Submit a Review Here for Habla Ya Panama Spanish School

I had Kimberly for a group instructor in Bocas for the week of March 9th. She was wonderful. She had a great way of explaining concepts. She clarified topics for me that I have previously struggled with. I would recommend her to anyone.

I had private classes with Alex for 2 weeks, Alex did a wonderful job of finding information about my specific interests to make the time in class extremely productive for me. Alex also did a great job of bringing my grammatical errors to my attention so I could be more deliberate about speaking correctly. I would recommend Alex as a professor to anyone .

I spent three weeks in Boquete with Habla Ya. I came to Panama with no Spanish language experience and left with the confidence to try and a greater ability to comprehend the spoken language.
My teacher Erian was great at explaining concepts and the classes are kept small and the conversations interesting and useful.
I’m excited to continue practicing and learning throughout the year and look forward to visiting HablaYa again in the future.

My husband and I just returned from Boquete, Panama where we took a week long Spanish course at Habla Ya. My instructor was Leidys Pitti. She was a perfect teacher for me. Leidys asked me about my goals and designed the course around them. She spoke clearly and made our conversations about things I could relate to. That really encouraged me to speak. Grammar was also taught only in Spanish which I feel is important. Leidys made the classes fun and used a variety of activities to facilitate learning. She was kind and encouraging, and very patient!

My husband enjoyed his classes with a different instructor. We agreed that the week was challenging, but very productive. If you can manage to stay for several weeks, I predict you will learn the language!

We lived with a host family that spoke only Spanish. We had a private bedroom and bathroom in their lovely home. They were very welcoming and helped us feel at home.

Boquete is a charming town surrounded by incredible natural beauty. We rented a scooter and explored on our last day. The scenery was breathtaking.

We can highly recommend Habla Ya and Boquete. Leidys is a wonderful teacher and you will be lucky if you get into her class! Muchas gracias, Leidys!

I spent 2 weeks studying at Habla Ya in Boquete (6 weeks total, I also spent 4 weeks at the Bocas location) and had an awesome experience. My teacher Leidys was excellent. She did a great job of making the classes challenging and fun at the same time, and she was very patient. I learned a TON of Spanish. When I arrived in Panama I knew only the most basic Spanish, and after 6 weeks I was having conversations with locals. The student body at Habla Ya comes from all over the world and I really enjoyed making new friends from around the globe.

If you take the classes seriously and try to speak with locals outside of class hours you will be amazed at how quickly you learn!

I had a great experience with Habla Ya in Bocas del Toro. My teacher, Iraida Howard, was incredibly patient and taught me so much during my 4 weeks in her class. I started at the introductory level and Iraida answered all of my questions and challenged me in a supportive and encouraging way. I would love to return to Habla Ya someday to continue working on my Spanish! My husband and I appreciated the variety of activities provided by Habla Ya, including the Cacao Farm tour, exploring the beautiful beaches around Bocas, and enjoying many meals with teachers and other students. Overall, Habla Ya provided an enriching and memorable experience!

My experience in Halba Ya in Panamá City and Bocas was really good. Bocas is definitely the place more beautiful to stay, the caribbean islands there are just incredible.
The classes weren’t too big, I was in a class of 5 persons taught by Lineth. She was a really good teacher and I can recommend her.

Habla Ya was a great experience for both learning Spanish and experiencing the culture of Panama. I speak some Spanish and wanted to improve my language skills for an upcoming trip to Ecuador. I spent two weeks at the school in Boquete and definitely accomplished my objective.
My teacher was Leidys Pitti and she was excellent. The classes lasted 4 hours each weekday and were conducted entirely in Spanish. This contributed to the total immersion concept and really worked quite well. Leidys also spoke very clearly and slowly which was a great help for improving my comprehension. She followed a structured lesson plan complete with workbook and examples on the whiteboard, but there was also plenty of free-flowing conversation about subjects in which I was most interested. Leidys was a joy to work with and you would be lucky to have her as your teacher.
Boquete is the perfect location to study Spanish. It's a pleasant little town in the mountains of Panama with plenty of restaurants, etc. Importantly, few of the locals speak English so I had to use Spanish. Luckily, everyone was patient and appreciated that I was there to learn their language. I stayed with a host family a short distance from town. The Del Cids were a wonderful, traditional, couple who also did not speak English. This provided a great opportunity to practice my Spanish and learn about the local Panamanian culture.
One final note about the Habla Ya school staff and policies. Every staff member I had contact with, whether the initial phone conversations with Tori, helping organize a tour with Ivan, and arranging my ride back to the David airport with Giselle, was great. They all made sure my experience went well.
I was scheduled and paid for group lessons. When I arrived, they felt I was not at the same level as the rest of the group, so I ended up with private lessons for no additional charge. This worked out great and demonstrates the school's focus on the needs of the students.

My family of five settled in Boquete for 6 weeks to study Spanish at Habla Ya. We were split into classes by age and Spanish level. My husband had never studied Spanish before and so was put into a beginner adult group class. Similarly, my two younger children joined a beginner group class while my older daughter (13) was put into an intermediate group adult class with me because she already had a foundation in Spanish. At times, the school had very few students and my family ended up being the only ones in each of our “group” lessons. My oldest had a harder time because she didn’t fit into the schema that they’ve developed. She wanted to be with other kids her age but the classes were too basic for her. However, the school tried to accommodate our needs as best they could and the teachers really demonstrate that they care about student progress. I studied with Leidys Pitti for 5 weeks. She did a great job incorporating conversation into our daily classes and making note when we had an opportunity to practice new skills.

I am so glad we chose to study Spanish in Boquete because it was the perfect place to settle in for 6 weeks. The center of town is always bustling with friendly activity, people saying hello, shops, restaurants, and, lots of beautiful fresh produce at the outdoor market stalls. In addition, the weather in Boquete is refreshing and always the perfect temperature. On extra warm days, showers would come in and cool the air down to a comfortable range. We also met a lot of friendly people from the area and everyone was willing and generous about letting us practice our Spanish, even though they speak very good English themselves.

The kids loved the variety of extra activities that they could participate in around Boquete, such as white river rafting, zip lining, rock climbing, hikes, horseback riding, and swimming in the mini canyons. If you’re on a tighter budget, the hikes in the area are spectacular and only cost a small fee for the taxi ride to the trailhead. The food was also a highlight for us. We had some really spectacular meals both local food and other cuisines. The family favorite was Colibrí, a restaurant on the gardens of the hotel where we stayed (more about Isla Verde below). Colibrí agreed to teach our family a private cooking class after my husband talked to the chef about his and the kids’ interest. They thought the class was phenomenal and learned new techniques, and how to make some of the best food we’ve ever had.

The traditional Panamanian food of the area includes a soup called Sancocho, rice, beans, a meat, plantains, and a side salad. There were a number of local restaurants that served this food beautifully. Our favorite was Las Orchillas. The other cafe that we really enjoyed was called Sugar and Spice which had great breakfasts and salads for lunch.

Finally, the place where we stayed was absolutely perfect for us. We rented a large roundhouse at Isla Verde. The house was a single room with a loft. It was small but didn’t feel too tight or crowded for our family of five. The house was surrounded by beautiful gardens and fruit trees. The staff was extremely helpful all the time and we met some wonderful other guests from all over the world.

My family and I attended Habla Ya Panama in Boquete for six weeks, in anticipation of a move to Chile for a year. The experience was great.

First, a word about Boquete and surrounding Chiriqui. We visited in July and early August, which is the rainy season, and the weather was great for us. It was never hot, and there was usually a strong cool breeze, just perfect summer weather. In the afternoons, at least in July/August, it often rains, so you might schedule classes for the afternoon. We stayed at Isla Verde, a series of bungalows with kitchenettes about a 3-4 minute walk from the school. They were surrounded by lush gardens, and I was very happy with our stay there. The restaurant at Isla Verde, Colibri, was our favorite in Boquete, but mostly we ate at the inexpensive local restaurants, Sabrason, Amarillas, and Orchiadas. The main part of the town, Boquete Centro, is fairly small, and has a mix of supermarkets, stores, and restaurants catering to locals, as well as more tourist oriented restaurants. Boquete some great coffee and chocolate shops (this is the source for some of the best coffee in the world). The town is surrounded by verdant hills, which is lovely, and you can buy pineapples and other vegetables on the street and in the fruit and vegetable market for inexpensive prices, so it’s nice to have a place to stay with a kitchen. There are fresh fruits everywhere, a few of which I’d never seen before, and many restaurants have batidas (fruit shakes) and fresas con crema (strawberries and cream). Boquete positions itself as an adventure town, and there is a lot to do outside the town, including hikes, coffee, honey, and chocolate farms, Volcan Baru (which I didn’t visit), and ziplining and other trips. For the hikes, you can just take a taxi to a trailhead, and then catch a minibus back to town. My favorite out of town adventures were a rafting trip and two visits to the Mini Canyons, where you can swim and picnic with the locals in lovely warm water. In town, we had an amazing cooking class experience at Colibri, and a chocolate making experience at A Perfect Pair, which we loved as well.

