Expresiones en español: hombre

I am a retired language teacher (at high school and university level ) and as such I feel I can offer a qualified opinion on the teaching method of the Taronja staff. I am pleased to give it 5 stars. All lessons were well prepared, engaging and fun. All staff members were supportive yet challenging. I was pleasantly surprised not to feel my age as a handicap among students largely much younger than me. I had fun with them and met many other older students as well. As to the activities offered by the school, there were so many of them that you could pick and choose. My husband (studying at a different level than mine) and I, did exactly that. We didn't go to all but enjoyed what we had chosen. We enjoyed the cooking class, the songs, the movies, the Saturday excursion. I saw a critic among the reviews concerning a bull fight and I thought that was totally out of line. If you disagree with an offered activity that is part of the culture you are supposedly trying to learn about, just don't go. But don't blame the school for offering other people with different values than yours a chance to experience that activity! Anyway, we had such a good experience that we are seriously thinking about going back to study in Taronja next spring for a couple of weeks at least. Well done Taronja staff, the whole team, teachers, office staff, organizers. We loved the school, we adored Valencia. We will be back. Thank you all so much!

I spent a fantastic week at Taronja in May 2019. The booking process was really straightforward (and I appreciated being able to sort out my accommodation through the school too) albeit a little embarrassing when recording a video of myself to have my level assessed 🙈. The booking information I received indicated that someone would be there to greet me at the accommodation upon arrival, but this wasn't the case – I didn't mind though because I'm a grown up and don't really need looking out for like that. The teachers and supporting staff were really friendly and helpful. The classes were challenging and taught entirely in Spanish, which I think is really beneficial and, for the level I was at (~B1), falling back to English shouldn't really be necessary. In the week I was there we alternated between days studying grammar (the present subjunctive) and more 'relaxing' days where we dived deeper into other topics such as ser/estar and por/para (though I would have been happier doing even more grammar studies, but maybe I'm just a glutton for punishment). I think what really stood out about my week at Taronja was the effort put into the social activities. There were things to do every evening and a weekend excursion had been organized too (but unfortunately I had to fly home that day and couldn't attend), so even if you arrive as a solo learner/traveller, you'll be able to find people to hang out with fairly quickly. In case it isn't clear, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend studying at Taronja, however I feel that attending for 1 week simply wasn't enough. Many of the people I met were staying for any amount of time from 3 weeks to 3 months. It's for this reason that I intend to return to Taronja next month for 2 weeks to try and really press on with improving my Spanish (and escape the miserable Dutch summer).

Fijne, gezellige school met veel extra activiteiten! Al een paar jaartjes probeer ik de Spaanse taal onder de knie te krijgen door privéles en zelfstudie. Dat gaat vrij aardig, maar lezen, schrijven en luisteren is niet genoeg. Vorig jaar (2018) was ik voor het eerst in Valencia voor ‘un curso intensivo’ om vooral mijn spreekvaardigheid te verbeteren. Prachtige stad trouwens! Taronja is een hele fijne, gezellige school, midden in het centrum, waar je je vanaf de eerste dag op je gemak voelt. De lessen zijn lekker afwisselend en worden gegeven door twee verschillende docenten. Daarnaast zijn behoorlijk wat extra activiteiten, waaraan je tegen een kleine vergoeding of soms zelfs gratis kunt deelnemen, zoals de wekelijkse kookdemonstratie van chef Nando, diverse gezellige avondactiviteiten en excursies, die zelfs doorgaan in het weekend… en ook dan wordt er lekker veel Spaans gesproken. Afgelopen zomer (2019) heb ik mij opnieuw laten onderdompelen in ‘el baño valenciano’ en mij opwerkt van ‘nivel B1’ naar ‘nivel B2’. Inmiddels heb ik voor de derde maal bij Taronja geboekt voor twee weken cursus in 2020. Dan ga ik proberen de lat weer wat hoger te leggen. Nu alweer zin in!

Great school of Spanish language Several years ago I've studied at Taronja school for 2 weeks and it was a great time that I still remember. The teachers were enthusiastic and spent a lot of time with there students not only in classes but also during extracurricular activities. I had a lot of fun and learned a lot in just 2 weeks in Valencia. I still remember this great time and I would love to come back to the beautiful city of Valencia and this wonderful school!

