spanish speaker, so I asked if she had spoken any Spanish prior to her lessons with Ina and she hadn't. I also have to say that I adore Ina. She is a very kind person and I love spending time with her on top of the epic lessons I'm getting in Spanish. She is very reasonably priced also. I highly recommend Ina if you want to speak Spanish and you really should as it is the most useful second language in our state. read more