Description
This 50 Spoken Spanish practice lesson course for one person has a regular price of €225, but with this Easter special, it will only cost €180.00 (that is a 20% discount)
And on top of that you get the WordAmigo system with JSS lists already populated free so your spoken Spanish leaps ahead, along with your vocabulary.
That would normally cost €49.95 so the combined saving is €94.95
The second part of the course is Spoken Spanish practice lessons P1-P50 with all videos, interactive quizzes and notes.
Purchasers of this product will also have access rights to the JSS Students Facebook closed group, where they can access a large body of additional material, including a large number of non-public JSS culture clips, which James has been adding to the group on a weekly basis.
This block of lessons has a very varied format. Each lesson has two or three videos (the average lesson is 75 minutes.) They are intense, so many students do one video daily to avoid brain melt.
The real focus of these lessons is ‘tuning’ your ears so that you can understand the ever-faster spoken Spanish you are confronted with daily.
Across these practice lessons, 90% of the time it’s James, who extends your ability to understand and speak, but there are 11 different Spanish speakers, ages 7 to 70, with a wide variety of regional accents.
There is a wide variety of lesson types, from Game Show formats to quizzes, and some require pre-watching preparation.
Additionally, there are a host of bonus lessons, Spanish expressions, keyword quizzes and a very addictive Spanish numbers game, the real solution to numbers on the fly.
Additionally, the WordAmigo system will be provided free of charge.
The WordAmigo system is a major advance over other methods for anyone looking to learn European Spanish. (Castellano)
This JSS WordAmigo version includes all the JSS Vocabulary lists.
It also taps into the collective experience of thousands of expat learners. It includes specialised subject lists with nearly 11,000 word pairings. (its growing rapidly). You can easily pick words from more than 150 subjects, listen to them spoken in both English and Spanish, and practice speaking to sharpen your pronunciation. With proven quiz methods, WordAmigo helps you identify the words you haven’t learned yet, test yourself, and master them through repetition and usage.
The system blends intelligent classroom teaching, online testing techniques, immersion in Spanish culture, and cutting-edge technology—all to help you speak confidently about adult topics with the appropriate vocabulary.
It’s a complete system—a smart step toward real fluency, the perfect companion for anyone learning European Spanish.
You can learn more about WordAmigo here Why do I need WordAmigo? – WordAmigo
Payment Terms: For the 50 Spoken Spanish practice lessons and WordAmigo free, pay the Easter Special Price today €180, or pay for this course over four monthly instalments, each of €46 (the first today), using your credit or debit card. (the options present themselves at the checkout.).
The cost of the course, under the extended payment plan is up €4, the extra cost of processing only.
Gill Brown (verified owner) –
I tried evening classes many years ago but have found the JSS system much better for me. I’m currently doing the course with my husband who has no experience of learning a language. JSS is great because we can repeat lessons whenever we want and go back over grammar to double-check things. The verb test is really useful; we still do it every other day to really imprint the verbs in our minds. We’ve only done the first few lessons but are really enjoying this part of the course – although it’s also quite hard. The tips about not trying to translate have really helped, and we are using this in bars and restaurants. We feel that we are starting to pick up more meaning and are able to understand more on the TV. Hopefully by the end of this stage we will be understanding more. We will be repeating these lessons as well, which is a huge benefit of this course. I’ve found the cultural tips fascinating.
Sarah Shipton (verified owner) –
James Spanish School is a fantastic learning resource and kick-started my Spanish learning journey. The lessons are perfect to learn on the move whilst walking or driving as they are an hour long each. I have done the course almost 3 times and each time was as good as the first. James explains the language brilliantly as, although he’s British he’s lived in Spain almost his whole life. His sense of humour is wicked, and he makes the learning funny, fun and engaging. There is also a good dose of Spanish cultural insight which is fascinating and educational. I would recommend this course to anyone. The spoken Spanish course was a great move forward from the first. I’ve done this section three times and as there is so much great content I learned more and more each time. There were loads of sentences and all useful content that you’d use in real life situations. It really built my confidence and listening skills. Someone from James’ team, and very often James himself, is always quick to answer any questions you might have. The community group is fantastic. Lots of people happy to help and share their journey. The cultural clips are brilliant and a great addition giving real context and explanation to Spain’s cultural idiosyncrasies. Being part of the community really helps to keep the momentum going.
Patrick Hughes (verified owner) –
Just finished both the core course and the spoken and really enjoyed both. James’ way of teaching and his jokes make it funny and great for learning. I have a holiday home in Spain and find after doing the spoken course I am able to chat with my neighbours and tradesmen without being nervous. I also love that you have it forever as I have done other courses that only give access for 1 year. Highly recommend. Patrick After doing the spoken Spanish my level increased and my confidence was much better. I now speak to neighbours and tradesmen without feeling too nervous. Fantastic course and great value. Really enjoying the weekly cultural tips. James’ unique way of teaching makes learning fun.
Chris Anne Campbell (verified owner) –
I started learning with Duolingo and found I knew a lot of words but not what to do with or how to use them. Went on to a local class in my area but due to too few students the teacher unfortunately had to close the class, which was a shame because he taught everyday speaking Spanish without the big word jargon that I don’t even understand in English. I came across JSS through a group and thought why not….. so glad I did. He teaches what’s needed in a fun way but explains everything, how, why etc without the scary jargon that all just makes sense. I can learn at my own pace, yes did go for a while not watching but as I’d bought the course, I could return, go over lessons and now continuing. I found I can understand locals more, converse more confidently albeit nowhere near fluent yet, but surprised myself last month when in Spain I could give a taxi driver directions to a place I was going to but hard to find – so chuffed and so was the driver. Thank you James and crew! Although I have not reached the spoken lessons yet, I know that they will fully enhance my understanding and confidence when I start. The JSS community is a Godsend. The questions and answers are there when you doubt or question something. Someone will have had the same thoughts and the answers are there. When I had stopped for a wee while, the FB group gave me the boost to start again when I saw others progress. Also the wee culture clips are a right insight to life in Spain and things we can be doing wrong. Makes me chuckle when James says bet someone has done that, and I think yep, me! All a learning curve – not just about learning a language, it’s also the culture. A thread James takes through all the lessons, clips, community etc and all done seriously but often with a very tongue in cheek humour; even though it’s a prerecorded video, you sometimes think he’s talking directly to you.
Nicky Holmes (verified owner) –
After trying Duolingo and a very basic night class (huddled in the corner of a country pub) I was beginning to feel it was hopeless. Once I moved to Spain I joined James Spanish School online and in classroom which was a breath of fresh air. James’ style of teaching is wonderful – he makes learning a language so comprehensive and fun along the way. We ended up having to stay back in the UK for quite long periods helping look after a sick relative so we were able to continue the course online and not miss out which was perfect. The way James explains the language is brilliant, and his jokes added in really help you to remember the rules of the language. It’s such a fun way to learn. I was absolutely dreading the verb test at the end of the 1st year, but I tried to learn the verbs and was thrilled when I achieved 100% (I’ve never had 100% in my life) – I do believe it is all down to the enjoyment of learning James encourages and of course his lessons and style. Having the lessons online for life means I can go over them at any time to refresh or revisit points I struggle with – the ABA and Ian rule makes it so much easier to understand. James also adapts his lessons to give us cultural information and tells us about Spanish Christmas, the Belen and looking for the Carbon is one of my favourites. Thanks, James, for all your continued support and kindness throughout and in the future. Wonderful experience. Once we started the spoken lessons the fun really began. Everyone in my group was extremely nervous and apprehensive about this. But off James led us down the path with such confidence and belief in us all that it became a fun part of my week and learning seemed much easier. You actually realised without really knowing just how much language you had absorbed – it was a nice surprise to feel it all coming together. James always helped if we were struggling but prompted us to find the right words or translate ourselves where possible. His encouraging methods helped us all feel confident and relaxed enough to have a go at any translation or sentence without feeling self-conscious. I listen to Spanish radio or conversations and realise I can understand what they are saying and don’t actually need to translate it in my head any more, which is amazing. There is still work to be done, and I need to continue practising and revisiting the lessons to lock it into my head, but it’s a great enjoyable way to pass an hour. I never thought I would ever get to the level of speaking and understanding I have achieved, and it’s all thanks to James. Being part of the James Spanish School family has helped immensely. To know you’re not alone with your learning and can ask any questions, no matter how silly it feels, without feeling stupid, and read the Q&A and see others are of the same mindset helps. Living in Spain, James explains social codes and things the Spanish do so that we can understand how to live here. Also about weddings, christenings etc and what’s expected of you as a guest, which really helps as we all have Spanish friends here now and know how to respect their codes. Living in Spain, the difference is a great series which covers lots of aspects of life in Spain. Keep up the good work James, your lessons are invaluable.
Lisa Rowlinson (verified owner) –
I purchased the full course from James Spanish School in September last year and have now worked my way through the first 50 lessons. I have learnt some Spanish in the past (1hr per week face to face lessons), so the first lessons were really revision for me. However, even with having some knowledge of Spanish I have enjoyed James’ style of teaching Spanish from the very beginning. This is about learning to speak and understand Spanish, not vocabulary, so you probably need to learn vocabulary alongside this course. The lessons are engaging and sometimes amusing. They are for all levels, so can sometimes feel a bit repetitive if you already know the point or understand it quickly. Having said that it’s better than rushing through and missing bits. I liked being able to work at my own pace, sometimes doing three or four lessons a week and other times when busy not doing a lesson for two or three weeks. You do have to be disciplined though and working alongside a friend (as I do) helps. The whole package is good value for money, compared to what you would pay for 1:1 or classroom lessons. I would recommend these lessons to anyone starting to learn Spanish or wanting to refresh their learning. I am about to start this section, so can’t offer a review at this time. The support side of the course is good and the comment section for every lesson can be very helpful. I haven’t posted any questions or comments myself but have used them and can see all questions get answered quickly, which is very good. I have enjoyed the cultural tips from James; he certainly understands what people need to know about Spain and its culture and customs. His comments seem to be aimed at the ‘retired Brit’ audience, but are also useful to people like myself (I own a house in Spain and want to be able to speak the language and fully understand the way of living in Spain).
Amanda Burton (verified owner) –
Only just started the course but finding it very good. Previously using Duolingo and then discovered it was based on Latin American Spanish as opposed to local Spanish. James makes the lessons fun by telling jokes and stories which is a really refreshing style of teaching and really makes the words etc memorable as you have something to relate it to. Dad jokes are hilarious. I haven’t yet moved into the spoken lessons but am excited to do so after experiencing the first few lessons. What I like the best is rather than just learning words by repetition, parrot fashion – JSS provides understanding of the words and verbs etc and therefore helps you to use them in sentences and in context. It has definitely improved my confidence in trying to use Spanish in shops and restaurants after only a few lessons. Totally surprised myself that I ordered a table for 4, drinks and food and the bill in a restaurant all in Spanish! Even if it’s not totally correct, the fact you try is respected. Thank you JSS for such a great course and course delivery presentation. I am looking forward to continuing the journey with you and improving with each and every lesson. Not yet progressed to the spoken Spanish sessions but excited to do so after experiencing the initial lessons. The community surrounding the lessons is precious. The hilarious cultural clips are great, the option to ask questions at each session helps, and interacting with others going through the same learning experience at different levels and pace keeps you motivated.
