Bienvenid@S!

Founded in February, 2019, the Language House offers private and small group Spanish classes for adults. Group classes are highly conversational, dynamic and fun. Private classes are geared towards those who prefer more individualized attention and customized classes to meet their goals. We offer many different levels, from Beginning to High Advanced topics and everything in between. Our instructors are experienced, encouraging, and passionate about teaching Spanish language and culture. Classes are held in person at the Language House (4411 Avenue B, Austin, Texas), or at Seminary of the Southwest (501 East 32nd Street, Austin, Texas - 5 minutes from the Language House). Please fill out the new student form to schedule a level assessment and we’ll get you signed up for classes!

 

in-person group classes

Courses are organized in 9 week sessions, meeting once per week for 1 hour 15 minutes. Tuition is $350, which includes 11.25 hours of in-person teaching, extra practice and resources every week, and attendance at one of our Saturday coffee & conversation groups or another social event during your course dates (this is a $15 credit and it expires after your last class).

Our next 9-week session will be from late April to late June (see dates below). We will update the schedule as soon as we finish enrolling our current students and reach out to students on the waiting list as soon as we can! If you are interested in taking a group class, please fill out the new student form and we will get in touch to schedule an assessment to determine your level and get you on a waiting list for the next course. Thank you for your interest!

A note about our classes: Current students have the priority to continue in their current group to the next level (usually the same day & time) before we invite new students to join those groups. If a group is full and everyone decides to continue to the next level, we don't add anyone new into the group. If a student needs to discontinue their classes, we then reach out to the first person on the waiting list to see if they want to join, and so on.

upcoming classes

beginning 1

Designed for true beginners who have never studied Spanish or took very limited Spanish in high school or college (0-1 semesters).

-Grammar: Pronunciation, question & sentence structure, subject pronouns, definite & indefinite articles, gender and number agreement between article/noun/adjective, regular present tense, and the irregular verbs ser, estar, and haber.

-Vocabulary: Greetings & Farewells, interrogative words, descriptive adjectives, emotions, colors, numbers up to 60, days, months, seasons, telling time, basic locations.

If you are a true beginner, please fill out the new student form to get on our waiting list for upcoming classes. Thank you!

Beginning 1 - Self-paced online course

For students who cannot get into a group conversation class at this time due to schedule conflicts or the class being full, we offer a self-paced online Beginning 1 Spanish course. The course is designed to last at least 8 weeks, but some students may finish it more quickly and others more slowly. The course includes eight lessons with the following materials: A vocabulary list for each lesson, a video for each concept, a worksheet and answer key for each lesson, and extra resources to practice each lesson. You can find more details and sign up information here.

We are currently working on the schedule for new beginning 1 groups. We will update the schedule and reach out to those on the waiting list as soon as we have everything organized

Beginning II

Designed for those who have had very limited exposure to Spanish, such as 1 semester in high school or college.

-Grammar: Reviews regular present tense, more in-depth practice with uses of ser, estar, haber, and an introduction to irregular verbs gustar, tener & ir, and an introduction to the near future tense.

-Vocabulary: More regular verbs, common nouns for hobbies & interests, descriptions, immediate family, more locations, adjectives & special tener expressions.

 

tuesdays 5:30-6:45 pm - full

April 23, 30, May 7, 14, 21, June 4, 11, 18, 25.

No class on April 16 & May 28

Instructor: Miriam Bleiweiss

tuesdays 7:00-8:15 pm - full

April 23, 30, May 7, 14, 21, June 4, 11, 18, 25.

No class on April 16 & May 28

Instructor: Miriam Bleiweiss

 

High BEginning I

Designed for those who have had very limited exposure to Spanish, such as 1-2 semester(s) in high school or college.

-Grammar: More practice with present tense (including regular & irregular verbs), irregular yo forms, stem-changing verbs, indirect object pronouns, & more verbs like gustar.

-Vocabulary: Food & drink, irregular stem-changing verbs related to food & cooking, numbers up to 101, weather & body parts & sickness.