I came to Habla Ya with no Spanish language experience, and after six weeks I can communicate fairly well, having a conversation with anyone. I’m very happy with the progress I was able to make. My vocabulary is still fairly small, and when native speakers talk with me rapid-fire, I often need to ask them to slow down. For the first three weeks, I worked out of their first workbook, which gave me all of the foundations for the language. It was well organized, and I learned basic past, present, and future tenses, how to conjugate verbs, and a lot of other language structure. The next three weeks I worked out of a second book that added additional tenses, and other concepts. I think the school is very language structure oriented, which worked well for me. For these two books they were essentially laying the foundations for me so that I could add vocabulary later and conceptually know how to use it. The classes we took were from 1-5pm, with a 20 minute break in the middle. I had about 15-20 minutes of homework at night, but then I would generally spend another 40 minutes or so reviewing the day’s work, which was a big help in cementing my learning. Because I was there in the off-season, I had essentially about 3 weeks of private lessons (since there was no one else at my level at that moment), and three weeks with 2-3 other students in the class, who were coming from the US, Germany, and France.

I had two professors:
My professor, Pedro Abrego, was great. He’s a quiet person, and fairly reserved, and conveys both humility and an unflaggingly positive attitude. He’s extremely knowledgeable and dedicated to teaching. He keeps the class moving at a quick pace, although he’s happy to work through a concept until you understand it. He will not speak English, which in some cases might have saved some time (it can take me a long time to ask a question in Spanish), but I think that is part of the professors’ training. His explanations were clear, and I couldn’t believe how much I knew by the end. He was a good fit for me, and he pushed me far in Spanish. I appreciated the chance to learn with Pedro.

My professor, Erian Marin, was wonderful. At different times, he taught both me and my kids, and was equally adept at both. He has a great sense of humor, and makes classes fun to attend. At the same time he helped me move quickly through the lessons, he was attuned to the students who might need extra support, and kept us all on the same page. In the case of my kids, he understood how to balance learning with fun and games. My younger son was not as excited about the material as his older sister, and Erian worked hard to keep them both engaged (including the occasional soccer game). I was so impressed with Erian’s teaching skill and charm, and I routinely looked forward to my classes with him.

I took a one-week class to improve my Spanish at Habla Ya. My professora was Lineth. I was very pleased with the other students who were placed in my class as we were all around the same Spanish level.

Lineth was a wonderful teacher. She spoke very clearly so it was easy to understand what words she was saying (even if I didn't know what all the words meant!) She did a great job of speaking at our level and would introduce vocab words periodically so we learned some vocab in addition to the grammar we were focused on. Lineth also took us on a couple lessons outside of the classroom which was great for a change in scenery.

Habla Ya also sponsored many activities throughout the week. So you will have some activities to do outside of the classroom if you wish. The students ages ranged from young kids to adults in their 50s - so no student is too young or too old!

Overall a great experience and I would take more classes with Habla Ya if I find myself in Panama again.

I just finished two weeks of Spanish classes with Habla Ya in Bocas del Toro, and I can say that overall I am very pleased with my experience here. I was a little anxious prior to my trip as I have never before spent time in a developing country, but my anxiousness was put to rest very quickly. Everyone in my homestay family (Alicia) was very, very friendly and accommodating, and I definitely was glad that I took this opportunity to learn more about every day life in Bocas. My teacher Benita is a great instructor and was very responsive to my preferences for class. She has extensive and thorough knowledge of Spanish grammar and also has a knack for telling great stories, which definitely helped me improve my proficiency in Spanish during the two weeks of classes. Benita even found a documentary in Spanish on a topic I was interested in, and then we ended up watching some of this documentary in class. Every concern and question that I had throughout the trip was addressed quickly and professionally, and I feel lucky that I chose to attend this school. If you want to learn Spanish and enjoy life living on a Caribbean island, then Habla Ya is the way to go.

Hey, I went to Habla Ya for 3 months. I started with nothing in Spanish but within the first 3 weeks I could already speak first dialogs. But I learned so much after I changed courses from group classes to private classes only. My teacher was Lineth in Bocas del Toro for a bit more than 4 weeks. Classes were so funny with her and her teaching skills are awesome! You can be happy when you get her as your teacher! She explained all the things in a very simple way and especially her descriptions when you don't know the word in your mother tongue. In general with her you feel like Spanish is not hard to learn. Even grammar that doesn't exist in my language was not a big deal afterwards. We drank coffee almost every day during classes what made me feel very comfortable. Every day in the school I felt very welcomed and this very nice atmosphere with nice people and perfect teachers like Linth makes learning Spanish so much easier than I thought!

¡Muchas gracias Lineth y gracias Habla Ya!

​I took classes in all 3 Habla Ya locations and they were all excellent! Boquete however is the perfect blend of adventure and focused study. Kimberly is an EXCELLENT teacher, patient and consistent in reinforcing new and repeat concepts. I highly recommend any branch of Habla Ya, but Boquete was by far my favorite.​

At Habla Ya in Boquete, Panama, my professor, Leidys helped me get thé Spanish words stuck in my head to come out of my mouth! Each day she encouraged me to speak in natual, relaxed conversations as she reviewed material I had studied previously and introduced new things. She was patient, kind and found effective days to help me learn.

Habla Ya Spanish - March, 2019

I wanted to take a few minutes to compose a review of my experience in Boquete Panama and in particular, speak about Habla Ya, a world class Spanish immersion school that I keep returning to there. Firstly, I’m a 63 year old Canadian and have lived in the U.S. for the last 28 years. During my formative years in Canada I had little interest in learning a second language and regrettably, while French was an option in the Canadian curriculum, taking it was not mandatory. After my relocation to the U.S. in 1991, I soon learned what a benefit it would be to learn another language. As almost half of the population of Phoenix and San Diego where I divide my time, are Spanish speaking, Spanish had to be my defacto choice. Unfortunately, as an entrepreneur, my 30’s, 40’s and 50’s were dedicated to building my businesses and this left little time for anything, much less learning a second language. Secretly, during these 3 decades, I had a burning desire to learn the language and during the many trips my wife and I had taken to Mexico, I watched, listened and envied every non-native communicating in Spanish. Now, fortunately I have an abundance of time and have diligently spent the last 3 years learning the language poco a poco! We’ve all heard metaphor, “slow and steady wins the race” and this is no more applicable than undertaking the exercise of learning another language. I’m completely dedicated and though I may be a little slower than the 20 somethings, I will achieve a level of mastery over this language. I can tell anyone who may be contemplating learning another language, the decision is not to be taken lightly. It’s grueling, frustrating and time consuming! So, why do it? Learning the language is no different than building blocks; you simply keep building on that which you’ve already learned. I’m by no means proficient but there’s very little that I can’t communicate to someone in a Spanish only speaking country. And this folks, is what keeps me going! Now, to the school. I just completed my third trip to Habla Ya in Panama and each time keeps getting better. The first 3-week segment was in Bocas Del Toro, a quaint little beach town frequented by young and old from all over the world. The last 2 visits were to Boquete, a location I prefer due to its’ cooler climate, beautiful scenery and incredibly reasonable prices. Leidys was my profesora for levels A2 & B1 in Boquete. Leidys has been with the school for 10-years and I’ve found her to be excellent in her ability to teach new concepts and patient enough when certain concepts need to be re-explained. I’d recommend her highly! The school is completely professional in every respect and there’s little wonder in my mind as to why they’ve earned their very favorable ratings year after year. From trying to accommodate the smallest request to meticulously organizing fun outings for the students, these people do it all! YOU - QUIT PROCRASTINATING AND START LEARNING! Sent from my iPad
Saturday, 23 March 2019

Ich hatte eine Woche Sprachunterricht mit Kim - sie ist eine tolle Lehrerin, wir hatten viel Spass und sie hatte mich immer zum Sprechen animiert. So konnte ich nach dieser Woche eine deutliche Verbesserung bemerken.

