Learn Spanish at ILI

Register now for our 2025 winter term!

  • Multiple levels
  • Small class size – max. 12 students
  • Native-speaking & experienced instructors
  • Affordable tuition – $380 per level
  • 4 terms per year – each 10 weeks long
  • Convenient downtown location or online

Learn Spanish at the International Language Institute in Washington, DC, or online.

The Spanish Language Program at ILI consists of four 10-week terms throughout the year. We offer 8 different levels from beginner to advanced. Our Spanish classes take place once a week in the evenings or on Saturday mornings. Our teachers are all native-speaking and experienced. The Spanish Language Program integrates speaking, listening, reading, and writing. We maintain small class sizes to enable adequate time for conversation in every class. To find your level, please refer to the level description or use our self-evaluation guide. If you have further questions, please call Jane Edwards, ILI’s Foreign Language Coordinator, at 202-686-5610 extension 105. Enroll now!

Live, Instructor-led In-Person or Online Spanish Classes 

Learn Spanish in person or online from a live instructor using Zoom. All online classes are instructor-led, in real-time, allowing for the same live interaction as our in-person classes. Some of our classes are a combination of in-person and online students. We have 360-degree cameras in the rooms enabling online participants to feel part of the class. This hybrid class environment allows students to engage with each other and the instructor and to practice reading, writing, listening, and speaking the Spanish Language.

Schedule              Register Now!

Register now for our 2025 winter term!

2025 Term:Session Dates:Registration Deadline:
WinterJan. 13-Mar. 22, 2025Monday, Dec. 29, 2024
SpringApr. 7-Jun. 14, 2025Monday, Mar. 24, 2025
SummerJun. 30-Sep. 6, 2025Monday, Jun. 16, 2025
FallSep. 22-Dec. 6, 2025Monday, Sep. 8, 2025

Spanish Level Description

The emphasis of this introductory class is on pronunciation, vocabulary building, basic grammar and basic conversation. This course is for those students with little or no ability in the language. Introduction to basic listening, reading, speaking and writing skills will be addressed throughout the course. Previous Spanish not required.

Offered on: Mondays: 6:15-8:45 pm ET; or Tuesdays: 6:15-8:45 pm ET; or Saturdays: 10:00 am-12:30 pm ET. Enroll now!

Objective: To introduce Spanish language to students who never took Spanish at school or had Spanish language in their lives at all. The students in this level will experience Spanish for the first time and will enjoy learning word by word in a dynamic way.

Learning Outcome: The students will be able to identify words and expressions of Spanish language. They will be able to say or express basic ideas, sentences and desires in simple present tense. They will learn enough vocabulary to continue with Spanish Basic 2.

Topics: Regular and irregular verbs in the present tense, informal vs. formal, gender of nouns, alphabet, colors, numbers, telling time, ask basic questions, use of the definite and indefinite articles, prepositions, pronouns, expressions of time and season, and imperatives.

Textbook: Complete Spanish Step-By-Step, Premium Second Edition, $30 incl. tax. Chapters 1-5.
This course is the continuation of the Basic 1 level and for students who have taken formal instruction a while ago, or have previous informal exposure to the language. Building of the basic foundation provided in the introductory level, students will learn to introduce themselves and conduct simple conversations on a range of everyday subjects. Listening, reading, speaking and writing skills will be addressed throughout the course.

Offered on: Thursdays: 6:15–8:45 pm ET; or Saturdays: 10 am-12:30 pm ET. Enroll now!

Objective: To introduce Spanish language to students who took beginner’s Spanish or students who took Spanish language previously. The students in this level will learn to express their ideas spoken and orally in simple present tense of the most common regular and irregular verbs.

Learning Outcome: The students will be able to readily identify the simple present tense written and orally. They will be able to say or express their ideas, sentences and desires easily at a basic beginner’s level. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to engage in conversations involving themselves, each other and their immediate surroundings; name everyday objects, expand their knowledge of Spanish pronunciation through reading and role playing. They will learn enough vocabulary to continue with Spanish Basic 3.

