Idlewild

I took three classes with Roberto, progressing from advanced beginner to high intermediate. He was always explaining the underlying logic so that I could truly understand rather than just memorize. He is a kind and supportive teacher, offering well-prepared, high-quality materials of his own. The classrooms were cozy and comfortable, creating a great environment for learning. While the curriculum moves at a fast pace, it encourages consistent practice at home, which I found both efficient and motivating.

I took a Spanish class with Roberto, who was really excellent. He brings great energy and dedication to his teaching.

I took an introductory Spanish class here that was excellent. The teacher, Lalo, was so friendly and helpful and informative. I think my Spanish improved dramatically over the 7-week class. Oh, and I think they sell books, too.

This site is two satellite classrooms that belong to Idlewild books in Manhattan. Language classes are taught here.

Best language lessons

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I signed up for an in-person beginners Spanish class at the Manhattan location. It was a little pricey in my opinion (plus you have to buy a separate book for the class from the store that is around $30), but I was so eager to grow in my skills I decided to sign up. I am someone who has a good base of Spanish under my belt, but for a beginners class this was very difficult. It felt very freeform/loose and I didn't feel we focused on grammar enough to speak in sentences (though we were expected to aloud in class). If you are someone who prefers structure, this is not the class for you. I attended every week until the last two courses because I felt I was not gaining anything, plus two of our classes got rescheduled due to the teacher's illness (not their fault, but I would've rathered a substitute as many of us travelled from BK for the class...) and we never received information about when they would be made up? I sort of feel like it was a waste for me The teacher was super nice and obviously very knowledgeable, but I think this class will not be a good fit for you unless it's just for a hobby or trying to memorize phrases for a vacation. It felt way too informal. If you are seriously trying to learn Spanish, I would not recommend and suggest you take your money elsewhere, though I cannot speak for my classmates or other language courses at this place

7 weeks (and just 7 classes) isn't a lot of time to learn a new language, but I'm surprised at how much progress I made in such a short time. Eduardo was a fun and engaging Spanish instructor. Classes were well structured, but didn't feel overly rigid. I felt engaged the whole time. I went into this with intermediate skills in French, which definitely helped. The course is quite fast paced and covers a lot of ground. If you have no experience with a second language you'll definitely need to study harder to keep up. I used Duolingo for a month before the class and it definitely helped get me started with at least some knowledge. I wish there was a little more time for conversation and interaction between students, but I don't see how they could do it unless the class met twice a week. Overall I liked the format of the class and would recommend it!

I've taken three Spanish classes with Lalo who is a wonderful and knowledgeable teacher. If you're interested in learning Spanish, I highly recommend a class with Lalo.

This review is based on my experience haven taken French Beginner and French Advanced Beginner classes at Idlewild with Vincent (who is multilingual). I've taken French at the Alliance Francais both in midtown and in Paris, and Vincent adeptly combined the structure of an AF class along with the fluidity students need to learn conversational French. What's more, you could tell Vincent loves what he does, which made me feel relaxed enough to actually enjoy learning a new language. I highly recommend Vincent.

I didn't know Spanish class could be so fun! I took the beginner class with Lalo and his energy makes learning Spanish fun! High School made it such a chore to learn, but the fun, and comfortable environment he creates has helped me to get better at speaking with classmates and friends!

It is a rare and special experience to be taught by someone with such unbridled joy and enthusiasm for their subject, their students, and, heck, life itself, but such is the experience of Spanish lessons at Idlewild with Chilean native Eduardo (Lalo) Pavez. I've taken several advanced French classes at Idlewild over the years to keep up my French and have enjoyed them just fine, but had some trepidation about trying out a new language. Lalo is a person of boundless energy--his enthusiasm just for being in class and sharing his time and his mother tongue with others is infectious. His ability to focus on simple ways to get you started and comfortable speaking as well as the vague hints of improvement in your Spanish while telling you how unimportant your obvious errors are is uncanny. A new language is a difficult undertaking, and I remember when learning French how easy it was to get lost or discouraged and want to give up, but this Beginning Spanish class has done nothing but make me excited, encouraged, and enthused to continue with this language. On a side note, I was so sad to see that Idlewild is no longer operating a book store at this location, and is solely doing language classes. I do very much hope they remain, and that Lalo (and his colleagues) are able to encourage and educate many future language students.

Lalo is THE BEST. i was blown away by how amazing the class was - I am a beginner and felt so at ease and excited for every single class. the students were engaging, the class structure was effective and the entire experience made me want to continue my learning. THANK YOU!