Sie hat mir viel erklärt und mich bei anderen organisatorischen Themen sehr gut unterstützt.

Vielen Dank!

In December 2018 I took a 3 week course with Habla Ya in Boquete Panama. My instructor was Alexander Cano. Alex is a patient, kind and effective Spanish teacher. I enjoyed being able to learn new Spanish concepts and have the chance to practice speaking Spanish in class. I liked the extra-curricular activities that Habla Ya offered. I participated in a group dinner and we went to a Panamanian garden. We also played Scrabble in Spanish and I learned lots of new words. All of the Habla Ya staff are very kind and helpful and I plan to return.
Valarie

Alex from the Boquete, Habla Ya is a patient, kind and effective Spanish teacher. I enjoyed my 3-week course very much and plan to return.
Thank you Alex!
Valarie

I studied 2 weeks in Boquete. I had a really great time with Habla YA and my teacher Leidys. She is an excellent teacher and I learned a lot. Boquete was a great place with many outdoor activities and beautiful nature. I also stayed with a host family which I highly recommend as well.

I spent a week in the language school "Habla Ya" in Boquete (Panama) and my teacher was "Leidy". I felt very comfortable in my class. Together with a student from Sweden we have made great progress. Leidy has a nice way to teach, so that we could follow her well. We only talked in spanish. I can recommend this school an our teacher Leidy.

A great place to learn Spanish. I initially only signed up for 1 week but added a second week because I was really enjoying it and learning a lot. Benita is an amazing and patient teacher who knows her stuff. Expensive but worth it.

The highlights of this school are their dedicated teachers. Partly they did much more than necessary: Alex of Boquete introduced me e.g. to his family and friends and we spent a wonderful weekend together which enabled me to get an insight into local family life.
I also stayed with host families and had the chance to see a couple of different host families (because I changed locations and also through other students). All of them were dedicated and warm hearted, however, the standard (also the level of conversation, if you are an advanced Spanish speaker) differs. Some families really live in very basic conditions. The difference between what a student pays (for accommodation at host families or classes) and what the families and teachers receive seems quite unfair, even when you take into account that the school has expenses for renting the location etc. I have been to a couple of similar schools.
However, I would come again because the dedication of teachers and other staff as well as the warm hearted reception by the host families (in spite of the little money that they receive by the schools) was outstanding.

My time in Boquete was altogether outstandingly great! Boquete is a nice little town with lots of things to do while studying spanish. My host family was lovely and I couldn`t wish for a better teacher. Leidys was very attentive, patient, always in a good mood and very proffesional, she taught me so many things in such a short time. Thank you so much for everything!

I live in Costa Rica, struggling with my limited Spanish, and a friend recommended Habla Ya in Boquete, Panama as an alternative to some of the more expensive alternatives locally.

I contacted Habla Ya and they quickly make arrangements to accommodate my need for private classes at their school in Boquete. I chose 30 hour a week private lessons and full immersion with a Panamanian Family for three weeks. The staff at the school took care of everything including finding the family, directions for getting to David from the border, and transport from David to Boquete.

Once at the school they quickly put me to work with my instructor Alex Cano, and his associates. During my first lunch break, they transported me to my host family's house, introduced me to my new "roommate" and let me drop off my luggage.

Habla Ya uses a brilliant technique of daily lessons along with constant practice, daily and hourly. After my 2nd class I was not allowed to use English at all anymore which forces you to start thinking in Spanish immediately. An average class would consist of greetings and conversational speaking about your day and previous night. The instructors pretty much let you talk about anything you want as long as it's in Spanish. If you break into your mother tongue, the instructor will quickly move you back towards the lesson or prompt you to change languages. So there was constant pressure to stay "on point" but you had plenty of freedom and encouragement to talk about anything you wanted. But they were happy to engage with you on any topic.

The class would end with some sort of homework which generally was based on the lessons for the day.

At the end of the day (which was about 3pm local time for me) you were allowed to continue using the wifi or school facilities for as long as the place was open. There were plenty of restaurants, stores, tourist attractions, and markets within easy walking distance (including a modern public library). Reception would help me with anything I needed from finding coconut oil to taking a tour of the local volcano, Baru.

The host family in Boquete consisted of an elderly lady who rented out space to among others, her son and his wife. She was nice, cooked me two meals a day and regularly engaged me in conversation (especially at meal time)….oh yeah and she also did my laundry.

Boquete itself, is beautiful. The air is fresh and sometimes cool but everything is within easy walking distance and taxi's are very inexpensive (less than a dollar for places in and around Boquete itself).

I would definitely recommend the school for any aspiring to learn Spanish. It was a wonderful experience that improved my Spanish dramatically. Thanks to Alex and the entire staff at Habla Ya Boquete!!!

I studied at Habla Ya Boquete for 2 weeks, and my Spanish has definitely improved. My teacher, Alex, did a great job of incorporating my interests into the structured curriculum. All of the teachers and staff were very helpful and welcoming, and my host family was amazing. I would defintely recommend Habla Ya Boquete.

I attended Habla Ya in Boquete for three weeks. Alex was my Spanish teacher. He is extremely knowledgeable. He is an excellent teacher. He challenged me and encouraged me to improve each day. I looked forward to coming to his class. He was fun and engaging. He explained things and gave great examples so that I could understand things clearly. Alex has a huge heart and a passion for teaching. My experience at Habla Ya was fantastic!

Asisti a Habla Ya en Boquete por tres semanas. Alex ha sido mi profesor de espanol. El es conocedor y es bueno ensenando espanol. El me desafio y me animo a dar lo mejor de mi todos los dias. Esperaba ir a su clase. Fue divertido e interesante. Explico cosas y dio ejemplos para que yo pudiera entender las cosas con claridad. Alex tiene un gran corazon y una pasion por la ensenanza. El no solo es un maestro maravilloso, sino que tambien es un gran amigo.

I had Jesús for a teacher during our one week of Spanish classes in Boquete. I felt like he knew what he was doing and was very nice and helpful. For me, it was an introduction to the Spanish language and he helped me develop my beginner skills. He did age appropriate learning with us, like playing games. He did have to speak to my parents once about my behavior and was professional, compassionate and complimentary of my strengths and came across as a very kind person. This program provided a great week of learning for our whole family, at our different skill levels with the Spanish language.

I had a great experience learning more Spanish speaking skills with this program and my teacher, Leidys. My husband and I were ina class with another couple and Leidys did a great job of communicating, only in Spanish, in a way we could all understand and improve our ability to use the Spanish language. We were all quite novices, but my skills, vocabulary and confidence was improved over the one week class. My only wish is that we had more time to stay for two more weeks and continue the learning. The pace of learning was great, for the four hours a day and wasn’t stressful at all. The afternoon time slot allowed a relaxing morning. Leidys made if comfortable, fun and just had so much good information to share. She’s a great communicator. All the staff there were friendly and welcoming. The classrooms can get warm. So dress to allow you to stay cool. There is a coffee shop in the same little area, so that was great to use at breaks.

Great Spanish lesson experience with Leidys at Habla Ya
My family and I just finished a one week Spanish class (5 half days)in Boquete with Leidys as our instructor. She was patient, supportive, and knowledgeable. We had fun and learned more than we had hoped and now feel prepared and excited to travel more in Panama and Ecuador. Boquete is fun with lots of good restaurants and has many well organized outdoor activities to choose from. The school was very good about accommodating each of our needs based on our current knowledge of Spanish. They were even able to accommodate our daughter with high functioning autism. I highly recommend this school and Leidys and hope to return in the future.

I first met Leidys during my time at Habla Ya in Boquete. She's absolutely lovely - so I was very excited to hear that she was going to teach my online classes.
Leidys is a very professional teacher who focuses on the aspects that are most helpful to me. I particularly asked her for listening and speaking practice and there has not been a moment where she wouldn't come up with great topics to work on. She makes sure to always have advice how to avoid common mistakes and how to specifically improve my Spanish. I'm very happy to have her as a teacher and can definitely recommend her as a teacher.

