Programs / Immerse in Costa Rica´s rich culture while learning Spanish

Our programs are tailored to the various levels of Spanish ability and to the specific needs of the learner.

• For those who are beginning learners of Spanish, we offer a five-week course in basic structure and conversation. We have designed workbooks that go hand in hand with the daily class work and allow the student the opportunity to practice what has been taught in class each day.
• 
  The intermediate classes are for more advanced students who still need a scaffolding of grammar and more intense conversation. Workbook #2 has been assembled with this precise goal in mind.
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  The advanced classes are for those who are conversant in Spanish and familiar with grammatical structures, but need more practice and exposure to other forms of Spanish language – newspapers, magazines, literature, and movies. Workbook #3 has been put together with these specific learning needs in mind.

Of course, one can always come for less time. There is a one-week minimum commitment. New classes start every Monday. We are very flexible and want to make your learning experience at ACCE as effective and successful as we can.

Total Immersion

For this aspect of the experience, the student will be placed with a Costa Rican (tico) family that lives near ACCE. The student will become a member of the family’s daily life, including the sharing of meals and the opportunity to engage in conversation. The student will live in an independent bedroom, but will share the rest of the house with the family. The family’s responsibility is to interact with the student, provide breakfast and dinner, and laundry service.

The family will also help the student know about the city of Grecia and its surrounding areas. The family will help the student by speaking slowly and articulating words so that vocabulary can be learned. The purpose of all this is to expose the student to as much Spanish as possible. It is well documented that immersion is the best way to learn a language and a culture.

(see gallery)

Partial Immersion

For this experience, students stay in a place (hotel, villas, etc.) without the company of a tico (Costa Rican) family. In this situation, the student has more privacy and more freedom to enjoy the country.

Even though the student does not live with a tico family, he or she has the opportunity to meet the people of the country in order to practice his or her Spanish. If the student decides to stay in the villas that are part of ACCE, he or she will be provided with breakfast, free WiFi, laundry service, gardens, and other amenities.

(see gallery)

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Classes

...classes start on any monday

There is a minimum requirement of one week of classes and students may start on any Monday.

The first day of classes, each student must take a placement test which includes a written exam as well as an interview. The reason for this is to insure that each student is placed in the appropriate class for his or her Spanish language level.

Each class has a maximum of four students and the emphasis is on conversation. Learning Spanish, as a second language requires two basic conditions: The first is the gradual, logical study of the structure of the language. This component is the study of grammar.

Grammar has two basic aspects: first is the study of rules and uses. Second is the written practice with the supervision of a teacher. This written practice is complemented with a homework book, which contains practice for each grammatical topic studied in class. The second basic condition for learning Spanish as a second language is the emphasis on conversation.

For this, teachers are prepared to encourage and direct conversations so that students become comfortable expressing themselves in Spanish. Grammar goes hand in hand with conversation and the teacher’s presence for corrections, when needed, is imperative to the learning process.

Private Classes*

ACCE offers the option of private classes. In this type of learning environment the student attends classes alone. The level of the classes depends on the student’s Spanish language experience and interest.

*During high season ( December – January and May – August) the school decides if private classes are available and the schedule.

Private classes have an extra cost of 20%. (see prices page)

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Includes:

• ACCE picks up students at the Alajuela International Airport
• Accommodations
• Breakfast and dinner. Staying in a villa does not include dinner.
• Laundry Service
• Study materials
• Internet service
• Dance classes
• Cooking classes
• Tour of the city (learning the most important places)

Not included, but available:
(see Tours)

Weekend excursions to areas of Costa Rica: volcanoes, rainforest, national parks, biological reservations, beaches, extreme sports, others.

Schedule

ACCE offers the possibility of attending class on three different schedules (these are Monday through Friday).

• 4 hours daily from 8:00 a.m to 12:00 p.m.
• 4 hours daily from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• 5.5 hours daily from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and
from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Holidays (the school is closed)

*changes every year

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Application Form: • Spanish Program Registration Form (download printable pdf 182 kb)