Dawn Humphrey (verified owner) –
I am so happy to have found this course and fully recommend it to anyone who wants to learn how to speak Spanish. I have done apps, courses run by the local council, online tutors and also face-to-face lessons with Spanish tutors, but I can honestly say that I learn so much better with James Spanish School online, as he explains things in a way that ‘just makes sense’ and there are no headaches with grammar either. Brilliant! I have only done the spoken lessons up to lesson 28 so far. I then went back to the start of the spoken lessons to see if they were any easier the second time round – the honest truth is: yes they definitely were. Furthermore, I found the tip that James gives not to focus onto only the words you know and instead to just ‘go with it’ and try (in my own words) to just get ‘the gist’ of what was being said. This really does help. However, from doing this review, I realise I have missed out ‘practising every sentence in private’ – I simply hadn’t even thought to do this. When I ask myself ‘When did I first realise I could follow a full conversation in Spanish without translating it?’ – I would say, that happened when I went back and just listened to the smarty-pants versions of the early spoken lessons. Looking back, I wished I had been advised to do 3 lessons a week to make real progress. Even 2 would have been beneficial. There are many weeks I didn’t push myself enough. I kind of hit a brick wall and found that even though I could definitely understand a lot more, I still didn’t have the confidence to try speaking it more when out and about. I do 2 intercambios a week and this does help, but practising spoken Spanish is still difficult. I have found the Q&A chat really useful and have often been amazed just how quickly a reply has been posted. Being part of the group for other learners has helped tremendously, however far they are down their path. It is good to measure yourself against others, be encouraging to each other and not be scared to ask the odd ‘daft’ question. I have found the cultural clips are absolutely fantastic and very useful. The ones that instantly come to mind are the ones about Once and the Christmas lottery – before your clips, I really didn’t know ‘how they worked’ and was too shy to ask. Every single clip has been a tremendous help. Thank you, James and the team.
Brian Philbin (verified owner) –
I’m 77 years old, I signed up for James’s course after struggling with other courses. I was beginning to think I was too old. I wasn’t! James’s course was a revelation for me. Finally, I’d found a course that I understood and one that was such good fun! Unfortunately, surgery stopped me in my tracks but I’m ready to crack on again now. Undoubtedly, James’s course gave me the confidence to not only try to speak Spanish but to embrace it along with the culture. Okay, I’m not fluent but I can converse and get round a conversation. I fully recommend James’s course, especially as a beginner just like me. If I can do it, anyone can.
Allison Galston (verified owner) –
I studied Spanish at school so already knew a few words but wasn’t able to string a sentence together. I found the grammar jargon confusing in English so trying to apply this to a second language really held me back. When we decided to move to Spain I thought that I would give it another go. After making enquiries on Facebook groups, James Spanish School was regularly recommended as a fun course which didn’t follow a traditional school type syllabus but taught subjects that you actually need in day to day life in Spain. I expected that the first few lessons would be fairly basic and that I’d probably have learned this content at school but straight from the off in the first lesson James showed me a simple trick to add -ing to a word ending that I wasn’t aware of. The way that James explained the structure of the language and why it was that way really helped the information to stick in a way that it hadn’t previously. As the weeks passed I was starting to recognise more words when we were out and even started to practise speaking with short sentences in Spanish – I felt so much more confident than I ever had before. Now, I couldn’t leave a review without mentioning James’s sense of humour! He has his own unique style which is basically “”Dad”” humour (rolls eyes) – this, along with the various explanations around Spanish culture, does make the lessons interesting and fun. I’m still progressing with the spoken lessons but so far I think it’s helping to reinforce the vocabulary and language rules learned during the core course and is definitely helping to train my ear to recognise and understand the spoken word at a regular pace. The lessons come with the sentences in written format which I like to read and try to translate ahead of the spoken lesson. As time goes on I’m going to try just going straight into the spoken, but I don’t think I’m quite ready for this yet. Each lesson is broken into roughly half-hour sessions which is enough – it’s definitely more intense than the core lessons, especially the ones with words and numbers. I like that there are quizzes included too which keeps things interesting. I know that I’m making progress with the spoken language because I’m able to pick up more conversations when I’m out where previously I could only pick out odd words. I’ve still a way to go but being able to understand the locals’ conversations gives me the confidence and determination to continue in my learning. The tutorial support alongside the lessons has been really useful – just being able to ask a question to aid understanding is a real lifeline with the online lessons. I always read through previous questions too just in case something has been raised that I hadn’t thought about. I love the culture clips too and often share the information with friends. I remember when we first arrived and had to keep going into the bank almost daily – the Spanish people didn’t seem to queue which as an English person I found very odd. Then James explained how this works here in Spain as one of the culture clips. The next time I went to the bank I actually understood that when the Spanish person came in and said ‘último’ to various people they were actually getting in the queue. The culture clips are now on YouTube and I’ve already shared them with a few friends who are thinking of moving to Spain.
Linda Binney (verified owner) –
I have lived in Spain for 10 years. BJ (before James) pre covid I spent 3 years studying Spanish at the local Escuela de Idiomas, levels A1, A2, B1. I learned lots of vocabulary and grammar, but I was still tentative in conversation with Spanish neighbours, in shops and restaurants. I was reluctant to have to do year one of the course, but James was right, to learn with him in his way was necessary and what a result! After a few months my confidence and ability increased hugely, and I was able to converse so much better that friends and neighbours commented on my much improved Spanish, thank you, James! Using the hints and tips, the 3 been, easier use of Haber and the use of 2 or 3 verbs together all contributed to enabling me to better use all the verbs and grammar I knew and talk to people in without having to think it all through first. And the test, the 45 most important things to know… It is a great reminder of what is important, and I still go back and review it as a refresher when I feel the need, I really appreciate being able to go back to this and other lessons if and when I feel the need. Year 2 then really helped me to better tune my ear to listening to different spoken Spanish. It is great to be able to talk to people but if you do not understand their reply you are not a lot better off! I enjoyed listening to different people speaking, and although I have finished the course I still use it every day when I am walking on my treadmill (to prevent boredom and improve my listening skills at the same time, yay!) The Pasapalabra lessons were my absolute favourite! What a great idea! And also the ones asking personal questions, very useful and entertaining! I am now able to understand more (but sadly not yet all) of what is said to me. Because of my great improvements thanks to the course, I am now the official translator when my husband and I go out with our Spanish friends as they do not speak English and his Spanish is limited… and I am teaching my Spanish friend to speak English (I have a TEFL certificate) and I am mostly able to explain things to her in Spanish (alcohol helps!). I never thought I would be able to do that, thanks James! I have found all the extras in this course that you do not find elsewhere (like most people I have tried many other courses before this one!) Can really help with your Spanish language learning and also with understanding the cultural and social codes in Spain which better help you integrate in your village or town. Finally, to anyone considering this course I would just say, Go for it! In my opinion it is the best course around online for learning Spanish, at least it has been for me and for many of the friends that I have recommended it to.
Allison Galston (verified owner) –
I studied Spanish at school so already knew a few words but wasn’t able to string a sentence together. I found the grammar jargon confusing in English so trying to apply this to a second language really held me back. When we decided to move to Spain I thought that I would give it another go. After making enquiries on Facebook groups, James Spanish School was regularly recommended as a fun course which didn’t follow a traditional school type syllabus but taught subjects that you actually need in day to day life in Spain. I expected that the first few lessons would be fairly basic and that I’d probably have learned this content at school but straight from the off in the first lesson James showed me a simple trick to add -ing to a word ending that I wasn’t aware of. The way that James explained the structure of the language and why it was that way really helped the information to stick in a way that it hadn’t previously. As the weeks passed I was starting to recognise more words when we were out and even started to practise speaking with short sentences in Spanish – I felt so much more confident than I ever had before. Now, I couldn’t leave a review without mentioning James’s sense of humour! He has his own unique style which is basically “”Dad”” humour (rolls eyes) – this, along with the various explanations around Spanish culture, does make the lessons interesting and fun. I’m still progressing with the spoken lessons but so far I think it’s helping to reinforce the vocabulary and language rules learned during the core course and is definitely helping to train my ear to recognise and understand the spoken word at a regular pace. The lessons come with the sentences in written format which I like to read and try to translate ahead of the spoken lesson. As time goes on I’m going to try just going straight into the spoken, but I don’t think I’m quite ready for this yet. Each lesson is broken into roughly half-hour sessions which is enough – it’s definitely more intense than the core lessons, especially the ones with words and numbers. I like that there are quizzes included too which keeps things interesting. I know that I’m making progress with the spoken language because I’m able to pick up more conversations when I’m out where previously I could only pick out odd words. I’ve still a way to go but being able to understand the locals’ conversations gives me the confidence and determination to continue in my learning. The tutorial support alongside the lessons has been really useful – just being able to ask a question to aid understanding is a real lifeline with the online lessons. I always read through previous questions too just in case something has been raised that I hadn’t thought about. I love the culture clips too and often share the information with friends. I remember when we first arrived and had to keep going into the bank almost daily – the Spanish people didn’t seem to queue which as an English person I found very odd. Then James explained how this works here in Spain as one of the culture clips. The next time I went to the bank I actually understood that when the Spanish person came in and said ‘último’ to various people they were actually getting in the queue. The culture clips are now on YouTube and I’ve already shared them with a few friends who are thinking of moving to Spain.
Linda Binney (verified owner) –
I have lived in Spain for 10 years. BJ (before James) pre covid I spent 3 years studying Spanish at the local Escuela de Idiomas, levels A1, A2, B1. I learned lots of vocabulary and grammar, but I was still tentative in conversation with Spanish neighbours, in shops and restaurants. I was reluctant to have to do year one of the course, but James was right, to learn with him in his way was necessary and what a result! After a few months my confidence and ability increased hugely, and I was able to converse so much better that friends and neighbours commented on my much improved Spanish, thank you, James! Using the hints and tips, the 3 been, easier use of Haber and the use of 2 or 3 verbs together all contributed to enabling me to better use all the verbs and grammar I knew and talk to people in without having to think it all through first. And the test, the 45 most important things to know… It is a great reminder of what is important, and I still go back and review it as a refresher when I feel the need, I really appreciate being able to go back to this and other lessons if and when I feel the need. Year 2 then really helped me to better tune my ear to listening to different spoken Spanish. It is great to be able to talk to people but if you do not understand their reply you are not a lot better off! I enjoyed listening to different people speaking, and although I have finished the course I still use it every day when I am walking on my treadmill (to prevent boredom and improve my listening skills at the same time, yay!) The Pasapalabra lessons were my absolute favourite! What a great idea! And also the ones asking personal questions, very useful and entertaining! I am now able to understand more (but sadly not yet all) of what is said to me. Because of my great improvements thanks to the course, I am now the official translator when my husband and I go out with our Spanish friends as they do not speak English and his Spanish is limited… and I am teaching my Spanish friend to speak English (I have a TEFL certificate) and I am mostly able to explain things to her in Spanish (alcohol helps!). I never thought I would be able to do that, thanks James! I have found all the extras in this course that you do not find elsewhere (like most people I have tried many other courses before this one!) Can really help with your Spanish language learning and also with understanding the cultural and social codes in Spain which better help you integrate in your village or town. Finally, to anyone considering this course I would just say, Go for it! In my opinion it is the best course around online for learning Spanish, at least it has been for me and for many of the friends that I have recommended it to.
Josie Stevenson (verified owner) –
Went to James’s classes and had great fun and learned so much. The spoken lessons were great; listening and interacting with people from different parts of Spain was really helpful in tuning your ears (you always have to concentrate to understand when people speak back to you).
Colin Muddimer (verified owner) –
As a retired teacher, I really do appreciate your teaching style… Excellente! Y muchas gracias.
Karen Lind (verified owner) –
Really enjoying your lessons, have learnt more in 13 lessons than all the other courses I have tried.
David Taylor (verified owner) –
Hi James, really enjoying your lessons and thank you for explaining every lesson so thoroughly. I think I am slowly getting there now with Spanish and understanding the rules of the language
Andrew McLeod (verified owner) –
This is a fantastic course, I’m enjoying it so much and learning a lot! Muchisimas gracias!
