Habla Ya Spanish School

I spent 10 wonderful weeks at Habla Ya and would highly recommend it to anyone who seriously wants to improve their grasp on the Spanish language. At least when you enrol in group lessons(1-6 people) you will change teachers every few weeks to keep things fresh and experience conversing with different people. All the teachers I had - Malkidia, Mitzila, Leidys and Araliz were excellent and I owe them my improved ability to speak listen and write Spanish. Classes are conducted only in Spanish which for me, already knowing the basics, was perfect. I also liked the variety in lessons with some grammar, some conversations and some games to keep the mind fresh. In our conversations we covered everything from niceities to full-blown controversial issues and now I can throw my opinions about in a different language. Brilliant!

I was fortunate enough to spend 3 weeks in Boquete, Panama, studying at Habla Ya language school. The experience provided me with the perfect opportunity to advance my language skills and to increase my confidence level when speaking extemporaneously to native Spanish speakers. In private, one-on-one lessons with Mónica, I was able to gauge my progress and prioritize areas of study. Each day the focus of my lessons was on communication, verb tenses, grammar, vocabulary, and conversation. Mónica did an outstanding job of challenging me while providing consistent support and a wonderful learning environment. I would recommend this language school to anyone interested in improving their Spanish. I can almost guarantee you’ll fall in love with the beautiful town, the wonderful people and the opportunities for outdoor adventure.

I studied at HablaYa for 3 weeks this Fall and I believe it made a significant difference in my ability to speak Spanish. I was not a complete beginner, but I needed a lot of practice as well as a better understanding of grammar, and I believe my time at the school helped meet my learning objectives. My home stay was a good experience, and gave me a better view of the culture than I would have had otherwise. My teacher, Leidys, was knowledgeable and consistently well prepared for our classes. I recommend that students who plan to go to HablaYa make arrangements far enough in advance to be able to schedule afternoon classes since most of the extra-curricular options are in the morning. Boquete is a lovely town, but afternoons during October do not always offer much opportunity to play outdoors. I liked my home stay, and the family was great; I do recommend the home stay option, but students need to understand that people who live with Panamanian families need to be flexible about some creature comforts. The home stays do not come with 5 Star hotel rooms. My only regret is that I only had 3 weeks available; I wish I could have spent more time there.

I studied at Habla Ya for two weeks in October, 2011. It is a fantastic program! The instructors are excellent, the administrative staff is very organized and I highly recommend the program if you are looking to learn Spanish and improve your knowledge. I recommend the homestay program as well as you will learn more Spanish outside of the classroom. Habla Ya has many activities to keep you busy when you are not in Spanish class as well. I wish I could have stayed longer but feel that I improved in 2 weeks. The instructors, staff, and other students are all very friendly. I highly recommend Habla Ya!

Had a great time at Hablya school, I studied for 2 months. Everything was perfect and the whole staff welcoming and helpful. Thanks to my great teachers Ismenia and Minerva I can now communicate in Spanish. I recommend this school to study and learn Spanish in a relaxing environment, However the max for me would be 2 weeks because if you are young and want to do lots of things after class the small village and nearby city do not have enough to offer.

Habla Ya was everything I could have asked for in a Spanish school. I spent eight weeks in Boquete, taking 5-6 hours of Spanish a day. After my time in Habla Ya, I feel comfortable speaking Spanish with anyone I encounter. The classroom instruction was superb and in my opinion second to none. I had three teachers during my stay in Boquete: Irasema, Yaira, and Monica. Each one brought something different to the curriculum in ways that made it fun to learn. The most important of all, though, was the clear fact that they wanted us to learn. Some days everything clicked and others it was more difficult, but I could always count on my teacher taking me aside to ask what was wrong or how she could better instruct me to get the most out of the lesson. For this, I am extremely grateful. Habla Ya employs educated, patient, and professional teachers, all of whom I became very close with during my stay. The classroom was not the only learning opportunity. What I loved about this school is that each Friday we would leave the classroom and apply our language skills in the real world. Whether is was walking through Bajo Boquete or heading to David, myself and the other students were able to put our lessons to use. Opportunities like these are ones you will not find many other places. It is one thing to learn curriculum, but it is another to learn the environment and be able to put your knowledge to practical use. Outside of the school, everything I learned was concreted each night as I returned to my wonderful host family. Habla Ya has a variety of wonderful families that are specifically paired with students. This was not only my experience, but also the experience of all the students. I made many friends during my stay and each one would agree with my sentiments regarding the host families. If ever a student did have a problem, Habla Ya made it their job to remedy the problem. In each one of these cases it turned out positive. I look forward to staying in touch with my family who treated me as one of their own while I lived under their roof. Personally, I believe the host family portion is vital to the entire learning experience. I plan on returning to Habla Ya in the future and I would whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone. --Evan G. Lutomski

Habla Ya is a great choice for anyone looking for an excellent language school in a beautiful setting. The school is wonderful. I have been a student at other language schools in the region, and they do not compare to what you will receive at Habla Ya. The school is professionally run and is well organized in their curriculum and lessons. Great care is taken to ensure that you are placed at the correct level, with placement tests that measure your written and oral proficiencies. Teachers are held to a high standard. I had the pleasure of having two weeks of private lessons with Leidys, who brought interesting activities to each of my lessons. Leidys quickly met me at my own level, and helped me progress rapidly through my two week stay at the school. She was quite skilled at getting any and all conversation started, focusing in on areas of grammar that needed reinforcement. Habla Ya is much more than just a school - the partnership with Explora Ya helps you to create a well-rounded vacation. Habla Ya also provides multiple evening events that cater to the interests of the students. I completely recommend Habla Ya as a language learning experience.

I have now attended three, highly-recommended language schools in Central America and Habla Ya is, hands-down, the most professional of them all. Inquires and placements are made promptly, the teachers demonstrate a high level of language training, the materials are well-done, and the classrooms (though small) are clean, welcoming, and well-equipped. One example of the exemplary customer service: An office staff member personally accompanied us to the gas station to request an exchange when we accidently purchased the wrong phone card! I took a private lesson (with Arelis) and group lesson (with Areliz V) at the "B1" level and found the combination very helpful. The group lesson was very structured and provided much-needed review and practice of grammar while the private lesson was conversation-based with grammar review only as needed. My boyfriend, a beginner, took the survival course (with Liber) and found it challenging but a lot of fun. The experience was only made better by our home-stay - the Espinoza-Diaz family immediately "adopted" and included us even though we only stayed a week. We so appreciated the extra time that they took out of their day to converse with us. All in all, the Habla Ya experience was incredible and we would highly recommend it to anyone serious about making rapid improvements with their Spanish. That said, I do feel the need to share that positive recommendations are highly solicited by the school. After completing our coursework, we received paperwork that described how and where (10+ sites) to leave positive feedback for Habla Ya and stated that "Your teacher's bonus increases depending on the amount of sites in which your review is published." This explained why there were quite so many glowing reviews - something that really impressed me beforehand. Though the school rightfully deserved the praise, I must admit that learning how it was attained left a bad taste in my mouth.

My mother and studied at Habla Ya for one week, and I learned so much! I took private lessons from Araliz Veliz, who was an awesome teahcer. She was good at incorporating games and stories into the lesson while making sure it was still educational. Habla Ya also has a lot of volunteer activities to choose from (we went to the orphanage and the animal rescue zoo) and things to do (such as salsa lessons and a movie night) that are a lot of fun! Overall, I had an awesome experience at Habla Ya and I would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Boquete!

Habla Ya is a great Spanish Language School. You and live and learn Spanish. Their program is both fun and sequential. They assess your level of Spanish and put you in the appropriate class. Their program is structured. I was there in June for my second year. My teacher was Yaira Munoz. She is awesome. She knows her stuff. Each day she reviewed what we had done the day before and helped me reach the next stage. Learning was fun. I stayed with a host family. Since it was my second year I visited my two families from the previous year. With a home stay you really get to practice your Spanish and enjoy home cooked meals. Habla Ya also offers daily tours through their sister company Explore Ya. If you want to live and learn Spanish check out Habla Ya.

Habla Ya was everything we wanted it to be: an opportunity to learn Spanish in a pleasant and relaxing environment with opportunities for eco-tourism. The Habla Ya staff were very helpful and efficient and always pleasant and accommodating. The language instruction was fast-moving and rewarding. Our expectations were surpassed.

