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RenovationLanguage School Quito, Ecuador.
Ecuador is considered to be one of the best destinations to learn Spanish. Learning Spanish in Ecuador will give you the possibility to experience South American culture whilst learning the language without the challenge of strong accents and it will open the opportunities to work in Latin America or in other countries where Spanish is spoken.
My Spanish lessons are based on the method of total immersion, where right from the start you hear the language and then begin to speak it. As the classes develop, grammar, pronunciation, exercises and a lot of focus on conversation, the topics are introduced. Conversation topics can cover a wide variety of themes such as politics, economics, education, travel, culture and of course themes relating to Ecuadorian life and culture.
The courses are geared towards beginners as well as intermediate and advanced students. I have also prepared Spanish Conversation Courses for professionals in different areas such as law, engineering, economics, tourism, retail, and voluntary work among others.
The course includes all the materials necessary to have you using and speaking the language from both Latin America and from Spain, all of which yield very good results as language learning aids.
The course is divided into three levels:
Beginners (DELE A1, DELE A2): At this level, we begin by studying the basics. The use of basic conversational and grammatical structures enables the student to be able to communicate almost straightaway.
Intermediate (DELE B1, DELE B2): The aims of the intermediate course are that the student will be able to communicate clearly, effectively and fluidly, and improve their level of understanding, and oral and written expression.
Advanced (DELE C1, DELE C2): In the advanced course, we will study different structures that will enable the student to communicate with ease in different environments that he or she may need to.
If the student is interested in other activities we could visit the colonial centre of Quito, museums and churches, the tourist centre at The Middle of the World
, indigenous markets such as Saquisili or Otavalo, you can study in Puerto Lopez or in the Amazon jungle.
Doug Knox (USA, January 2017)I studied Spanish and lived with Mariana Gonzalez and her family over 3 months in 2015 and 2016. I highly recommend her immersion program for anyone who looking to learn Spanish quickly and have fun in the process.
I found Mariana to be an excellent teacher. Very professional with a great sense of humor. I had 4 hours of classroom each morning Mon thru Fri with plenty of time to study in the afternoons or evenings. My home stay included 3 meals each day with the family and a private room with bath upstairs. Mariana also invited me to join her and or the family on many activities, including celebrating Christmas and New Years, which I found to be an amazing experience. On most weekends I went hiking with her husband, Frank. I was able to gain practical experience speaking Spanish and learning the culture while riding in taxis or the bus, ordering and eating in restaurants, shopping for items in small markets and tiendas with Mariana at my side. Highly recommend.
Jan Wagner (Germany, February 2013)Thank you very much to Mariana and her family for a wonderful and unforgettable experience. I stayed at her house for one week and I can assure you that all was supergreat. Mariana and her daughter picked me up at the airport at the exat time of my arrival. During the drive to her house we already had conversations over different topics. Her house is located just a little bit outside of town and has a breathtaking view of the surrounding mountains. It is very quiet there. The room she offers is spacious, clean and has a private bathroom.
Mariana's family is very nice. I guess that they have already met hundreds of Gringos, but I never had the impression that they are bored about conversation about your culture or homecountry. It always felt as if I was the first foreigner they have ever met and had they really had an interest in knowing much about me, my culture... We have always had great conversations.
The clases I had with Mariana were the best I have had during my five years in Ecuador. What I liked much was the fact that she does not have a strict curriculum. She talks with you and after that knows what you need most to improve you Spanish. She explains the gramma very well and has a lot of worksheets which she prints out frequently if needed.
Close to her house is a parc where you can wonder around and do your work. To use the bus is simple and there is a bus stopp close to the house, so you can visit the historic center as well.
All in all I have to say that if you are looking for a Spanish teacher in Quito and do not choose Mariana, you are very stupid.
Matt Bastone (USA, November 2012)I took classes and lived with Mariana for two and a half months in the fall of 2012 and it was an amazing experience! If you are serious about learning Spanish as quickly as possible a private Spanish teacher in Quitois the best way to go. Mariana is an extremely great professor who is highly qualified through her educational background and 15 years of experience.