 

thursdays 5:30-6:45 pm - full

April 25, May 2, 9, 16, 23, June 6, 13, 20, 27.

No class on April 18 & May 30

Instructor: Natasha Moushegian

thursdays 7:00-8:15 pm - full

April 25, May 2, 9, 16, 23, June 6, 13, 20, 27.

No class on April 18 & May 30

Instructor: Natasha Moushegian

High Beginning II

Designed for those who have had very limited exposure to Spanish, such as 2 semesters in high school or college.

-Grammar: Continue working on regular & going more in-depth with irregular present tense verbs, gustar-type verbs (reviewing indirect object pronouns), reflexives, direct object pronouns, and present progressive. Introduction to equal & unequal comparisons, saber vs. conocer, and por vs. para.

-Vocabulary: Extended family, hobbies, colors, materials, clothing for shopping, numbers up to 1000, footwear, accessories, stores & products.

Sundays 11:00-12:15 pm - full

April 21, 28, May 5, 12, 19, June 2, 9, 16, 23.

No class on April 14 or May 26.

Instructors: Gabi Kothenbeutel (April & May); Instructor TBA (June)

Tuesdays 12:00-1:15 pm - full

April 23, 30, May 7, 14, 21, June 4, 11, 18, 25.

No class on April 16 & May 28

Instructor: Virginia Talley

thursdays 7:00-8:15 pm - full

April 25, May 2, 9, 16, 23, June 6, 13, 20, 27.

No class on April 18 & May 30

Instructor: Miriam Bleiweiss

Intermediate I

Designed for those who have had 2-3 semesters of high school or college Spanish.

-Grammar: An introduction to the past tenses (preterit & imperfect). First half of the course focuses on the imperfect tense and the second half of the course focuses on the preterit tense, including the irregular verbs ir, ser, dar & ver.

-Vocabulary: Childhood activities, city, holidays & celebrations.

 

Sundays 2:30-3:45 pm - 3 spots available

April 21, 28, May 5, 12, 19, June 2, 9, 16, 23.

No class on April 14 or May 26.

Instructors: Gabi Kothenbeutel (April & May); Instructor TBA (June)

tuesdays 7:00-8:15 pm - 3 spots available

April 23, 30, May 7, 14, 21, June 4, 11, 18, 25.

No class on April 16 & May 28

Instructor: Natasha Moushegian

 

Intermediate II

Designed for those who have had 3-4 semesters of high school or college Spanish.

-Grammar: A continuation of Intermediate I, we continue learning the past tenses (preterit & imperfect). Review of the imperfect tense & its uses. More in-depth study of the preterit tense, including the uses and an introduction to rules for stem-changing verbs, irregular yo forms, and "basement" verbs. We also start using direct object pronouns & reflexive pronouns in the past tenses.

-Vocabulary: City & directions, more food & drink, socializing & leisure, nature & the outdoors & reflexive verbs.

 

Sundays 4:00-5:15 pm - 1 spot available

April 21, 28, May 5, 12, 19, June 2, 9, 16, 23.

No class on April 14 or May 26.

Instructors: Gabi Kothenbeutel (April & May); Instructor TBA (June)

mondays 7:00-8:15 - 4 spots available

April 22, 29, May 6, May 13, 20, June 3, 10, 17, 24.

No class on April 15 or May 27

Instructor: Ramiro Juarez

 

Intermediate III

Designed for those who have had 4+ semesters of high school or college Spanish.

-Grammar: A continuation of Intermediate II we continue working on the past tenses, with a particular focus on the most irregular forms of the preterit tense (stem-changing verbs & other irregular forms). We also go into more specific & tricky situations of when to use the preterit vs. the imperfect.

-Vocabulary: House, chores & indoor activities, high school & college, everyday activities & important life events, and describing people’s physical traits and personalities.

 

Tuesdays 5:30-6:45 pm - 2 spots available

April 23, 30, May 7, 14, 21, June 4, 11, 18, 25.

