Expresiones en español: hombre

A beautiful school with helpful staff I am just back from a week in Valencia studying Spanish at Taronja School. This is a beautiful boutique school. The team at reception are helpful and I loved their speed in replying to emails - they are very good at that. Prior to my visit, as I was travelling solo, I asked questions about the school, the lessons, the type of classes and ages as I was looking for something suitable to over 30 y/o, the accommodation, additional dates and Valencia in general and they were always happy to answer at the speed of light! They are very good at that and it helps when you are in front of your computer, you are tryng to book a flight and you need a quick answer.
The school
Right in the middle of the city centre, great location, near bars, coffee shops, restaurants, metro, bus, taxis, everything really. The entrance is quite understated, the school is located at the first floor of a building. Every class is decorated differently and all have air-con whichis great at this time of the year, when the tempretaure in Valencia is above 32 degree celsius everyday.
All the teachers I had this week were very nice (Isabel, Manu, Sonia), friendly, helpful and they really ensured that we learnt from this experience. The teaching is not based on any book, we were provided with a handout and additional pages during the week to cover the areas which we were going to explore during each lesson. All lessons are interactive with plenty of opportunity to ask 'preguntas' (questions). Internet is used in the school by the teachers to explain words or provide images and other digital tools are also used to write as a board (instead of the out of fashion board and marker). Classes are small, I was in a class of 9. I know that some of the people I met there were in classes of 6 so the classes are of a reasonable small size which is good and allows the teacher to provide full attention to all. Classes last 50 minutes each. You would usually have 2 teachers a day, one for the first two hours of 50 mins each and the second for the remaining 2 hours of 50 mins each.
Oh yes, once you get to your class forget your language as all the teachers will speak to you in Spanish only, which is fine and correct in the approach as you are there to learn Spanish. However, if you are totally unable to understand a meaning of a word or a sentence they will try to tell you the equivalent in English or Italian or French to heelp you.
You may have a T1 or T2 programme. T1 - Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning classes, Tuesday and Thursday afternoon class. T2 - the other way round. I had a T1.
If you want to go to museums or go shopping it may be worth booking some additional days in Valencia so that you will have entire days to visit them as it is a little difficult when you have classes in the morning or the afternoon, you would just be rushing around and the majority of the museums close at 13:00 for the day or some reopen at 16:00 but only few of them.
Weekly activities
I did not participate in all the activities as some were aimed at the younger crowd (I'm not old, just in my early 30s but what may be fun for a 17/18 y/o may be less fun for a 30 y/o - however, it is always great to mix with all ages) but the ones I participated in were the following:
Noche the tapas - Monday:
A little bar not far from the school (can't remember the name) with seats outside-only. One drink included with your 'tapa' but you could not choose which tapas to go for as you were given what came from the kitchen so it was more about luck. I was fine as I am not allergic to any food but one of the girls in my group was allergic to dairy products and she got a ham and Cheese croquette which she could not eat so I and the rest of the group helped her what are friends for!!!
Fiesta de bienvenida con paella - Tuesday
This party for all newcomers was a great idea, a great opportunity to meet other students and the teachers, in a location near the beach. We all met in front of the school and then we all went to the metro, we all bought tickets and then we got to the other end and got the tram, then we walked a bit and got to the location of this bar. The idea per se is very nice but I think more can be done in relation to the place where the 'fiesta' takes place. The bar was just a little run down, the drinks were cheap but we all complained about the quality of them. The Sangria tasted bad, the white wine we wondered why it was sold with ice (?) and tasted bad anyway, a mojito was prepared from a mixer so forget mint leaves, brown sugar etc there was none of that so it didn't taste like a mojito but like something with a little bit of rum and the chupitos (shot) were of an unknown taste. The paella was nice, there was a meat and a vegetarian option.
The music was ok, some was from the 90s (not a problem for those over 30 y/o!) but generally fine.
I think Taronja should consider other options when organising this party in terms of the bar and the quality of the service provided by the bar. The idea of the party is great but the bar 'not so great'.
Noche de Orchata and historia - Wednesday
The Horchata is a typical Valencian drink made with chufas. It looks milky but it's not as it is made of a root (I think). It tastes nice, it is very sweet and it is supposed to be had with fartons which to me are like sweet light bread, to be dipped in the Horchata.
We all met in front of the school with Vito (he is a cool man!) and walked to Mercado de Colon to taste the Horchata, oh, yes, with a little bit of history of some buildings in between. There are several bars were you can have the Horchata in the Mercado so we did not all have to be in the same location. I think we sat in 'Daniel', it was ok.
There were other activities organised by Taronja during the remaining days but I and some others opted out and did our own thing!
30Hood - group for 30+ y/o - great concept and a WhatsApp group was created for 30hood to share ideas, activities etc. However, may be Taronja could consider putting together some activities which may be suitable for those in their 30s? Just a thought
Accommodation
I booked a single room with the school. Taronja provided all the details, map etc of the school, very good service. I had to pick up the keys from a specific location, a beautiful yellow building nowhere near a metro station so you could either come out of Angel Aguillera metro and walk to the building (about 15 minutes walk) or get the taxi service provided by the school at 55 euros or also get a taxi from the aiport which should cost about 25, 26 euros.
When I got to the building I was given the keys for the house and my room and some bedsheets. I was based in Ruzafa. I waited for a taxi which took me to Ruzafa and costed just over 6 euros. My room was beautiful, large, massive window, double bed, a wordrobe, a sofa a big table for at least 4 people, 4 chairs, 2 side tables and lamps. The only issue was the lack of a fan. Valencia is extremely warm in this period and I believe that fans should be provided. Although the room was big the heat made nights and even the the day uncomfortable. A fan or air con should be provided.
My room was quite big but I had a look at that of my other flat-mate/student, I think it was half the size of mine and not very spacious, there was also another room which was an inbetween size. I think I was lucky with the room but I guess what you get may depend on availability.
The apartment had 5 rooms but only 3 were in use, there was no leaving room which was a shame as we had to stand in the corridor to have a chat. The kitchen was very small and would have been impractical if all rooms were taken and all were using the kitchen at once. Luckily it never happened!
The apartment had 2 bathrooms which was quite good and we never queued. However, one of the locks in one of the batrooms didn't work so you had to ensure that you made people aware that you were in there - not an issue though although may be it is best if this is repaired.
Ruzafa is a very nice area for bars, restaurants and there is a nice covered market, Mercado De Ruzafa where you can buy fruit, veg, meat and fish. It is smaller than the central market and there is no sit down bar/restaurant inside of the one in Ruzafa but it is equally good.
The apartment was at a 15 minutes walk to the school, the distance was ok or you could take a bus, line 7, to Xativa which is 1 minute away from the school and the center of Valencia or 2 minutes from Placa de Ayuntamento.
All in a all a great school and I had a great time!!! The teachers are great and the staff at reception are lovely and helpful.

