If you want to learn how to speak Spanish, Guatemala is one of the best places in the world to help you reach your language goals. Whether you’re a beginner, brushing up on previous skills, or have dreams of becoming fluent, learning a language can greatly enhance your travel experience.
Learning a language will make it easier for you to get around, help you find amazing places to eat, and even connect with locals. Furthermore, you’ll experience a culture to its fullest. Basically, it’s like unlocking a whole new level while traveling. Above all, learning Spanish will give you access to todo el mundo hispanohablante. That’s over 20 countries and almost 450 million speakers around the globe!
After two weeks of intensive Spanish classes in Lake Atitlán, we couldn’t have asked for a better experience to further our Spanish skills. With a wonderful teacher, staff, and setting, La Cooperativa Spanish School in San Pedro La Laguna, is our pick for the best Spanish school in Guatemala.
🌎 Why Learn Spanish in Guatemala? 🇬🇹
Not only will you be a more confident traveler, but you’ll also appreciate the culture and cuisine more. With this in mind, you’ll have the opportunity to integrate with the community and deepen your experiences. Additionally, it will help you to avoid stressful situations. It’s a no-brainer.
Guatemala is an excellent choice as a base for taking Spanish lessons because of the following reasons:
- It’s very affordable
- With classes typically costing less than $10 per hour, it’s one of the cheapest places to take Spanish lessons anywhere in the world! Even for most budget-conscious travelers, it’s doable.
- Most schools offer Homestays
- A Homestay will provide you with a full emersion experience to practice daily. It also helps you save on lodging. Your host family will even feed you up to three times a day.
- The accent is easy to understand
- Guatemalan Spanish is renowned for being one of the clearer accents in the Spanish-speaking world. The accent doesn’t contain any particular irregularities that you find in many other Spanish-speaking countries. Guatemalans speak slowly with minimal slang. Well, at least most of the time 🙂
- History to discover
- 12 Maya Pueblos are located around the shores of Lake Atitlán each uniquely its own. As the birthplace of the Mayan civilization, Guatemala is home to 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and many of its ancient traditions are present across the country.
- The proud Chapín culture
- Food, fútbol, music, dance, textiles, or agriculture. Guatemalans are excited to share their culture with you. Guatemalan culture is rich and distinct, characterized by a fusion of Spanish and Indigenous influences.
- Variety of activities
- Volcano Hikes, Kayaking, SUP, Surfing, Cooking Classes, Coffee Tours, Weaving Classes, Cafés, Markets, Crafts, Museums, Exploring Mayan Ruins…The list goes on.
- Classes are available in every popular destination
- Antigua, Lake Atitlán, Xela, Flores & Guatemala City
The School
The Cooperativa Spanish School invites and welcomes students from all over the world to their academy in beautiful San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala. This community-oriented cooperative offers Spanish immersion courses and study programs for students of all levels. Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or advanced, you’ll fit in here.
They offer group and one-on-one private instruction in a magnificent classroom setting. You can even prepare for your arrival like I did by taking classes online beforehand via Skype. The school overlooks one of the most enchanting bodies of water in the world, the majestic Lake Atitlán. San Pedro is surrounded by lush mountains and three famous dormant volcanoes. The views never get old.
A true cooperative started by a group of experienced Spanish teachers who believe they have a responsibility to their community. The staff here is kind, caring, and always looking out for their students. The school offers homestays with local families or an awesome AirBnB hosted by one of their administrators and longest-tenured teachers Antonio and his wife Griselda. This is where we called our home for 3 weeks.
- Get in Touch with La Cooperativa Spanish School!
- Stop by in San Pedro
- Tel: (502) 7721-8214
Rates:
You can stay up to date with their latest prices and sign up for classes by visiting their website here! You’ll choose between group or private lessons in the morning or afternoon. Classes are usually offered by the week with the options for the duration of 3, 4, or 5 hours.