No class on April 16 & May 28

Instructor: Natasha Moushegian

wednesdays 7:00-8:15 pm - 2 spots available

April 24, May 1, 8, 15, 22, June 5, 12, 19, 26.

No class on April 17 & May 29

Instructor: Natasha Moushegian

 

Intermediate IV

Designed for those who have had 5+ semesters of high school or college Spanish.

-Grammar: Intermediate IV is the final course which focuses entirely on the preterit & imperfect tenses. Students should feel confident with the uses and conjugations for both tenses and just need more practice using them in conversation. We will review and practice the uses of ser and estar, specifically in the context of the past tenses, practice describing trips that students have taken in the past and asking follow-up questions, and learn the accidental “se” construction.

-Vocabulary: Review of ser and common adjectives for physical & personality descriptions, review of estar with emotions, conditions, and locations, more advanced adjectives for describing places, common verbs & nouns for accidents or unintentional actions.

 

mondays 5:30-6:45 pm- full

April 22, 29, May 6, May 13, 20, June 3, 10, 17, 24.

No class on April 15 or May 27

Instructor: Natasha Moushegian

 

High Intermediate I

Designed for those who have had 6+ semesters of high school or college Spanish. This level is ideal for those who are very comfortable with present, past and simple future tenses.

Grammar:  Review of the present progressive and introduction to the past progressive, the present perfect & the uses of past participles. Thorough review of reflexive, direct and indirect object pronouns in context with these tenses.

Vocabulary: Hobbies & leisure, reflexive verbs, gardening and plants, reviewing kitchen & cooking, emotions, conditions & status, body & sickness, film & television.

 

Mondays 5:30-6:45 pm

April 22, 29, May 6, May 13, 20, June 3, 10, 17, 24.

No class on April 15 or May 27

Instructor: Virginia Talley

Wednesdays 5:30-6:45 pm - 2 spots available

April 24, May 1, 8, 15, 22, June 5, 12, 19, 26.

No class on April 17 & May 29

Instructor: Natasha Moushegian

 

High Intermediate II

Designed for those who have had 6+ semesters of high school or college Spanish. This level is ideal for those who are very comfortable with present, past and simple future tenses.

Grammar:  This course focuses on informal & formal commands. Thorough review of reflexive, direct and indirect object pronouns, and how to use them with positive & negative commands. Introduction to double-object pronouns (reflexive & direct object pronouns and indirect & direct object pronouns) with commands.

Vocabulary: Family, stress & remedies, health & well-being, house & chores, clothing & style, city, prepositions & directions.

 

Sundays 12:30-1:45 pm - 1 spot available

April 21, 28, May 5, 12, 19, June 2, 9, 16, 23.

No class on April 14 or May 26.

Instructors: Gabi Kothenbeutel (April & May); Instructor TBA (June)

Mondays 5:30-6:45 pm - 1 spot available

April 22, 29, May 6, May 13, 20, June 3, 10, 17, 24.

No class on April 15 or May 27

Instructor: Ramiro Juarez

 

Advanced I

Designed for those who have had 7+ semesters of high school or college Spanish. Students should be comfortable with present, near future, present & past progressive, present perfect, and commands before taking this course.

Grammar: This course focuses entirely on the subjunctive mood. We review what the subjunctive mood is, how verbs are conjugated, and when to use it.

Vocabulary: Descriptions, Verbs like gustar, emotions, cinema & theater, seasonal activities, verbs of doubt & certainty & impersonal expressions.

 

Not being offered in the upcoming 9-week session. please check back for next round!

 

Advanced 2

Designed for those who have had 8+ semesters of high school or college Spanish.

Grammar: This course picks up where Advanced 1 left off, focusing on more complicated situations with the subjunctive (including adjective clauses, relative clauses, and time conjunctions).

Vocabulary: More complicated uses of ser & estar, advanced cooking terms & kitchen supplies, leadership, nature, the environment, and the 21st century.

