Online Spanish Classes with Tico Lingo

This was my second six-week stint as a student at Tico Lingo. My first experience left me longing to return, not just to Costa Rica, but specifically to Tico Lingo School. It took two years, owing to the pandemic, but it was worth the wait.

My second go-round has only strengthened my sense that I not only have a second home here, with established friends and connections, but that I once again have access to the best Spanish teachers I’ve ever met.

Tico Lingo is situated in the lovely, safe and historic town of Heredia which boasts one of the most comfortable climates possible, warm temperate days, cool nights and sunny skies, without the heat or humidity found in most of Central American. And while this was initially a deciding factor in choosing this school in 2020, Tico Lingo itself deserves all the credit for luring me back.

Chris Reidy, the owner and co-founder, has assembled a small team of truly exceptional people, from professor Freddy Fariñas, the head of curriculum (and simply the best Spanish instructor I have ever encountered anywhere, period, in part owing to his advanced degrees in both English and Spanish and in part owing to his passion for sharing the joy he finds in language) to the other excellent “profesors Y profesoras”, to Yenifer, the ever-helpful, tireless administrator, to Yammi, the custodian who keeps the school incredibly neat and clean, 24/7, and of course, Chris himself who deserves huge credit for putting it all together.

My home stay family was beyond welcoming, and provided delicious breakfasts and suppers in a clean, lovely home and a very private study area. And just about everyone else at the school expresses very high satisfaction with their host families as well.

The school’s intake process is easy with great pre-trip communication and almost effortless logistics for getting you to your homestay and to the school.

I would describe the facility as cozy, colorful, welcoming, airy, and over-the-top friendly, with free coffee, tea and snacks always available. It very quickly feels like home and I found myself staying long after classes to study in any one of the many niches available.

On both my visits I have returned having made life-long friends. (Call it a selection bias, but it is simply a fact that if you are a person interested in visiting another country to learn THEIR language, you will meet others with whom you have a lot in common.)

All the fun, daily, extra curricular activities and weekend tours, as well as the options for additional private classes are easily found on the web site. But it’s the intangibles, the specific culture of Tico Lingo that makes it so special.

Oh, and after this second six weeks, as I wistfully headed for home, it took me a minute to realize that the airline staff had actually checked me in entirely in Spanish, and that I had understood everything she told me.

That was a first 👍.

I very much plan to return again.

Chris and everyone at Tico Lingo are incredibly welcoming and flexible. No matter your level of Spanish, you will find Tico Lingo's online classes to be helpful. I have been taking online classes for about a year and a half now and my Spanish has seen significant improvement. Your teachers will create custom lesson plans to best suit your wants and needs and will keep things fresh and engaging. Learning/improving your Spanish is hard work, but Tico Lingo makes it fun and rewarding. Would highly recommend to all those looking to learn Spanish from the comfort of their home. ¡Pura vida!

I stayed at Tico Lingo for 3 months and it was an experience I will never forget! I came to Tico Lingo knowing little to nothing when it came to speaking the language and left being able to hold conversations with my host mom and most of all, I had much more confidence in starting conversations and in continuing my studying of the Spanish language. I had Zaida as my teacher for most of my time at Tico Lingo and I cannot say enough wonderful things about that woman. She is such a light and pleasure to learn from. She has a gift of patience with her students, as she had to review things quite a bit for me. She makes you feel right at home and treats you like family. Freddy was my teacher for the rest of my stay and in the small amount of time I studied with him, I grew exponentially! He has a true gift of teaching Spanish and making it very easy to understand. I was able to visit many places while I was there and met some awesome people, as there are different people who come every week. I recommend the cooking classes, dancing and yoga that they offer, they were all great!! My host mom became like family and I still keep in contact with her as well as the teachers and staff at the school. I will definitely be back to visit! I can go on and on, but recommend you check it out yourself, you won't regret it!

I was eager to start learning conversational Spanish again after a year long break. Quarantine was the perfect time and helped me feel more structured once my second semester ended. It was always enjoyable and engaging. My professor and the coordinator were very accommodating to my schedule changing in the fall. I have learned so much about the language and the culture in Costa Rica and hope I can visit someday. I recommend this program to anyone and everyone who wants to meet new people and start learning a new language!

I absolutely recommend online Spanish classes with Tico Lingo. After the consultation call with Yenifer, I signed up for 10 hours of online instruction with Zulma. There were several class times that worked well for me and scheduling was easy! As I'm new to Spanish, Zulma gave me vocabulary to learn and taught me basic conversation phrases and skills. I loved talking with Zulma! Taking classes with Tico Lingo from home gave me structured lessons and made me excited to study. I look forward to taking classes at the school one day. For now, I plan to sign up for more classes online.

Not only did Tico Lingo show me the beauties of Costa Rica, I also had the great privilege to be emerged into Tico culture. For three weeks, I lived with Hellen and her beautiful family. Hellen was perfect, since she knew all about Celiacs Disease, and she ensures I never had any gluten. She made me feel safe and comfortable, which I feel is necessary when traveling to a different country. My conversational skills improved immensely while at Tico Lingo, and I am now a much more confident speaker. Lastly, I met people who I will be close to my entire life. If you are looking to be fully immersed into the Costa Rican culture, meet many amazing people, all while exponentially improving your Spanish, then tico lingo is for you.

I had originally planned to go to Costa Rica in June but wasn't able to due to the coronavirus outbreak. Tico Lingo gave me the option to use my deposit for online classes, and I'll admit I was a bit skeptical. I said sure, let's go for it, and the process was actually really smooth. Classes are all on zoom and they send me reminders before each class starts. My teacher picked up on my Spanish level almost immediately and I began improving my speaking abilities within the first few classes. I'm given a good amount of homework and could see myself continuing classes for the next few months! Love the experience! Ya hablo un poco de español y estoy lista aprender mas! :)

I have been wanting to learn to speak Spanish for a long time. I heard of the Tico Lingo immersion experience and would love to go to Costa Rica for the full experience but with the pandemic such travel has not been an option. When I heard Tico Lingo was offering an on line live learning experience I decided to give it a try. I have been taking classes remotely through Zoom over the past two months and it has been an amazing experience! My teacher Zaida is fabulous and makes the personal one:one learning experience both fun and effective. It has far exceeded my expectations and I would highly recommend Tico Lingo to anyone wanting to learn Spanish quickly in a fun way!