Dawn Humphrey (verified owner) –
I can honestly say, as an English speaker, that the course is the best investment in learning Spanish. I have tried the free courses, I also tried “”””paid for lessons”””” in blocks of 8 (but gave up when the teacher asked me what I wanted to learn !?!?). I have made a lot of progress in the 18 months since I joined JSS
Dawn Wilson (verified owner) –
Hi James, I am an academic learner and have struggled in the past… Your course is perfect for me and my way of learning. Thank you so much for the very well structured course and easily understood explanations.
Alan Brodie (verified owner) –
I’ve tried many ways, but would agree that James’ courses are the best of all.
David Burgess (verified owner) –
I am a veteran language teacher and highly recommend this course. Very well organised and with excellent explanations. I’m half way through the full course.
Mary-Lou Curley (verified owner) –
I have found this course the best I have tried since attempting to learn Spanish. I am now on my third and last section and have really enjoyed it. I have discovered that it is impossible to learn without the basic verbs and grammar – you are only fooling yourself if you think you can. The cultural tips are brilliant during class. The videos are so good and help so much with pronunciation. I have pushed myself to speak out in class, which is something I have always avoided in the past. To sum up, I would like to thank James for giving me the confidence to read and speak Spanish in the correct way. The only negative is his choice of famous actor Arnold and the memorabilia. James gives us lots to practise with – sentences and stories which, to my surprise, mostly stuck with me as my memory is not what it used to be. I remember last year sitting beside a Spanish family and I could understand most of what they were saying. I surprise myself when making appointments and talking with receptionists, and I find that once I ask Spanish speakers to talk slowly they are happy to do so and will help with words. James’s Spanish class has made me embrace my Spanish life here. I believe that to enjoy living here you need to be able to talk with the locals, and they appreciate it so much when you make the effort. If there is something I don’t know or am struggling with, James is only too happy to help. He explains things very well and in simple terms. It has been lovely to learn alongside my classmates, and my family are very proud of how far I have come.
Tracy Francis (verified owner) –
I signed up for online courses in November and have learned so much already and I’ve paid for endless lessons in the past, glasses of wine and pieces of cake to try and help . I’m building up my confidence again slowly as I really need to converse better and actually string sentences together easily and quickly, it’s also important to understand what people are replying to you or asking you which you cover so well in your course!! I’m so looking forward to the online conversational classes when I get to lesson 50, as I believe this will really help me move forward. I love the online tests which I like to go back over and really like to hear about the culture of Spain from your own experiences
Beth Noon (verified owner) –
Highly recommended, we did the first year online now in the classroom. Enjoyed both and learned plenty.
Ian Vowles (verified owner) –
Excellent product , I am finding going back and going over a lesson several times really helps, each time something more seems to stick . For those who are not Brits or familiar with British peculiarities some of James’s humour might be hard to understand, but the lessons are great. So far , the first time I feel I am learning something . Previously I had an in person (professional teacher) in Mexico, but I retained almost nil . With James’s course l am recalling much more , plus laughing at his Brit stories which ring so many bells. The cultural tips are so helpful , understanding things makes huge difference in relaxing and integrating. Worth every penny !
Carol Jane Macgregor (verified owner) –
Nothing else to say but the best class I’ve done, and I’ve lived in Spain for 17 years
Terence Haines (verified owner) –
Great course… your course knocks spots off all the others.
Tara Harris (verified owner) –
Consistency and practice is the only way to learn, what James has created here is the easiest system by which you can adhere to both. The app is amazing and has given me the freedom to carry on now we cannot attend the physical classes. Each lesson I listen to seems to be a lightbulb moment; James’s magical teaching system is like no other. Fantástico
Julia Ivil (verified owner) –
Great course. Informative about Spanish culture as well as the language and makes me laugh out loud. Thank you
Sandra Issa (verified owner) –
Brilliant teacher, structured, fun and easily understood, also we learn about the culture of Spain as well which is very interesting. Highly recommend
Paul Webb (verified owner) –
Excellent live school backed up with an excellent learning resource application! The spoken lessons online are invaluable
Diane Cowley (verified owner) –
James has a very unique way of helping you learn easily and drops in many interesting facts and customs of Spain. Definitely recommend you give it a go
Jan Norbury (verified owner) –
Having completed all the courses I cannot recommend this JSS course highly enough. It has given me the confidence to try and speak Spanish which I otherwise wouldn’t have done and the best bit is that they understand me! whether it be the pharmacy or the supermarket. You won’t be disappointed.
Tracey Elliott (verified owner) –
I have tried several courses but enjoy and learn from this course the most. I also enjoy the little extra nuggets of useful information about the Spanish culture.
Alison Carrick (verified owner) –
I’m now repeating all the earlier lessons on my daily walk and in the car to refresh my memory whilst continuing with new lessons. Great app, really effective lessons. Thanks James.
Martin Switzer (verified owner) –
I learned a little bit of Spanish over the years while holidaying in Spain and more recently on Duolingo. I built up a small vocabulary but couldn’t put meaningful sentences together. Lo and behold, I came across the JSS and since then, my level of Spanish has improved significantly. James teaches Spanish in a ‘ladybird’ way that makes it much easier for the student to understand and to continue to the next lesson. I have found the online lessons extremely useful and easily accessible at times that suit me. I’m now midway through the spoken lessons and while my progress is slow and steady, I’m really enjoying this journey.
Gary Friend (verified owner) –
I can’t recommend the JSS Spanish Course highly enough. James has a brilliant way of explaining everything in clear, simple terms right from the start. He begins with the basics and uses practical, easy-to-follow tools that make building sentences feel natural and intuitive. You quickly gain a solid understanding of grammar, including how to confidently use masculine and feminine forms. Like many people, I started out with Duolingo and learnt some basic Spanish. One thing that really stood out to me is how much this course improves the quality of your Spanish. I often hear fellow expats, some who’ve lived in Spain for 10-20 years, making grammatical mistakes, and realised I used to do the same. The course helped me understand why direct translations from English don’t always work, and how to speak more naturally and correctly. I’ve genuinely learned so much, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. The cultural insights are a fantastic bonus – interesting, entertaining, and genuinely useful for everyday life in Spain. And the icing on the cake is James’s sense of humour. I’ve laughed out loud many times, which makes learning even more enjoyable and keeps you engaged throughout. Overall, the course offers excellent value for money – especially with the generous discounts available for family and friends. If you’re thinking about learning Spanish, don’t look anywhere else as you’ll get everything you need from this course. I’m only on lesson 37 at the moment but really looking forward to the spoken Spanish practice lessons. The interaction on the course in regard to any questions students have is fantastic, questions and comments are responded to quickly. Much like the Facebook group which has become an additional source of useful information. It’s not like buying a course and then ‘thanks for your money – off you go’, it’s a feeling of continual support from James. Reading what other students experience with life in Spain is also interesting and helpful and does motivate me, as do the cultural clips which James posts on a regular basis. In fact, I have had a number of months off learning due to moving house, and it was the Facebook group and culture tips that have kicked me up the backside and filled me with motivation to crack on and get back on track.
Julie Gill (verified owner) –
I am now onto lesson 11 on the spoken Spanish. I found it difficult in the beginning, but with constant repeating the lessons, I am now understanding it a lot more. I feel a lot more confident now speaking Spanish. In fact at my local Spanish run café, they are quite impressed with how much my Spanish has improved. A part of James’ course has a section of questions and answers, so you can ask any question without feeling stupid. I find reading other people’s questions and answers very useful. James’ response is always very prompt. I love the culture clips that he puts on Facebook, they are very interesting and informative. I found the one about the mould extremely helpful.
Anita Amesbury-Page (verified owner) –
I have purchased JSS Core Course and Word Amigo. Like many, I used Duolingo for many years but found the longer I was on it, the less relevant it became. James is a very funny chap, and this makes for me learning in my 50s much more tolerable. I am a visual learner so having humour within the lessons I actually think is making the learning easier. I am by no means competent, and have yet to get to grips with Word Amigo, but that’s not down to James’s courses – that’s because I am still working. Attending classes is a challenge for me as I am restricted to my time in Spain now, so this is the next best option. James, not sure if available, but one other thing I would like would be 1-1 lessons over the internet, to give accountability which is probably where my learning journey struggles a little. Other than this, if you’re looking to buy his courses, you will definitely get a laugh about Spanish Culture, his wife and fun whilst learning.
Ricky Harris (verified owner) –
After trying a few various Spanish classes and Duolingo I was recommended to try James Spanish School. I attended the physical classes at Polar, and it was the most fun I’ve ever had in school. James simplified what at first was a daunting subject for someone in the mid-fifties. The structure was easy to follow, and the two verb rule was a lifesaver that I have used hundreds of times. I particularly liked the test at the end of each year as it was a great guide to how far we had come. Thanks to James I can communicate to a decent level in my job which includes having to speak Spanish on a daily basis. The spoken Spanish lessons were probably my favourite lessons because it gave me the chance to put into practice all we had learned in the lessons. The hardest part for me was trying to sound Spanish and not some Truck Driver from South London – over a relatively small amount of time I managed to pick up the pronunciation to a decent level, although I will never be able to roll my R’s. One of the most helpful pieces of advice was not to try to pick out words but to let the sentence flow because getting stuck on one word means you won’t get to hear the whole sentence – this is something I still have to do in everyday situations, and it really works for me. I found being able to ask questions at the moment very helpful and a bit of a godsend. Some of my favourite lessons have been the cultural ones where we got to learn many different things about life in Spain. I love living and working in Spain and thanks to James it is a lot easier when you can communicate with the locals.
Kerry Charters-Byrne (verified owner) –
I started to learn Spanish a few years before coming to live in Spain, including night school, Michel Thomas and other courses on CDs, various online courses and phrase books. I knew a fair bit of Spanish but didn’t really know or understand what I knew, nor how to put it all together. James’s classes were like the keys that unlocked it, and I finally understood what I knew and how to put my knowledge together with my new learning. He has come up with a unique formula to make learning the basics fun and easy and to give you a great structure to build on. His sense of humour makes the classes enjoyable and memorable. After the first year, the spoken language classes began and for once James did not do all the talking; he made use of his family, friends and actors to help us hear different voices and accents. The spoken process built up from single sentences to short stories with different themes and varied, interesting content. It rapidly became easier to understand the stories when you did not focus on one word, instead listening to whole sentences —” trust James when he explains this theory. Being able to repeat the lessons multiple times has also helped to tune my ear in; often when you hear a word that you don’t understand, it’s because it’s more than one word but when spoken it blends together. I am far from fluent, but I can get by with long Spanish lunches with my neighbours, and I am sure I have made them laugh a few times with my mistakes. James gave me a firm base to stand on and the confidence to use what I have learnt. I was lucky enough to attend James’s physical class; his response to questions was always first class. In four years he answered every one of our class questions —” nothing ever fazed him. To say “”””he knows his stuff”””” is putting it mildly; no question was ever a “”””silly”””” question. James’s humour also helps you to remember. Once I started online classes, the Q&A option is as good there as in the physical class —” getting answers to your questions as you work through a subject is most helpful. I am also part of the JSS Facebook group; this has been a friendly environment to learn more, ask questions and have access to James’s cultural tips, which have been invaluable in helping to understand some of the Spanish customs and ways. After my first lesson with James I recommended him to others, and will always continue to do so. I am living proof that his methods work. I love my life in Spain —” learning the language and culture enhances this more every day.