Topics: Definite article; noun (singular and plural); the present indicative tense (simple present tense); regular conjugations of verbs; verb endings –AR –ER – IR; simple negative; interrogative words; indefinite articles; cardinal numbers; time; dates; months; seasons; irregular verbs; prepositions a and de; ser and estar (continuation); commands; possessive and demonstrative adjectives; adverbs; stem changing verbs; complementary infinitives; direct and indirect pronouns.

Textbook: Complete Spanish Step-By-Step, Premium Second Edition, $30 incl. tax. Chapters 6-10.
This level continues to build up necessary grammar skills that will enable students to understand, read, write and translate sentences and paragraphs. It continues to build on Basic 2 by adding vocabulary and more complex sentences. This course is well-suited for students that have completed at least one semester of college-level Spanish or the equivalent in a language institute. Students will learn to correctly use more complex vocabulary and grammar. Listening, reading, speaking and writing skills will continue to be addressed throughout the course.

Offered on: Mondays: 6:15 – 8:45 pm ET or Saturdays 10:00 am - 12:30 pm ET. Enroll now!

Objective: Students will continue to expand their knowledge of basic Spanish by continuing to build and use more difficult and much deeper sentence structures. The students in this level will express their ideas by using a solid vocabulary foundation of adjectives and adverbs.

Learning Outcome: The students will be able to have a basic conversation based on daily activities. They will be able to say or express their ideas with a full command of adjectives and adverbs. The will be able to understand and be understood in using a wide variety of expressions and action verbs.

Topics: More reflexive verbs; relative pronouns; object pronouns; demonstrative pronouns; comparison; adverbs; definite articles, professions; telling time and the 24-hour clock; making suggestions, expressing likes and dislikes; talk about everyday life, sports, restaurants, work, and entertainment.

Textbook: Complete Spanish Step-By-Step, Premium Second Edition, $30 incl. tax. Chapters 11-15
The first half of this course will act as a review of Basic levels grammar. Emphasis will be placed on using this grammar in conversation. This class is ideal for those who studied Spanish a long time ago and need a refresher. This class is also meant for those students who have studied basic grammar but don't feel as though they can adequately use it in conversation. Listening, reading, speaking and writing skills will be addressed throughout the course. Students will review vocabulary, such as nouns, adjectives, adverbs and names.

Offered on: Wednesdays: 6:15–8:45 pm ET; or Saturdays 10-12:30 pm ET. Enroll now!

Objective: To introduce students to a variety of strategies for learning Spanish at home or office and practice at the institute. They will use common expressions and will learn much more, altogether idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs.

Learning Outcome: Students will be able to have a normal conversation based on daily events and express their ideas in written and orally ways. This level will refresh the previous knowledge about simple present tense (Present indicative) and strengthen all grammatical structures learned.

Topics: Nouns, definite and indefinite articles; neuter article lo; ser and estar; present indicative tense of regular verbs ending in -ar, -er, -ir; common irregular verb forms in the present indicative; present participle in the present progressive tense; indefinite and negative words commonly used; negation verb forms; cardinal and ordinal numbers; simple arithmetical expressions; adjective agreements; telling time and numbers above 100.

Textbook: Complete Spanish Step-By-Step, Premium Second Edition, $30 incl. tax. Chapters 16-20.
This course is for the student who is at a mid-intermediate level. It will contain of a thorough and comprehensive review of intermediate elements of the Spanish language and culture. More advanced thematic vocabulary and Spanish and Latin American civilization topics will be introduced.

Offered on: Tuesdays: 6:15 – 8:45 pm; or Saturdays 10-12:30 pm ET. Enroll now!

Objective: This level will focus highly on the detail use of possessive, demonstrative, and indefinite pronouns as well as adjectives, and will drill on the use of irregular verbs. Listening, reading, speaking and writing skills will be addressed throughout the course.

Learning Outcome: Students will be able to comfortably explain likes and dislikes during routine conversations and plan activities comfortably. Students will acquire a wider use of idiomatic expressions using phrasal verbs and will become comfortable navigating through Spanish internet sites such as Univision.com and CNN en Español.