 

Mondays 7:00-8:15 - full

April 22, 29, May 6, May 13, 20, June 3, 10, 17, 24.

No class on April 15 or May 27

Instructor: Virginia Talley

 

High Advanced 1

Designed for those who have had 9+ semesters of high school and college Spanish. This level is ideal for those who are very comfortable with all tenses, including the present subjunctive, but need more conversation practice to improve fluency.

Grammar: This course picks up where the Advanced 2 course left off, introducing the past subjunctive mood and its uses. We’ll also focus on “if” clauses, which require a thorough review of many tenses, including present indicative, preterit, imperfect, future, conditional, and past subjunctive.

Vocabulary: Students are asked to come up with conversation topics and vocabulary units of interest.

 

Wednesdays 7:00-8:15 pm - 3 spots available

April 24, May 1, 8, 15, 22, June 5, 12, 19, 26.

No class on April 17 & May 29.

Instructors: Gabi Kothenbeutel (April & May); Virginia Talley (June)

 

High Advanced Topics

Designed for those who have had 10+ semesters of high school and college Spanish. This level is ideal for those who are very comfortable with all tenses, but need more conversation practice to improve fluency.

Grammar: This course is completely focused on conversation and the instructor clarifies grammar questions as they come up.

Vocabulary: Students are asked to come up with conversation topics and vocabulary units of interest.

Tuesdays 5:30-6:45  - full

April 23, 30, May 7, 14, 21, June 4, 11, 18, 25.

No class on April 16 & May 28.

Instructors: Gabi Kothenbeutel (April & May); Instructor TBA (June)

wednesdays 5:30-6:45 - 2 spots available

April 17, 24, May 8, 15, 22, June 5, 12, 19, 26.

No class on May 1 & May 29

Instructor: Virginia Talley

thursdays 12:00-1:15 - full

April 25, May 9, 16, 23, 30, June 6, 13, 20, 27.

No class on April 18 & May 2

Instructor: Virginia Talley

 
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about us

 
 

Virginia Talley

My name is Virginia Talley and I am the founder of the Language House. My first trip to Spain in 1997 completely changed my life. I was 19 years old and I had the good fortune of walking the medieval pilgrimage, El Camino de Santiago, across northern Spain with Sewanee’s summer study abroad program. From that point on, I was completely hooked on Spanish language and culture, and I could not wait to go back to Spain. I returned my junior year to live with a family in the Basque Country and to study in Sevilla. I went on to complete my Master’s and Ph.D. in Spanish language, literature, and culture at the University of Virginia. My curiosity for learning more about other cultures led me to study and live in Southern France, Chile, and Argentina.

Following my passion for teaching, I spent four years as a Lecturer of Spanish at the University of Richmond, in Virginia, and seven years teaching middle school and high school at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, Texas. I taught at Austin Community College with high school and adult learners for two years before opening the Language House in February, 2019. My love of teaching, travel, and Spanish and Latin American culture has been a natural fit for leading numerous trips to Spain and Argentina over the past eleven years. Nowadays I am super excited to devote all of my time to teaching my students about Spanish language and culture!

In my spare time I love traveling, hiking, cooking, coffee, and spending time with my partner and our two dogs, Pepe the pug, and Emiliano, the hound-beagle mix. We are happy to call Austin, Texas, home and we love traveling the globe in search of new places and friends.

Gabi Kothenbeutel

Hola a todos! I'm Gabi! I am thrilled that you might be joining this Spanish journey with me! I am originally from a small town in Springfield, Missouri. I found a love of languages on my first trip outside the country to Monterrey, Mexico! I studied a Bachelor's Degree in Spanish and Linguistics at Missouri State University, where I really fell in love with the Spanish language! I moved to Southern Spain after graduating to work as a language assistant, which I did for 2 years. Then, three years ago, I moved to beautiful Austin, Texas where I have been working as a high school Spanish teacher. I love teaching and watching others learn! I hope to make this a great experience!