Pamela Rose (verified owner) –
Over the years, I’ve attended several formal beginners/intermediate Spanish courses in the UK with limited success. I still never felt I understood the structure of sentences or culture in Spanish very well. I saw a post about James Spanish School online course on Facebook. It was a perfect deal for the 100 lessons, especially as there was no time limit on using them and the fact you could repeat them as often and whenever you like was a real bonus. James is a very entertaining tutor and I love the humour and sarcasm when comparing Spanish and English perceptions of the different cultures. I always end up laughing. For various personal reasons, I’ve ‘fallen off the wagon’ in terms of working my way through the lessons on a regular basis, but the great thing is that I know I can revisit those lessons I completed and carry on again whenever it suits me, and I have every intention of doing that. The culture clips provided in the online lessons (and on the Facebook group) are so useful, as are the notes that come with the video lessons. Having a test after each lesson is really useful in terms of identifying progress and providing a sense of achievement. I would (and have) recommended this course to my friends and family. I haven’t started the spoken Spanish practice section yet. I live in the UK and so do not attend class groups; however, the online community group is very useful for reading students’ comments, listening to the short, focused culture clips and verb explanations that James uploads —” these are fascinating and useful to dip in and out of. I’ve sent the link to lesson demos to my daughter in Australia, as learning Spanish would be so useful for her in her travels and if she ever wanted to move to a warmer climate closer to home.
Brod Kearon (verified owner) –
The practice lessons are great for getting you used to the sound of the language and deciphering what people are saying to you. It helps enormously to repeat those lessons over and over, especially the ones about the dreaded numbers! I’m working my way through the lessons again. Learning how to deal with tradesmen, the post office, the doctor, etc. is invaluable, but I feel I need more dialogue practice. For instance, now that we know (more or less) what people are saying, we need to be able to respond quickly and confidently, and that takes conversation practice. I can understand much more now than I did when I started the course, but I still get stuck when trying to speak. The Facebook videos are a great help in explaining how certain things work in Spain. I don’t live in Spain, but I spend about four or five months a year there, so I need to be able to operate in Spanish. The only trouble is that our place is in Catalonia and everyone speaks Catalan. Of course, they can speak Spanish but some of them pretend not to be able to! The cultural clips are great —” could some of them perhaps be in Spanish? I haven’t seen ‘My Living in Spain’ —” I must check it out.
John Henderson (verified owner) –
I tried learning Spanish before using ‘Spanish with Paul’, but I found it to be very laborious and struggled with being unable to speak to local Spanish people. I tried Duolingo, but I never liked the running streak of days as an incentive. I find JSS gets to the point so quickly and you focus on what’s important in relation to learning the language. The whole way you teach it is fun, enlightening, and to the point with minimum time wasted. The dad jokes are very good —” the only bit I didn’t like were the jokes about a Scotsman driving a Dacia, which I am both! Ha! Honestly, all great fun. I had so much more confidence in a short time to say what I want, and my brain wasn’t full of useless information. I prefer the online classes because I can go at my own speed, revisiting/revising lessons at any time. We are all different in our learning, so we can focus on an element that we personally are struggling with and stay there until we master it without feeling any pressure from others. I also like the comment section because you still feel you are learning as a group, so you have the best of both worlds. My confidence has grown greatly regarding neighbours, shops, bars, and now I look forward to having that exchange with Spanish-speaking people. I loved the structure of learning a language from scratch, because naturally English is my first language and it came automatically without too much work, having youth on my side at the time. Finally, I have different neighbours and friends using JSS as a language tool —” Americans, English, Dutch, Swiss —” and we are all in agreement it’s the best one out of all the others we have tried. I have just started the spoken Spanish practice lessons, so I don’t have much to say about them, but I am really enjoying them and even after only a few I am feeling the benefit. I enjoy reading the questions and answers in the tutorial support and I find most, if not all, of my questions have been asked and answered. Some of the comments let you adjust your learning process. I really enjoy the culture clips and tips on Facebook and find them very helpful in answering my queries. As I mentioned before, the feeling of the group and the benefit of learning at your own pace gives you the best of both worlds.
Jane Aldridge (verified owner) –
My previous experience with learning Spanish involved Duolingo (which I hate) and an evening class because we had several holidays in Mexico and I always liked to learn vocabulary before we went on holiday so I could chat to staff in the hotel. When we made the decision to make a permanent move to Spain two years ago, I knew I needed to find a course that would help me understand how to have proper conversations. I was not going to be one of those Brits who appear to take a pride in not knowing any Spanish apart from how to ask for two beers! I enjoyed James’s course from the outset and found the way he explained the structure of the Spanish language really helpful. I found the two-verb rule incredibly useful. Learning at my own pace is great, and I have learned an awful lot from the course, I have to say. I make a point of speaking Spanish every time we go out, and the course has given me the confidence to do that. We belong to an intercambio group in Coin, where we live, and some new Spanish members complimented me on my Spanish, and I was absolutely delighted. I still have a lot to learn, but I can say that James’s course has really helped to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. Thank you! I really like the spoken Spanish practice lessons —” I found them really hard at first. Learning to listen to a whole sentence without trying to translate every word takes some time, but it makes a lot of sense. Where I live in Andalusia, local people speak very quickly and miss off the endings of words, so trying to get the gist of what they are saying makes sense. I am really surprised by the progress I have made, but I put that down to the structure of the course. I purchased the additional spoken lessons and love the structure of those. After leaving them alone for a while I was surprised by how much more I understand. I have found the direct Q&A chat very useful on the occasions that I have used it, and I have enjoyed the cultural clips that I have viewed in the closed JSS Students group on Facebook. I love living in Spain.
Peter Johnson (verified owner) –
Finding James’s Spanish School has absolutely changed the way I think about learning a new language. After moving to Spain in 2020 I was determined to learn Spanish —” like a lot of people I tried Duolingo and thought I was making some progress! This was until I came across James Spanish School. After my wife and I signed up to his in-class lessons we were a little bit nervous as the first lesson day approached —” it felt like going back to my school days again! But we didn’t need to worry; as soon as we walked in we were totally put at ease by James’s fantastic personality. As part of the in-class lessons we had access to the same content as the online students, and it was fantastic that the content was exactly the same as the in-class lessons. What struck us first, right from lesson one, was how much we absorbed in every lesson. James has a real skill to deliver the lesson in a way that has clarity and detailed explanations of why you say things in a certain way and order. Having a non-pressured atmosphere absolutely helped to maximise the absorption of the subject of each lesson. Once the first year core lessons had ended, my wife and I were really looking forward to the spoken Spanish lessons. On our first day of the first year core lessons I remember us feeling a little nervous —” like our first day at school; year two started with absolute excitement to put into practice all the information and knowledge that we learned in year one. It’s not until you look back that you realise how much you have progressed. I am not going to make out it was easy to listen to sentences in Spanish that got progressively longer with past, present and future tenses! And of course numbers! But after listening to James’s advice on not focusing on just one word or number as the rest of the sentence washes over you, it made perfect sense and gradually listening became so much easier. The sense of achievement is great when you just switch to auto mode in your head and understand totally what was said on the first play. What gave us the most satisfaction was to use the knowledge we gained in practical situations when out and about here in Spain —” anything from a simple greeting to asking questions at the pharmacy, medical centre or shops that I would never have tried before without using a translation app. Each time you speak in Spanish in everyday life it gives you a massive boost of confidence! We also enjoyed the online lessons where you have to put English sentences into Spanish —” once again you can really gauge how far you have come in such a relatively short time. Obviously you have to put some hours in each week on revision and study, but speaking from my own experience the determination in me became stronger as time went on, especially when a Spanish local congratulates you on a sentence or two that you have said to them and you understand what’s being said back to you in Spanish! James’s method of teaching is unique —” and of course his legendary humour! Along with the video online lessons it was great to know that there was support available. I have used this feature on occasion when I had a question about a certain topic; my questions were always answered fully and promptly. For James there is no such thing as a silly question, so it was nice to know I could ask no matter how silly it seemed to me. Sometimes James’s answer just reminds you of something that you always knew but didn’t spring to mind immediately.
Timothy Raphael (verified owner) –
I started to learn Spanish by trying various methods such as CDs, books and using internet translators but after many different attempts I always seemed to give up and feel I was never really building any structure to use on a day-by-day basis. After moving permanently to Spain in 2019 I found James’ school by research and decided to invest in the course. I have never looked back since day one. The way he teaches grabs you completely, and immediately you begin to understand the real structure of the language. You cannot speak Spanish by simply translating word for word – it just doesn’t work. James explains so many aspects of why it doesn’t and has a unique way of getting you to understand. I am not and have never been academic, but learning with James is like watching a perfect box set – you just always want the next episode! Think of your favourite teacher from school, then add a unique sense of humour and a true understanding of Spanish culture – that’s James!
The spoken lessons take you to another level, which is where you start to feel the benefit of the previous core lessons. You really will start to appreciate just how much you have learnt when you start this section. I found that it was confidence-building from the start, and that when I used what I had learnt, the strange one-eye-up look from the shopkeeper I so frequently received seems to be far less common. I also found I was able to understand some of what was being said to me by carrying out what James suggests – don’t try to translate each word, but just listen and try to understand the context of the sentence. You will catch enough to actually know what you are listening to. The great beauty of this course is that once you are signed up you can go back over it again and again as often as you like.
As a student you have access to a comprehensive support system at every level. Each lesson has its own dedicated Q&A section where you can ask James any question you wish, but also see queries from other students and the answers they received – I found that invaluable at every level. At certain points through all the courses are cultural lessons which explain the Spanish way of doing things – queuing at the post office or bank, for example. This was a pivotal moment for me as light bulbs went on in my head when I used what I had learnt in real life. I think the cultural lessons have made me feel more included than any other aspect and are, most definitely for me, the glue that makes the whole experience of being one of James’ students such a complete one. Weekly cultural lessons are now available on YouTube as well as the student-only Facebook page, which is an invaluable resource to share the experience with other students. I have never experienced anything close to James’ way of teaching and feel that as I now live in Spain it is slowly and imperceptibly helping me to integrate into understanding the culture as well as the language.
Timothy Raphael (verified owner) –
I started to learn Spanish by trying various methods such as CDs, books and using internet translators but after many different attempts I always seemed to give up and feel I was never really building any structure to use on a day-by-day basis. After moving permanently to Spain in 2019 I found James’ school by research and decided to invest in the course. I have never looked back since day one. The way he teaches grabs you completely, and immediately you begin to understand the real structure of the language. You cannot speak Spanish by simply translating word for word – it just doesn’t work. James explains so many aspects of why it doesn’t and has a unique way of getting you to understand. I am not and have never been academic, but learning with James is like watching a perfect box set – you just always want the next episode! Think of your favourite teacher from school, then add a unique sense of humour and a true understanding of Spanish culture – that’s James! The spoken lessons take you to another level, which is where you start to feel the benefit of the previous core lessons. You really will start to appreciate just how much you have learnt when you start this section. I found that it was confidence-building from the start, and that when I used what I had learnt, the strange one-eye-up look from the shopkeeper I so frequently received seems to be far less common. I also found I was able to understand some of what was being said to me by carrying out what James suggests – don’t try to translate each word, but just listen and try to understand the context of the sentence. You will catch enough to actually know what you are listening to. The great beauty of this course is that once you are signed up you can go back over it again and again as often as you like. As a student you have access to a comprehensive support system at every level. Each lesson has its own dedicated Q&A section where you can ask James any question you wish, but also see queries from other students and the answers they received – I found that invaluable at every level. At certain points through all the courses are cultural lessons which explain the Spanish way of doing things – queuing at the post office or bank, for example. This was a pivotal moment for me as light bulbs went on in my head when I used what I had learnt in real life. I think the cultural lessons have made me feel more included than any other aspect and are, most definitely for me, the glue that makes the whole experience of being one of James’ students such a complete one. Weekly cultural lessons are now available on YouTube as well as the student-only Facebook page, which is an invaluable resource to share the experience with other students. I have never experienced anything close to James’ way of teaching and feel that as I now live in Spain it is slowly and imperceptibly helping me to integrate into understanding the culture as well as the language.