Topics: Present indicative; adjectives; irregular verbs; adverbs; pronouns; adjectives; possessives (singular and plural); indefinite pronouns; internet sites in Spanish; phrasal verbs; idiomatic expressions.

Textbook: Complete Spanish Step-By-Step, Premium Second Edition, $30 incl. tax. Chapters 20-25.
This level is designed to be a final review of Intermediate classes as well as an introduction to the advanced levels. Students will be introduced to the present progressive and imperative tenses. Also included will be a deepening of already acquired topics, such as the most popular regular and irregular verbs. Listening, reading, speaking and writing skills will be addressed throughout the course.

Offered on: Thursdays 6:15 - 8:45 pm, or Saturdays 10-12:30 pm ET. Enroll now!

Objective: This level will end covering all the grammatical structures needed to send the student into real-life situations speaking Spanish and to get them ready for the more advanced courses. To have full command of the spoken language in most common daily occurrences.

Learning Outcome: Students will be able have a conversation with native speakers about different subjects using the right conjugation and right words when talking. They will become familiar and comfortable using the most popular words and phrases. We will expand their knowledge of idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs together with the use of common prepositions of time and location.

Topics: Common prepositions of time and location; the present progressive; the imperative; Spanish internet sites; phrasal verbs; idiomatic expressions.

Textbook: Complete Spanish Step-By-Step, Premium Second Edition, $30 incl. tax. Chapters 26-30.
This level is designed to prepare the student for more advanced work in Spanish. There will be a review of topics taught in Intermediate levels and introduction of new topics such as reflexive verbs and the preterit and future verb tenses and more sophisticated vocabulary and themes in Spanish. Current social, economic, historical, political and other topics from varied Spanish speaking countries will be introduced and discussed.

Offered on: Wednesdays: 6:15 – 8:45 pm ET. Enroll now!

Objective: Through new, advanced vocabulary, students will become accustomed to communicating in the preterit and future tenses as well as review of irregular and reflexive verbs. A wealth of new vocabulary and idiomatic expressions will be introduced together with exposure to new cultural/social topics.

Learning Outcome: Students will become very familiar with the future and past verb tenses, and they will be able to communicate in an ever more sophisticated fashion about daily life topics in Spanish.

Topics: Grammar such as direct and indirect objects; more irregular verbs; stem-changing verbs; adverbs; equal comparisons and superlatives; the future and past tenses; reflexive verbs; indirect object pronouns will also be covered.

Textbook: with Advanced Spanish Step-by-Step by Barbara Bregstein, McGraw Hill, $23 including tax.

Lessons: Selected sections from textbooks, supplemented by texts and materials generated by the instructor.
This level is for advanced level work in Spanish. There will be a review of previous material covered in the pre-advanced level, but the focus of this class will be on advanced topics, complex grammar such as the impersonal se, such as conditional, imperfect, and subjunctive verb tenses and more sophisticated vocabulary and themes in Spanish and Latin American culture.

Offered on: Mondays: 6:15 – 8:45 pm ET. Enroll now!

Objective: Through new, more advanced and complex vocabulary, students will become accustomed to communicating in the most advanced tenses as well as a review of irregular verbs. A wealth of new and more complex vocabulary and idiomatic expressions will be introduced together with exposure to new cultural/social topics.

Learning Outcome: Students will become very familiar with various forms of the conditional, imperfect, and subjunctive verb tenses, and they will be able to communicate in an evermore sophisticated fashion, especially about Spanish speaking regions.

Topics: Grammar such as direct and indirect objects; more irregular verbs; relative and double object pronouns; imperative and past tense of reflexive verbs; and the past perfect, conditional, imperfect and subjunctive tenses, will be covered. Also, current social, economic, historical, political and other topics from varied Spanish speaking countries will be introduced and discussed.

Textbook: with Advanced Spanish Step-by-Step by Barbara Bregstein, McGraw Hill, $23 including tax.

Lessons: Selected sections from textbooks, supplemented by texts and materials generated by the instructor.