Before I go into detail about my experience with Habla Ya I will say it was wonderful. I found the school by Googling Spanish teaching schools in Panama. After reviewing two or three I contacted Habla Ya primarily because of location. They were in Boquete where I was going and had a price of $15 an hour for private lessons. However if you do group lessons and/or take lessons for a longer time period the prices cheaper. The school recommends that people take a minimum of one week to several months for the lessons to be more effective. I unfortunately only had three days for classes and even though this was a major inconvenience for the school the service I received was still excellent. I sent them an e-mail one month prior to my trip and they responded promptly. First they asked some general questions such as: Length of stay in Boquete? Reason for taking classes? If I would need assistance with accommodations? Then I took an online test to determine my learning level of Spanish (which is admittedly low). This information was used to facilitate the content and level off my lessons. Their website was well structured with several links providing a lot of useful information such as: Items to pack, safety tips, and different methods of travel for getting around Panama. Prior to my trip they were in touch via e-mail multiple times (seven or eight). They even called twice to confirm that everything was set for my trip. My first impression of the school was of a nice clean modern looking building. My second impression was that the classrooms were too small. However after being in class I realized that larger rooms would have made the experience less personable thus less enjoyable. Over the next few days I met several people who were taking classes anywhere from two weeks to 12 weeks in length. Everyone I spoke with talked highly of their instructors and how the school worked to match students with instructors to best benefit everyone's time in class. I was fortunate enough to have two different instructors. This combined with the other students evaluations of their teachers helped to give me a broader viewpointe of the schools high quality of instruction. Both of my teachers displayed tremendous amounts of knowledge and patience. My second instructor Katterina had an infectious enthusiasm that made the class quite enjoyable. There is actually more that I could say but I'm not trying to write a book here. So, I will just finish with, Muchas Gracias a las personas en Habla Ya. Quiero regrasar el ano proximo.

I spent three weeks this past January in Boquete with my 15 year old son. We studied at Habla Ya and stayed with a family for the three weeks that we were there. The trip was such a great experience for us both ... we loved it! Yaira taught our group lessons and Ruben was Garrick's teacher for private lessons. Both were terrific! Not only did we learn A LOT but we really had fun while in class. We did a lot of speaking and writing and came home knowing so much more than I could ever have anticipated. Garrick's high school Spanish teacher was very impressed and Garrick feels so much more comfortable speaking in Spanish now. He is already talking about his plans for going back next year! Thank you Habla Ya, Yaira, and Ruben for making such a difference!

I am a Canadian living in Panama and had taken a Spanish internet course before moving here in 2008. I did pretty well on paper but discovered that was only half the battle. I found that I was at a loss when trying to have a conversation with someone that knew little or no English and I became so flustered I had no idea what the other person was saying! This is where Habla Ya came in. There is a curriculum that is cutting edge, but my biggest goal was to develop my ear and learn how to ask a Spanish speaker the right questions so I could understand what was said to me. This is one of the true strengths of Habla Ya and the instructors, they help you achieve YOUR goals. This is where my instructor, Ismenia Perez came in. With her patience, humor, and professionalism she led me to that goal. I was amazed at how far I progressed in my 60 hours of classes. Ismenia was key in helping me build my skills and confidence so I could speak with my Panamanian friends and neighbors without having a panic attack! Ismenia shared many stories of her family and her life and took a great interest in learning about what my life was like in Canada….at one point she put together a lesson involving MY hometown! There was never a class in which we didn't laugh, A LOT! My husband was in the class as well and we were perfectly matched with another couple to share this great experience with. Our little class of 4 gained so much more than just Spanish at Habla Ya. We made friends and great memories that will last a lifetime. I am going back for more classes this fall, I never really thought I would, (I am a fifty-something that hated school) but it is such a rewarding and fun experience, I would be crazy not to. Thank you to ALL the wonderful staff at Habla Ya, and a special thank-you to Ismenia. You are such a special person!

My experience at Habla Ya was wonderful. My teachers were terrific. I had 4 hour group classes for 2 weeks with Ruben and it was great. I also had a 2 hour daily private lesson with Ismenia and it was terrific. I really loved my private lessons. Ismenia was always well prepared and always seemed interested in what I wanted to learn, and in what I needed to work on. I would love to continue working with Ismenia at another time. The staff are all wonderful to work with. They are always ready to listen to questions and solve problems immediately.

Once Habla Ya and you never want to learn Spanish anywhere else! It was a lot of fun learning Spanish in the language school Habla Ya in Boquette Panama. My Spanish come on from zero up to having a general conversation with everybody I meet on the street during my 4 month Spanish course (four hours daily). Foremost I liked with Habla Ya that the groups consist out of no more than 4 students. The students have about the same advancement level so that nobody feels intimidated to speak Spanish by anyone that is way ahead of him. Our teachers presented a variety of games that made learning a lot of fun. The language material that was presented during the classes was very lively and interesting. Our teachers took personal interest in me and gave me individually tips and hints in how and what I could personally improve. Beside the school time Hably Ya offers recreational activities to its students like watching movies, traditional Panamanian dinners, hikes through the mysterious mountains, rafting Panama's wildest rivers and other things to get to know better the Panamanian life style. I also appreciated also that teachers only speak Spanish. Of course, that is not always easy but with increased concentration I was able to follow along. And whenever I did not understand something I just asked and asked (of course in Spanish) until the penny dropped. According the saying 'Without pain no gain!' Here ties in the perfect training and ability of all the teachers of Hable Ya they are not only in complete control of the Spanish grammar and the necessary language abilities but also social skills to understand the students by getting down to their level. Foremost they are very patient and listen attentively. Here I want to thank in particular my teacher Ismenia Perez. She helped me tremendously to increase my Spanish, understand the grammar and in particular I can say that she was very patient with me for all the time I had been in Habla Ya. Habla Ya is to be recommend to everybody no matter how good your Spanish may be or not be. Here you find the right approach and the people to get the best out of you. Have a lot of fun learning Spanish in Boquette. Alex

My experience at Habla Ya Spanish School was great! I came to Panama to learn a little bit Spanish but it turned out to be so much more than that. Not only was my host family great and the town Boquete amazingly beautiful but also the teachers at Habla Ya were awesome. The teacher that I ha most classes with was Minerva. Her classes were always so much fun. As one oft he more experienced teachers at Habla Ya, Minerva has great teaching skills and is at the same time such a nice person. Personally, I was never bored or felt pressure in class. Whenever I didnt feel like doing a lot of grammar we would just talk about privat life or een go and have coffee. And she never lost her patience with me so I could take my time and study at my own pace. During my time at Habla Ya we became close friends. Whenever I needed help with something she and the other teachers were always there for me. It was not unusual that students and teachers would also spend time together after school. Minerva took me and my classmate to watch a movie, or go and take a walk around town for instance. What amazes me still is that at the same time she could be so professional, and such a good teacher. I improved my Spanish skills a lot while I was at Habla Ya Spanish School – more that I thought I would. And even today, over half a year later, I am still in touch with Minerva and others from Boquete and Habla Ya and I know that they will welcome me back at any time! I can only recommend Hably Ya Spanish School to anyone who is thinking about learning Spanish in a beautiful country such as Panama.

What a pleasure to have this fantastic Spanish School in my city. I have taken many language classes when I travel and I found Habla Ya Spanish School to be exceptional. The staff and teachers are caring and dedicated to make my travels easier and enjoyable My teacher, Minerva. made every lessons fun and interesting. Fantastic experience!

As new residents of Boquete, we wanted to immerse ourselves in learning the local language. HablaYa has been the perfect place! It is challenging up to our personal limits, yet the feeling of accomplishment is very rewarding. Instructor Rubén has adapted our classes to meet our learning styles, and provides us a wealth of information on the local culture. He patiently explains the nuances of the Spanish language, and doesn't laugh too loudly when we butcher the language! There are myriad activities available to the students, from hikes to hot springs to movies to salsa classes. HablaYa values the needs of its students, has a stable of caring instructors, and carries out its mission with dignity. We're glad we signed up for the experience.

Cuando llegué a Boquete a Habla Ya me sentía como en mi casa, porque las personas son muy amables y abiertas. Aquí podemos hablar de todo con todas las personas porque son sociables. En la escuela, cada semana hay diferentes actividades para los estudiantes, y para descubrir la provincia de Chiriquí. El clima es siempre bonito por la mañana, y algunas veces por la tarde llueve. En Boquete por la noche está Zanzibar, un bar donde los estudiantes se reúnen y pueden disfrutar juntos. En mi clase somos solo 2 estudiantes, y estudiamos con el profesor Christopher C. con él aprendo bien con facilidad porque su manera de dar el curso es chevere. me encantan sus clases . estoy feliz con habla ya .

I am having a wonderful time at Habla Ya Spanish School and in the beautiful town of Boquete! I traveled to Panama with the intention of learning Spanish, for personal reasons and to prepare for graduate school where two languages are required. I have been extremely satisfied with the classes and the preparation that Habla Ya has provided. Currently I am in my third month at the school. I was at the school for two months, left, and then decided to return again because I enjoyed it so much. Having taken private and group of 4 classes my abilities with the language have increased exponentially. This is in no small part due to the professional curriculum and to the skilled teachers. During my time here I’ve had the privilege to have Gustavo, Yaira, Malkidia and Leydis as my professors. Each one of them has been an excellent teacher. Qualities that they have all shared are patience, kindness, good humor and a wonderful ability to get me speaking and writing Spanish correctly! Thank you so much teachers! The Habla Ya community is a pleasure to experience. Everyone who works there is quite amiable and incredibly helpful! Any time myself or other students I was with needed assistance with anything, whether regarding school or not, someone has been there to help us, many times going out of their way to do so. If you are looking for a big city experience I wouldn’t recommend Boquete. If you are looking for a beautiful location in nature, smaller town experience, and the ability to feel like you are in community, than I would recommend Habla Ya and Boquete to you. The schools many social activities and excursions into the beautiful surrounds help to provide for an abundance of things to do. Staying with a local family also helps to build friendships and learn the language. My host family is wonderful people and now good friends. If you get a chance to go, I whole heartedly recommend Habla Ya! I hope this review helps. Good luck finding the right place for you ?

