Testimonials

I have been studying Spanish with Alicia for close to 2 years, and in that time I have seen my Spanish skills increase dramatically. I had never formally studied Spanish before, though I did have the advantage of fluency in its linguistic cousin Portuguese. In our first few months of class, Alicia worked with me to cover the fundamentals of the Spanish language, and shortly thereafter we moved on to reading and composition pieces. We began with the timeless El Principito (known to English speakers as The Little Prince) and most recently we read Malinche by Laura Esquivel, on the way making forays into poetry and music. My Spanish has improved by leaps and bounds, from reading and writing to listening and speaking and even my cultural knowledge. I would recommend Alicia to any serious student at any level who is looking to make similar progress in his studies of Spanish.

-Aaron K. Firefighter San Diego, CA

I LOVE Alicia! I have worked with her for 5 years learning Spanish for myself and my job. She is a wonderful, organized teacher, who works with your personal needs and level. She is always willing to do something different if you need it for your work or personality. Alicia taught me a lot of grammar and the proper way to speak and read Spanish. The lessons were always fun and interesting. I would highly recommend her to anyone at any level. She is a wonderful teacher and person.

-Lydia S. Lead Teacher – LAUSD DHH Infant Support Services Los Angeles, CA

I started taking Spanish lessons with Alicia for a year and a half ago. I’m in a class with 2 other students at the beginner level. I had taken Spanish lessons before, but I never got very far because I was too afraid to speak unless I was speaking perfectly. When I told Alicia that I wanted to have opportunities to practice speaking Spanish in order to try to get over my fear, she tailored her lessons to include lots of opportunities for me to speak with her, with my classmates and even with all of her other students at an event she hosted to showcase the different levels of our learning. At this event, I was able to tell a little story about myself in Spanish!

Alicia’s guidance and encouragement has made me more confident and more motivated to keep learning. My classmates and I have a great time during our lessons and if we ever have to reschedule a class, Alicia figures out a way to make it work for everyone. Alicia is bright, friendly, supportive, and enthusiastic and I’m proud to recommend her as a teacher to anyone who wants to learn or improve their Spanish. Not only will you learn, but you’ll have fun doing it!

– Rosanne G. Register Nurse Culver City, CA

I have been studying Spanish with Alicia Villa for a year and a half and I really love the experience. The breathe of her knowledge of Spanish and her style of teaching coincides so well with the way I want to learn the language. She makes it interesting and fun and has an amazing ability to make me eager to learn more. She’s an inspiration to me and a wonderful, wonderful teacher. I would highly recommend Alicia to anyone who wants to study Spanish. Bravo, Alicia — buenisimo, maestra!

And I mean every word!

– Eva Y. Real Estate Agent Culver City, CA

Despite my best efforts (skipping classes, refusing to do homework, barely paying attention in class, etc.) Alicia is managing to teach me Spanish. If I can muddle my way into learning a second language, anyone can. Alicia is my Spanish teacher and she should be your Spanish teacher too.

-Joe C. Financial Analyst Beverly Hills, CA

I took Spanish lessons from Alicia for a little over a year and she gave me an excellent foundation. I had a very basic knowledge of Spanish as I had taken it in school but had not used it. Alicia taught me very practical uses of the language, enough that I am able to communicate with friends and family. The lessons were fun, flexible and the homework was extremely helpful. I highly recommend Alicia for anyway wanting to learn Spanish quickly!

-Mary D. Accounting Assistant Sherman Oaks, CA

I’m really enjoying Alicia’s Spanish classes and have learned so much from her. Her teaching style is very straight forward and her materials are easy to understand for any beginner. The lessons build upon each other in a natural progression from the learning the simplest words to building sentences. Before you know it you’re speaking and writing whole paragraphs! ¡Muchas gracias, Alicia!

-Daniel A. Graphic Designer West Hollywood, CA

Alicia has been an excellent tutor in bringing me to this level.  I cannot say thank you enough.  Muchisimas gracias!!!  I am now reading and conversing and will continue to do so to cement our diligently ( hard work!!!] grammar foundation.

After 5 years taking lesson, 16 hours a month

– Annette S. Retired Business Psychologist Marina Del Rey, CA

– Jeanne G. Insurance Agent Culver City, CA

I have studied with Alicia since December 2014. This has been one of the best decisions I have made. I wanted to get the “hang” of Spanish and learn to speak it without mistakes. As a speech-language pathologist I often have to communicate with Spanish speaking patients and their families. Being able to do so without the help of interpreters allows for a much better rapport and trust.

Alicia is an amazing teacher. Her enthusiasm and her commitment are unsurpassed. She is ready to help her students achieve their goals no matter at what level of proficiency they are. In just a little over one year I can now communicate easily with my patients and the Spanish speaking population at large here in Los Angeles. Although the Spanish grammar remains a challenge, I know that with Alicia’s expertise, passion for her native tongue and her constant encouragement I will be able not only to speak Spanish but also to read and write it. Learning another language can be fun if you set your mind to it and if you have a great teacher.

– Ruth Horowitz Speech-Language Pathologist Los Angeles, CA

 

Speaking Spanish has always evoked in me stress, shame and self-ridicule  (i.e. accidentally using inappropriate slang in a professional environment or attempting to speak with fluent family members that think me hilarious in my attempts at invoking the mother tongue, Spanish). I grew up with inconsistent exposure to Spanglish, which of course is its own linguistic and cultural wonder that can never really be mastered. So, I mostly speak Spanish “por la fuerza,” (i.e. at the family bakery, with the old folks, when my grandma can’t hear me in English, with monolingual Spanish speakers at work, at the market) leaving me with a deficit of language also known as “Mercado Spanish.”

Fortunately or unfortunately, I am expected to speak and write fluently in Spanish at my place of employment where I work as a psychotherapist. Alicia has tailored her lessons to fit the specific context in which I work. She has provided me with multiple opportunities (that are always exciting) to practice using Spanish to both solicit from clients their emotions/felt experience and to express my own felt experience in my family’s first language. For most of my life, I have been either gratefully left out of the conversation or I have been spoken “at,” meaning an elder addresses me in Spanish, I answer in English. Now, that I am grown I have had to raise the bar as they say in anglosajòn.

Alicia is not unlike an Occupational Therapist in her ability to attune to what motivates you as an individual learner, what ignites your passion to connect and communicate. She immediately picked up on my love for creative writing and talking about relationship. I suppose my language deficits in administering a mental health assessment were more than apparent.  I now perform this small miracle on a daily basis with ease and confidence gracias a Alicia Villa.  She has initiated a deep cultural/linguistic healing in me that continues to evolve, reveal new truths/challenges and more, concretely, pays the bills! So, grateful to be taught by a maestra of such high caliber in her knowledge of linguistics and in her creative capacity to convert what I thought were deficits into resiliencies.

– Persephone Gonzalez Psychologist-LA County Los Angeles, CA