Winter 2025 Somos Vecinos Spanish Classes with Casa Latina!

Join Casa Latina for our Spanish Language & Language Exchange program, Somos Vecinos! Our classes are dynamic, interactive, and intended to help students feel comfortable conversing with the Spanish speaking community. Classes are taught by native Spanish speakers and explore the culture of Latin America as well as themes related to current realities for Latinx immigrants living in the US. We offer five separate levels: Beginner 1; Beginner 2; Beginner 3; Intermediate; and Advanced. See below for more information about each level.

Most of our classes take place ONLINE via Zoom, with the exception of Monday night's INTERMEDIATE section, which meets IN PERSON on MONDAY EVENINGS from 6-8 pm. (There will also be a separate ONLINE INTERMEDIATE class on Wednesday evenings.) The Fall Session will begin on MONDAY, January 13th and will conclude on MONDAY, March 31st, 2025.( In observance of MLK, Jr. Day and Presidents' Day, there will be no class on Monday, January 20th or Monday February 17th.)

Anyone attending the IN PERSON class on MONDAYS is advised to take extra precautions to ensure the health of all, including staying masked or staying home if not feeling well.

PLEASE NOTE that each class has a different schedule, according to the specific dates and times listed below for each class:

Beginner 1 is a class for true beginners who have no previous knowledge of Spanish. In this class, you will become familiar with the language, learning basic vocabulary and phrases to get started. THURSDAY evenings 6:00 - 7:30 pm. This class will be taught via Zoom by Maestro Paco.

Beginner 2 is a beginning level class for students who are returning to the program and/or have had some exposure to the language but are not yet comfortable moving to a conversational level. MONDAY evenings 6:00 - 7:30 pm, via Zoom. This class will be taught by Maestra Glendi. (*No class on Monday, January 20th OR Monday, February 17th)

The Beginner 3 class is for students who know basic vocabulary and some simple phrases in Spanish and are eager to develop their conversational skills, including prepositions, idiomatic expressions, and ways of introducing oneself and describing one's interests. This class will be taught via Zoom by Maestra Glendi.

Intermediate classes are for students who can hold a basic conversation in Spanish and are looking to cover verb forms beyond the simple present. In this course, students will explore the past, present, and future verb forms and deepen their conversation skills -- with the opportunity for IN PERSON language exchange activities at the end of each class with our community members who are studying English at the same time. This class will be taught in person by Maestro Paco, MONDAY evenings 6:00 - 8:00 pm, AT CASA LATINA in Seattle. (*No class on Monday, but are not yet comfortable moving to a conversational level. MONDAY evenings 6:00 - 7:30 pm, via Zoom. This class will be taught by Maestra Glendi. (*No class on Monday, January 20th OR Monday, February 17th)

Intermediate classes are for students who can hold a basic conversation in Spanish and are looking to cover verb forms beyond the simple present. In this course students will explore the past, present and future verb forms and further develop their reading, writing, and conversation skills. This class will be taught via Zoom by Maestra Glendi.

Advanced classes are for students who converse freely in Spanish and are looking for a place to refine their understanding of the more complicated verb forms, as well as move their conversation skills to be able to read about and discuss politics, literature and contemporary issues. This class will be taught via Zoom by Maestra Glendi.

Our Instructors:

Maestro Paco and Maestra Glendi have been teaching community based classes with Casa Latina for many years. Glendi Susana Aguilar Lorenzo is a professional Spanish instructor from Guatemala who has more than 23 years of experience in the field. She began her career at the highly regarded Escuela de la Montaña and Proyecto Linguistico Quetzalteco de Español and, since moving to Washington in 2007, has taught for more than 15 years with Casa Latina, as well as with Bellingham Public Schools, and private Spanish language tutoring online via https://www.spanish-in-seattle.com . Glendi holds a degree in Pedagogy and Educational Administration from the University of San Carlos in Guatemala.

Francisco (“Paco”) Diaz Saldivar hails from Mexico City and has more than 16 years of teaching experience at Casa Latina. He is a finance professional with a wide range of communications and leadership experience in both corporate and non-profit settings as well as with the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (in Seattle). A co-founder, producer and director at Plataforma Latina Networks, Paco’s work as a Spanish-language announcer, cultural promoter, and public service educator has supported numerous communities. Check out Paco’s bilingual feature from the City of Seattle website describing his powerful experiences with Somos Vecinos!

Host or Publisher Casa Latina