If you want to learn one the romance languages or just want to teach one to your kid, Idlewild is here for you. This tiny little shop is divided into two sides: On the left, there is a miniature classroom where they host French, Italian and Spanish classes (check the schedule online or listed on the door). When I walked by, the 12 or so students appeared to be engaged by the teacher, who sounded quite competent. In fact, on nice days they leave the door open, so you can just stand outside creepily and learn for free.* On the right is a well-organized, welcoming little bookstore filled to the brim with all manner of books...also in French, Italian and Spanish. There are classics, contemporary novels, and an excellent selection of children's books on the righthand wall. Adults can read Harry Potter in Spanish, or The Count of Monte Cristo in French. For your kids, you can pick up Le Petit Prince, [insert translation of Where the Wild Things Are that I forgot], or the Dr. Seuss favorite Un Pez, Dos Peces, Pez Rojo, Pez Azul. Although, I'm not sure Seuss works without the rhymes. ____________ *Don't do that.

I took the beginner level Spanish class at Idlewild in Brooklyn in Jan-Feb 2020. This is a great class for anyone who wants an intro to Spanish for traveling, or for people who studied Spanish several years ago. I took four years of Spanish in high school but that was several years ago so this was perfect! Lalo was a great instructor - he's a native Spanish speaker, brings fun energy to every class, and had us engage in discussion with a partner or the group for each lesson. Homework was relevant for travelers and we learned several common verbs, conjugation, and what's practical to say in different settings. The class had about ten people and was a good mix of comfortable + challenging for new Spanish speakers. Highly recommend!

I just finished a Spanish I class with Lalo -- he is fantastic, and so entertaining! I love the energy he brings to each class! I learned so much!

After a not so great first experience with the French Class, the owner reached out and offered me a second chance at the class with a new teacher. It's amazing the difference in the class with this new teacher. The new teacher, Vincent, comes to class every day prepared and with a great, positive attitude. Very happy the owner reached out, as I'm enjoying this class now!

Film and Conversation in Idlewild, Brooklyn. My husband and I have taken two terms of Film and Conversation at Idlewild, Brooklyn - both taught by Eduardo Pavez, a very engaging and energetic teacher. Eduardo knows a lot about film in Spanish speaking countries, as well as the literature and culture that supports it and this makes the class discussions stimulating and flowing, even when we're dealing with a film that is on the bland side. He is quite adept at getting everyone to participate in what is always a lively 90 minute class. We spend several months a year in Spanish speaking countries and Idlewild, Brooklyn has been an avenue to help us to keep our language skills going, and even improving them, between trips. It's been great for us to have this resource so close to our home in Brooklyn. And we are enjoying the increasing fluidity in Spanish we are experiencing. Our one criticism is the aforementioned blandness of a few of the film choices. There are so many strong films in Spanish (from Spain and Latin America) to choose from. We realize that it's hard to please every student in class, but maybe it's more interesting to err on the side of the potentially controversial. We look forward to taking this class with Eduardo again the next time we have a long enough break between trips. Sharon F.

Love this little new bookstore in Cobble Hill. Found a good selection of Spanish books both for me and my daughters. I am sure they will be getting a bigger selection. They also have books in French and Italian.

I just finished my third Spanish class at Idlewild books with the wonderful maestro Eduardo. Finalmente, estoy aprendiendo español! I have tried classes at other schools with little success, but the classes at Idlewild have really worked to teach me a basic foundation of the Spanish language. The classes are casual, low-stress, and combine learning basic introductions, verb tenses / grammar, and speaking / listening. While I have a long way to go, it is a great and satisfying start. Eduardo is a wonderful, patient, kind, and encouraging teacher. He never gives up on you (even when you're giving up on yourself!), and that kind of support is motivating when you're trying to learn a new language. For anyone looking to brush up on Spanish or finally get the basics down, I would highly recommend Idlewild! Muchas Gracias, Idlewild y Eduardo!

Just finished the Italian beginner class here, and I can't wait for the next level to start! Stefano is a great teacher who focuses on exactly what's needed to start speaking as soon as possible. This class was a birthday gift for me this year, and it's the best gift I've had in years. I highly recommend taking an Italian class in Idlewild, you won't regret it :)

I took the beginner Spanish class and it was a huge waste of time and money. The instructor would spend most of the class talking and trying to entertain the group. We had very few opportunities (usually less than 10 minutes) to speak. There was homework assigned but then a good part of each class was spent retracting content from previous classes or the homework. Really disappointing!