I love these schools! I spent two weeks in beautiful Boquete with Leidys, and I can't say enough good things about her. She is a clear and concise teacher; you will grow leaps and bounds in a short amount of time! I also had my two sons, ages 12 and 7 in the program with Kimberley, Yeremy, and Alexander and they have very positive experiences.
We are currently in Bocas Del Toro and we are having excellent experiences here as well. We just finished our first week and have one week left. My teacher here is Sergio and he is also excellent. My sons have Jessica and Lynette and they both are growing and comprehending so much! We will have four weeks total in the program by the time we return home, and it will be difficult to say goodbye to the beautiful country and people of Panama. :)
If you want to learn a lot in a short amount of time come to Habla Ya! They do a wonderful job with their methodology and with their teacher training. I am planning on continuing with online lessons after I return home!

My overall experience of Habla Ya was very positive - fun, interesting and I learnt a lot. My teachers (Alex in Boquete and Yarixell in Panama City) were both great, with engaging classes and a range of different activities - my level improved significantly in the time I was there. The school is well organised and very helpful with administration and activities outside classes - I'd definitely recommend it.

I just finished four weeks of Spanish school with Habla Ya in Boquete. It's been a great experience all around. I stayed with a wonderful local family and my host mum Lucy was fantastic. I had booked myself in for four weeks of small group classes but in the end I had one-on-one lessons all along as it was only me in the intermediate category. My teacher Alex was super nice and showed a real interest in my work and fields of interest. Besides the regular book subjects we talked about yoga, the Egyptian pantheon, religion, politics, equal rights and the essence of a happy life. It's been fun going to class and the class structure was generally put together really well. All staff at the school were super friendly, professional and helpful and I can only recommend this place.
In ways of quality, attention, friendliness and professionalism this is the place to choose!

Great place to learn and practice Spanish. Fantastic environment with protruding and motivated young teachers that create a nice atmosphere for the students. They adopt to your level and take it from there.
Unfortunately the city is very well adopted to the growing number of US Americans that spend their retirement here. local shops have adopted to it by being very proficient in english which makes practicing Spanish outside the school a challange.
Special thanks to Alexander Cano who proved unhuman patience with me.

Sergio, Kimberly, Leidys, and Benita were wonderful teachers. We loved our time in Panama and learned so much Spanish! Highly recommended!

Excelentes clases de español
Yo soy una estudiante frequente de Habla Ya Boquete. Este año tube mis clases de grupo y clases privadas con Leidys. Las clases son una mezcla de gramatica, tareas, communicacion. Leidys prepara sus clases buenissimo y adapta su velocidad de enseñar a los niveles de los estudiantes. Ademas las clases siempre son divertidos tambien. Gracias por la experiencia!

" Recuerdos de Habla Ya".

I maybe among the eldest students to occupy a class room at the Habla Ya Boquete Campus. The age range and nationalities of students varied. The sense of community and passion for learning remained constant.
Raised in the Canal Zone during the 1950s, I was familiar with the curative powers of Ceviche de Corvina and chicha. I had wandered some of the fern and waterfall lined hiking trails, but I was not prepared for the excellence of the teaching and administrative staff at Habla Ya. Professora Leidys, known for her patience and humor, served as a cultural attché with her knowlege of Panamanian history, customs, folklore and family life. Her command of Spanish grammer and linguistics presented in her entertaining and innovative teaching style, made each class an adventure.
The family living program reinforced our class work and privided a near- total inmersion experience. The abuelito my household enjoyed discussing politics and events forgotten by most. The host mother cooked with cariño. I was handed the house keys and accompanied by family to festivals and outings. What I found particularly remarkable about Habla Ya was the return rate. Class mates from Canada, Belgium, Germany and elsewhere talked of classes from years past. Folks keep coming back for refresher courses.
That says something!

I took online classes through Habla Ya before my DELE A2 exam. Kimberly in Boquete was my professor and she was amazing. She was kind, fun, and helpful. We reviewed a lot of material and she made me feel prepared for my exam. Many thanks to Kimberly and Habla Ya!

Tomé los clases “online” de Habla Ya antes de mi examen de DELE A2. Kimberly fue mi profesor y ella fue maravillosa. Ella es amable, divertido, y servicial. Nosotras revisamos mucho del material y gracias a Kimberly, me sentaba lista para mi examen. Muchas gracias a Kimberly y Habla Ya!

I had a great time studying in Habla Ya (Boquete) for three weeks. I stayed with a wonderful host family that made me feel at home. The “Group 4 PLUS 1” course format is a good way to learn quickly with, each day, 4 h of group lesson plus 1 h in private during which you can focus on what you personally need to practice more. The teachers are dedicated and the staff welcoming and eager to help. Muchas gracias a Leidys, a Reynin, a Alexander y a Yubal.

After studying Spanish on and off for three years, I craved an opportunity to study more intensely for three weeks. Habla Ya in Boquete provided an excellent opportunity via a combination of private lessons and small group classes. The one-on-one private sessions allowed me to fill in some of the gaps and confusion in my previous learning and to speak extensively. The four-hour small-group lessons introduced me to multiple new tenses while providing significant time for practicing and conversation. We used no English in class, which kept me from taking the easy way out when things got challenging. One frustration: The course text is confusing at times without clear explanation of concepts and uses.

The staff was informative, prompt and responsive to my inquiries before I came to Panama and extremely helpful when I arrived. The staff and faculty of Habla Ya’s school in Boquete was extremely skilled, helpful and challenging. Kimberly Rodriguez and Reynin Quintero were excellent teachers, and my tutor Erian brought a sense of fun to the hard work of remembering tenses and vocabulary. When one instructor was ill for two days, other skilled instructors stepped in. When another student had problems with a homestay, the school quickly and seamlessly made other arrangements.

Boquete is an easy, agreeable place to get around, surrounded by beautiful hills, with coffee and sugar fincas nearby, and the beaches on both the Pacific and Caribbean close enough for weekend trips. I lived with a wonderful family, who were generous with their hospitality and home. Wish I could have stayed much longer.

Experiencia estupenda!!!!

Hace 6 semanas que estoy aquí en Boquete. Primero tuve 3 semanas en un grupo el cual disfrité mucho. Pues, estoy trabando en la casa Esparanca como voluntaria y por eso tengo lecciones privadas. Kimberly es mi profesora y me apoza mucho en cualquier cosa. Me hace hablar z me explica sobre la vida en Panama en lo que se refiere a la cultura, contexto pólitio o historía de Panama. también su ayuda en mostrarme concaioes y juegos para niños en español es muy valioso.

I’ve tried taking Spanish at college night school, using online tools and listening to educational CDs. Nothing truly worked before immersing and attending three weeks at Habla Ya, and particularly working with my professor, Leidys Pitti. Leidys is not only extremely patient, but has the ability to recognize the level of each student’s ability and progress and meet them where they are. My first week of class was with three other students, and Leidys skillfully engaged each of us in asking questions, writing, and practicing new learning in fun ways in class. The second week, I was a solo with Leidys, and we had the opportunity to have real conversations every day. I’m amazed at how well we each understood each other and enjoyed the discussions and practice. The third week, there were two students. With Leidys teaching and a lot of practice, we had gained confidence in remembering not only many, many words, but in understanding how to put them into sentences and improve on grammar usage (verbs, adjectives, possessive, plural, etc.). I cannot recommend Habla Ya and Leidys enough. These three weeks have been game changing in building a solid platform for my ongoing use of the Spanish language. I’m thrilled to be going back to Los Angeles to practice with friends and look forward to returning to Habla Ya to continue building my skills to speak this beautiful language.

Habla Ya Boquete set me up with group and private lessons as well as a homestay with a local family. My instructor, Leidys, was very friendly and spoke very clearly, which helped with my understanding. She was a very good teacher and I enjoyed learning Spanish from her.

My homestay was excellent; although it was a 20 minute walk out of town, the views on the way to school and back were fabulous (note that some of my classmates stayed with families who lived around the corner from school, a 3 minute walk, so there's a wide variety of locations). My host family was amazing and fed me very well. Also, in true sink or swim manner, I had to use my Spanish with the local taxi and bus drivers on days I did not feel like walking back uphill (this resulted in some hilarious stories).

The residents of Boquete are amazingly friendly and living with a host family really gave me a great insight into that. I was able to meet other travelers my age by popping into local hostels and signing up for group activities, and of course there's always the option of going exploring with your classmates from school.

I really recommend the homestay option for solo travelers as it will really help your Spanish; you can always sign up for fun activities at the local hostels or through the school.

One last note - the Boquete group classes are mostly in the afternoon; I think this is because it rains more in the afternoon. So prepare to schedule your extracurricular excursions in the mornings (can be difficult if you have private lessons in the morning) or on weekends.