Ramiro Juarez

Hola y mucho gusto! Me llamo Ramiro Juárez y soy de México. If you were able to put that together, then you are well on your way to learning Spanish! And if you didn't, it's OK! I will teach you the ways and you will be speaking Spanish in no time at all. I am from Mexico and I was raised on the border in Brownsville, TX. I fell in love with teaching Spanish late in my time at the University of Texas at Austin where I completed a Bachelor's Degree in Latin American Studies. I also finished a Master's Degree in Spanish at UT-Brownsville. Later, I worked on another graduate degree at the University of Houston and started my career teaching at Rice University, University of St. Thomas and Houston Community College. Currently, I am a Marketing Manager for a Mortgage Company during the day and I teach YOU Spanish at night! I look forward to showing you the exciting opportunity that is in front of you. Learning Spanish will open the doors to a whole new world. You will benefit greatly and I look forward to ensuring this is a great experience for you!s, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Natasha Moushegian

¡HOLA! My name is Natasha and I'm originally from Dallas, Texas. Having grown up in a bilingual household, I was fortunate to learn Spanish and English simultaneously as a child, while also experiencing a wonderful mix of cultures among my family and close friends from various parts of Latin America.I started studying Spanish formally for the first time in college and graduated with a B.A. in Spanish Translation & Interpretation. Once I got started teaching language classes for adults, I decided to continue my studies and completed a M.A. in Linguistics and TESOL. As a native Texan and a lifelong language learner, I am so excited for the opportunity to share in community, language, and culture with you all here in Austin, Texas!

Bryan Winkler

¡Hola a todxs! My name is Bryan, and I'm originally from Ft. Worth, Texas. I grew up always wanting to learn another language, so I ended up taking Spanish classes in high school and quickly fell in love with the language—I couldn't get enough! I decided to major in Spanish and studied abroad in Madrid and Sevilla before completing my M.A. in Spanish literature and moving to Northwest Spain to teach English. I'm currently working on my PhD in Iberian and Latin American Cultures and Literatures at UT, focusing primarily on contemporary Spanish media. In my free time, I like to cook, listen to podcasts, and travel as much as I can. I truly enjoy teaching and sharing my love for Spanish cultures and can't wait to see you in class soon!

Miriam Bleiweiss

Hola, I’m Miriam! I was born in New York, and lived there until the age of 13. That’s when my father decided we’d move to where he was born and raised – Buenos Aires, Argentina. My younger brother and I weren’t brought up bilingual in Spanish, so it was a case of literally getting off the airplane at Ezeiza International Airport, and being unable to ask how to get to the bathroom. Nada. Oh the joy we kids felt when Mom said “No American School for you.” That joy lasted for a whole 30 seconds. We were summarily informed that we were going to go into the public school system in Buenos Aires. Our logical argument that we couldn’t because we didn’t know Spanish didn’t work. All she said to us was that didn’t matter, “You’ll learn.” We sure did! It was a process that taught me you have to make the mistake to learn (not just with Spanish, by the way.) I know that I made exactly 1,000,000,000 mistakes in real time, and got myself into some embarrassing situations due to some very incorrect and sometimes highly inappropriate word choices (in my defense, the words sounded sooooo similar!) Fast forward to now. I can confidently say I manage Spanish at the native-speaker level. By day, I’m a medical translator for a state agency here in Austin, Texas. In the evenings, I have fun teaching Spanish. I’m pretty sure there isn’t a mistake you can make that I didn’t make myself. A little more about me: I hold a B.A. in Comparative Literature from the University of Iowa. Mom says my first word when starting to talk was “horsey.” I love horses! Personal fun time is spent doing HIIT classes, taking baking/cooking classes, and dabbling in art classes (love the pottery wheel.) I really look forward to meeting you, and helping you along on your wonderful and exciting dive into Spanish language and culture.

Laura Alvarez

Hola! My name is Laura and I’m from Mexico City. I’m 30 years old. I studied administration and business. My interests are skating, yoga, traveling, and meeting new people. I am the social events coordinator for the Language House and I can’t wait to share my enthusiasm and passion for the Spanish language and culture with you! I also teach private and semi-private conversation classes to give students more practice and confidence with their spoken Spanish.