Best spanish school in Valencia Taronja is the best spanish school in Valencia. The teachers are amazing and the job the interns do with the activities is just as amazing. I spent 3 months there and I could not had imagined doing anywhere else.
Many great and exciting activities, the best Paella

Super week learning new language, remembering forgotten fragments and updating old phrases. The course was really well structured and delivered and great fun. Everyone was very helpful and friendly. The Spanish cooking and singing sessions were the icing on the cake and the sun shone on the beautiful city of Valencia every day.

Update (July 2024) Excellent school with great teachers, shootout to Carol and Nuria just to name a few. I was able to make some good progress on speaking and writing just under 3 weeks of classes. Definitely recommend this school to anyone who wants to learn Spanish easily while having fun! —————————————————————— Just started in this school after reviewing the many great reviews on Google. All I can say is it is well organized, there are fun and diversified activities and teachers are great and passionate! Plus apartments are very confortable and well located in the city. Furthermore, the school building is modern and has all amenities needed to study Spanish. Will update my review towards the end of my 3-week course but we’re off to a good start so far 🙂

I spent 3 months at the Taronja School and had the best time ever! I started from scratch but the school and its methods taught me Spanish very well. You can make a lot of friends through the activities and experience a lot of culture for a small price. I'd recommend going there for your Spanish studies as well as for the fun.