Belle expérience à l école Habla Y’a bien tructurer. Professeure Leidys très professionnalise avec expérience.
Pour la ville de Boquete très charmante température.
Un peut fraîche avec un peut de pluie.
Les villageois très gentils.
Je recommande Boquete école Habla Y’a pour cours d espagnol.
Pour la nourriture très bon et abordable, avec beaucoup de Variété. Transport facile d accès et peu honnereux.

Belle expérience à l école Habla Y’a bien tructurer. Professeure Leidys très professionnalise avec expérience.
Pour la ville de Boquete très charmante température.
Un peut fraîche avec un peut de pluie.
Les villageois très gentils.
Je recommande Boquete école Habla Y’a pour cours d espagnol.
Pour la nourriture très bon et abordable, avec beaucoup de Variété. Transport facile d accès et peu honnereux.

I was in Boquete for my second week of spanish classes. First week I took classes in Panama City. In Boquete my teacher was Leidys. She is a great teacher. I learned a lot and had fun. Muchas Gracias Leidys.

Excellent school, wonderful teachers

I came here for 3 months to study Spanish and I'm very happy with my stay here. I took private courses because I already spoke a conversational level of Spanish, and I would recommend this to anyone in a similar situation because it let me focus on my specific needs. Private classes were also very chill, and a lot of the time was spent just talking with the teacher. The teachers I spent the most time with were Jeremy, Leidys, and Yuval but since my stay was so long I worked with most of the teachers here. Everyone was very kind and welcoming, and I felt comfortable with them. All in all, I would definitely recommend this school.

I was a student at Habla Ya school in Boquete, Panama for two weeks. I loved it! The school is centrally located and there is a great coffee shop next door to help you stay on point! The office is well organized, the common space is comfortable, the schedule of extracurricular activities is diverse, and the classrooms are clean. I super enjoyed my time there! Leidys was my teacher and she is fantastic! She was always punctual, professional, positive, and flexible. My classmate and I had to spend part of one class at the doctor and Leidys made sure we spoke only Spanish with him. We learned so much and also made close friendships. I miss my time there so much! Thanks Habla Ya! Muchas gracias Leidys!

Yo era estudiante en la escuela Habla Ya en Boquete, Panamá por dos semanas. Me encanto! La escuela está en el centro y hay una buena café al lado para ayudarle a prestar atención! La oficina está bien organizada, el espacio común es cómodo, el horario de actividades extracurriculares es diverso, y las aulas están limpias. Me super disfruté de mi tiempo allí! Leidys fue mi profesora y ella es fantástica! Siempre fue puntual, profesional, positiva y flexible. Mi compañera de clase y yo tuvimos que pasar parte de una clase en el médico y Leidys se aseguró de que hablamos sólo español con él. Aprendimos mucho y también hicimos buenos amigos. Extraño tanto a Panamá! Gracias Habla Ya! Muchas gracias Leidys!

I spent four weeks at Habla Ya in Boquete and one week in Bocas Del Toro studying Spanish with Habla Ya. In Boquete, I took group classes with Yubal and he is excellent. He made class fun and was clear with the material so me and my classmate learned a lot! He also speaks very good English which was very helpful in times of confusion for clarification, and he was sure to review anything we weren't clear about. I looked forward to going to class every day.

Also in Boquete I took private classes with Kimberly and Jeremy. Kimberly is incredibly sweet and very good at creating conversation with her students which lets us help practice when we don't even realize it. I really enjoyed my time with her! I spent less time with Jeremy but he was also helpful in going over new vocabulary and helping me remember it. Both professors were sure to help reiterate what I had been learning in group classes.

I got to stay with the Miranda family in Boquete which was a complete gift! All were extremely kind and fun to talk to, and their house is like a garden oasis that is beyond peaceful.

For one week in Bocas del Toro I stayed with the Morales Campbell family, who were very hospitable and easy to talk to. Their house is right in the middle of town which made walking easy as well. My professor was Benita, who I loved so much! She treated me and my other classmate like daughters, and her direct teaching style helped us advance faster in the level we were in. Benita wanted to know how we learned best so that she could teach accordingly, which was also so cool. She made my short time in Bocas very fun and made me feel immediately welcome.

I studied Spanish for a month in Bocas and Boquete. I spent 3 weeks in Bocas fell in love with the place and the people. My time in Boquete was tranquil and an amazing end to a incredible trip. I was lucky enough to have awesome teachers - Benita was my teacher in Bocas and Leidys was my teacher in Boquete (also had Kimberly for private classes). I recommend that if you'd like to learn Spanish - Panama is a great option. If you like to go out at night and enjoy beaches Bocas is certainly for you - or if you prefer a laid back hiking town you should check out Boquete.

Over the last year I have had occasion to work with Habla Ya language schools of Panama, first during a one-month series of on-site individual and group lessons with a variety of teachers in Panama City and subsequently via the web with my teacher Leidys in Boquete. My initial goal had been to take my basic command of Spanish to a higher level in working with patients (I am a physician), and I can confidently say that this goal has been more than amply met. Though I continue to use interpreters in some situations, their role has generally been to confirm my understanding or to assist in particularly complex communications.

While advancing my capacity to use the Spanish language was my initial goal, what I have also experienced has been the delight of exposure to a culture and history of which I had been at best peripherally aware as well as rich literary and musical traditions, and I credit this awakening in no small part to the enthusiasm and professionalism of my teachers at Habla Ya. I have worked with tutors and teachers in a variety of contexts in recent years trying to improve my skills, and I have made far more progress working with Habla Ya than anywhere else. The school has developed a very effective approach to teaching, maintains a very high standard of pedagogy, and adapts very effectively to individual needs.

I continue with my studies at Habla Ya, confident that my understanding of the Spanish language and its iinterwoven culture will continue to improve. Thanks, Habla Ya!

I only stayed for one week but still learned a lot. My teacher was Leidys and I managed to learn a lot and work hard while still having fun in class. The classes were much more helpful than a traditional Spanish class and I was able to move at my own pace.

In total I took 6 weeks of private lessons at the Boquete campus and could not be happier with the outcome! I took 6 hours of spanish a day and I was impressed with how effecient Habla Ya's lesson books are. Yubal, my professor, exceeded my expectations! He prepared interactive and interesting lessons. For 6 hours a day, I was impressed that Yubal always found ways to keep class focused on the subject and fun at the same time. It is helpful having a professor that is able to answer my questions in English, seeing that I am a beginner. I am so grateful to have Yubal as my professor!

As a retired educator I had high expectations about what I wanted in a language school. With Habla Ya in Boquete I was not disappointed. I find the school to be both welcoming and professional. As a beginner I found the level of instruction to be excellent, challenging but not overwhelming. I particularly liked the teaching style of my instructor Eduardo, who used humour and patience to engage the small class. The homework he assigned was appropriate and again not overly taxing. The school is located in a mountain town with many activities especially if you like outdoor pursuits. I timed my visit to take advantage of the Flower Festival and the Boquete Jazz and Blues Festival. If you are a bird watcher and even if you are not it is worth the hike into the mountains to see the ridiculously beautiful Resplendent Quetzel.

As I have not been to other language schools, it is difficult to compare HablaYa. However, I found two of my instructors - Eduardo and Yubal - to be excellent. Their teaching style meshed with how I learn best, they were patient, and they would take the time - in English, if necessary - to help me get through difficult concepts. As for the school administration, I believe there is room for improvement. Nevertheless, I would still recommend the school overall.

I have learned 4 weeks Spanish at Habla Ya in May/ June 2017 (3 weeks in Bocas and 1 in Boquete). I have really enjoyed learning Spanish and got to the basic conversational level. The course is well structured, the facilities are good and the teachers are well motivated. Personally, I liked Bocas more as the atmosphere is more laid-back, there were more students and the school feels more like a home. All teachers are good, and it was advanteagous that Eduardo speaks English. He could explain me in detail why I said something wrong and not only say the correct thing in Spanish. He has a profound knowledge of Spanish. Also, he is a nice person to have a small talk with. Overall, it was a great experience!

I studied in Habla Ya Boquete for 3 weeks in private lessons. The town of Boquete is a perfect destination to study Spanish. Boquete itself has a lot of charm and its location in the mountains provides a beautiful backdrop and a perfect climate.

Everyone at Hablaya Boquete was extremely helpful and very professional. I learned more than I even expected during my three weeks. My teachers name was Leidys. She was both enjoyable to be around and a great teacher. Her ability to be patient with me but also not shy away from telling me if I was making a mistake was very helpful.