!My Habla Ya Experience! When i arrived at Spanish school Habla Ya i immediately knew, this is great! After I had passed the oral test with results as conversational level B1 i went looking for my classroom, my Spanish teacher and my new classmates. Ismenia Perez, my teacher for the first weeks of my group 4 course, had a very professional and motivating way of teaching, alongside a piece of essential grammar we mainly played a lot of games and we held many conversations to not only learn Spanish but to actually use it. My second teacher Arelis Mendoza has also become a good friend, I have had several Spanish teachers in the past but the personal attention and the way of teaching from the teachers at Habla Ya have an unprecedented level, i never expected to develop my Spanish as quickly as i did in just a couple of weeks. In addition, this small town is THE place to practice your Spanish, you'll have to because few people will understand your English, add a stay with a local host family and an immersion in the Spanish language is complete. Now anything other than Spanish lessons ,...... Boquete! Imagine a small, lovely and cozy town, hidden high in the mountains of Panama with an eternal spring climate that makes everybody smile, greener than green, an oasis of peace while an adrenalinebomb for those seeking an Eco-adventure. People that welcome you with arms wide open, world-class coffee hand-picked by Ngobe Bugle Indians in the cool mountains in the area, the chance to spot the resplendent Quetzal and to meet friends for life make it the perfect Spanish study location for me. During the Spanish classes, the traditional Panamanian dinners, the hikes through the mysterious mountains, lazing on the most tropical islands, gliding through the treetops, rafting Panama's wildest rivers, (made possible thanks to the organizational skills of Habla Ya's tour department), I often realized what a privilege it was to be able to study with this excellent Spanish school, and I wondered whether there might exist a better place to learn Spanish in Latin America. I don't think so........This is Paradise! PS if you're not convinced yet just visit Habla Ya Spanish School!

Hi everyone! If you are thinking of going to Habla YA! in Boquete, stop thinking and just go! It was an incredible experience for me. I was in the beginner four hour/day classes with an awesome teacher Araliz. She was always well prepared and helped me achieve my language goals in the short period of time I had. I was scheduled to stay in Boquete two weeks, but I was having such a great time and learning so much I stayed an extra 10 days. Not only do you get to learn Spanish, but you make friends right away. The school also has planned events such as island boat trips and dinner with the students. If you are travelling alone, you will never feel lonely as all the teachers and students are so friendly and nice. I can't wait to go back for a visit!

Habla Ya Spanish School went above and beyond all my expectations. Not only did I progress from not speaking a word of Spanish to being able to communicate effectively but I learnt a lot about Panamanian culture at the same time. The teachers were professional, punctual, engaging and motivational (particularly my teacher Araliz!). All the staff were friendly and ready to assist in any way possible. The flexibility of the school was by far their best feature - I attended for 2 months and so obviously things came up which couldn't be avoided but the people at Habla Ya were willing to facilitate me always. The fact that the majority (if not all the teachers and staff) knew me by name in a very short period of time and greeted me each morning as I came to class enhanced my experience greatly. The evaluation you complete at the end of your lessons proves they are always looking for ways to improve peoples experience (although seriously I don't know if it could get much better than it is!) In additon to their excellent teaching techniques and engaging classes, Habla Ya also provides a broad range of extra-cirricular activities perfect for their students and other travellers. With movie nights, dinners, salsa classes, conversatonal sessions and weekend trips I was always having fun, absorbing information and learning more Spanish. I thoroughly recommend them to anyone wanting to improve their Spanish and I thank them for all their hard work as well!

I have studied Spanish at Habla Ya for the past 3 months and have at least 1 month to go. I say at least because almost the moment I arrived I fell in love with Boquete and with the school and have already extended my stay beyond what I originally planned. This is the first time I have traveled for such an extended period of time, and I was worried it would be difficult to be away from home for so long. But when I got here everyone was so welcoming and so friendly that I felt like I had found a new family here. Needless to say, I haven't been homesick at all. I came to Habla Ya to study for the DELE exam (level C2). The classes are fun while still being very professional and highly effective. I already knew a lot of Spanish before arriving, but my teacher Monica was able to identify my weakest areas to focus specifically on those. She was always prepared, pushed me to achieve, and went above and beyond what is required by her job. She is an outstanding professor. I would recommend Habla Ya to anyone looking for a Spanish school in Latin America. Not only are the classes of a very high quality, but Boquete itself is a wonderful place to visit or to live. It's clean (you can drink the water!), safe, and stunningly beautiful. Outside the classroom, I've been horseback riding in the mountains, I've hiked the Volcano Baru, went rock climbing, and visited hot springs. This has already been an unforgettable experience and I know Boquete will always hold a place in heart.

I spent a week taking 4-hour/day private lessons at Habla Ya last summer. I chose Habla Ya because as an elementary teacher in the US with a high population of spanish speaking students in my classes, I wanted to improve my cultural awareness through language and travel. I would highly recommend Habla Ya! The staff is very professional, fun and dedicated to ensuring that everyone has a wonderful learning experience. My professora, Swan, was outstanding! She tailored the class to my individual learning needs, took me on field trips, played games and made everyday enjoyable and worthwhile. I learned more in 16 hours with her, than I had in 1 year of college Spanish. I was placed with an amazing host family, was able to volunteer at a local school, meet other students, and participate in many of the well organized extra curricular activities that Habla Ya offered. I fell in love with the town of Boquete, and still communicate regularly with Habla Ya staff, fellow students and members of my host family....and miss them all very much! Fortunately, I will be returning this summer for 2 more weeks of additional classes and can't wait! If you're looking for a fun-filled Spanish language learning experience in a beautiful location....Habla Ya is an excellent choice!

Julie M. , ON Canada I would recommened Habla Ya to anyone that wants to learn in comfort and surounded by caring people. As a single women traveling alone, I found it easy. I was picked up at David Airport by a taxi driver that was arranged by the school, $25 and he drove me straight to the school in Boquete. I started right into the class lessons, yikes! but it was great. The first 2 days I felt the gray matter coming out of my ears, oh but what fun when I started understanding what was being said to me. So much better then sticking a cd in your computer. The whole experiance of being with Spanish speaking people gave me great inspiration to continue my journey to learning more Spanish. I stayed with a wonderful family I could not of imagined having a better host. I will return. Check it out !!!

I headed to Panama with two goals: to see a new part of the world and to improve my Spanish language skills. After two months I returned to California having gained much more than I anticipated. Like many of the students at Habla Ya language center, I considered my choice to study in Boquete fairly random - I searched Latin America Spanish school and left the rest up to Google. However, the more students like myself I met, the more I realized that the decision was not random. We all chose Habla Ya because the high quality of the school becomes clear from the website. The professionalism of the site is backed up by the immediate response applicants receive from the staff, by the attention to detail of the directors, Julio and Carlos, and by the school's great location and facilities. Having studied at other language schools in Panama, well as in intensive language courses in the US (at Cornell and Dartmouth), I can attest to the quality of Habla Ya''s teachers and methodology. My courses were always at the appropriate level of difficulty and focused around my priority of improved conversational skills. In addition to practicing Spanish, I climbed Panama's highest mountain, rode horseback through Dolega farmland, relaxed in the waterfalls of Santa Fe, snorkeled in turquoise water in Bocas del Toro (not to mention the beaches and island nightlife&), and saw the sights of Panama City. Finally, as a young female traveling alone I felt comfortable and safe having Boquete as my home base while exploring the country. Panama is a beautiful place with so much to offer. Whether your goal is proficiency in Spanish or just a week of introductory classes I promise you will not regret including Boquete and Habla Ya in your travels!

If you are interested in a great place to visit and learn something while there, I recommend Boquete in Chiriqui province, Panama. Tucked in a very pretty valley this gem of Central America is perfect. Everything is walking distance and cab rides to nearby communities are cheap, frequent and easy. Local supermarkets have everything you need and most things you want. There is little to no crime to speak of in the area. I was there to focus on learning Spanish at a Habla Ya immersion program. I lived with a local family, and became part of the family, over the month I was there. Habla Ya was exceptional. Well organized and prepared. Classes started on time and the teachers were prepared for every class. I found it to be a wonderful experience. I will return soon. Special thanks to Profesora Rod Araliz for making me feel like a good student and for not letting own she spoke perfect English!