I found her teaching approachvery effective and all encompassing since she covers all possible areas: grammatical structure and theory, writing, reading, listening/comprehension exercises, and conversational practice. Depending on how much you want to study she will also assign homework for extra practice (highly recommended). She is a very intelligent person and explains concepts with clarity. My purpose for studying was to get an internship in South America. With very little previous knowledge of Spanish, after just 5 weeks of classes (20 hours a week in class plus homework) I was able to complete a job interview in Spanish and successfully obtain the internship I was hoping to get!
Teaching ability aside, Mariana is also a great person at heart and has a great sense of humor! If you need a place to stay, I would highly recommend staying with Mariana and her family. Getting to know her family was a great experience for me and it was also great for my Spanish because the family constantly corrected me when I spoke. I would definitely recommend Mariana to anyone of any ability looking to improve his or her Spanish and willing to look further than the many standard Spanish schools in Quito!
Sarah Wordsworth (Australia, January 2012)I scoured the net researching countless Spanish Schools in Ecuador before coming across Mariana’s Private Spanish classes in Quito. I am not sure how many Spanish schools in Quito could offer the same service and teaching competency of Mariana.
While many Spanish schools in Ecuador can organise a prívate homestay, not may will also allow you to live with your Spanish teacher - as is with the case with Mariana’s service. Spanish schools in Quito are also generally located in the tourist centre of the city, however I wasn’t interested in meeting other English tourists as I wanted to truly immerse myself in the Spanish language and Ecuadorian culture.
It was this desire that drove me to choose Mariana’s private Spanish programme over other Spanish schools in Quito and I don’t regret my decision one bit.
Mary Yan (Canada, August 2012)When I first considered studying Spanish in Ecuador, I researched many Spanish schools in Quito and many different types of programs and home-stays and Private Spanish Teachers in Ecuador. I decided on Mariana after noticing that she was highly recommended by other people on travel sites and guidebooks.
It turned out to be the right decision - studying Spanish with Mariana was one of the best times of my life. In just two weeks I managed to raise my language learning to a whole other level, far more effectively than in months of group classes or private tutoring in Canada or in other Spanish Schools in Ecuador for that matter.
Mariana was able to intuitively sense what I needed to learn and how to go about teaching it to me in a fast paced, yet fun-filled manner. The family included me in their daily lives which meant a complete and total language experience all the time, something that I could not have had with a regular language school. I have no hesitation in recommending her to anyone who is serious about learning Spanish while having a great experience in Ecuador.
Tom Warson (USA, July 2011)I stayed with Mariana June - July, 2011. You had better take a hard look at any teacher's credentials of any private Spanish Teacher in Ecuador. I did, and nobody beats Mariana. As for actual teaching, I had 3 years of Spanish in high school and 3 more in college. She explained things clearly but powerfully - things I had never been shown before. She has patience, forbearance and a marvelous sense of humor.
I guarantee you won't leave with a tear in your eye. Her family - husband and 2 children - are a pleasure to be with. I think they work too hard, but oh well. The house is near Quito, in the heights of El Valle de los Chillos. Very calm, rural setting. I hope she'll post a picture of the view of the city at night; that alone is worth the stay. If you want to go shopping, a large center is about 15 minutes away by bus. Before you arrive, I suggest you buy an excellent pair of walking/hiking shoes and a bottle of suntan lotion (minimum 50).
Malwine (Poland, September 2009)Thanks to everybody for the wonderful time we had here. Not only did we learn basic Spanish (hurrah!) but we met wonderful people (Mariana, Frank, Monica, Maria Jose, Jean Pierre). I enjoyed every single day here.
I will definitely recommend Mariana to everybody I meet. Thanks again, and I hope we will be in touch. If you ever go to Europe, you're more than welcome in Poland and in England and in Wales :)
Andy (UK, September 2009)Yo estoy triste escribir aqui, porque it means that we're leaving! We've had a fantastic 2 weeks. Not only did we learn Spanish, but also thanks to Mariana and Frank we had some great days out. The lessons were excellent and were leaving confident that we'll be able to get by happily for the next 3 months. In classes we found ourselves having conversations that we thought wouldn't be possible after only a few days. It was definitely worthwhile staying with Mariana, Frank, Maria Jose y Jean Pierre as you share in conversation, mealtimes and family life. A wonderful experience not to be forgotten.