Taronja is a wonderful place to be. The atmosphere is pleasant, always a friendly and warm welcome and it makes it easy to feel at home in Valencia. I like the style of teaching at Taronja: it is innovative and creative. The people at Taronja are passionate about their work, are in it with their hearts and love to teach. I benefited a lot from the special combination of learning a language and exploring the culture with all my senses (e.g. cooking class). I can warmly recommend Taronja...

Taronja is an excellent place to learn Spanish, the lessons are well prepared, interesting and full of surprise. There are also diversified social and cultural activities at a very moderate price. The school offers rooms in shared flats, what suited me best. Everybody is very helpful and sociable . Taronja is the perfect place for getting introduced into Spanish culture. It was my second time at Taronja and I shall come back!

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Sehr positive Erfahrungen!
Ich habe die Spanisch-Sprachschule Taronja in Valencia 2018 für 4 Wochen und dann erneut 2019 für 3 Wochen besucht. Mein Eindruck ist absolut positiv und ich kann jedem meiner Freunde nur dazu raten, solltet ihr euch für eine kleine Sprachreise in Spanien interessieren.
Die Kurse bei Taronja sind inhaltlich super organisiert und der Lernfortschritt ist durch die recht kleinen Gruppengrößen (ca. 5 Personen plus/minus) immens. Sämtliches Lehrmaterial wird bereitgestellt. Alle Lehrer sind sehr kompetent, freundlich und engagiert. Die Unterrichtseinheiten sind zu 99,5% in spanisch.
Neben der klassischen Unterrichtsform wird auch mit Hilfe von Spielen gelehrt. Wir haben je Woche musiziert, gesungen, getanzt und gekocht. Die eingesetzten Medien (Youtube, Apps, Whiteboards, ...) sind sehr neumodisch. Wünsche oder Ideen der Schüler wurden aufgeschnappt und der Unterricht dementsprechend individuell angepasst.
Neben den eigentlichen Kursen bietet Taronja eine Vielzahl an zusätzlichen sozialen Aktivitäten am Abend an. Man hat wirklich das Gefühl in die spanische Kultur integriert zu werden.
Valencia hat als Stadt einiges zu bieten und es herrscht ein sehr angenehmes maritimes Klima.
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Very positive experience!
I visited the spanish language school Taronja in Valencia for 4 weeks in 2018 and for 3 weeks in 2019. My impression is absolutely positive and therefore I‘d like to encourage all of my friends in case you are interested in attending a language school in Spain.
The courses at Taronja are super organized and you can learn in a fast pace due to the small groups (around 5 students per class). All the learning material is provided by Taronja. All the teachers are very competent, friendly and motivated. Nearly 99,5% of the lessons are Spanish.
Besides the traditional style of classes, you also learn by playing games. Every week we plyed music, we danced, we sang and we cooked. They used innovative media (youtube, applications, whiteboards, ...). Student‘s wishes or ideas were considered and the lessons were adjusted accordingly.
In addition to the official lessons, Taronja offers a lot of social activities during the afternoon and evening. Thus you have the impression you become easily integrated to the Spanish culture.
Valencia as a town is very interesting and offers a lot of possibilities, combined with a maritime climate.
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¡Experiencias muy positivas!
Tuve clases de español en la escuela Taronja en Valencia durante 4 semanas en el 2018 y 3 semanas en el 2019. Mi impresión es absolutamente positiva y solo puedo aconsejar a cada uno de mis amigos si estás interesado en un pequeño viaje de idiomas en España.
Los cursos en Taronja son súper organizados. El progreso del aprendizaje es inmenso debido a los tamaños de grupos bastante pequeños (aproximadamente 5 personas más o menos). Se proporciona todo el material didáctico. Todos los profesores son muy competentes y además son muy amigables y motivados. 99,5% de las clases son en español.
Además de la forma de enseñanza clásica, también se enseña mediante juegos. Tocábamos música, cantábamos, bailábamos y cocinábamos cada semana. Los medios utilizados (youtube, aplicaciones, la pizarra técnica,...) son de última tecnología. También los profesores recogían los deseos o ideas de los estudiantes y adaptaban las clases en consecuencia.
Además de los cursos teóricos, Taronja ofrece una variedad de actividades sociales adicionales por la tarde / noche. Realmente tienes la sensación de estar integrado en la cultura española.
Valencia tiene mucho que ofrecer como ciudad y hay un clima marítimo muy agradable.