My three-week experience at the Habla Ya! School in Boquete, Panama, was a delight from beginning to end. The mountain environment, the friendly little town, the well-run school and well-organized program combined to make our time there both educational and enjoyable. Boquete is full of very open and friendly people who generally do not speak English, and who cheerfully suffered my attempts to share in Spanish. We met and are exchanging emails with several especially interesting townspeople. The climate in February was breezy and very mild, never hot and never cold, sometimes misty but with bright sunshine every day. We enjoyed several great hikes and excursions with Habla Ya!, Explora Ya!, and other guides, and learned a great deal about the mountain environment, coffee farming, and regional history. The school activities were abundant and well-run, and did not interfere with our study schedule, although we had enough homework to occupy most of our weekday time. We stayed at the Isla Verde Resort, in a separate “roundhouse” surrounded by flowering shrubs and greenery. This did not give us the homestay experience, but we were a 5-minute walk from the school in a very comfortable setting for study and relaxation. Isla Verde is a sure bet for a good experience. It also is close to most of the restaurants, shops, and the town square. Our friends in homestays gave us mixed reports, of successful and unsuccessful homestay arrangements. In the negative cases I heard about, the school worked with each student to find a more suitable set-up. It seems that lots of the homestays are pretty far from the school, and often do not have hot water. Habla Ya! is exceptionally well-organized, and communicated promptly before, during, and after our visit. I got great support and information in setting up the trip. The school facility is new, semi-enclosed in a courtyard, and it made for a lot of mixing and sharing among the students. The non-teaching staff are energetic and attentive. Swan, Sol, Julio and others are a constant, cheerful presence, and they really do make sure your needs are met and your opportunities are maximized. Lorena Pitti does a great job of directing the educational program, which means content, class composition, and teacher scheduling. There was an abundance of well-educated teachers, for about 40 students in February from all over the world, and of all ages. The teachers apparently have received extensive training on the school’s curriculum, materials, and classroom approach, because there was a noticeable consistency among the teachers in my classes. The substantial student population meant they could organize more than one class at each level, in order to group students of similar age, interests, and training needs. No class of mine had more than 4 students. Most had fewer. I also took one hour per day of private lessons for two weeks. These one-on-one sessions were responsive to my particular needs. The teachers never spoke English to me, in class or out, but the school staff employed English when necessary to clarify points of confusion. My teachers all had the ability to gear their vocabulary and syntax to the level of the class, whatever level that might be. In general, I think the quality of teachers is very high, and together with the administrative staff they generate an upbeat atmosphere that permeates the place. I gained a lot from the 4-5 hours per day of structured training. My Group 4 teacher for all three weeks was Leidys Pitti. I was very pleased to be in her classes. Leidys was very organized, starting each day with a review of planned activities, but also shifting gears when learning opportunities and good conversations came up. Leidys is a storehouse of grammatical and cultural knowledge, which she shared judiciously, while continuing a patient effort to encourage us to converse in the tenses and moods under study. She was expert at defusing any nervousness and encouraging our speaking. Each day included at least two hours of conversation and two hours of instruction, games, activities, and in-class exercises. She achieved a helpful balance between just letting us talk, and offering key corrections along the way. Leidys was unfailingly patient, cheerful, and funny while also being very effective. We shared many good laughs in her classroom, and I learned a lot. Most of my 10 hours of private lessons were taught by Mitzila Vega. It seems that Mitzila is in high demand at Habla Ya! for her clarity and her ability to explain important concepts (in Spanish, of course). I couldn’t agree more. My hours with her were made especially valuable because she kept me talking about subjects that I personally care about, and guided me past errors and gaps in a way that didn’t intimidate me or inhibit my speaking. My only regret about this trip was limiting our stay to three weeks. I moved up a level in that time, but know that in 6-8 weeks I would really make a leap forward in Spanish. I can recommend Habla Ya! without any reservations.

Last year I had the amazing opportunity to spend 7 weeks with HablaYa taking classes, volunteering and living with a panamanian host family (3 weeks in Boquete and 4 weeks in Bocas del Toro). I am not kidding when I say it was the most amazing seven weeks of my life. I have been gone for almost three months now and i can not wait to go back this summer and visit all my friends there. HablaYa is am amazing program that has the most wonderful people working there. My three main professors were Christopher, Irasema, and Yaira. I have taken spanish 5 years in public schools and two different universities in the USA and my 3 panamanian were hands down the best spanish teachers I have ever had. For the first time in all my schooling I was excited to go to classes and everyday was fun and exciting. Not only are all the employees and administrators at Hablaya great at what they, but every single one that I met was an exceptional person. My 7 weeks with HablaYa made an enormous impact on my spanish and my life. I was 19 when I studied there but it is amazing place for students of all ages. I would 100% recommend them to anyone who asked me.

I studied in Habla Ya, Bouquete this summer and recently at Habla Ya, Bocas Del Toro. I had a wonderful experience at both schools. The Bocas school was new and therefore fairly quiet when I was there but it has the same excellent teaching standards as Bouquete. As there was no one else at my level, I had private lessons for the same price as group lessons. My most recent teacher, Christopher was enthusiastic and provided fun but challenging lessons. I highly recommend Habla Ya.

I only have good things to say about my six weeks of online Spanish lessons with Leidys. Her lessons were always clear, and she clearly made an effort to tailor them to my specific level. Leidys is extremely patient, funny, and all around a wonderful teacher. Due to her lessons, I am much more confident when I speak Spanish. I hope one day to visit the actual school in Panama so I can hang out with Leidys and her fellow teachers in person. Gracias, Habla Ya!

Studying Spanish at Habla Ya in Boquete, Panama was a wonderful experience. I was lucky enough to have Leidys as teacher. As I had arranged to take private lessons she was able to concentrate fully on the points I needed and she provided me with all the explanations to help me improve on the less well-developed aspects of my knowledge. The entire month of September was a very fruitful time for me, not only for learning Spanish but also for the experience of being in a Latin American country. All the staff at Habla Ya are extremely helpful in personal needs, show a great dedication to their students and they make sure that everyone feels welcome. No surprise therefore that many students were there for the second or third time, I will return again next year.

I studied in Habla Ya for almost 4months. Initially I planned to do 6weeks and later I extended another 9weeks. I went to Habla Ya with minimal Spanish knowledge and my teacher Katterina prepared me to successfully pass my DELE B2 exams that I also took in the school. I had a wonderful experience. Habla Ya is a fantastic school! It delivers everything is promises! Katterina is an amazing teacher! She is enthusiastic and lively in class! Everyone in Habla Ya are helpful and caring! I had a great experience in Habla Ya Spanish school and highly recommend both Habla Ya and Katterina as a teacher.

I attended Habla Ya with my best friend for four weeks starting at the end of July. It was the best experience i have ever had. I have taken spanish for a total of four years but I learned so much more in those 4 weeks than all those years combined. I absolutely would go back to Boquete any day I loved every second of my trip. None of it would have been possible without the incredible staff at Habla Ya especially my AMAZING teacher Minerva. She was great, I never liked to talk in Spanish because i always felt self-conscious but she made me feel so comfortable and helped me learn so much not only about the grammar and vocabulary but also Panamanian culture. I also was lucky enough to have most of the other teachers as well and they were all so nice and helpful. I cannot express how much I love the staff at Habla Ya, they are all amazing and by the end of the trip I felt so comfortable with all of them, which was really great knowing if I needed anything at all they would be there to help me. Not only were the teachers and staff amazing during my time in Boquete but now that I am home they have made an effort to keep in touch and practice Spanish every so often which I really enjoy. I would love to go back to Habla Ya either in Boquete or in Bocas, I loved everything about my trip and reminiscent with my best friend every day on the memories we had and things we did while in Panama. The location was optimal, the town being so small gave us a chance to meet so many amazing people. I remember walking down the street and seeing at least 2 or 3 people we knew each time. My parents were nervous about me going to another country by myself but I have never felt so safe, it was perfect. I could go on all day about everything I loved about Boquete, Habla Ya, and the people I met. It was the best experience I have ever had and I will never forget it. I LOVE HABLA YA!!!! and miss it so much! <3

hola mi nombre es sally y soy una residente de boquete en noviemnbre del año pasado estudié en clases privadas en habla ya. el ambiente de la esvuela es muy buena y la organización general de toda la escuela es muy buena la atención fue espectacualr yo puedo ahora hablar con todas las personas en boquete con todos mis trabajadores es muy importante para mi. tuve un profesor muy divertido el era christopher con el puede aprender con mucha dinamica el imperativo que fue muy dificil para mi y la diferencia de muchas palabras y expresiones que estaban muy divertidas.agradezco atodo el staff de la escuela y a todos los profesores que eran muy ambles por o para todo. gracias....