A basic breakdown of Spanish SChool one-on-one instruction:
- MORNING CLASS (20 Hours/ 4 per day) – Q960 = $123.75
- w/ homestay – Q1660 = $213.98
- MORNING CLASS (25 Hours/ 5 per day) – Q1150 = $148.24
- w/ homestay – Q1850 = $238.47
- AFTERNOON CLASS (15 Hours/ 3 per day) – Q720 = $92.81
- w/ homestay – Q1,420 = $183.04
- AFTERNOON CLASS (20 Hours/ 4 per day) – Q920 = $118.59
- w/ homestay – Q1,620 = $208.82
- AFTERNOON CLASS (25 Hours/ 5 per day) – Q1,075 = $138.57
- w/ homestay – Q1,775 = $228.80
Spanish School classes with a friend! TWO STUDENTS – ONE TEACHER:
- MORNING CLASS (20 Hours/ 4 per day) – Q1440 = $185.62
- w/ homestay for 2– Q2,840 = $366.08
- MORNING CLASS (25 Hours/ 5 per day) – Q1,725 = $222.36
- w/ homestay for 2 – Q3125 = $402.82
- AFTERNOON CLASS (15 Hours/ 3 per day) – Q1,080 = $139.21
- w/ homestay for 2– Q2480 = $319.68
- AFTERNOON CLASS (20 Hours/ 4 per day) – Q1,380 = $177.88
- w/ homestay for 2– Q2,780 = $358.35
- AFTERNOON CLASS (25 Hours/ 5 per day) – Q1,612 = $207.79
- w/ homestay for 2– Q3,012 = $388.25
A Typical Day At Class
There are a few different options for class schedules, however, we choose 4 hours of two-on-one instruction per day, five days a week, for two weeks. Our teacher Clarita, is a San Pedro local who’s been teaching for over 20 years.
After a general evaluation of our Spanish skills, Clarita gave us a refresher course on some intermediate topics and helped us improve our vocabulary using fun games and written exercises. Each lesson was carefully planned and tailored to fit the gaps we were missing in our skillset.
Throughout our sessions, we had natural genuine conversations where we practiced listening and speaking. All while giving us an insight into what it’s like to live in San Pedro and the unique culture of Guatemala. During our breaks, we were hooked up with some traditional Guatemalan snacks and chatted with Delphino the groundskeeper who keeps the school’s garden pristine.
Clarita not only helped us take our Spanish to the next level but she always brought high energy and was excited to teach. Fueled by free Guatemalan coffee, we sat in the shade overlooking Lake Atitlan. We shared plenty of laughs during our sessions and Clarita makes learning fun so it didn’t even feel like school.
The Backstory
I had been working with Clarita our teacher from Cooperativa since July 2021, taking weekly Spanish lessons online via Skype. It was special to meet her for the first time in person after participating in her one-on-one classes for almost a year.
With so many Spanish language schools and websites out there, I choose Cooperativa for a few reasons. During the pandemic, the tourism industry in San Pedro took a significant blow. Because, the number of visitors was down, in turn, the economy suffered. A majority of the clientele is international students who come here to take lessons and partake in their homestays while enjoying San Pedro and all the lake has to offer.
I wanted to support a small local business that provided online lessons and was really invested in its students. Cooperativa was all the above and more. I knew we would eventually end up in Guatemala and had this vision of taking lessons in person surrounding their idyllic setting.
Mission Accomplished
We’ve always felt learning Spanish and connecting with locals could greatly enhance our travels in Latin America while making the overall experience more rewarding. Mission accomplished.
Throughout Guatemala, you are greeted with an opportunity to listen and speak in Spanish everywhere you go. Although we aren’t fully fluent yet, the smiles we got when we belted out a perfect sentence or tossed out a few new vocabulary words were priceless. Those are the travel moments you live for.
Overall, La Cooperative Spanish School taught us a ton and we had an awesome time in the process. It’s been really cool to see a goal and vision come full circle to completion. But in language, as in life, the learning is never over.
Language is a window to the world.
Know Before You Go – Spanish Basics
- Hello! – ¡Hola!
- Morning. – Buenos días.
- Afternoon. – Buenas tardes
- Evening. – Buenas noches.
- See you later! – ¡Hasta Luego!
- How are you? – ¿Cómo estás?
- How much does it (they) cost? – ¿Cuánto cuesta(n)?
- The check please – Me trae la cuenta por favor.
- Where is the _______? – ¿Dónde está _______?
- How do I get to ….? – ¿Como llego a …?
- I don’t understand. – No comprendo / No entiendo
- Nice to meet you! – ¡Mucho gusto!
- Please. – Por favor.
- Thank you! – Gracías!
- You’re welcome – De nada.
- Yes. – Sí
- 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 – Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez
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