Carol Larrabide (verified owner) –
James Spanish School is great. Done a few lessons then work got in the way, have started again from lesson 1, great that you can keep the videos and notes from the lessons and go over them time and again x Amazing what I remember going back over the lessons x
Tim Raphael (verified owner) –
James Spanish School , this level of adoration, in Spanish, that’s adoración, as if you didn’t know, … could make you engreÃdo …. Did I use a dictionary for that word … Seriously, you will not find a more complete language course anywhere, this is the best way to become part of Spain. Thanks James
Ian Quigley (verified owner) –
I highly recommend this teaching approach to make learning Spanish fun , I still have a long way to go but every afternoon I look forward to my pre-recorded lessons to learn at my own pace
Gill Chaplin (verified owner) –
Brill, worth every penny.
Karen Joiner (verified owner) –
If you want to learn the Spanish language correctly James is your man. He also makes it fun when you are learning and also you learn the culture with some interesting facts.
Nick Mooney (verified owner) –
The App is amazing, very simple to use, identical to the live classes I’m just finishing my first year and delighted with how simple James has made learning Spanish !
Sheila Wiggett (verified owner) –
Fantastic teacher and course. Informative and fun. Highly recommend James to teach you what you need to know. He’s definitely a one-off
Carole Sommerville (verified owner) –
James is an amazing teacher and brings his own unique sense of humour to each and every lesson. Highly recommend his Spanish lessons
Andy Wright (verified owner) –
I can vouch for how effective the online lessons really are, I was a little apprehensive about joining at first as I did not really want to start from the beginning again as I already have 18 months of UK Spanish lessons under my belt, but James insists that everyone starts from his ‘beginning’ and I absolutely agree! James’s lessons are well structured and deliver what he promises, I am currently on lesson 28 and have learned an enormous amount, it has filled in the blanks for me and enabled me to construct sentences much better with a much wider vocabulary. Highly recommended
Susie Wright (verified owner) –
I moved to Spain in 2013 wanting to be a translator! I tried many courses and spent so much money – video courses, CD courses, Spanish coffee mornings, language exchange, free community lessons, even a private Spanish tutor – but I still couldn’t string a sentence together. Too much complicated information! Then I found JSS online. I sailed through the Core Course as I’d covered most of it before, but at last I was beginning to understand it and, more importantly, I was retaining the information. The second course got me speaking and understanding a lot more. The beauty of it is you can recap on all the lessons any time you need. James’s unique way of teaching gives you a fun lesson which you enjoy, and you don’t realise just how much you are learning. He also includes informative snippets of the Spanish way of life – Christmas, Easter, queueing, going to the doctors, the health system. The two-verb rule, the three forms of ‘been’, Para v Por, Estar v Ser – so much valuable information! Six years ago I moved into a tiny town. I couldn’t speak to the locals and certainly couldn’t understand them – I felt really isolated. With James’s help I joined the local Ama de Casas – 14 Spanish women all talking at once! I still don’t understand the rapid-fire language, but we do communicate. I can even get the local builders in and get a good job done! I’ve only used the Q&A a couple of times, but you get a reply pretty quickly and as much support as you need, though it is quite straightforward to use. I don’t really use Facebook much, but enjoy the culture clips – they are a great help. I’m just about to watch the one about water bottles because it’s beyond me why they are on the corners everywhere!
Sue Gunn (verified owner) –
Worth going just to hear James’s one-liners! Informs you of the Spanish cultures too. A really good course
Colin Beevers (verified owner) –
We entered the Core Course with very little Spanish apart from being able to order beer and wine! Now we are residents, we wanted to learn more so we could enjoy the Spanish way of life fully and learn how to deal with all the things you need as a resident – doctors, supermarkets, town hall and so on. The course was fantastic – looking back we can’t believe how much our Spanish has come on. A huge aspect of this was James’ teaching style, which made the course very enjoyable. It’s no secret in life that if you enjoy something you tend to stick to it, and we did – attending in-person lessons, working our way through the homework and the online lessons. It’s amazing how learning 100 verbs gives you so much confidence when talking to tradesmen, in shops, bars and so on, and very importantly understanding the written communications from the town hall, utility suppliers and insurance companies. We still have to work out how we are going to say things in Spanish, but the two-verb rule is a game changer! We love our life in Spain and this has been greatly enhanced by attending James’s Spanish School. We approached the Spoken Spanish lessons with a bit of trepidation, but we needn’t have worried – James’s style of presentation, including a lot of humour and confidence-building as we went along, continued with the enjoyment we had felt from the Core Course. Again, by attending the classes, doing our homework and committing to the online lessons and practice, our Spanish has come on leaps and bounds. We are by no means fluent, but we have the confidence to speak Spanish whenever we can, and we are never afraid to say ‘Español por favor’. The Spaniards we meet are all very happy to see that we are trying to live in Spain and enjoy the Spanish way of life rather than transplant the UK with sun. We never thought we would be this far along after three years, but are so glad we stuck with it. To be fair it wasn’t that difficult, as it was incredibly enjoyable and funny. Don’t tell James, but we actually thought it was perfect value as well! We haven’t been too active in the Q&As but for us the best part of the JSS community group is the cultural clips. Spain is not the same as the UK, and understanding how, when and why the Spanish do certain things or act in certain ways has made it immeasurably easier for us to assimilate into Spanish life. We love our life in Spain and JSS has played a huge part in us enjoying the transition from life in the UK to living a full and enjoyable life in Spain.
Roderick Baverstock (verified owner) –
I would totally agree !! At 79 I have tried numerous ways to learn Spanish and for me the James Spanish School online has proved to be the ONLY one that seems to keep the words in my head. The added bonus is all the numerous tips on “” why the Spanish do what they do “” , which helps me to integrate into the Spanish way of life and feel more like a local than a bystander. Cannot recommend these courses high enough – 10
Jill Elliott (verified owner) –
The online courses are brilliant. You can go at your own pace, repeat a class as many times as you need and he makes the class enjoyable with his funny jokes and remarks
Steve Lally (verified owner) –
Hi all I’ve done Spanish classes in lots of different formats over the years, so the beginning was very much revision for me, but even so each lesson gave me great tips on how to remember and use words/verbs. I’m really enjoying the course, so much so I’m gifting a subscription for the first course to my brother in the UK who has started learning Spanish .
Alastair Hoy (verified owner) –
Hi James. I have now run through the first 100 lessons and would recommend your course to anyone. I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and while I’m hardly fluent I’m enjoying using basic sentences with my Spanish neighbours. I would love to continue the learning experience and would be grateful if you could send me the link to the second 50 spoken lessons. Thanks.
Cathy Gutteridge (verified owner) –
I’m in the middle of the Spoken Spanish Practice Lessons. I’ve found this section of the course really helpful. Tuning into the real-life rhythm of Spanish speech is really helpful, and instead of listening to sentences two or three times, I can now understand most things first time. I no longer panic when I hear Spanish being spoken to me. I rarely understand everything said, but by not getting bogged down with the odd unknown word, listening to the whole sentence usually means I can get the gist of the conversation, and manage much better in the real world. I’ve still got a way to go, but this course has definitely moved me on quicker than other learning techniques I’ve tried.
This is a very comprehensive community to be part of. The lessons, Facebook group and online support all add up to a very inclusive ‘family’. The course has made me excited to go out and try out Spanish, instead of avoiding the embarrassment of looking like an idiot. It’s certainly enriched my experience of living in Spain.
Cathy Gutteridge (verified owner) –
I’m in the middle of the Spoken Spanish Practice Lessons. I’ve found this section of the course really helpful. Tuning into the real-life rhythm of Spanish speech is really helpful, and instead of listening to sentences two or three times, I can now understand most things first time. I no longer panic when I hear Spanish being spoken to me. I rarely understand everything said, but by not getting bogged down with the odd unknown word, listening to the whole sentence usually means I can get the gist of the conversation, and manage much better in the real world. I’ve still got a way to go, but this course has definitely moved me on quicker than other learning techniques I’ve tried. This is a very comprehensive community to be part of. The lessons, Facebook group and online support all add up to a very inclusive ‘family’. The course has made me excited to go out and try out Spanish, instead of avoiding the embarrassment of looking like an idiot. It’s certainly enriched my experience of living in Spain.
Nikky Ingley (verified owner) –
Credit given where credit is due! I’ve been learning Spanish sporadically for many years, starting with an A/S level in college when Jesus was a baby. Since then, I’ve tried countless apps, online tutors, f-2-f classes and textbooks, and always felt like my improvement has been marginal, and definitely not in-keeping with the time or money invested. A few weeks ago, I randomly stumbled across James Spanish School and signed up for 50 on-demand lessons. I am shocked at how much I have learnt in just 14 hours. His teaching method is very unique and far superior to any academic class I have ever experienced. Most of you will know I have the attention span of a goldfish and get bored very easily, but I love that there’s loads of cultural information in addition to the language learning. The fact I’m still engaged post 10 hours (despite his dad jokes) is a miracle! 😬 Money well spent! If anybody is considering learning Spanish, I highly recommend this course. It’s important to add that I haven’t been asked to leave a review, nor am I receiving commission!!! Kudos James!
Kathleen Williams (verified owner) –
I have over the years tried many ways to learn Spanish: night school, a GCSE course and a diploma course in Candia. I find James Spanish School online courses suit me better, not only because I can learn at my own pace in my own time but also because I enjoy the cultural tips and, dare I say it, his sense of humour. I also find WordAmigo very helpful in learning words in their categories. Furthermore, I feel more confident ordering food and can understand more when I am spoken to in Spanish – it’s not perfect but very much improved.
I like the fact that I can go back over lessons as often as I feel necessary until I completely understand them. The training of listening to the whole sentence rather than focussing on a word I didn’t know has truly helped me in my conversations. I am very pleased with my progress – this has come along faster than sticking to night school or taking exams. A year ago I went to Cartagena with two friends by train. On arrival, we decided to take a taxi to the centre. The taxi driver gave me a long speech in Spanish as to why he couldn’t. Apparently there was a fiesta and the roads were closed. I then asked for walking directions. My friends were well impressed that I understood and got us to the centre.
I have learned so much by being part of the group. Where I have my holiday home in Spain, I have met several others who are part of this group. Life in Spain is so much easier to understand by watching the cultural clips – I love learning more about the country and its people. I have shared the YouTube series and people love it!
Kathleen Williams (verified owner) –
I have over the years tried many ways to learn Spanish: night school, a GCSE course and a diploma course in Candia. I find James Spanish School online courses suit me better, not only because I can learn at my own pace in my own time but also because I enjoy the cultural tips and, dare I say it, his sense of humour. I also find WordAmigo very helpful in learning words in their categories. Furthermore, I feel more confident ordering food and can understand more when I am spoken to in Spanish – it’s not perfect but very much improved. I like the fact that I can go back over lessons as often as I feel necessary until I completely understand them. The training of listening to the whole sentence rather than focussing on a word I didn’t know has truly helped me in my conversations. I am very pleased with my progress – this has come along faster than sticking to night school or taking exams. A year ago I went to Cartagena with two friends by train. On arrival, we decided to take a taxi to the centre. The taxi driver gave me a long speech in Spanish as to why he couldn’t. Apparently there was a fiesta and the roads were closed. I then asked for walking directions. My friends were well impressed that I understood and got us to the centre. I have learned so much by being part of the group. Where I have my holiday home in Spain, I have met several others who are part of this group. Life in Spain is so much easier to understand by watching the cultural clips – I love learning more about the country and its people. I have shared the YouTube series and people love it!
Tony Houghton (verified owner) –
Brilliant course everything explained which makes it easier to learn. I would highly recommend to anybody trying to learn Spanish.