HOLA! my name is Dassi and for my summer i spent it in Boquete Panama going to the the spanish school, Habla ya! I lived with a host family that Habla Ya set up and i volunteered at la Jungla and Josefa the school. I met so many friendly people and people that i will keep in touch with for the rest of my life. Everyone at Habla Ya were very sweet and helpful. I stayed in Boquete for ten weeks and took classes for nine, so i had a pretty mixed teaching experience. All of my teachers were amazing, they were all so helpful and they mixed it up a bit. We would sometimes have class outside or walk around boquete and learn names of fruits. We once took a bus to David (which is a city close to Boquete) and watched the Harry Potter Movie with spanish subtitles. Also with one of my teachers Christopher Clark we listened to songs in espanol and it really helped us on our listening skills. On this trip i got the chance to go white water rafting, zip lining, horse back ridding, hikes, an awesome swimming hole, and a weekend trip to Bocas Del Toro. All these tours were amazing and all my tour guides really knew their stuff about panama also they were all so much fun to talk to and get to know. I highly recommend taking a trip to Panama and take classes or even take tours with Habla Ya. You will probably have the time of you life!

hola despues de estudiar por dos semanas en habla ya estoy muy conteto por aprendi mucho y pude compartir con diferentes gentes y todas fueron muy amables. estudie en una clase grupo donde todos mis compañeros fueron muy divertidos y las clases eran muy dinamicas gracias a mi profesor christopher que siempre tuvo unos juegos muy divertidos para aprebder los dieferentes que necesitamos en las clases. tuve clases muy completas y aunque no me gustan mucho escribir las historias aprendi la diferencia entre el preterito y el imperfecto para poder tener una conversiacion bueno con otras personas. naturamelnte disfrute mucho de mi paseo por boquete y por habla ya muy agradecido por toda la informacion muy importante espero regresar pronto. Gracias habla ya y a christopher excelente experiencia.

Before attending Habla Ya I had taken plenty of Spanish classes and studied the language throughout high school and college, but my mission during my trip to Panama was to become as close to fluent as possible. Before arriving, I was skeptical of any Spanish school because I believed that it would not benefit me to take even more "classroom" Spanish. The school totally disproved my assumption. The teachers are friendly and talkative so I received a ton of conversational practice, which is what I needed to boost my confidence in speaking with native speakers. Because I already knew a lot of the grammar, I was able to learn many of the idioms and phrases that took my Spanish speaking from a level of Good to Great in just 3 weeks. All of the staff was personable and the facilities were inviting and allowed for a social atmosphere that encouraged Spanish speaking among other students, teachers, and staff as well. Living in Boquete was also a plus for Habla Ya because it allowed me to actually make friends with some of the local people to practice my Spanish with, as well as the numerous adventure tours that the town offers. Some of the teachers (Gracias a Minerva y Chris) were even gracious enough to invite me to their house for salsa lessons, cook me dinner, and then go out with their friends to try out my new moves!! I was also fortunate enough to teach English classes as a volunteer at night, which was yet another opportunity for me to get to know the people of Boquete, and other volunteers as well. There is a genuine sense of community at this school and I would recommend it first above all others if you want to learn fast, and also have great long-lasting memories while learning Spanish. Brandon L

I signed up for 4 hours of group lessons and 2 hours of individual tutoring. Because there was no other student at my level, I ended up with 6 hours daily of one on one lessons for two weeks. I mostly worked with Araliz and Christopher. Both were excellent teachers. Araliz was very patient and made sure I thoroughly understood the grammar. Christopher was more animated and thoroughly engaged me in conversation in a way that rapidly improved my ability to converse in the language. I miss our daily chats that were so helpful to my learning the language. Thanks, Christopher! The family stay was a worthwhile experience. I only wish the water was a little warmer for my morning shower. I also enjoyed the mix of students, many of whom were from countries other than the USA. September is during rainy season, so it rained a lot, which put a damper on outdoor activities. The town of Boquete is delightful and felt very safe and welcoming to foreigners. Unfortunately, it is being overrun by US retirees who are bringing the worst aspects of North American culture along with them (my personal opinion). Habla Ya is an excellent school with really dedicated teachers who are committed to helping the students learn. I would definitely considered returning to Habla Ya to further improve my grasp of the language.

I studied at Habla Ya for the second summer in a row and will likely make this spot an annual destination. I had private classes with Irasema at Habla Ya for two weeks and she was a top notch teacher. She is a kind and approachable individual who sincerely loves teaching. She was patient and encouraged me to select the class material to match what I wanted to learn. My classes were also tailored to my profession, per my request. Irasema’s teaching style was creative and she always made sure that I was learning the language in a way that was practical and applicable – she wanted me to be able to converse rather than simply focus on a limited grammatical approach. Grammar is just as important, but the Spanish at Habla Ya and my experience with Irasema, is taught in a way that allows students to feel more comfortable speaking right away. Habla Ya is a fantastic and well-organized Spanish school in the heart of a magical town with loads of world class outdoor activities. The outdoor/adventure arm of Habla Ya is known as Explora Ya, which boasts an abundance of professionally guided outdoor adventures ranging from rock climbing to river rafting. These places are sought out from all over the world, and rightly so. I highly recommend both! Thanks Habla Ya and Explora Ya!

He viajado a Boquete y asistió a clases de español en Habla Ya a finales de junio en julio de 2011. Elegí las 2 horas de clases particulares y 4 horas de clases de grupo, ya que yo estaba allí sólo por una semana. La escuela fue muy divertido y siempre materiales agradables para sus estudiantes. Me gustó que no había tanta flexibilidad en la selección de las clases que usted desea. Algunos estudiantes estaban tomando sólo clases particulares, un grupo único, y otros una mezcla. La escuela le permite una gran flexibilidad de horario para satisfacer sus necesidades. También me gustó que el rango de edades de los estudiantes variada como lo hicieron los países de los que los estudiantes procedían. Había estudiantes universitarios, profesionales jóvenes, de mediana edad las personas, familias, e incluso profesores de las universidades que asisten Habla Ya, lo que hizo para una mezcla interesante y ecléctica. He elegido quedarme con una familia durante mi estadía, que recomiendo encarecidamente, ya que te obliga a interactuar y utilizar sus habilidades en español más. Mi familia era de aproximadamente una media hora andando a clase, pero me gustó mucho caminar por la ciudad ... y que estaba completamente seguro caminar por mí mismo. La elección de la persona, más lecciones en grupo era una situación ideal para mí. Mi instructor privado, Christopher, siempre y cuando la instrucción en el aula, así como en la ciudad. Fuimos a diferentes mercados, parques, etc, para practicar el uso de español en situaciones del mundo real. Me gustó mucho el toque personal proporcionada por Christopher, para que mis clases se adaptan a mis necesidades específicas. Mi instructor del grupo, Arelis, era también excelente. Ella era carismático, divertido y muy profesional. En general, tuvimos una gran experiencia en Boquete. Espero que a cambio de un período de tiempo más largo en el futuro.

Unfortunately we only spent one week at Habla Ya but if I could, I would have stayed as long as possible! First of all you have to mention the great environments: Boquete is located in the middle of the cloud forest, surrounded by an untuched nature. The school itself is modern, light-flooded and well looked after. I think comparing the special atmosphere is impossible. A friend and me, we had a fantastic teacher, Minerva. I could never attend such a professional education. When I came to habla ya, I've been learning spanish for 3 years but during this time i learnd more than in a few months at home. There was not a bit of pressure, It was more than talking to a friend that talking to a teacher. Minerva was able to explain us even the hardest grammar things faster than I thought it could be possible. Thanks a lot Minerva you're the greatest! I can recommend this school to anyone and I'm looking forward to my next visit!!

I have now been home from Boquete, Panama for 5 days and am missing it immensely. My four week trip to Boquete was beyond unbelievable, thanks to the amazing Habla Ya Spanish School! I was a bit nervous but the faculty worked together to place me in the right class with Minerva where i instantly felt at ease! I had 1.5 weeks in a group class with 4 other students, and the other 2.5 weeks were spent with just my friend Miranda and I. Minerva was absolutely fabulous, and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. She worked well to discover our weaknesses, and then found ways for us both to improve upon them. Minerva was absolutely hilarious and we were constantly laughing, while learning! I was shocked that I could be in a class for 4 hours everyday and never hear Minerva speak English, but still understand everything that was going on! She also made class extremely fun, we took a trip to Mi Jardin es su Jardin, to the visitor center, we walked around Central Park and the Bridge another day, and sat outside for class multiple times, which makes learning all the much better, thanks to Boquete's beautiful weather. Since I have been home I have had several conversations via facebook with Minerva and love being able to continue my spanish while i'm home in the United States. All of the faculty members at Habla Ya are so helpful and friendly, you feel at home the moment classes start! Everyone is like a little family, from all across the world, it's unbelievable. I would definitely recommend Habla Ya to everyone of all ages! We met 10 year olds and 70 year olds that both had wonderful things to say about their time with Habla Ya! In addition to the Language Center, Habla Ya has a partnership with Explora Ya that made our trip even more enjoyable. The possibilities are endless in Boquete, thanks to the professionalism and excitement of everyone working. I am already trying to plan my return trip! Thank you to everyone at Habla Ya, especially Minerva! Te extrano!