I would absolutely recommend Habla Ya and have even extended my Spanish classes for three more weeks to try out Habla Ya's school in Bocas Del Toro.

I booked the group lessons for beginners in Boquete. My teacher was Leidys and she did a really good job in teaching as grammar as well as encouraging us to speak Spanish. In my second week I actually had private lessons as there was no other student in my level at the school.

I took 4 weeks of group lessons and I learned a lot for such a short time. My teacher was Eduardo and liked the style of learning a lot, we had a good combination of learning grammar, training conversational skills and doing homework to practice the days topics. Learning in small groups of 4 or even less people most of the time was always fun and our teacher always adapted to the skills and specific questions of each of the students. For me it was a great experience, and I can only recommend the school and especially the location in Boquete.

This school really helped me to learn Spanish because the way they teach us by only speaking in Spanish. This gives you the opportunity to use Spanish in common situations. I had a teacher named Edwardo Espinosa who definitely helped me learn Spanish is more fun and interesting ways. We would play card games in only Spanish. Also, we played another game that was like I Spy in Spanish. The I Spy game made me have to describe things that I saw outside which is definitely important to know in other languages. In my class it was not just games I still did stuff in a workbook which is just as important. Also I enjoyed having a coffee shop next door because you could get coffee when you were on break. In conclusion, I learned more Spanish at this Spanish school for three weeks than I have at my middle school in entire school year.

As part of preparations for a 3 month trip around Panama and Costa Rica, I have had the pleasure of learning a LOT of spanish at Habla Ya in Boquete. It has been a great experience and I also had a great teacher "Edwardo". Very good and pleasent teacher. It has been fun to practice my "new language" on the streets of Boquete.

After a stay in Boquete in 2014 and 2016 I visited Boquete again in 2017. And once more I took Spanish classes at the Habla Ya Spanish School.

I booked 4 weeks of group lessons in advance and extended my stay with more private lessons. I got a promotion offer and got a free diving class in Bocas as I booked some time in advance.

For the second time I attended classes with Leidys Pitti. I was very glad that the school made it happen that I could join her class again. Within 4 weeks we finished one level and she gave me good advices for the upcoming DELE exams.

Everyone at HablaYa is really friendly and helpful and for me it felt like coming home this time. If you have any questions - no matter what kind of question - they are there to help you.

That is why I honestly want to thank everyone at HablaYa and especially Leidys for the wonderful time I had in Boquete.

I was an Habla Ya student for 6 weeks in March and April 2017. My experience was excellent right from the beginning, when I was working with the Habla Ya team while I was abroad to make sure that my classes as well as my staying with a host family (including 2 meals each day) were taken care of.

I was attending a group class in my first week. My teacher was Tamara. She is a lovely lady who has tremendous patience and a great sense of humor. She always finds reasons to laugh wholeheartedly which is contagious. We had a lot of fun in her classes while she also made sure to give us a good dose of words, grammar and knowledge.

I took private classes from my second week with Leidys. She took good care of me, filling our classes with a variety of speaking, listening, reading and grammar. I improved a lot within a short period of time.
Leidys has a relaxed personality and enjoys her life which is something that a lot of us need to learn.

I had two classes with Yubal. He is a very intelligent and attentive man. I could talk to him about anything whatsoever, he truly cared about what I had to say and conducted honest conversations with me. I felt like we had been long-time friends and enjoyed our classes tremendously.

I had one class with Eduardo. He let me talk a lot which was exactly what I needed, i.e. to practice my Spanish. I also appreciated that he provided me with practical advice about where to find places of my interest and how to take care of stuff around here.

I am very grateful for Habla Ya and highly recommend their services. Thanks to them I can enjoy understanding Spanish-spoken people and expressing myself in Spanish which was a childhood dream for me.

I should have taken this class last year when I travel to Boquete! In three short weeks I learned enough words and phrases to begin actually communicating. I'm far beyond the typical hello, goodbye, and thank you. I've learned key phrases and verbs, and I'm on my way!

I choose group lessons and was properly assessed as A1, beginner. My group had six students with various ages and life experiences. We all learned together and had fun doing it. Habla Ya covered the basics then cemented the learnings with interactive games and practicals. My group quickly became friends.

The secret to Habla Ya are the teachers. My teacher, Leidys Pitti, was engaging right from the start and never let any of us feel ignored. She excels in her profession knowing just when to push us, as well as how to get the group to relax and have fun. When any of us correctly answered questions she was quick with a genuine "Muy bien". Leidys truly has a passion for teaching, helping people grow, and making everyone feel comfortable!

I will be attending Habla Ya! next January when I return to Boquete!
David Workinger

Eduardo E. is a highly motivated teacher who encourages his students to learn in a poisitive atmosphere. He communicates subjects matter clearly, gives enough stimulating advises to improve ones oral and written skills. As an Instructor/ profesor he is well organised, structured in his manner to keep the individual students progress and encourages independent thinking. His positive and interested natur of beeing stimulated myself within my private one to one lessons to improve quickly my speaking and writing experience. I really liked how Eduardo Used a lot of examples so the concepts were more easily understood.

I wanted to go to a country to learn spanish the fast and fun way. Panama sounded so nice and I found this school through a travelagency in Sweden. They rekommended me 2 weeks at school in Boquete and 2 weeks in Bocas del toro. A fantastic experience. I lived in a family, with who I ate every day. Breakfast and dinner. 4 hours of school every day. I did not know any Spanish when I came. My teacher Eduardo Espinosa in Boquete was a fantastic "maestro". He really wanted us to be able to talk spanish outside school. He gave us a lot of confidence to really try. So fun. And I really spoke a lot when I finaly after 4 weeks left Panama. If you go to Boquete bring your raingear, because it rains once in a while.

10 Semaines de cours avec mon professeur EDUARDO, Furent un réel plaisir D apprendre cette langue qui est celle de mon grand-père.
EDUARDO fut à la hauteur de toutes mes attentes avec un véritable échange, une disponibilité à tous instants et un DON véritable pour enseigner, sa compétence est à toutes épreuves avec patience, logique et inteligence, une excellente acuité de ses élèves, écoute et maîtrise de ses connaissances sans oublier sa gentillesse et humour.
JE RECOMMANDE FORTEMENT ,** EDUARDO **.
BOQUETE est l endroit idéal pour apprendre à connaître ses habitants, sa nature verdoyante et généreuse et plein D endroit à visiter ! Sources chaudes près D une rivière, le volcan BARU VUE sur 2 océans , tyrolienne géante ! Sortie à cheval, cascades magnifiques. .etc...
MERCI EDUARDO. .

I had a fantastic time in Boquete learning Spanish with Eduardo Espinosa and Leidys Pittì. Leidys was so lovely and loved her teaching style. Eduardo was so funny and he had us joking in Spanish in no time!



I was there for 3 months and they did an awesome job of making me feel very welcome and were also very patient with me. I would definitely recommend the school and the teachers to anyone!!

Do it! Come have the time of your life in Panama!

Unfortunately I had only time for one week of spanish school in Bocas del toro, due to a tight schedule in Panama. However I can highly recommend the Hably Ya spanish school. The stuff there was really helpful and my teacher Eduardo did an amazing job in this one week. I already knew some basics of spanish, but this week of private lessons with him definitely helped me to improve my use of grammar and speaking skills. I would have loved to stay some more weeks at Habla ya school!

I spent three weeks in Boquete and two weeks in Bocas del Toro taking classes at Habla Ya. I had five different instructors in a mix of group and private classes, and I really appreciated the different styles of each one. (They also spoke with each other about my progress so that there was an easy transition between schools and between group and private lessons.)

Yubal was my primary group lessons instructor. He was engaging, well-prepared, and very supportive. He was genuinely interested in students’ opinions and ideas during discussions, and was always happy to answer my (many) questions. He had a great sense of humour and made the classes a comfortable, stress-free environment. I went from knowing a few words in my first class to feeling comfortable in many conversational settings by the end.

Eduardo was my primary private lessons instructor. He was an excellent, thoughtful teacher, and was quick to figure out where my strengths were and where I needed help. I really appreciated that he saw the classes as a flexible and collaborative process – sometimes he would suggest a concept for further study based on what he heard in our conversations, and other times I would ask him to teach or review a specific concept in our next class. He was always well-prepared and extremely patient. These private classes helped me feel more confident overall with speaking Spanish (we started each class with a conversation), as well as with specific concepts that had been challenging for me.