Margaret Carman (verified owner) –
Found the speaking section really great for getting me to focus on hearing the message and not listening and translating single words. I needed to work through numbers and dates more than once, but it was great to be able to do that as necessary. The section gave me more confidence in speaking and understanding Spanish and I have since started an intercambio practice with a local Spaniard, something I wouldn’t have felt confident enough to try before. I’ve appreciated being able to ask questions as the lessons progressed and seeing other people asking and getting prompt replies. I now enjoy the JSS group on Facebook for the cultural clips and being able to help others on their James journey. Furthermore, I recommend your classes to English friends who are finding learning Spanish difficult. Muchas gracias.
Norma York (verified owner) –
I used to do Duolingo but would get frustrated with it and tended not to remember. Then I had an online teacher, but that didn’t help me either as the subjects were rushed through, and I never got time to properly study before going onto the next subject. So I came across JSS, and it’s amazing how little things are now starting to make sense. I do find how things like when James says about ABA on the end for the past has stuck with me, for example. I do need to be more consistent with my learning and I have now added lots of word lists to my Spotify, but love how I can just pick it up when I have a few minutes spare.
I’m still repeating lots of the spoken lessons, but I find that this helps me. I now try to listen in on the local people to try and pick up the gist of what they are saying.
Norma York (verified owner) –
I used to do Duolingo but would get frustrated with it and tended not to remember. Then I had an online teacher, but that didn’t help me either as the subjects were rushed through, and I never got time to properly study before going onto the next subject. So I came across JSS, and it’s amazing how little things are now starting to make sense. I do find how things like when James says about ABA on the end for the past has stuck with me, for example. I do need to be more consistent with my learning and I have now added lots of word lists to my Spotify, but love how I can just pick it up when I have a few minutes spare. I’m still repeating lots of the spoken lessons, but I find that this helps me. I now try to listen in on the local people to try and pick up the gist of what they are saying.
Elaine Farrow (verified owner) –
Just finished the core and spoken course. They are brilliant. I highly recommend these courses. Wish I’d known about James earlier.
Marina Gavin-Mills (verified owner) –
I’ve just finished the first fifty lessons and would highly recommend. I’ve done beginner Spanish so many times but never managed to move on until now. James has a unique approach and is a marvellous teacher. Even though much of the course was revision for me I can honestly say I learned something with every lesson and have moved on so much. Every lesson was enjoyable and the (very non PC) jokes had me spluttering my coffee on many occasions. Best money I’ve spent in a long time.
Cathy Gutteridge (verified owner) –
I’m doing the online course. I already knew some basic Spanish, so at lesson 9 I’m familiar with most of what’s been covered, but in every lesson James has explained, very clearly, points that I’ve previously found confusing, and colloquial phrases that none of my other classes have ever mentioned. The information about culture is really helpful too! I’m feeling very hopeful I may get to a stage where I’m not a rabbit in the headlights when my Spanish neighbours speak to me!
Lorraine Carey (verified owner) –
I have dipped in and out of learning over the years, however now buying a property in Spain I really needed lessons to keep me focused. Having no other languages and being a 50-year-old, I needed a course that gets to the point in a way I can understand, and JSS really does this.
Not there yet, but I am speaking and using what I have learned so far in Spain.
Having the option to see other students’ questions is a great help on an online learning forum, as it gives me an indication of how I am doing.
Lorraine Carey (verified owner) –
I have dipped in and out of learning over the years, however now buying a property in Spain I really needed lessons to keep me focused. Having no other languages and being a 50-year-old, I needed a course that gets to the point in a way I can understand, and JSS really does this. Not there yet, but I am speaking and using what I have learned so far in Spain. Having the option to see other students’ questions is a great help on an online learning forum, as it gives me an indication of how I am doing.
Sarah Harries (verified owner) –
In addition to attending Spanish lessons, I have used Duolingo, books, watching TV with subtitles and tried pretty much every AI speaking app, but I was still struggling. Struggling to remember, struggling to understand how to use certain concepts such as pronouns and the structure of more complex sentences and struggling to put a sentence together. James’ lessons have helped me with all of the above. The explanations were clear and helped me remember. I liked that I could do the lessons whenever it suited me. I liked that I could go back and redo some of the lessons I found tricky, several times.
The spoken lessons have taken my Spanish to a whole new level. I don’t currently live in Spain (hopefully one day!) so I don’t get to hear Spanish spoken on a regular basis. I struggled with some of the lessons to start but being able to go back and replay them now means I am much better tuned in to listening. It has also significantly improved my understanding and ability to put a sentence together in Spanish. I wasn’t expecting that, so that was a real bonus.
Being part of the group and being able to ask questions and/or read other people’s responses has really helped me feel I’m not alone in my learning. There have been times when life has got in the way, but the group has helped keep me motivated to continue learning. The new Facebook group is a great addition to feeling ‘part of something’ and I’m loving the culture clips. Definitely something you don’t get elsewhere!
Sarah Harries (verified owner) –
In addition to attending Spanish lessons, I have used Duolingo, books, watching TV with subtitles and tried pretty much every AI speaking app, but I was still struggling. Struggling to remember, struggling to understand how to use certain concepts such as pronouns and the structure of more complex sentences and struggling to put a sentence together. James’ lessons have helped me with all of the above. The explanations were clear and helped me remember. I liked that I could do the lessons whenever it suited me. I liked that I could go back and redo some of the lessons I found tricky, several times. The spoken lessons have taken my Spanish to a whole new level. I don’t currently live in Spain (hopefully one day!) so I don’t get to hear Spanish spoken on a regular basis. I struggled with some of the lessons to start but being able to go back and replay them now means I am much better tuned in to listening. It has also significantly improved my understanding and ability to put a sentence together in Spanish. I wasn’t expecting that, so that was a real bonus. Being part of the group and being able to ask questions and/or read other people’s responses has really helped me feel I’m not alone in my learning. There have been times when life has got in the way, but the group has helped keep me motivated to continue learning. The new Facebook group is a great addition to feeling ‘part of something’ and I’m loving the culture clips. Definitely something you don’t get elsewhere!
Mark McNulty (verified owner) –
Great way to learn Spanish but not for those easily offended – James has a wicked sense of humour which adds to the learning experience!
Joanne Ainsworth (verified owner) –
Learnt more in that lesson (1) than a year on Duolingo. Very good verb formula & words ending
Karen Massey (verified owner) –
I am using WordAmigo alongside James Spanish School online it is a fantastic way to learn all of the Spanish words you will ever need to know. As an expat this is the only way to go
Carol Davie (verified owner) –
This course is like a great Netflix series, I can’t wait to get on to the next episode/lesson.
Tom Wall (verified owner) –
Thank you, I’m enjoying the course but I am a complete beginner and have to go over it many times, however your teaching style makes it very easy, even for me, and I’m enjoying it very much, thank you
Maria Davies-Roberts (verified owner) –
Fabulous course, I was complimented on my vocabulary last week, I’ve not started the verbal lessons yet but really enjoying the course and when someone from deepest darkest Andalusia who speaks a million words a minute understands what you are saying and is impressed with your vocabulary, it’s a big win. Thank you James Spanish School online
Maria Davies-Roberts (verified owner) –
I’ve been doing my Spanish A1 at an accredited school here in Dubai, the entire course is taught in Spanish so I’ve been totally lost and confused… I found your course and 45 mins later I feel like I might actually be able to learn.
Amber Traugott (verified owner) –
My husband and I are learning Spanish with the intention of retiring there one day. We don’t have the time or the budget to attend formal classes regularly. We have used a couple of different language apps, but they seem best for reinforcing concepts learned elsewhere. It isn’t easy here in the US to find good resources focused on learning Castilian Spanish, as opposed to Latin American. We’re really happy with the lessons and tools through James Spanish School. James’ approach is engaging and makes it easy to become a functional speaker quickly. It’s also really helpful that it’s completely self-paced. His videos about cultural points of living in Spain are also fantastic. We think it’s a tremendous value for the price. I’d recommend his course to anyone planning to spend a lot of time in Spain, especially those who haven’t found an effective resource they enjoy using.
I’m still working my way through the spoken Spanish lessons, but they are very effective for tuning my ear and reinforcing the concepts in the Core Lessons so far. I love that there are so many examples in each video and that I can return to prior lessons to review the Expert video at a faster pace once I think I’m ready. It’s helped boost my confidence with speaking.
James is so accessible to his online students. When I’ve had questions about the content in a lesson, I’ve posted them in the Q&A, and he’s responded within hours. It’s also really helpful to read others’ comments and questions. I also belong to the JSS Students Facebook group – that’s a great resource for getting more insight about Spanish culture and connecting directly with other students for advice and their insights.
Amber Traugott (verified owner) –
My husband and I are learning Spanish with the intention of retiring there one day. We don’t have the time or the budget to attend formal classes regularly. We have used a couple of different language apps, but they seem best for reinforcing concepts learned elsewhere. It isn’t easy here in the US to find good resources focused on learning Castilian Spanish, as opposed to Latin American. We’re really happy with the lessons and tools through James Spanish School. James’ approach is engaging and makes it easy to become a functional speaker quickly. It’s also really helpful that it’s completely self-paced. His videos about cultural points of living in Spain are also fantastic. We think it’s a tremendous value for the price. I’d recommend his course to anyone planning to spend a lot of time in Spain, especially those who haven’t found an effective resource they enjoy using. I’m still working my way through the spoken Spanish lessons, but they are very effective for tuning my ear and reinforcing the concepts in the Core Lessons so far. I love that there are so many examples in each video and that I can return to prior lessons to review the Expert video at a faster pace once I think I’m ready. It’s helped boost my confidence with speaking. James is so accessible to his online students. When I’ve had questions about the content in a lesson, I’ve posted them in the Q&A, and he’s responded within hours. It’s also really helpful to read others’ comments and questions. I also belong to the JSS Students Facebook group – that’s a great resource for getting more insight about Spanish culture and connecting directly with other students for advice and their insights.
Nancy Perez (verified owner) –
Hi James. I think your verb recognition chart is brilliant. I will say I feel my comprehension has improved, as I am listening to and reading books in Spanish. So thanks for that
Ken Johnson (verified owner) –
Hola, James. I am loving how you point out the beautiful simplicity of spoken Spanish – very encouraging for present and future learning.
Stuart Bennett (verified owner) –
Great lessons, definitely improved my understanding in only 4 lessons
Ruth Baldasera (verified owner) –
Definitely the best course, mainly because James understands ‘why’ we don’t understand something, but also he has come up with some brilliant ways to remember verb endings. Really enjoying the online course and finally getting somewhere.
Aileen Burges (verified owner) –
I really recommend this course for Brits wanting to learn Spanish . I have done various Spanish courses before, both online and in the classroom, and I can say this one is the absolute best. I am on lesson 20 of the online course and am thoroughly enjoying it. The experience far exceeds all the other courses.
Sophie Bennett (verified owner) –
Absolutely loving the course!!!! Thank you. Up to lesson 7 and devouring each lesson. Best language course ever
Sarah Freeman (verified owner) –
I bought the full course a couple of weeks ago. I learnt more in the first few lessons than I have doing over a year on Duolingo and other apps. James is very good at explaining and is fun to listen to. I have laughed out loud on more than one occasion! I would highly recommend to anyone looking to learn the language.
Kelly Nicholls (verified owner) –
I have only recently signed up and straight away I have learned so much more. James has a brilliant style which makes it easier to learn and is very funny too.
Karl Robins (verified owner) –
Not only informative, but really enjoyable! We are about 14 lessons in and things are really beginning to make sense…simply explained and appropriately repetitive which suits very much our style of learning! Thanks to James! Very highly recommend!
Frankie Harris (verified owner) –
I love love love the way that James Spanish School teaches and my husband who hates books and has just started, laughs out loud and everything is starting to stick – especially comiendo/comando!!! I am so delighted that he is actually beginning to be confident about learning – thank you James!!!