To anyone who want's to learn spanish well and fast I highly recomend nothing else but Habla Ya. Very profesional and patient teachers, a long list of choices of non-expensive activities to do every day, and very kind and welcoming families. After just two weeks in Habla Ya I learned more then what I would have learned in 3 months in my country.

estudiè en la escuela por muy pocos dias, pero fui muy divertido en mis clases porque pude aprender diferentes cosas útiles para mis viajes por todo centro amèrica. pienso que habla ya es una escuela muy organizada sus profesores su atenciòn al cliente y demás superaron las espectativas de las cuales yo espero. las clases fueron muy organizadas y muy divertidas gracias a mi profesor christopher clark que siempre tenia una broma para nosotros con enseñanzas fantasticas. agradesco a habla ya por dar una buen ricibimiento a todas las cosas que yo necesitaba. Blees you...

estudiè en la escuela por muy pocos dias, pero fui muy divertido en mis clases porque pude aprender diferentes cosas útiles para mis viajes por todo centro amèrica. pienso que habla ya es una escuela muy organizada sus profesores su atenciòn al cliente y demás superaron las espectativas de las cuales yo espero. las clases fueron muy organizadas y muy divertidas gracias a mi profesor christopher clark que siempre tenia una broma para nosotros con enseñanzas fantasticas. agradesco a habla ya por dar una buen ricibimiento a todas las cosas que yo necesitaba.

I recommend the Spanish classes at Habla Ya. The town of Boquete is an ideal location. There are many activities to do during your free time and the area is beautiful. The local people are friendly and seem to cater to the gringos to a large extent. I walked most of the time but taking a taxi now and then could be difficult. Some drivers were great and others not so much. There is a set fee so don't let the bad ones charge you more. I really enjoyed the home stay part of my visit. I couldn't have asked for a better family to live with. I will keep in touch with my Boquete family in the future. I ate most of my meals with them but there are several places to eat with a variety of food. The numerous fruits and vegetables in the markets were very good and cheap. My professor was totally competent and had the patience required to teach absolute beginners Spanish. I had no previous Spanish but after my six weeks of instruction I came away with a much better understanding of the grammar and acquired many more words in my vocabulary. I'd like to say I can now speak Spanish but I still struggle with that and hearing it spoken is still difficult. However I now have to basics to practice and teach myself so I can get better. As my teacher always said; practice, practice, practice. There was a wide variety of students from all over the world. I enjoyed my classmates and we all laughed often. It was a fun atmosphere to learn in. There wasn't the stress involved as there is in a college setting. It's up to you as to what you get out of it. If you want to learn Spanish and have some fun you couldn't go wrong in choosing Habla Ya.

Boquete is a very nice language school where you can have fun while learning Spanish. to learn Spanish. Habla Ya's staff and teachers are cordial, helpful, and give great attention to detail. in particular, I would recommend taking Spanish classes with Leidys Pitti because she will take care of you and, most importantly, you will learn. Ms. Pitti will assure that you learn and advance in your knowledge of Spanish regardless of your level. She is nice, charismatic, and friendly. She is an asset to Habla Ya.

I had a great time learning Spanish at Habla Ya! My professora Katterina, was GREAT! I had her for group and private and she was great in both settings. She really cared if I understood and learned the lesson of the day. She was always happy to review any questions I had, no matter how big or small. My speaking skills have really improved, thanks to her! The books were great as well and the school setting, it was really nice to have wireless internet at the school as well as the free coffee. The other professors are great too, as well as the office staff at the school. Everyone is so professional and kind. I really fell in love with Panama during my time at Habla Ya. I stayed with a host family and I really feel that now, I have a family in Panama in addition to my family in the states. My total experience was fantastic and I am am looking forward to going back to Panama as soon as I can!

It was worth going to Habla Ya for a couple weeks to learn Spanish. However, it was better to be taught by Leidys Pitti who proved herself throughout the time I was there. Ms. Pitti knows her stuff and can teach well. When it came down to work, she worked hard and was more than capable of promoting Spanish learning. Good job from a great person in Habla Ya!

De vez en cuando uno llega a conocer a personas que dejan un buen sentir por su calidad humana, buena disposición, carisma y destrezas en su campo profesional. Tal es mi experiencia recientemente con la Profesora Leidys Pitti, a quien tuve el gusto de conocer y tener como profesora en Boquete, Panamá. Mi intención en este escrito es darle el reconocimiento que se merece por haber trabajado sido mi profesora de español durante dos semanas en Habla Ya. La Profesora Leidys Pitti es recomendable por las siguientes razones. Como persona se mostro atenta, amable, cortes y respetuosa a largo de las horas de instrucción dentro y fuera del salón de clases. En ningún momento perdió de vista que su función era la de hacer un buen trabajo representando a Habla Ya con dignidad, seriedad, y profesionalismo. Leidys fue siempre atenta, cordial y amable conmigo, cosas que aprecio y por las que le doy crédito. Además, Leidys demostró amplio y solido conocimiento de la materia y de la aplicación de la técnica de instrucción. En las pocas ocasiones cuando no tuvo respuesta a mis preguntas, como buena docente del idioma, se ocupo en buscar las respuestas necesarias. Consto que esto lo hizo bien, de manera eficiente, y rápidamente, conductas que denotan profesionalismo, seriedad, ética personal, e interés por sus alumnos y por representar a Habla Ya con dignidad. Tengan por seguro que Leidys Pitti es buena maestra de idiomas y que con ella van a aprender y tener buena experiencia durante el proceso de aprendizaje. Además, cualquier estudiante serio del español se dará cuenta que sus dotes interpersonales refezaran el aprendizaje de la lengua. En Leidys Pitti cualquier institución, pero en particular Habla Ya, tiene una promesa cumplida. Ella es el tipo de colega y representante que cualquier institución desea por las razones mencionadas. Mi recomendación en favor de Leidys Pitti, y por consecuencia de Habla Ya, es incuestionable y sin reservas.

I had a great time learning Spanish at Habla Ya! My professora Katterina, was GREAT! I had her for group and private and she was great in both settings. She really cared if I understood and learned the lesson of the day. She was always happy to review any questions I had, no matter how big or small. My speaking skills have really improved, thanks to her! The other professors are great too, as well as the office staff at the school. Everyone is so professional and kind. I really fell in love with Panama during my time at Habla Ya. I stayed with a host family and I really feel that now, I have a family in Panama in addition to my family in the states. My total experience was fantastic and I am am looking forward to going back to Panama as soon as I can!

I studied at Habla Ya for 11 weeks and learned SO MUCH! I could barely say "Hola" and now, I feel I can really communicate well en espanol. My group professora Ismenia Perez, was great! I had her my first week and she really chose topics that were interesting for the class to talk about and I am really glad I had the chance to work with her. We not only used the book, but played games which really helped reinforce the topics, verbs, and vocabulary for me. I met so many interesting people at the school, professors, staff and students. Boquete is a small town and I think it was a great place for me to study Spanish. My host family was amazing as well, we have e-mailed multiple times already and I am already looking forward to returning to Boquete!

I attended Habla Ya Language Center in Boquete, Panama, this summer. The Spanish program was very good. My teacher, Malkidia Garcia, was especially good. She was patient and knew how to keep us interested in the lesson the whole time. If you can, take a class with Malkidia - you will leave the program knowing much more Spanish than when you entered it and more importantly, you’ll have a very good experience in the class!

estudiamos en la escuela por dos semanas y tuvimos una excelente experiencia muy divertida. porque pudimos parender mucha informaci{on necesaria para poder sobrevivir en nuestro gran recorrido por nuestro paseo. agradezco a mi profesora ella fue tan paciente con nosotras y muy dulce la extrañamos mucho. Irasema es la mejor profesora y gracias a tods en habla ya. los paseos son muy divertidos y el clima es encantador pudimos ver diferentes pajaros y disfrutas de algunas comidas muy buenas y todas las personas de este lugar fueron muy encantadoras

En diciembre de 2010 me dirigi a Panama para tener unas excelentes vacaciones pero fueron mejores que yo pensé. tuve una excelente experiencia en boquete y en habla ya porque su staff, su atención a nosotros y la preocupacion de cada uno de nosostros fue bueno. agradezco muy especialmente a mi profesor christopher clark que el tiene mucha paciencia y sus clases son muy divertidas y puede aprender mucho español que yo pienso mucha paciencia mucho organizacion. el clima es espectacular y las personas son muy amables puedes conocer diferentes personas y diferentes lugares para hacer turismo la experiencia es maravillosa. espero que yo puedo regresar muy pronto. es la mejor

REVIEW OF HABLA YA SPANISH LANGUAGE SCHOOL Between January and April 2011 I spent 12 weeks intensively studying Spanish. My experience was unforgettable, all my four teachers did their utmost to help me learn and I did: my Spanish has improved tremendously so 6 hours daily of intensive tuition has paid off. The entire school is of a high standard, I found all teachers and those in the administration to be of the utmost help and I am proud to say I have made new friends there in the school in Boquete. Especial thanks to my teacher Leidys whose patience and help has forged a new friendship. I will definitely return, I can strongly recommend this school for those who wish to learn Spanish, whether beginners or advanced. Thank you all.

I spent only one week at Habla Ya, but I had a great time. I really enjoyed the professionalism and enthusiasm of my instructor Araliz! Considering I had only one week, I feel like we covered lots of material and got to talk and practice. I also enjoyed my host family, and Boquete is a lovely town. The fresh air and lovely environment around the area were terrific. I highly recommend Habla Ya for language classes, and they have connections to many of the best activities in the area as well.