I also had three other teachers: Tamara in Boquete was a great teacher and made our classes interesting. Sergio and Eleana in Bocas used a number of engaging techniques to help me practise conversations using past and present verb tenses.

Some of the teachers would join groups of students for lunch, and they were friendly both inside and outside of classes and we all shared stories about our own lives. Getting to know the teachers and fellow students was a great part of the experience. Not all of the group activities organized by the school went ahead because of low sign-up numbers, but those that did were a lot of fun, especially the group cooking and dinner together at the Bocas school and the Saturday morning conversational classes.

Habe in Habla Ya 3 Wochen Privatunterricht genossen! Vorab: die Buchung verlief reibungslos. Ich wurde nach meiner schriftlicher Anfrage gleich zurückgerufen, so konnten diverse Fragen innert kurzer Zeit (in deutsch) beantwortet werden. DANKE ... Meine Familie war eine "echte Familie" (Grossmutter, Tochter und Enkelsohn leben im gleichen Haus) am Abend mit Besuch von Geschwistern und Neffen,somit war ich von Anfang an ein "Familienmitglied". 3 Wochen Privatunterricht mit Leidys(Grammatik) und Kimberly(Konversation).War eine tolle, lehrreiche Zeit, da der Unterricht total auf meine Bedürfnisse angepasst wurde! Den Gruppenunterricht kenne ich leider nicht, weiss nur, dass die Klassen sehr klein waren! (3-4 Personen) Die Schule kann ich mit gutem Gewissen weiterempfehlen! (Vor allem den Privatkurs ;) )

I spent weeks studying at Habla Ya in Boquete, Panamá. I have taken classes in Spanish before, both in a small group setting and private classes.

I am happy to say that my teacher in Boquete, Eduardo, was excellent. I had him for group lessons and, for a brief time, in 1-on-1 lessons.

In group lessons, he taught a lot of material while keeping the class fun and interesting. Sometimes language classes can be dry and time drags on quite a bit. Not so with Eduardo.

In private situations, he possesses two very important attributes as a teacher. He is flexible. He can detect where more work needs to be done and adjust the use of class time appropriately. Additionally, he is very patient. I imagine that, at times, teaching people who a language that is foreign to them can challenge your patience. If this is the case with him, you certainly wouldn’t know it. He seems to enjoy teaching and working with students.

He also has an impressive ability to explain difficult concepts clearly. I am not certain, but this may come from being multilingual himself.

Overall, the experience was very positive. I learned a lot and had a good time doing it.

We spent 5 weeks with Habla Ya in their 3 locations in Panama and attended a so called Minigroup, which means that it was only us two and the teacher. 1 week in Panama City, 2 weeks in Boquete and 2 weeks in Bocas del Toro. The help and information we received before we got to Panama was very good, precise and fast. The classrooms have everything you need and most of the them, especially in Boquete have great views of the surrounding mountains. All the teachers were very good, especially Leidys Pitti which we had for 3/4 of the time, was very nice. A good combination of learning grammar, expanding vocabulary but also playing games and doing various other typs of communication skills helped to improve our Spanish from absolutely nothing to a solid B1 within the timeframe.

Mi maestro a Habla Ya, Eduardo, era excelente! El eres un maestro magnifico! El hablo' muy lento en ambos espanol y ingles, y yo entendi' todos palabras, y gramaticas. Eduardo entienda como ensenar muy bueno, y tuve una gran experiencia a Habla Ya en Boquete. Muchas gracias, Eduardo y Habla Ya!

I did private conversation in the morning and small group class in the afternoon for two weeks. In no time I had the confidencse to try and speak to locals thanks to the patience encouragement and affir ation of my teachers Laidys Pitti and Kimberly. These teachers were just awesome at explaining clearly and carefully and always had time for questions. I plan to continue with online classes when I get home.

Leidys Pitti is a friendly and attentive professor who delivered well-planned and well-paced lessons that ensured maximum comprehension. Her knowledgeable and experienced teaching gave us the confidence to carry conversations solely in Spanish. Her strength lies in her willingness to share Panamanian cultural norms and customs alongside her lessons. Her amiable nature and quick wit made the experience enjoyable and rewarding.

I have attended Habla La for Spanish classes in Boquete, Panama with Leidys Pitti as my instrucyor. It was exactly what I needed to become more proficient in speaking Spanish. The lessons have been presented in a way that makes them easy to learn and enjoyable at the same time.

I like Boquete because it is so beautiful and the climate is perfect almost all year long. The people are very friendly and welcoming. Plenty to do and see with 83 restaurants a beautiful park in the center of town and activities for all ages.

Another visit to Habla Ya.
This is my sixth visit to Hablaya and adding all the time together that I have
spent at this scholl it is 15 moths.
Virtually all this time I have had the same teacher Leidys and I always took private lessons. She has helped me to achieve a very advanced level in Reading and talking not just on coloquial level but also on subjects more erudite.
This includes the use of idiomatic expressions, dificult gramatical phrases, use of the subjuntive in all tenses.
It has been hard work but extremely rewarding and I am extremly grateful for Leidys help and for the support from the entire scholl.
Many many thanks Habla Ya.

I have been taking on-line Spanish lessons on and off for several months through Habla Ya. I did have some basic Spanish knowledge at the time. My teacher, Leidys, has been great. She allowed me to go at my won pace and review material, if needed. I work in the medical field, and I received material and assignments related to this topic which was helpful. For me, the most productive part of the lessons were the times spent on conversing back and forth with my teacher on various topics.
Having lessons on-line requires a lot of self-discipline,, especially if you have a full time job. However, it does make you review Spanish on a regular basis in order to be ready for the next lesson.
The only thing I would change is being able to take lessons on the weekends. However, even with the 3 hour time difference from Panama, I was able to find a schedule that work for me.

Studying Spanish in Boquete was fabulous. My teacher, Yubal, is an absolute delight! I had actual taken several weeks of classes with him online via Skype and was SO excited when I was assigned to his class when I went Boquete and could meet him in person.

I love that he uses a lot of different teaching tools so that students can practice all aspects of the language, listening, reading and speaking. What most impressed me about Yubal was his intuitive understanding of my learning needs. When I understood something clearly, we would move through it quickly but when I struggled with a topic he reviewed it more thoroughly with me. Learning another language can be frustrating at times, but Yubal is incredibly patient and motivates through positive encouragement.

If you're looking to improve your Spanish, look no further than Habla Ya.

I've spent the last three weeks in Boquete, studying Spanish at the Habla Ya School. The climate is extremely temperate with a constant temperature of 70ºF and occasional showers in the afternoon. The school itself is wonderful and a perfect place to immerse oneself in Hispanic culture and language. My teacher, Leidys, was extremely kind and accommodating. She adapted the curriculum to suit every of my needs and interests. Moreover, during my week I stayed with a host family I was greeted with open arms and a warm hearth. I'm greatly indebted in the improvement of my Spanish to my time here in Leidys' class. It was a great experience and I recommend the school wholeheartedly!

My family and I studied Spanish this summer at Habla Ya for 7 weeks and had a wonderful experience. Boquete is a beautiful place with cool weather in the summer months, great restaurants and a ton of different activities for the whole family to do when we were not in class. I had Leidys as my teacher and she was always cheerful and professional. She is an amazing teacher and was very sensitive to the needs of each student and you could tell really wanted each student to participate and learn. She was very patient and flexible as the needs of the class changed. The whole class is in Spanish but no matter what level we were at she was able to speak at a level that we could understand as well as challenge us to learn more. I will always be thankful for my time at Habla Ya and in Boquete

Cours Du 16 Mai 2016 au 1 Août 2016 .
Ces 11 semaines de cours furent un réel plaisir d apprendre cette langue qui est celle de mon grand-père espagnole, D autant que mon Professeur EDUARDO fut à la hauteur de toutes mes attentes avec un véritable échange, une disponibilité à tous instants et un DON véritable pour enseigner, sa compétence est à toutes épreuves avec patience , écoute , et metrise de ses connaissances, gentillesse et humour ,nous étions sur un accord majeur !!!
Je recommande fortement EDUARDO.
ET reprendrais mes cours dès mon retour en Octobre prochain avec enthousiasme car Boquete ne manque pas de charme pour sa nature verdoyante et tant de choses à faire et voir....
Tous sont très accueillants et sympathique au sein de cette école HABLAYA BOQUETE.
Seul bémol. . Le secrétariat manque un peu d énergie mais C est le rythme du pays. .. rien de grave .... jajaja. ...