Dr. Gray Church (verified owner) –
I studied Spanish from the ages of 12 to 17. That was from 1969 to 1974. But throughout my life, I have tried to use Spanish whenever I could, especially when on vacation or traveling for business. Needless to say, I was not thrilled about having to take Part 1 of James’ Spanish School. However, when James’ video reassured me that if there was a lesson in which I did not learn anything, I could request a refund for that lesson, I thought, “”OK. That’s fair.”” I am on Lesson 28 and no refunds requested! James’ Spanish lessons SON MAGNÃFICAS! I love them! I wish James had been teaching in 1969 (altho’ if he had, he would probably be dead by now). Also, my husband, a beginning learner at the age of 71, has learned a lot from this course. My husband and I moved to Spain from the US in October 2024, and I have recommended James’ Spanish to all of my English-speaking friends who want to learn. BTW, I have a Doctorate in (adult) Education, so let me also state that James teaches to the learning adult-he follows many of the principles that engage the adult learner, unlike the principles used in pedagogy. Bravo! Thank you for this excellent course!
Ruth Steele (verified owner) –
the fun, the sarcasm and the vital information of cultural differences when you live in Spain. James is the best you will find – if he can teach me and my husband (79 and 80) then he can teach anyone.
Chris Perkins (verified owner) –
I had tried Duolingo but realised it was Latin American Spanish. James teaches real Spanish for Spain! I have bought the spoken Spanish course but haven’t reached it yet. Looking forward to this important part of the course. The support as part of the JSS community is superb. You can ask questions in the chat section of the course. I also think the culture clips on the closed Facebook group are so informative.
Ronalda Agnew (verified owner) –
This has been a fabulous course which I continually use as reference and for revising my Spanish. I don’t live in Spain all the time, so this course allows me to revise and refresh my memory. Totally love it and it has supported me so much in learning and understanding Spanish and the Spanish culture. Highly recommend this course and it is great value for money. Wow, I have always struggled with spoken Spanish – the speed of the language for one, and I also have partial hearing and wear two hearing aids. This has allowed me to build up my understanding of the spoken word at a pace that suits me while never feeling pressured to understand immediately. My confidence in using my Spanish has improved, and I am more able to understand the response too, which is fantastic. Highly recommend. Being part of a virtual group has allowed me to ask the silly questions or clarify words and phrases for use in real life. It has provided a safe place to try things and also understand the differences in culture. Love the culture clips – these give such insight to normal Spanish life.
Andrew Papworth (verified owner) –
I am not very far into the course, but I really like the way James has approached learning. He keeps things as simple as they can be – there is none of this transitive, intransitive, regular and irregular stuff which, as you will see from this review, I don’t even know in English. The online lessons are good because you can revisit them at any time and they come with PDF notes. I would highly recommend the course. I have become more confident in shops and restaurants when asking for things. I have not reached the spoken practice part of the course yet, but I remember James saying context is important. This morning I was talking with my Spanish neighbour about car parking, and although I did not understand a lot of what he said, the keywords made me understand the sentences much better as I knew the subject we were talking about. There is definitely a community feeling. The Q&A after each lesson is really helpful and James’s cultural tips and videos are excellent and help with understanding Spanish culture. When he explained what you do and say when you enter a shop or bank or bus stop and there is a queue was absolutely a light bulb moment. You will have to buy the course to know what that was!
Jayne Fulthorpe (verified owner) –
The core lessons take you from knowing nothing to being able to understand most Spanish rules – for example, that the endings of words must rhyme (Casa Blanca), 100 core verbs and their endings in all tenses including irregulars. The two formulas James gives you are fundamental in understanding and speaking sentences. James makes lessons fun; they are varied and explained in language you can understand. You don’t need to know what a gerund or the imperative is (thank goodness!) The first 50 spoken lessons were great for tuning the ear into both short and longer sentences. The way James describes how to listen to a whole sentence without trying to translate each word really helped me to start to understand sentences. Being able to listen to the lessons over and over and at the time it suits you makes it a really flexible way to learn. After trying to learn on Duolingo for 2 years before I found James, and realising I didn’t know how to construct a sentence and didn’t know which endings to use when (because it’s not explained!), I have made so much progress. I now understand the majority of what I hear! The James Spanish School community provides great support for your learning. You are not just left to figure out the bits you don’t understand. Every lesson has a direct Q&A chat button that you can type your question into. James always replies. There is also a great Students’ Group Facebook page you can join which has a stack of videos sharing cultural tips – a must if you are living in Spain and fascinating if you are not! Students are also able to get support from other students through this page.
Carolyn Smith (verified owner) –
I found James through an advert on Facebook. The reviews were very positive, and so I thought that I would give the lessons a try. I had previously studied Spanish at night school in the UK over 20 years ago and obtained a GCSE qualification. I did, therefore, wonder if the course would be beneficial to me. I did find that I knew quite a lot of what James covers in his lessons, but I found it very useful in covering “”””old ground””””. I do like James’s method of teaching – although it was a bit “”””alien”””” compared to what I was used to. However, I decided to follow the process and was glad that I did. I could speak and understand some Spanish but, as a result of doing the course, my confidence has definitely grown. I dip in and out of the lessons when time allows – which is a great thing to be able to do (work at your own pace). I have recently started the spoken lessons and, again, although I am able to understand them, the reinforcement and repetition is very useful. I have only just started the spoken Spanish lessons, but I believe that the ability to listen and repeat them if you are unsure about something will be a bonus. I can speak and understand some Spanish, but the reinforcement of these lessons will, I am sure, improve my confidence (and understanding) going forward. I found the Questions and Answers section after each lesson very helpful. Quite often someone had already asked a question I had had and so the answer was already there! I also found that James responded very quickly if I did need to contact him. I also like to look at the JSS Students Facebook page, to keep up to date on developments. I would recommend the course to anyone wishing to learn Spanish – or as a refresher for those who already have some knowledge of the language, but lack the confidence to try to use it.
Margaret Holdstock (verified owner) –
I have been trying to learn Spanish for years. I even attended adult education and gained an A* GCSE but still could hardly speak, and I cringed every time someone mentioned grammar. When I found this course I was able to say and understand more in the first lesson. I could understand the grammar because there were no scary technical terms – I just wished I had found this course years ago. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to speak and understand Spanish without having to suffer the pain of learning things that are unnecessary – just concentrate on what you need. James does like a joke, but I find they are used to help the learning process – a sneaky way of helping us to remember a particular point. Best money I have spent and worth every penny. I find the spoken Spanish is perfect to use with headphones. I did print and save everything I could and saved it to my phone. I needed to set aside time to listen and was grateful I still had access to the core lessons to check on my understanding. I found numbers difficult but with repeated listening they became much easier. I think this is a great course to cement your learning and increase confidence in speaking. Having others who are learning in this group helps. Most have the same type of problems with IT as many are older students like myself. All questions are answered quickly and no one is afraid to ask due to the friendly and helpful nature of the group.
David Austin (verified owner) –
JSS is a totally refreshing approach to learning Spanish. I have tried various other methods and find they tend to get bogged down in detail and exceptions, whereas James gives you simple rules to follow. Even if I know that there are sometimes exceptions to a “”””JSS rule”””” it is still immensely helpful when under stress while talking with a Spaniard. A good example is “”””if a noun ends in A, it is feminine, if not it is masculine””””. Yes, there are a few exceptions, but it never dawned on me before that this is 99.9% true, and it takes a lot of stress away in conversation. The lessons are very enjoyable (despite James’s dubious sense of humour) and the insights into Spanish culture fascinating. I have only just started the spoken section, but am amazed at how much I can understand. Doing an online course can seem a lot less involved than lessons in person; the ability to ask questions and see the comments of others does make you feel more like being in a community.
Peter Johnson (verified owner) –
Finding James’s Spanish School has absolutely changed the way I think about learning a new language. After moving to Spain in 2020 I was determined to learn Spanish – like a lot of people I tried Duolingo and thought I was making some progress! This was until I came across James Spanish School. After my wife and I signed up to his in-class lessons we were a little bit nervous as the first lesson day approached – it felt like going back to my school days again! But we didn’t need to worry; as soon as we walked in we were totally put at ease by James’s fantastic personality. As part of the in-class lessons we had access to the same content as the online students, and it was fantastic that the content was exactly the same as the in-class lessons. What struck us first, right from lesson one, was how much we absorbed in every lesson. James has a real skill to deliver the lesson in a way that has clarity and detailed explanations of why you say things in a certain way and order. Having a non-pressured atmosphere absolutely helped to maximise the absorption of the subject of each lesson. Once the first year core lessons had ended, my wife and I were really looking forward to the spoken Spanish lessons. On our first day of the first year core lessons I remember us feeling a little nervous – like our first day at school; year two started with absolute excitement to put into practice all the information and knowledge that we learned in year one. It’s not until you look back that you realise how much you have progressed. I am not going to make out it was easy to listen to sentences in Spanish that got progressively longer with past, present and future tenses! And of course numbers! But after listening to James’s advice on not focusing on just one word or number as the rest of the sentence washes over you, it made perfect sense and gradually listening became so much easier. The sense of achievement is great when you just switch to auto mode in your head and understand totally what was said on the first play. What gave us the most satisfaction was to use the knowledge we gained in practical situations when out and about here in Spain – anything from a simple greeting to asking questions at the pharmacy, medical centre or shops that I would never have tried before without using a translation app. Each time you speak in Spanish in everyday life it gives you a massive boost of confidence! We also enjoyed the online lessons where you have to put English sentences into Spanish – once again you can really gauge how far you have come in such a relatively short time. Obviously you have to put some hours in each week on revision and study, but speaking from my own experience the determination in me became stronger as time went on, especially when a Spanish local congratulates you on a sentence or two that you have said to them and you understand what’s being said back to you in Spanish! James’s method of teaching is unique – and of course his legendary humour! Along with the video online lessons it was great to know that there was support available. I have used this feature on occasion when I had a question about a certain topic; my questions were always answered fully and promptly. For James there is no such thing as a silly question, so it was nice to know I could ask no matter how silly it seemed to me. Sometimes James’s answer just reminds you of something that you always knew but didn’t spring to mind immediately.
Jane Aldridge (verified owner) –
My previous experience with learning Spanish involved Duolingo (which I hate) and an evening class because we had several holidays in Mexico and I always liked to learn vocabulary before we went on holiday so I could chat to staff in the hotel. When we made the decision to make a permanent move to Spain two years ago, I knew I needed to find a course that would help me understand how to have proper conversations. I was not going to be one of those Brits who appear to take a pride in not knowing any Spanish apart from how to ask for two beers! I enjoyed James’s course from the outset and found the way he explained the structure of the Spanish language really helpful. I found the two-verb rule incredibly useful. Learning at my own pace is great, and I have learned an awful lot from the course, I have to say. I make a point of speaking Spanish every time we go out, and the course has given me the confidence to do that. We belong to an intercambio group in Coin, where we live, and some new Spanish members complimented me on my Spanish, and I was absolutely delighted. I still have a lot to learn, but I can say that James’s course has really helped to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. Thank you! I really like the spoken Spanish practice lessons – I found them really hard at first. Learning to listen to a whole sentence without trying to translate every word takes some time, but it makes a lot of sense. Where I live in Andalusia, local people speak very quickly and miss off the endings of words, so trying to get the gist of what they are saying makes sense. I am really surprised by the progress I have made, but I put that down to the structure of the course. I purchased the additional spoken lessons and love the structure of those. After leaving them alone for a while I was surprised by how much more I understand. I have found the direct Q&A chat very useful on the occasions that I have used it, and I have enjoyed the cultural clips that I have viewed in the closed JSS Students group on Facebook. I love living in Spain.
