Spanish Ajijic | Individual Spanish Lessons

Colegio de Axixic

“The Harvard of Language Schools”

One of my students called the Colegio de Axixic the Harvard of language schools, after attempting for many years to learn Spanish and spending a lot of money in the process.

He could comprehend most texts in Spanish, his pronunciation was decent, but he was useless at speaking and understanding the language. I found this to be a common problem with almost all of my students, and it wasn’t by a lack of trying or a lack of motivation. It isn’t difficult to learn vocabulary, pronunciation and even comprehension; the problem is that of retrieval.

If you cannot call up at will the words you need in order to express yourself, or understand what a native speaker is saying, then you can’t speak or understand Spanish.

There are exceptions to this common problem: people who speak other languages have an easier time learning a new language because they understand the language learning process better, as well as languages in general, even if they don’t realize it.

Retrieval begins with the process that takes place naturally after hearing words and phrases over and over, until they are embedded in your subconscious. As a child you only need a few words to begin with, and gradually work up to the number an adult needs to communicate. Some estimates suggest that around 3,000 words are necessary to achieve basic fluency, while others suggest 10,000 or more.

In order to acquire this number of words, the Colegio has developed a process where the needed vocabulary and phrases are repeated in different ways: visually, audibly, written and spoken over a relatively short period of time, to reach an adequate number for conversation.

The next step in the process of retrieval, is getting the student to talk, which is not as easy as you might think. Each student has a different level of either reserve, perfectionism, or other personality trait that either helps or hampers their ability to converse easily. Here is where the experience of the teacher is essential.

The Colegio guarantees that the student will speak, as long as they follow the process as the teacher explains it.

To sum it up, there are 4 steps:

Acquisition and repetition (up to 64 times)of vocabulary (with the emphasis on verbs);

Correct pronunciation (essential for being understood and understanding);

Comprehension of written and spoken material;

Retrieval of words at will and using them to communicate.

Once this happens, the first half hour of class is spent chatting in Spanish, getting corrected, writing down new words to learn, and concentrating on using the correct pronoun with the right tense.

The second half hour is spent on new material to stretch your vocabulary and knowledge of the language.

Come for a free introductory lesson, see how it works.

Student comments

Eric Wolf Ajijic (Washington)

I have always wanted to learn Spanish, but had never had the time to study it. When I came to Mexico with the desire to finally learn Spanish, the only experience I had was with Rosetta Stone and Duolingo. I quickly found that although I had some vocabulary words, I was unable to understand or converse with native speakers. I then signed up for group lessons, but after a few months, I had not made much progress. Then I heard about Lina and the Colegio de Ajijic.

I started one-on-one classes with Lina and within a short while was able to speak with more confidence and actually be understood. Even my gardener commented on my improving Spanish. From the beginning, classes involve hearing, understanding, and speaking Spanish. The learning process is built upon how our brains are naturally wired to learn a language and doesn’t require learning or knowing grammar rules and endless, mindless repetition.

Within a year, Lina invited me to assist in helping her with an intensive Spanish class, which led to me teaching beginners one on one. Having been exactly where my students are when starting out, I am able to help them understand the process and give them a better understanding of what to expect as they progress.

I am always amazed at how quickly my students start speaking Spanish and how quickly their pronunciation improves. I have had students that have had zero Spanish experience and students that have been studying for years but can’t carry on a simple conversation. Within just a few short months, they are speakingin Spanish and being understood.

I credit Lina’s methodology and teaching style as to how quickly the students at the Colegio de Axixic start speaking Spanish.

If you are ready to really start speaking Spanish, and not just saying a few stock phrases, I invite you to come check out the Colegio de Axixic I know that it made all the difference for me to finally be able to speak and understand Spanish. Gracias, Lina.

Nina MacClaverty (Toronto)

I took traditional Spanish lessons for over 10 years and while I did learn grammar and verb conjugation, I did not gain speaking confidence or listening comprehension. Lina’s methods concentrate on these two skills. During the current virus crisis, I have continued classes with Lina on line. Lina’s education program works very well using FaceTime. The format is the same as in person starting with a general conversation and then oral reading and comprehension. It is almost the same as being with her in person. Lina is an exceptional teacher, keeping her students challenged regardless of the format. She is a breath of fresh air.