I took a beginner class with Eduardo some time ago, and I thought he was a wonderful teacher, and I appreciated the fun, low-pressure atmosphere at Idlewild. Since then, I moved out of state and have been searching for a new Spanish class to continue where I left off. This experience has opened my eyes to just how good a teacher Eduardo was. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find a new maestro who shares the same enthusiasm AND ability to explain things clearly, the way Eduardo did. My new teachers are certainly intelligent, friendly people, but they are not able to fully comprehend or clearly answer all of the varied questions that come from confused students. Having the comparison, I felt compelled to write a review for him/Idlewild because he really has a unique talent for teaching and I wish I could have continued learning from him.

I have taken 3 Spanish classes with Eduardo at Idlewild and am just finishing the Intermediate level class. Eduardo is an excellent teacher and he makes class fun and interesting! He teaches Spanish in a way that is accessible, easy to understand, and useful for conversational Spanish in the real world. He clearly has an in depth knowledge of the language not only as a native speaker, but from a linguistic standpoint as well. I feel that I have a much clearer understanding of Spanish after just 6 months of classes as Idlewild than I did after 4 years of Spanish in high school. I would highly recommend these classes to anyone interested in learning Spanish. Aprendí mucho y recomendaría estas clases a todos.

I just completed an advanced beginner Spanish class at Idlewild and am really pleased with how much I was able to learn through their class. (I had earlier taken the beginner classes there, not having taken any Spanish classes before.) Learning a language isn't easy but the classes are easy-going and make it comfortable to speak, and they include interesting topics about Spanish life and Latin America. I supplemented the class learning with a lot of on-line quizzes and games but having the instruction and explanation in a live format was the key to making progress. It's a light-filled pleasant environment and small group size classes, really pleasant. Highly recommend. Voy hablar espangol!

I recently took Spanish for Beginners and Spanish Advanced Beginner with Lalo Pavez. The classes were amazing! Lalo is an incredibly enthusiastic teacher who is clearly very passionate about helping people learn Spanish. I had never taken a single Spanish class in my life so I was a little intimidated at first. The classes are great for first-timers and also people with previous knowledge/experience. Not only is the class very helpful and engaging, but it is also a lot of fun. Lalo is a very effective and also entertaining teacher. I looked forward to class every week! I plan to continue building on the great progress I made in Lalo's class and will definitely sign up for more classes in the future.

I think Yelp is confused - Idlewild Brooklyn hasn't moved, they're still in that storefront on Warren Street. It's the Manhattan branch that has moved. I'm just wrapping up my second Spanish course with Eduardo Pavez, who is from Chile. I first took his Beginner class and am now taking the Advanced Beginner class. Both have been great! Eduardo is engaging and fun, and does a great job laying out Spanish grammar in a way that makes sense to me. I wish I had time to spend more hours per week in a class like this! But 90 minutes once a week is the right class length for people who work full-time. I look forward to Spanish class each week and will be a little bummed out when it's over. I would enroll in the Intermediate class if not for scheduling conflicts. The coursebook is good as well. The written homework is really up to the individual student - Eduardo assigns exercises but generally doesn't go over them unless there are specific questions from the students. There's an answer key in the book for checking your own work at home. I think that works well due to the limited class time. I have only one small criticism: these classes can be crowded, especially at the beginning of a course. In a language class where it's important that everyone gets a chance to practice their language skills by speaking, the crowdedness presents a problem. However, crowding was more of an issue with the Beginner class than the Advanced Beginner class. I've heard the teachers are working with management toward a smaller class size cap.

I'll try to make this short but informative. Going to Italy. Want to speak Italian and need classes for me and the boyfriend. Checked this place out. Price advertised falsely. Brought it to their attention by phone. No apology. No acknowledgement. No honoring their advertised price. Phone girl was like, "Meh, that's wrong." (crickets . . . ) Thought maybe that was just poor customer service by phone. Found facebook page. Sent note. Got return note assuring me that there was no error--merely a typo. Still no apology. Did however receive best wishes finding other Italian classes. Had I received an apology early on, I would have just chalked it up and taken the classes. Local businesses, I love you. But, local doesn't equal lack of customer service to me. Does it to you?

I just finished the Beginner Spanish class with Eduardo and it was awesome! Eduardo is a terrific teacher, very patient, funny, and makes learning fun. I learned so much (pero tengo que estudiar!). Voy a asistir a la próxima clase "Advanced Beginner" los sábados (gigante)! Gracias Eduardo!

Just finished the Advanced Beginner Spanish course at Idlewild with Enrique, and it was fabulous. The small class size allowed for a lot of personalized instruction, and Enrique balanced the teaching of grammar with plenty of conversational practice and helpful information about the cultural context and different dialects of Spanish. My wife and I feel fully prepped for our honeymoon in Costa Rica now--I highly recommend this class!

The bookstore portion of this store is open for a few hours during certain random days of the week.