Peter Brown (Australia, June 2008)Excellent classes. I feel that I have all of the theory that I need, now I must practice. Yo debo practicar espanol. The lessons were hard going, but I think I got as much as is possible in 4 weeks. Having a homestay was also very beneficial. It was a great experience actually living with an Ecuadorian family and helped a lot with the Spanish. I was made to feel very welcome and really felt like one of the family. It has been an interesting experience that I will never forget. I would like to think that I have made new friends.
Paul (March 2008)Mariana, thanks for making my first week in Ecuador a pleasant one. You're an amazing teacher and because of the effort you have made I will continue learning Spanish after my classes are over. Your family were very friendly towards me even if my Spanish wasn't very good. My host family were also very nice and hope I keep in contact with them when I leave, because they made me feel like part of the family and helped me learn Spanish when they had the time. I wish you and your family lots of luck in the future because you deserve it and when my Spanish has improved I would like to come and visit again.
Hazel Bond (USA, September 2007)Muchísimos gracias a Mariana, Frank, María José y Jean Pierre... mejorado mucho mi español en las clases con Mariana y en la casa con Frank y los chicos. Siempre la familia era tan amable conmigo y me enseño mucho de la vida cotidiana de los Ecuatorianos. Al fin, le descubierto que la gente son la misma donde quizá se viva.
Joseph Cape (June 2007)Mucho gusto conocer tan hermosa una familia, siempre simpáticos, buen cocineros (lo que le probado de Mariana, Frank y María José) y hablaran con despacio para q mejora tu español - las clases también son bien preparados con profesionalidad.
Erin Zinek (USA, June 2007)Gracias por todo, fue un experiencia increíble. Yo aprendí mucho de español. Antes de venir a Ecuador, no podía hablar español porque mis clases de español fueron malo, en la universidad. También, aprendí sobre las culturas de Ecuador. Mónica, Frank and Mariana saben mucho sobre los culturas de Ecuador por ejemplo. Las indígenas de la sierra y el oriente. Fue muy interesante visitar estos lugares con Mónica y Mariana. ¡Mariana es una profesora excelente! Yo regreso a Ecuador para más experiencias en la sierra y Quito en diciembre. Yo amo a María José y Jean Pierre también. ¡Yo siento como familia ya!
Linda Gathany (March 2007)We came to Ecuador and had the great fortune to stay with Mariana and Frank and los ninos for a week. In addition to language lessons, they generously took/escorted us to incredible places, and shared their lives with us. A wonderful experience.
Donna Ray (USA, March 2007)It is wonderful to get to know a whole family, to share in daily life, and to learn a few great ways to cook both simply and healthy. Language classes were ongoing, sometimes easier than others. I am always happy when yo comprende 2 or 3 words in a sentence. At home I will cook and I will watch lots of movies en español. Sra. Gonzalez was a joy to hava as a teacher. She knew how to recognize my weakness and to work and work my weaknesses, until they were corrected. Her classes were a challenge and required that I pay attention. Her classes advanced my knowledge of Spanish by leaps and bounds!
Alisson Barbieri (USA, June 2002)I had a wonderful time in Ecuador in 2002. Ecuador is a beautiful country, with beautiful people. One of my best moments was the Spanish classes with Mariana. She is not only an experienced, excellent teacher, but also a wonderful person who makes the class time a enjoyable moment. I strongly recommend their classes as a unique opportunity to learn Spanish and, at the same time, to make a very good friend in Quito.
Ove ÖstGracias Mariana por estas semanas de estudios duros pero tan agradables. Usted tiene el poder de hacer la enseñanza como un juego, es bien divertido tenerle como profesora. Voy a seguir recomendarle a todos y todas que deseen estudiar el español con cariño.
Host families: There are some families who have been acting as host families to foreign students for a long time. You would have a private bedroom and two meals a day. However, the location and the cost can vary. I live in the Chillos Valley.
Salsa classes: They are a great way to complement your Spanish courses. You can learn to dance salsa, merengue, cumbia, ballenato and son cubano in no time.
Voluntary work: It is also a great way to put into practice your language skills learn working in various organizations who are always looking for volunteers.