Hunter Johnson, Ajijic, Jalisco (California)

I can absolutely endorse Lina and her approach to online learning We started out with in-person sessions in Ajijic and then switched to FaceTime sessions as the Covid-19 virus required social distancing. This has worked quite well…she emails links to the video and the readings, so it’s just like be in the Colegio. In just a couple of months she has helped with my pronunciation and ability to communicate in Spanish.

David Hudnall, Ajijic, Jalisco (South Carolina)

I was a Colegio de Axixic student prior to online classes being offered. I must admit I was skeptical when I switched to the online format. I was used to attending the Colegio and receiving individualized attention. Not being able to experience every sight and sound of the language in person, I expected my progress to diminish with online classes.

I must admit that I haven’t missed a beat. Learning in all phases of the class – casual Spanish conversation, review of prior material, and introduction of new material – has remained consistent. Lina has even added an additional homework assignment to broaden my vocabulary in conversation.

Attending the class in person was taking time away from my day to travel to and from the lessons. Now I learn from the comfort of my own home. It’s as if the instructor makes house calls. I have more productive time available to improve my Spanish skills and to do other things!

Priscilla Taylor Ajijic (Washington)

“Learning Spanish with Lina is a fun sort of challenge. Watching a film while LIna narrates the action In Spanish? Piece of cake. But watch out—then YOU have to narrate the segment! In Spanish! These sorts of challenges help me consolidate what I know (and learn what I do NOT know). Next up: listening skills—because it doesn’t do much good if I can speak in Spanish, but not understand the response at normal speed. Never a dull session.

Leigh Manheim Ajijic, Jalisco (Washington)

After spending 12+ years trying to learn Spanish; adult Ed classes, Rosetta Stone & Babbel, Warren Hardy Spanish, etc, etc – I finally found the Colegio de Ajijic & Lina Polonsky; when the student is ready, the teacher appears, as the Buddhists say! I could conjugate the hell out of a verb before I met Lina & say a few simple phrases, but I couldn’t speak Spanish or understand what was being said back to me – now I can converse fairly easily & usually understand what is being said to me; not perfectly, but mucho mas mejor now & by the time this pandemic is over! It takes time for the daily studying, 45 minutes to an hour, but what else do we have now but time?!? I highly recommend Lina’s unusual teaching method; for me, it has made all the difference!

Harry J. McFadden Ajijic, Jalisco (New York City)

When my husband and I moved full-time to Ajijic in 2016, one of our first priorities was to find a Spanish class. We had no intention of living in a country without understanding what was going on around us. Although we both had had some Spanish learning in the States (lots of grammar), we were finding simple communication beyond our reach. We were fortunate to have found Lina. Her method, in a nutshell, is to get you talking and understanding as quickly as possible and then building vocabulary through listening, reading, watching, and conversing. From day 1, you’ll start talking and that was exactly what we needed. Have a fear of speaking Spanish like we did? Initially, that was our biggest hurdle in our Spanish learning and thanks to Lina, we broke through that fear with hard work and her encouragement. I believe that her focus on getting you to speak and to be understood without getting bogged down in grammatical memorization was the way to go. It certainly was for us.

In the last year or so, we have both moved on to other schools in our travels through Mexico. We’ve also taken on our own learning projects with podcasts, videos, readings, and intercambios with locals. But we agree that it was our initial lessons at Colegio de Axixic that set us on the best path for Spanish learning, comprehension, and communication. In fact, after returning to Ajijic from 3 months in Guanajuato, the pandemic hit. Not wanting to lose the progress that I made, I have resumed lessons with Lina on Skype focusing on building reading and comprehension skills, vocabulary, and general conversation practice.

I very highly recommend.

Kathryn Scott Ajijic/Ohio

For years I told myself that I can’t learn a language. I have no capacity to remember words, form sentences with them and spit them out in a coherent manner on demand. I have always relied on my husband to speak Spanish for me when necessary. With his encouragement and help, I found the Colegio de Axixic.

I absolutely endorse Lina’s style of teaching. I am a visual learner, so watching movie scenes and forming sentences/paragraphs to describe each scene has been an amazing way to learn. My vocabulary, comprehension and pronunciation have grown exponentially. I have moved from in-person sessions with Eric to online and still am making extraordinary progress. I will continue now that online lessons are available while away from Ajijic. I couldn’t be more pleased.