John Henderson (verified owner) –
I tried learning Spanish before using ‘Spanish with Paul’, but I found it to be very laborious and struggled with being unable to speak to local Spanish people. I tried Duolingo, but I never liked the running streak of days as an incentive. I find JSS gets to the point so quickly and you focus on what’s important in relation to learning the language. The whole way you teach it is fun, enlightening, and to the point with minimum time wasted. The dad jokes are very good – the only bit I didn’t like were the jokes about a Scotsman driving a Dacia, which I am both! Ha! Honestly, all great fun. I had so much more confidence in a short time to say what I want, and my brain wasn’t full of useless information. I prefer the online classes because I can go at my own speed, revisiting/revising lessons at any time. We are all different in our learning, so we can focus on an element that we personally are struggling with and stay there until we master it without feeling any pressure from others. I also like the comment section because you still feel you are learning as a group, so you have the best of both worlds. My confidence has grown greatly regarding neighbours, shops, bars, and now I look forward to having that exchange with Spanish-speaking people. I loved the structure of learning a language from scratch, because naturally English is my first language and it came automatically without too much work, having youth on my side at the time. Finally, I have different neighbours and friends using JSS as a language tool – Americans, English, Dutch, Swiss – and we are all in agreement it’s the best one out of all the others we have tried. I have just started the spoken Spanish practice lessons, so I don’t have much to say about them, but I am really enjoying them and even after only a few I am feeling the benefit. I enjoy reading the questions and answers in the tutorial support and I find most, if not all, of my questions have been asked and answered. Some of the comments let you adjust your learning process. I really enjoy the culture clips and tips on Facebook and find them very helpful in answering my queries. As I mentioned before, the feeling of the group and the benefit of learning at your own pace gives you the best of both worlds.
Brod Kearon (verified owner) –
The practice lessons are great for getting you used to the sound of the language and deciphering what people are saying to you. It helps enormously to repeat those lessons over and over, especially the ones about the dreaded numbers! I’m working my way through the lessons again. Learning how to deal with tradesmen, the post office, the doctor, etc. is invaluable, but I feel I need more dialogue practice. For instance, now that we know (more or less) what people are saying, we need to be able to respond quickly and confidently, and that takes conversation practice. I can understand much more now than I did when I started the course, but I still get stuck when trying to speak. The Facebook videos are a great help in explaining how certain things work in Spain. I don’t live in Spain, but I spend about four or five months a year there, so I need to be able to operate in Spanish. The only trouble is that our place is in Catalonia and everyone speaks Catalan. Of course, they can speak Spanish but some of them pretend not to be able to! The cultural clips are great – could some of them perhaps be in Spanish? I haven’t seen ‘My Living in Spain’ – I must check it out.
Katherine Marlow (verified owner) –
I’m finding JSS a great resource for learning Spanish. James’ stories help reinforce the learning in a fun and effective way. The printed materials reinforce each lesson and are great for reviewing content at a later date. I also really enjoy the culture aspect to the course – I have learned a lot about how things work in Spain. James’ course is well worth the investment, and I’ve recommended it to others trying to learn the language.
Alan Sergeant (verified owner) –
My name’s Alan Sergeant, I’m an 80-year-old Lancastrian, and I’ve been spending half my time in Spain for most years since I retired. I’m a big La Liga fan – I much prefer it to the Premier League. I’ve always had a bit of “”””football Spanish”””” in me – fuera (out of play), fuera de juego (offside), saque de porteria (goal kick), saque de esquina (corner) – and, of course, the word for the referee when things aren’t going our way: idiota! But despite the odd word, I really struggled to string a proper sentence together. About a year ago, a friend pointed me toward the James Spanish School. I started back in England, and I’m now working through the spoken Spanish lessons, repeating them over and over. I’ve added WordAmigo to the mix, and it’s been a massive help. My memory isn’t quite what it was 40 years ago, but having the audio files and flashcards on my phone is great. I can hide the words I’ve already mastered and just focus on the tricky ones. My Spanish friends are actually quite shocked at how much my conversation has improved. I go on road trips all over Spain during my 90-day visits, and these days, I have no trouble chatting with the locals. In fact, at my local Spanish bar, anyone wanting to know what’s happening in La Liga is sent straight to me! I’d recommend JSS and WordAmigo to anyone.
Steve Jackson (verified owner) –
The JSS programme to learn Spanish is probably the best course I’ve ever used. James takes you through all the basics and the core verbs you will need to start with. He builds the course up interestingly, and if there is something you don’t understand in a lesson, just replay it again and again until you do. It’s well worth your time and effort to complete this course. James’s sense of humour helps you along the way – thank you, James and your team. The course is great and keeps your attention. I highly recommend it for beginners, intermediate and advanced learners. The cultural tips James gives are very useful and aid your understanding of Spanish life and culture. The WordAmigo section is a very good tool as well.
Wendy Lawrenson (verified owner) –
James very kindly donated his online Spanish course to a charity auction and I purchased it. I have lived in Torrevieja for many years and during that time I have done many courses and had many teachers. Previous online courses have always required a test to determine your level. My Spanish is quite good so initially I thought the core lessons would be too easy – still, I gave it a go, and I am so glad I did. I have learnt more about Spanish culture from James than from living here for 20 years! I love his teaching style and really enjoyed the lessons. I have recommended it to many friends as I consider it to be the best way to learn Spanish for anyone living here in Spain. I continued with the more advanced course, and I am currently doing the final spoken practice lessons. For me, it has been a great revision course as well as a way of learning many new words and phrases. My husband has started the course and he also loves it. He did Duolingo for 5 years and has learnt more in the first 20 lessons of James Spanish. He gave up Duolingo as soon as he started on the core lessons. Because of his heritage, James has the advantage of being well aware of both Spanish customs and English ones and can teach you how certain common English phrases would be translated into Spanish. I highly recommend the James Spanish course to both beginners and intermediate learners. I have completed the spoken Spanish practice lessons and have learnt a great deal, especially where numbers are concerned. I always struggled with them, but now I find it much easier to understand and translate them. I am very happy with the progress I have made and how much I have enjoyed the lessons. One of the best things about James Spanish courses, both core and spoken, is the fact that you can go back and do them over and over again (which I intend to do) and also print out any course notes. I have never found this on any other online course. I highly recommend the lessons. I don’t really use Facebook or YouTube so cannot comment on the weekly cultural clips etc. I have used the Q&A chat and found it to be very helpful with very prompt replies. I have to say that James explains things so well I have rarely had to ask a question. I am very pleased to be living in Spain, but I wish more of my friends would take the time to learn the language. I am definitely in the minority in my circle of friends and acquaintances.
Angela Rodger (verified owner) –
I highly recommend James Spanish School as it concentrates on getting you straight into creating sentences and cuts out all the technical jargon. I had attended a one-year night school course in the UK to learn Spanish 25 years ago, but I came away only with the knowledge of how to ask directions and to ask for things in restaurants and shops. With the core course and James’s unique teaching style I was able to formulate more sentences in the first couple of months than I had done in the one-year course I did at college. James explains the rules of the language in very simple terms, and it just makes sense! The spoken Spanish practice lessons are much more intense than the core lessons. I’m just over halfway through at the moment. There is great support both directly on the course and from the Students Group on Facebook. If a question crops up during a lesson you can scroll down to the Q&A section under the video, first to see if the question has been asked before, and if not you simply type it in – I’ve found that James answers really quickly during the day, easily within an hour. The Students Facebook Group also contains short cultural videos by James to help understand the Spanish way of life.
Kerry Charters-Byrne (verified owner) –
I started to learn Spanish a few years before coming to live in Spain, including night school, Michel Thomas and other courses on CDs, various online courses and phrase books. I knew a fair bit of Spanish but didn’t really know or understand what I knew, nor how to put it all together. James’s classes were like the keys that unlocked it, and I finally understood what I knew and how to put my knowledge together with my new learning. He has come up with a unique formula to make learning the basics fun and easy and to give you a great structure to build on. His sense of humour makes the classes enjoyable and memorable. After the first year, the spoken language classes began and for once James did not do all the talking; he made use of his family, friends and actors to help us hear different voices and accents. The spoken process built up from single sentences to short stories with different themes and varied, interesting content. It rapidly became easier to understand the stories when you did not focus on one word, instead listening to whole sentences – trust James when he explains this theory. Being able to repeat the lessons multiple times has also helped to tune my ear in; often when you hear a word that you don’t understand, it’s because it’s more than one word but when spoken it blends together. I am far from fluent, but I can get by with long Spanish lunches with my neighbours, and I am sure I have made them laugh a few times with my mistakes. James gave me a firm base to stand on and the confidence to use what I have learnt. I was lucky enough to attend James’s physical class; his response to questions was always first class. In four years he answered every one of our class questions – nothing ever fazed him. To say “”””he knows his stuff”””” is putting it mildly; no question was ever a “”””silly”””” question. James’s humour also helps you to remember. Once I started online classes, the Q&A option is as good there as in the physical class – getting answers to your questions as you work through a subject is most helpful. I am also part of the JSS Facebook group; this has been a friendly environment to learn more, ask questions and have access to James’s cultural tips, which have been invaluable in helping to understand some of the Spanish customs and ways. After my first lesson with James I recommended him to others, and will always continue to do so. I am living proof that his methods work. I love my life in Spain – learning the language and culture enhances this more every day.
Pamela Rose (verified owner) –
Over the years, I’ve attended several formal beginners/intermediate Spanish courses in the UK with limited success. I still never felt I understood the structure of sentences or culture in Spanish very well. I saw a post about James Spanish School online course on Facebook. It was a perfect deal for the 100 lessons, especially as there was no time limit on using them and the fact you could repeat them as often and whenever you like was a real bonus. James is a very entertaining tutor and I love the humour and sarcasm when comparing Spanish and English perceptions of the different cultures. I always end up laughing. For various personal reasons, I’ve ‘fallen off the wagon’ in terms of working my way through the lessons on a regular basis, but the great thing is that I know I can revisit those lessons I completed and carry on again whenever it suits me, and I have every intention of doing that. The culture clips provided in the online lessons (and on the Facebook group) are so useful, as are the notes that come with the video lessons. Having a test after each lesson is really useful in terms of identifying progress and providing a sense of achievement. I would (and have) recommended this course to my friends and family. I haven’t started the spoken Spanish practice section yet. I live in the UK and so do not attend class groups; however, the online community group is very useful for reading students’ comments, listening to the short, focused culture clips and verb explanations that James uploads – these are fascinating and useful to dip in and out of. I’ve sent the link to lesson demos to my daughter in Australia, as learning Spanish would be so useful for her in her travels and if she ever wanted to move to a warmer climate closer to home.
Lynn Cain (verified owner) –
Love this course. I started trying to learn Spanish using Duolingo but gave this up when I went to a class, as I realised that Duolingo was South American Spanish. I went to the class for a while, but then I found JSS, which I’ve found to be the most useful. I like the fact that I can go at my own pace and will always have the videos and lesson notes to refer back to. James explains things really well and there are quizzes which track progress. I definitely recommend this course. I’ve found the spoken lessons very useful. I’m still working through them, but I intend to keep going over them to help everything stick in my memory. I’m surprised at how much I’ve understood when doing the listening exercises, especially as, for the most part, I’ve been listening before reading the lesson notes. The lessons have also given me the confidence to try speaking Spanish in shops etc. I find the direct Q&A chat very useful. I’ve asked for clarification a couple of times when I’ve been a bit unsure about something, but I also find reading all the other questions and answers very helpful too. As I’m doing this course remotely, it’s reassuring to know that there is back-up if I have any questions or problems with the course. Help is always at hand. I also find the cultural tips useful. Since James explained about the queuing system in Spain I no longer think people are pushing in! I’ve already directed some of my friends to the ‘My Living in Spain’ series on YouTube.