4 week intensive course I spent 4 weeks at Taronja on their intensive course (20hrs/week with 4hrs of lessons each day). Class times alternated between the morning and afternoon which meant plenty of free time to enjoy the city. The teachers made sure lessons were interesting and varied, and organised lots of different activities during the evenings at which you were encouraged to practice speaking Spanish. I would highly recommend Taronja!

Great school, excellent oprganization and wonderful teachers. I dont know how it is in high season (July, August), but in June there were small groups of 3 - 7 people, which gave the opportunity to speak frequently. The teachers spoke only Spanish which was a great lesson. I spent two weeks there and regret that it was so short. I highly recommend!

OVERALL As a school teacher (of Maths and some other things), I had supported the Spanish trip here with my pupils in April 2023. I could see what a transformative experience it was for them so much so that I wanted it for myself. My time at Taronja can only be described as excellent. Everyone at the school tries to ensure you have the best time possible which is impressive based on the carousel of students who come-and-go each week. All the staff treated me with kindness and respect. Thank you to Maxi and Fernando for running such a unique place. The last 4 weeks at Taronja have been exciting, interesting, eventful, busy, enjoyable and compact with information. The last time I studied a language was 14 years ago. I was not very keen on languages in school but my time spent at Taronja has made me believe that I can learn a language to a much higher level than I ever thought possible. That alone has been worth it. LEARNING EXPERIENCE The teachers were fun and engaging. As an absolute beginner, I did the Intensive course + conversation class + private lessons. That helped with my exposure to the language and the private classes were helpful in ironing out some issues. I did this for the first three weeks, then extended by a week and "dropped down" to "only" the intensive course, which is plenty. If I were building up for an exam I would definitely pick up the private classes again. And the conversation classes were energetically delivered to give you important insights of Spanish conversational etiquette. Overall, I was able to enjoy lessons taught by patient, *knowledgeable* and kind teachers, who have reminded me about the importance of these characteristics in my own teaching practice. Teaching beginners must be tough and it was done with grace, style, poise and importantly, a smile. Thank you Laura, Carmen, Antonio, Miguel Angel, Nestor, Carol, Jenny, Nerea, and especially Mica and Paula for your infectious energy and humour. ACADEMIC ADMIN The organisation of the timetable and classes was clearly communicated in advance via WhatsApp. I know some people didn't feel as though they were in the right class for their level and changes were made almost instantly to help. This was managed by the academic team. SUPPORT Organising, arriving, and extending my stay was made very easy by the ladies at the front desk, in particular Elena and Roza! Emails were responded to promptly and they were always so helpful. Waving to them in the morning and getting a wave back made things feel a bit more like home! SOCIAL Plenty of opportunities to socialise with others at the school. Most people I attended school with were between 19-25. But there was also a considerable contingent of older pupils too (e.g. 31, 40 and 70!). This is all taken into consideration when forming classes and social activities. There are activities organised by the school for every day of the week. I went during high season (i.e. the summer) so there were a lot of people. Some activities are linked to other language schools which broadens your pool of potential connections. A lot are free. Many are heavily subsidised. Because there is a fluid change of people from week to week the extent to which you find things socialable will depend on who you share your time at the school with. But similarly minded people would pay money to attend a summer school, so it's likely to be fine for you, as it was for me! As an over-27, I was added to a WhatsApp group for additionally organised activities. BOCARIOS (Interns) An excellently led intern team support the activities and were a good group to talk to in general. Very helpful! GENERAL THOUGHTS When in Spain and doing things, there is a naturally occurring opportunity to practice the language. Whether you decide to is your own choice! And indeed your experience in general heavily depends on you 😇 . Approach it with an open heart and fresh eyes.

I was a student at Toronja for 2 weeks & really recommend it. The teachers are all really motivated to help the students learn Spanish. There is also positive atmosphere around the place which helps you to study in a relaxed environment. The extra circular activities are a great way to meet other students outside of lessons (especially paella night!) There are also optional interactive lessons during the afternoon where you learn things ranging from Spanish dance to how to cook Spanish food. I would definitely recommend this school & will be going back there to study myself for 2 months. Muchas gracias a todos y nos vemos pronto!