I greatly enjoyed my time at Habla Ya. I came to Boquete on a 2 week trip with my school and we all took spanish lessons at Habla Ya for two weeks. My teacher was Christopher Clark. He does a great job as a teacher, adjusting how he teaches to how we learn. In two weeks we went over articulos, the verbs Ser and Estar, conjugation, irregular and regular and past tense (pasado). I really liked how we were taught the past tense this early in our spanish skills. Another student that I know is in Spanish 4 at our school and is just now learning past tense, even though that is something that you need to know in order to have a regular conversation. It was also fun to try to explain english phrases and jokes in spanish so that he could understand them. Many thanks to Christopher!

I have just spent the last 6 weeks studying at Habla Ya and can not speak highly enough of the experience! I arrived having never spoken a word of Spanish, and now I'm in Costa Rica and the locals don't believe me when I tell them that I've only studied this language for 6 weeks! I wasn't originally planning to travel to Panamá, but after seeing the Habla Ya website and doing a bit more research I changed all my plans and was not disappointed. The website is wonderfully professional and thorough, and this is a reflection the school's entire operation. All the staff are incredibly friendly and always eager to do whatever they have to to help. I was placed with a host family, which is something I would recommend to everybody if you're serious about learning to speak! The teaching at the school is a perfectly balanced mix of grammar exercises, conversation, writing practice and games that keeps you learning and practicing and keeps the classes from feeling repetitive. For 5 of the 6 weeks I was there my teacher was Araliz Véliz. She was always smiling (which I think is very important for a teacher!) and was very encouraging. I always felt comfortable to speak and not afraid of making mistakes, although obviously occasionally there were some mistakes; they were always met with a correction and patient explanation! Every lesson was enjoyable and you could often enter our classroom and find people laughing! I never imagined I would be speaking this much Spanish this well after only 6 weeks of classes. Many thanks to everybody at Habla Ya for an unforgettable 6 weeks!

My experience at Habla Ya has been very positive. The school emphasizes designing the language program to the individual skill level and desired schedule. In addition to enhanced language skills the student learns a lot about the panamanian culture, history and local Boquete community. Hable Ya also has very reasonable pricing for packages and is conveniently located in the heart of Boquete. My teacher has been highly professional and knowledgeable as well as very nice. The school can also arrange for transportation, accommodations and entertainment during your stay in Panama. Once again I can recommend Habla Ya without reservations. Lisa Hogsett

My experience at Habla YA has been an incredible one!! All of the staff and teachers have been so amazing, accomodating, and fun. Every teacher that I have had has been great, but I have been especially blessed to have Christopher as my group teacher for a majority of the time. Christopher is an excellent teacher who always goes above and beyond to make sure that his students are learning the necessary topics, and having fun while doing so. Each week in Christopher´s class has been an adventure, and I am so grateful that I had the chance to learn with such a knowledgeable (AND PATIENT) professor:) Thanks to everyone at Habla YA for making my time in Boquete so so so amazing!!

A "must do" for traveling and living in Latin America. They have a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere, and a terrific staff. My teacher was Malkidia Garcia, and she was wonderful. We talked about things we were interested in, and she helped us structure our sentences, syntax, and pronunciation. Sounds dull? It wasn't for a minute; we all had fun, and came away with a broader vocabulary and a little more confidence. They have free conversational Spanish and dance lessons on Saturday. A good time to visit.

hola. en agosto estudie en la mejor escuela la atencion a las personas el hospedaje estuvo muy bonito. agredezco mucho mi profesor christopher clark en dos semanas de clases aprendi mucho espanol el fue muy atento mucha paciencia y sus clases fueron muy divertidas con mucho entusismo. habla ya es una escuela muy completa puedes hacer muchas actividades excelentes conocer muchos lugares muy lindos en boquete su animalia su vegetacion el clima muy encantador. voy a regresar y a estudiar en habla ya porque para mi es una excelente escuela. Saludos y muchas gracias.

I was so delighted to get a teacher who made learning Spanish fun for my 12 year old son. She kept his attention 4 hours a day for 2 months. We liked her so much we're going back for more. My son is no longer afraid of learning and speaking spanish. Thanks Ismenia!

I have attended this school for 1 month and i have found this school to be very professional and my spanish abilities has improved greatly my current teacher is christopher clark he is very good at determining what is the weak points with all students so he can work on the things that are most important thanks habla ya and christopher clark

As new residents of Boquete, we wanted to immerse ourselves in learning the local language. HablaYa has been the perfect place! It is challenging up to our personal limits, yet the feeling of accomplishment is very rewarding. Instructor Rubén has adapted our classes to meet our learning styles, and provides us a wealth of information on the local culture. He patiently explains the nuances of the Spanish language, and doesn't laugh too loudly when we butcher the language! There are myriad activities available to the students, from hikes to hot springs to movies to salsa classes. HablaYa values the needs of its students, has a stable of caring instructors, and carries out its mission with dignity. We're glad we signed up for the experience.

I would like to thank my profesora, Malkidia. She had the patience with the entire class, to get us the knowledge that we required to advance our Spanish abilities. Thanks to her, I can now communicate with others, in Spanish. ( I'll bite, a little crudely ) I have found that the most important thing I have learned is the Spanish alphabet. Once you know the pronunciation of the letters of the alphabet, pronouncing and reading words is so much easier. Also, oral comprehension is increased. ( I think this was the key to learning more ) Malkidia, kept the class involved and didn't let anyone fall behind. The class was fun as well as informative. She gave us free reign to take our conversations to where we wanted to go. This kept our interest and involvement in the subjects that we covered. All in all, I enjoyed my experience in Habla Ya, and will return for an advanced class, later on. Once again, my thanks to Malkidia Garcia and Christopher Clark. ( Muchos gracias, mis profesores )

Our teacher Malkidia Garcia was so patient and so fun. It was a joy to learn with her. All the staff is friendly and helpful. We live here in Boquete and will be going back next year.

Habla Ya makes learning spanish a joy. Our teacher Minerva is THE best teacher I've ever had

Boquete is a cool, green and lovely small town in the highlands of Panama. Habla Ya is a truly professional and comprehensive language school, offering the highest quality of individualized instruction. My instructor, Minerva Montero, was always well prepared, professional, charming and focused. Classes are small, scheduling is flexible. I will definitely take a follow-up course at Habla Ya. I'd like to also recommend, to visitors and residents alike, The Boquete Handbook, a comprehensive resource for the area with every bit of information you need for a successful visit or relocation.

I have had the pleasure of working w mi profesora Ismenia for the past 3 wks. Although my time has been relatively brief, I feel that through her patient assistance I have made significant progress. Ismenia brings a maturity found not only through her experience within the classroom, but through her life experiences as well. As a retired educator, I have an appreciation for this valuable ability. She has the intuition needed to utilize those experiences to her students benefit by sharing many of the same things they struggle with. She is a positive person by nature, with a ton of patience, and this serves her students well. I have learned a great deal not only about the language itself, but through our discussions, feel I have increased my knowledge of the Panamanian culture/history. Ismenia has maintained a positive, fun learning environment and I can't recommend her more highly!

I had a fantastic time at Habla Ya in Boquete in march 2010. I was there for 2 weeks, which was way too short :) I stayed at Rosmarie's family during my time there. That was the perfect combination of learning spanish in school and having some chats at home with the lovely family. I made two spanish courses in Germany, but you can't compare that with an spanish school in a spanish speeking land. I had a great time at Habla Ya! In the first week my teacher was Ismenia. That was great fun, because she is very funny person and she allways combines learning from books with talking about private stuff. And there is no better way to learn with some fun. In the second week my teacher was Araliz. Unfortunately it was semana santa and we just had three days together. I really enjoyed the time with Araliz. I was her only student in that week and so she spend some time with teaching me vocabulary that i could use especially for my job. My company exports tools to latin america and so she showed me a catalog from a building center in David. That was really helpful for me and it was great to get such an individual program. I spend only 2 weeks at Habla Ya and i learned so much there. The vocabulary i learned there is still in my head and i can use the word pool i learned anytime. I can really recommend Habla Ya and also Panama as a country. I will come back to Panama for sure!

I studied Spanish at Habla Ya for three months and the entire experience was fantastic! All the staff are extremely professional, skilled, and friendly. Habla Ya arranged my pick up at the airport, found great accommodation for me, and made sure that I was happy with all aspects of my life in Boquete. Lorena, the school's director and Guadalupe always offered me assistance to ensure that my learning experience and my entire stay in Boquete were a success. I signed up for three months of group classes (four hours a day, five days a week) but was fortunate enough to enjoy six weeks of private classes, since Habla Ya only matches students who share exactly the same language level. I greatly enjoyed my language classes. There was always a perfect balance between grammar, written practices, conversation and interesting reading. All my teachers (Minerva, Malkidia, Leidys, Yaira, and Monica) were extremely skilled and knowledgeable about language instruction and always created a light environment conducive to learning a language in an enjoyable manner. I studied with profesora Yaira for four weeks and I had great fun during our classes. Yaira has a great sense of humor and always keeps classes light and playful. Every day she would bring a new text or newspaper article and allow me to summarize the content and then discuss the subject - a great way of reinforcing new vocabulary. I also greatly enjoyed the games we played that encouraged me to discuss different topics and express my opinions regarding any subject. I studied with profesora Monica for seven weeks and she is just such a gifted instructor. Monica is funny, kindhearted, extremely patient and simply an amazing teacher. She kept me motivated throughout, tirelessly corrected mistakes that I kept making over and over again, and explained complex grammatical structures in the most straightforward and understandable way. I especially enjoyed the practices she used to reinforce the grammar, since those practices always included useful new vocabulary and taught me to express myself in both formal and informal ways. I arrived in Panama with some knowledge of the Spanish language and by the time I left I was able to have meaningful conversations with my Panamanian friends, discuss any topic from global warming to equal rights and read newspapers and magazines. I can highly recommend Habla Ya to anyone who would like to learn Spanish in a fun environment with excellent teachers and great learning tools!