BEATRICE VIRGINI DUTRUEL de FRANCE.

Habla Ya was a fantastic experience. I stayed 5 weeks and my teacher was Leidys. She is the best teacher I've ever had! She is extremely fun, kind, and her patience is endless. :) She definitely has a talent for teaching. The entire class was in Spanish, but I still understood everything that was going on in class (despite having very little Spanish when I arrived). I have learned so much from her since I arrived. All the staff were very friendly. Thank you to everyone at Habla Ya!

“Another excellent experience at Habla Ya

Once again I studied Spanish at Habla Ya from 23rd May to 16th June.
This is the sixth visit and again my private teacher was Leidys with whom I have always had a very personal and friendly relationship.
Because of my advanced level I often had questions which she could answer very professionally. This time we worked with the passive voice and used articles with special grammatical points.
As usual I was very happy and this will not be my last visit to Habla Ya.
Thankyou to Leidys and all at this school.

I studied with Habla Ya in Boquete for 4.5 months (private classes, 4 hours a day) and I had a great experience. I worked with Tamara for the majority of the time and I loved her! Her explanations were so clear. If I didn’t understand something, she would always find another way to explain it to me. And she was fantastic at correcting me when I spoke. We also did fun activities together – I love to cook and at the end a few classes, we made Panamanian food! I miss her and Habla Ya. I just got home and now I’m ready to go back to Panama.

Three years ago I enrolled in online two hour Spanish classes at Habla Ya. I already understood a bit of Spanish and I wanted to learn more and sharpen my skills, and that is exactly what Habla Ya did for me. My online teacher, Leidys Pitti, has to have been one of the best teachers I've had at any school I've been to, and we've only spoken over the Internet! Leidys has been with me for one hundred hours of online classes and I believe my comprehension and speaking Spanish has tripled over just these hundred hours! She's got my respect as a teacher, yet whenever we speak, it feels we're talking on a friendly level. She gets the whole job done while at the same time never hesitating to laugh and have a good time while she's doing it. It's very obvious that she's passionate about teaching language and I definitely recommend Leidys and Habla Ya in Panama for anyone interested in learning/improving Spanish.

If you want to learn or improve your Spanish Language Skills and you’re interested in doing that in a beautiful mountain town with an eternal spring like climate year round you won’t find a better place than the Habla Ya Spanish School in Boquete, Chiriquí, Panamá.
Of course you probably won’t be in school all day, so better to be in a place that is beautiful with lots of other activities to keep you busy when you are not studying.
Before relocating to Panamá my wife and I decided it was imperative to learn the language if we wanted to live in the countryside among Panamanian families. After doing a considerable amount of research we chose Habla Ya’s Boquete campus.
We were given placement tests and assigned to classes appropriate to our skill level – I started at the beginning never having been good with languages in my youth. My first class (group) was with Kimberly who is an awesome Boquete native and great teacher. Group classes, which meet four hours daily, are fun as you get to meet students from all over the world and student interactions can be quite hilarious. We’re all there for the same reason and everyone lends assistance when needed; it’s a great way to make new friends.
After a long break for a visit to the U.S. for the Thanksgiving Holiday I returned to Habla Ya and made a decision to take private lessons (2 hours daily) and what a great choice it was. With my new teacher Ladys I found that I was learning much more in half the time. In a private setting Ladys was able to focus soley on me and my abilities. Being the consummate professional, Ladys has the patience of a saint and is a gifted teacher. I am not fluent by a long shot by I can now communicate and get my message across to people that do not speak a word of English. Ladys and Habla Ya have given me the knowledge and confidence to go out in the real world of Panamá improving my language skills as I go.
Everyone at Habla Ya including the front office personnel, administrators and teachers are great… it’s like having a big family here in Panamá. Highly recommended!

I studied at Habla Ya in Boquete for 2 weeks. I was very pleased with the quality of instruction. I was initially placed in a small group class with Leidys. However, during the first couple of hours she noticed from my speech that I already knew some of the subjects her class was going to cover. Therefore she suggested I move to a higher class. I was impressed that she was paying close enough attention to my speech to recognize this (there were 5 people in the class), and that she took the initiative to suggest a change. She was a wonderful teacher, by the way, and I know the rest of the group really enjoyed being in her class. So then I ended up changing to private lessons because it turned out I was between levels. So for the rest of the time I studied 2 hours a day with Tamara. Tamara was great! She was patient, encouraging and flexible. Several times I requested schedule changes and she accommodated me each time. Since I really wanted to improve my ability to speak, she let me work on that, and listened patiently and corrected me gently as I spoke. She did it just the right amount so that I didn’t get discouraged and could feel more confident about it. Tamara always paid attention and seemed interested in my topics. As my ability grew, we were able to have some really good conversations and she shared information about herself as well. By the time the 2 weeks were up, not only was I much better at having a conversation in Spanish, I also had a new friend in Panama!

I only can say good things about Habla Ya in Boquete, a wonderful place to study. The school is well organized,the staff friendly and helpful.
I had both, an individual and a group class for two weeks in January 2016.
My teacher Leidys Pitti was excellent, helping me a lot to improve my Spanish.
Our lessons were all very entertaining having so many topics to speak about.
Leidys, being such an open minded young women taught me a lot about live and culture of Panama and made me practice my Spanish by showing interest in all my concerns.The work in small groups (we were only 2 students for the first and 4 for the second week) was very effective too and the broad range of teaching materials used made it a great fun. I can highly recommend this school. Antje

Habla Ya is an excellent school! I learned so much and had an excellent teacher, Leidys. She really helped me understand the lessons and was very clear and patient. Both group and individual classes were great! I wish I had more time to spend here in this beautiful part of Panama. I highly recommend this school.

ADVANCED SPANISH COURSE
For the fifth time I attended Habla ya Spanish school for private lessons at the level C1/C2. My teachers were Ericka and Leidys, both of whom helped me enomously in the complex written and oral exercises. Not only in their professional capacity but also in their friendly attitudes did the show their competence. I can recommend this school in all aspects for anyone wanting to learn Spanish whatever their level.

This week, sadly, I finished a level one Spanish course at Habla Ya Spanish school in Boquete with an excellent instructor, Yorelys. I’m sad because I wanted to continue. I've learned a lot...and learned I have a lot more to learn.

For me, learning Spanish at Habla Ya in Boquete, Panama, has been an excellent experience and left me feeling it was money well spent. Their course material is very good. My instructor supplemented the course material with her own material (flash cards, handouts). The exercises allowed students to more fully interact with each other. She taught with lots of energy, positive spirit, smiles, and laughter in every class. She made the learning process a pleasurable experience. You have motivated me and given me the desire to continue to learn Spanish. Thank you, Habla Ya…and Yorelys.

I was extremely impressed with my 10 week course at Habla Ya. The class size was small, 5-7 people, which meant we had a lot of personal attention and opportunities to speak aloud using what we learned. The instructor was fluent in English but she spoke almost exclusively in Spanish. I felt that I learned a great deal and made significant progress from being a beginner to feeling pretty comfortable with the present tense and common conversation. I would definitely take another course with Habla Ya again next year to take my Spanish speaking up another level.

I want to thank Habla Ya Panama for an excellent course of study.
I spent 50 hours with Leidys and she is the best teacher I could ever imagine :) She was so friendly, helpful and humorous. The lessons were so fun! We focused mostly on conversation and continuing my studies with Libro C1. After our hours together (our conversational topics were quite varied) I feel that we are close friends. I am sure that I will return to Boquete to visit and study with Leidys.
Also, the Boquete location is pretty, has great weather and lots of opportunities for outdoor adventures.
So, whether you are in a classroom--or white water rafting--you will enjoy yourself!

teníamos un maestro muy agradable y eficaz , viva Leydis ! esperamos que todo está bien para ti!! .Abrazos y Besos . Natasha y Benji .

Thanks to this School I managed to get an idea of spanish within a short time.... and especialy thanks to Leidys Pitti!!! She is a very inovative lovely teacher. And Boquete is a great place to stay. A lot of things to do and to see. To explore and to taste :-) So if I choose Panama again: not without Boquete!!!! Thanks for all Habla ya!!!

Our instructor, Leidys, is outstanding. She conducted class so that all students can participate and learn. If you are interested in learning Spanish, no matter what your level, Habla Ya is the place! It will be an unforgettable experience. Thank you, Leidys, for your instruction, encouragement and example.