Just finished my Beginner spanish classes with Enrique. He keeps it light and fun so you are engaged and it feels like your just hanging with friends talking. I learned so much more in this 8 week class then I did taking it for three years back in high school (a long time ago). I am going to continue onto the Advanced Beginner classes, about to sign up now!

I just completed my second series of Spanish classes with Enrique at Cobble Hill and cannot recommend him enough. Classes are small and personal, and he never fails to get the group engaged, interested and vocal. Grammar and vocab lessons are taught, but his main focus in the Intermediate and Cinema classes was discussion. Enrique brings a sincere love of arts, music and literature of the Spanish speaking world to his students. Courses are culturally rich and thought provoking, and never follow a by the book lesson plan of a staid classroom.

Perhaps it is not open any loner, but then I am not surprised. in October, I was thrilled to find a French language bookstore. I learned that they offered Spanish classes. I left messages at the manhattan store. No one replied to me. I went to the Brooklyn location at the start of November and a very nice young woman was helpful and she apologized. She helped me find a book, we talked about Paris, and she suggested a restaurant in the neighborhood. I tried going back to support this local business but I do not know if the store is open still. Once again I call and leave messages, no answers, no one. It is a wonderful place to have, but it is a pity that the owner or manager does not treat customers better or respond to basic questions.

The beginner Spanish class just ended and it was a great class. Eduardo is super enthusiastic and kept us all engaged. We were taught the basics of grammar rules like in any Spanish class but Eduardo added lots of practical vocabulary and expressions that help to actually talk with Spanish speakers. He also encouraged questions, which was helpful. It was a great environment to learn in. It made me want to keep learning and improving. Voy asistir la proxima clase :)

I have been taking Spanish classes with Eduardo and absolutely love it. He makes learning a new language fun and accessible. He clearly has an in depth understanding of the language, and keeps the class very engaging. I have learned so much more from him in 10 weeks than I did in 4 years of studying Spanish in high school. I really look forward to his class every week. Thank you Eduardo!!

I have taken several Spanish classes at Idlewild and have enjoyed them all. The classes are small, allowing students to get good practice with conversation and support from the teacher. The classes are reasonably priced, relaxed and fun. I recently completed the advanced beginner course with Eduardo. El es un excelente profesor. El describe la informacion gramatica clara. If you're interested in learning Spanish, I highly recommend taking a class at Idlewild!

This was the perfect class to jump start my Spanish speaking abilities. Better than any other places I have taken Spanish in the city. The Advanced Beginners class was well paced, particularly for someone who knows a little bit of Spanish, but not enough to really hold much of a conversation. Eduardo was an energetic and a patient teacher. Aprendí mucho!!! El describó la información grammatica muy clara.

Twice I have gone out of my way to buy books at this store and they were closed both times. The first time I checked the hours only to arrive at the store and see a handwritten sign saying they were closed for a long holiday weekend (not noted on their website or Facebook page). I'd love to support them instead of Barnes and Noble but the hours are too limited for me to do so.

Just completed an 8-week Advanced Beginner French class here and really enjoyed it. The teacher, Marie Lipp, is absolutely delightful--bright, funny, and enthusiastic. She makes the class fun, gets everyone talking, and is able to explain the grammar in a way that's clear, comprehensible and virtually painless. She's also really good at explaining French idioms, so you can begin to speak as French people really speak, and at cluing you in on French culture, by which I mean the types of things you don't learn in books--how to behave in public, how to dress, what the French personality is like. It would have been helpful if they had provided more exercises to work on, and then gone over them in class, but there are plenty of places online where you can find exercises to do on your own. The cost is very reasonable and it's located in a great neighborhood.

I'm now enrolled in my 2nd Spanish class with Eduardo. (Advanced beginner.) He is a fantastic, fun instructor whose primary aim is to get people conversant, using vocabulary that people actually use. He will go over the textbook phrases, but then will tell us how something is said in Mexico vs. Spain vs. Chile etc etc. It has been relatively clear and easy to pick up the basics (pero tengo que estudiar mas!) I cannot believe I've waited so long to start taking Spanish classes. I feel like a whole new side of NYC has literally opened up for me. I also took the French Cinema Conversation class with Marie, which was great for brushing up on my French. I am now taking the high intermediate French class in Manhattan with Maurice, as the Brooklyn location is not offering a conversation class at this time. Both classes are essentially the same, they really push you to discuss all sorts of topics with the class group. The movies and articles we have been assigned span all genres, from minority youth in France, joblessness, immigration, child protection services, Charlie Hebdo, comedy...whatever interests the class or is in current news headlines. I've greatly enjoyed my classes here and only wish I had started taking them earlier.