Ericka was my teacher for 2 months at Habla Ya. She was wonderful. The thing I enjoyed most about her was her energy. She remained patient with me when I grew tired (in class 4 hours a day) and her enthusiasm energized me back into action! She was consistant in her attention and very professional. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Habla Ya and learned to speak comfortably.

Araliz was my teacher for 2 months and she was excellent. I learned to converse comfortably. She was always very patient, cheerful and consistant. I would recommend her highly to future students.

The Spanish I am taking at the school is enabling me to be able to communicate and interact with the community. This school is very professional and well run. I am enjoying my classes. LMW

I came to Habla Ya! Spanish school after studying Spanish for eight years, and I learned more in six weeks at Habla Ya! than during my entire time living in Mexico, Spain, working on my Spanish degree and even teaching the language! Habla Ya! Is an amazing school with effective methods that work! Habla Ya! Is not only the best Spanish school in Latin American, it is the best Spanish school in the World! While in college I chose to study abroad in Mexico and Spain through university programs. During these programs I found the constant problem was a school full of Americans who want to speak Spanish inside the classroom and English everywhere else. At Habla Ya! you meet people from around the world, all wanting to improve and perfect their Spanish. I focused on only speaking Spanish while in Panamá and it was definitely attainable. I was always able to find students with the same goal as me and I have built extremely strong friendships with these people based on the fact that we both refused to speak English to one another. Through home-stay and 4- 8 hours of classes a day, I was able to pack about 16 hours of Spanish into my day! Furthermore, I have found after studying in Spain and Mexico and having professors from all around the Spanish-speaking world, the Spanish in Panamá, particularly from Boquete, is the easiest to understand! Everyone that works at Habla Ya! is so friendly and just wants to help the students succeed! They have become my lifelong friends and I will be forever thankful to them for the impact they have had in my life! The school director, Lorena Pitti helped me out so much during my time in Boquete; she treated me like a daughter and a best friend. She is always there for the students and she always puts them first. She is such an excellent teacher, mentor and friend! During my six weeks at Habla Ya! I had private lessons with Mónica Vargas each morning and it was always the highlight of my day. She is the Queen of Grammar! She was always quick to correct me and give me lots of positive reinforcement. She loves applauding students so much that her eyes sparkle when she does it. I learned more from her than I ever thought possible. Arelis Mendoza was my B2 group teacher. Everyday was a blast; we were constantly playing games that got us away from boring grammar drills and vocabulary lists that I had found in another schools. She got us to use the pluscuamperfecto del subjuntivo (crazy insane grammar tense) in our everyday conversation. Arelis was made to be a group teacher, she always got her students to interact with one another and she always made sure we were having fun because she knew that is how we would learn best! She is such a beautiful wonderful soul! Along with Mónica and Arelis I had shorter experiences with five other teachers. All of them were amazing and each teacher was unique in their own positive and wonderful way. The school also has an adventure, eco-tourism side to it, Explora Ya! Even though I am not much of an outdoorsy girl I managed to find fun hikes and tours to go on. At Explora Ya! I met my Boquete big brothers. From Day 1 Nodier, Gerardo, Armando and Alvaro treated me with such kindness as though I was already part of the Habla Ya! family, and while they all speak English, they always spoke Spanish with me and were all essential tools in my language development outside the classroom. As someone who has studied abroad many times in effort to locate the perfect school and the perfect Spanish learning experience, I can tell you I found it in Boquete, Panamá at Habla Ya! You will love every minute of Panamá and you will learn so much! Habla Ya! has programs for people of ALL ages and levels. No matter where you are at in your Spanish development, the very beginning or near fluency, Habla Ya! will have a program for you!

My three weeks in Boquete, Panama were some of the most amazing and adventure-filled days in my life. My friends and I wanted to study Spanish abroad and chose Habla Ya because it was one of the highest-rated Spanish language schools in Latin America - a fact that I can fully endorse after my time in Panama. I have taken many years of Spanish in school, and I learned more during my two weeks of lessons at Habla Ya then during the last few years of high school Spanish combined. Habla Ya truly emphasizes conversational practice, a necessary component of language acquisition that was sorely missing from my high school Spanish education. With only four students to a classroom each student is guaranteed individualized attention. Instead of mind-numbing worksheets and endless grammar practice, my teacher Ericka taught the language through carefree storytelling and engaging games such as charades and Scrabble in Spanish. By the end of the two weeks I was able to converse and think fully in Spanish, something I had never before thought possible. The full immersion environment helped with this as well, as I spoke Spanish at school, around town, and at home with my host family. Habla Ya staff are extremely helpful and friendly. Soon I thought of Ericka and the other teachers not simply as teachers but as friends as well. Our volunteer director, Roy, gave us a tour of Boquete and took time to ensure that we found our bearings when we first arrived. Carlos, Swan, Gerardo and the rest of the Habla Ya staff always greeted us with smiles, whether we saw them at Habla Ya, around town, or at one of the eco-tours (whitewater rafting, ziplining, coffee tours, trips to the crystal-clear beaches at Bocas del Toro). The school director, Lorena, offered to drive fifteen minutes to town to pick us up when we were stranded without a taxi. The town is very safe and people are always willing to help. One of the most powerful memories that will always stick out in my mind was volunteering and playing with the local children at Casa Esperanza. Nothing beats the knowledge that you are helping to provide for the well-being of these kids while bringing them a little fun, something that they may be lacking at home. I cannot think of a single reason not to recommend Habla Ya Spanish School. Whether you come for a single week or for several months, when you will leave you will carry with you a life-changing, memorable experience that cannot be matched, and the knowledge that you have a home-away-from-home several thousand or tens-of-thousands of miles away. Immerse yourself in the local culture, eat Panamanian food, get to know the people, and explore the nearby mountains and beaches. Hopefully I will be able to return in the future to spend an entire summer in Boquete - with what I've gained in these three weeks, who knows what will happen in three months?

Upon arriving in Boquete, we were immediately dumped off at our host family's home without any directions, instructions, or idea where we were. We were confused and lost. But when our host family opened the door, they kissed us on the cheeks, welcomed us, showed us around their home, and fed us dinner. From this moment, we knew we would be welcome in this town and that everything would be okay. Everything about Boquete and Habla Ya: the home stay program, the zip-lining, rafting, classes, teachers, and solely the environment to which all this is in, is AMAZING. The coffee is delicious, the town is overly charming, and the temperature is to die for. The classes were more beneficial than anything you would take in high school, at least, and the dynamic of having only three other people in one class allowed you to learn from them while at the same time receiving the attention you need to develop your own Spanish skills. My teacher, Ismenia, was hilarious and always brought a light mood to our class, which made it less intimidating to hold conversations in Spanish. Ericka, another professor, and Ismenia always found ways to make us enjoy our experience more, by taking field trips or playing 'charades'. The whole staff at Habla Ya could not have been friendlier or more welcoming. Swan and Lorena helped us mucho when we didn't have a clue what to do when we first arrived. Carlos always made us laugh with his crazy personality. Roy, our volunteer director, took time out of his day to make sure that we saw the beauty of Boquete that he sees: the food, the mountains, the people. Even staff that we didn't know paid attention to us and started conversations with us that allowed us to practice our developing Spanish. There is not one thing that would have made my experience at Habla Ya and in Boquete any more amazing. It's hard to write down everything that my three weeks there has meant to me and the experiences that I have gained from it, so for all the potential students out there, here is my advice: just go, experience EVERYTHING, and start conversations with everyone you meet. You'll meet some great people and learn so much about Panama, the culture, and about how people think, and in the end, you'll grow so much yourself from it. Everyone at Habla Ya, thank you for caring so much about us and for making us feel so much at home. Vamos a regresar pronto y les queremos mucho y les extranamos mucho :)

I studied Pimsluer for about a year and when I got to Panama I could hardly say a work in Spanish. After a month in Habla Ya to my amazement I was able to speak and have a conversation!!! I loved the school. The people at the front desk are warm and really helpful and they always mad me feel at home. My teacher Janeth, Arelis and Erica were fun, funny, kind, interesting and always inspired me. Carlos at the front does a great job of being a friend in a true sense and organizing event. I was there alone and there was always plenty to do at night and on the weekends. In short Habla Ya was one of the most amazing learning experiences of my life. Brendan Roberts L.Ac.