 
 
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Class options & Sign Up

fill out the form below for new student below to let us know that you are interested in classes. We’ll get in touch promptly to schedule an assessment and talk more about class options.

 

Group spanish Classes

Group classes meet in person for 9-week sessions. Tuition is $350 for the full course and includes:

  • 9-week courses meet once per week for 1 hour 15 minutes (11.25 total hours of class)

  • Homework and supplementary materials provided every week.

  • Attendance at one coffee & conversation group, held at the Language House, on Saturdays from 11-12.

  • Please note that classes are held in person. We no longer offer the virtual option in real time, but we record each class so that if you miss you can watch the recording to catch up.

Online self-paced Beginning spanish class

For students who cannot get into a group conversation class at this time due to schedule conflicts or the class being full, we offer a self-paced online Beginning 1 Spanish course. We plan to offer more of these in the future, but at this time Beginning 1 is the only course we offer online. Please find more information and signup details here.

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Here is what students have said about the self-paced course:

“Virginia and the Language House are AMAZING. I took the Beginner 1 Online course. I was worried, as it is a self-paced course, but Virginia made it super easy to follow along. It felt like most of the time she was literally sitting right across from me. She provided a ton of great resources of the course as well, so you get extra goodies. It's just a great course if you're looking for a refresher or just to dip your toes in to see how you'll like it.” -Abbey S., Austin, TX

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“I am taking ONLINE BEGINNER 1 Spanish with Virginia from The Language House. I cannot say enough good things about this online course. The online class contains videos of Virginia actually teaching you with visual prompting, questions to respond to and multiple links that correspond to the lesson to use for extra quizzing and practice. Virginia has a major passion for teaching Spanish and that passion makes this online class fun, "not boring", and clear to understand. I wish I had a teacher like her in high school!” -Jennifer F., Austin, TX

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Private & Semi-Private spanish classes

Private (1-on-1) and semi-private (2 or 3 students) are a great option for those who prefer more individualized attention, want to move at their own pace, or have specific goals in mind. Many students take private classes in addition to group classes.

private spanish tutoring

Private tutoring is available for middle school, high school, college students, and adults. These 1-on-1 tutoring sessions are designed to provide further explanation and clarification and practice on the topics you are working on in your current class.

private french tutoring & classes

We highly recommend taking French classes with Valerie Kelly, M.A. She is a native French speaker with 25+ years of experience with teaching French at all levels and ages and private tutoring. She is dynamic, fun, innovative, and focuses on proficient-based language and culture teaching. Technology-driven and expert in online, hybrid, and in-person courses. Contact her directly for pricing and scheduling options at vkelly@sstx.org

 
 
“Virginia Talley is the best Spanish teacher EVER! You would think someone with a Ph.D in Spanish might make things complex or difficult to understand. She is the opposite. She makes everything fun, and brings it down to my exact level. And because she has taught hundreds of people she knows exactly what we are trying to say (no matter how ineloquently we sputter it out!). Her lessons are creative, fun, and engaging. She makes everyone feel safe to try . On top of her warm and inviting nature, her knowledge of Spanish language and culture world wide is astounding. What a fabulous learning experience!””
— Julie V., Durango, CO
 

Social Events

We have hosted a number of social events, including cooking nights, happy hours, game nights, coffee & conversation, as well as holiday parties over the years. We are starting to ramp up our social calendar, so check out the offerings for upcoming social events and sign up today!

 

CONTACT US

(512) 297-9594

hello@languagehouseatx.com

4411 Avenue B

Austin, Texas 78751

Please fill out the new student form so that we can schedule a level assessment and get you signed up for classes!

 

 The Language House is always looking to hire dynamic, experienced teachers to join our team. If interested, please send a cover letter and your resumé, including 2-3 references, to hello@languagehouseatx.com. We look forward to hearing from you!