Program Details

$380 ($400 in 2025) for a 10-week one level class per student. Au-Pairs can receive a 10% discount on tuition with proof of their status. Enroll now!
May be purchased at the time of registration or at the Institute before or on the first day of class. All prices quoted include a 6% DC sales tax and all prices are subject to change at any time. Tax-exempt organizations or individuals need to provide proof of sales tax exemption before being charged. No retroactive refunds of sales tax. Once received by the student, books and other materials are the property of the student and are non-refundable.
Regarding placement, we recommend that you go to our self-evaluation guide on our website. Kindly read through each description of each level. If you feel that you are able to fulfill all the tasks described in one level, then move on to the next level and so on, until you reach a description of tasks that you are unable to fulfill. That would correspond to the level of classes in which you should enroll. If, once enrolled, you should not feel comfortable at that level, you can transfer to another level, availability permitting.

We do not offer placement tests.
Regular group classes meet once weekly in the evening (6:15-8:45 pm ET) or on Saturday mornings (10 am-12:30 pm ET) for 10 weeks. Each session is 2.5 hours. All class hours are U.S. Eastern Time (Standard or Daylight Saving). Classes cancelled due to holidays, instructors’ sickness, or other unforeseen circumstances are made up at the end of the regular term unless the entire class can arrange for a make-up on another day of the week.
In-person at ILI and online via Zoom. Our classes are usually held in person at Rhode Island Ave NW, Suite 100, Washington, DC 20036. Classes are also offered online via Zoom. We are within walking distance from the Metro's Dupont Circle (South exit) and Farragut North stations. Parking garages are close by and parking on the street is available after 6:30 pm.
Minimum 3, maximum 12 students. We recommend signing up as early as possible so we can adequately plan for all classes. If the minimum enrollment of at least 3 students per class is not met, we will have to cancel that class after the registration deadline has passed. In case of a cancellation, students will be given the opportunity to change classes, postpone their enrollment or request a full refund.
Our program requires each student to participate in weekly quizzes, which will be graded, based on a “Pass” or “Fail” system. There will be a final quiz that will measure the sum of the instructional objectives for the course. Grades are verbally communicated to students at the end of each class/course, and are marked on the attendance/performance sheet. Students must have completed and passed at least 70% of the quizzes to move to the next level.
It is important for students to attend every class meeting. It is also important that they arrive on time for class. We cover a lot of material in each class. The instructor cannot repeat material for students who are absent or come late. Students will be marked absent when they do not come to class. Missed group classes may only be made up if the same level is being offered on another day and the class is not at full capacity. Students who arrive 15 minutes after the advertised starting time will be marked late. For every 3 times that the student is marked as late, it will count as a missed hour. If we notice that a student’s attendance is in danger of falling below 70%, we will issue an attendance report to the student.
Per request, we can issue certificates of completion after the term has ended. The certificate can be ordered at the front desk. In order to be eligible to receive a certificate or pass to the next level, you are required to attend a minimum of 70% of the classes and have a “Passing” grade. We will need a couple of days in order to verify your attendance and passing grade before issuing the certificate.
ILI’s foreign language group programs are accredited by ACCET (Accrediting Council for Continuing Education & Training), and we also offer 2.5 Continuing Education Units (CEU’s) per every successfully completed course, 5.0 for the accelerated courses. Upon request, our Certificates of Completion can include the CEU’s earned per semester.
No refunds are issued for any reason after the registration deadline for the term (see Schedule above). Classes cancelled due to holidays, instructors’ sickness, or other unforeseen circumstances are made up at the end of the regular term unless the entire class can arrange for a make-up on another day of the week. Individually missed group classes may only be made up if the same level is being offered on another day and the class is not at full capacity. Otherwise there is no make-up for individually missed classes.
The International Language Institute reserves the right to cancel any class if deemed necessary. Prior to commencement of class, students will be given a full refund. In the event of cancellation after the commencement of class, the pro-rata portion of the unexpended tuition will be refunded. The prorated amount of refundable monies will be determined by the ratio of classes completed to the total number of classes in the scheduled program. The International Language Institute reserves the right to assign substitute instructors whenever necessary.
Classes are cancelled in accordance with federal government closures for the entire day due to inclement weather. Please check public announcements on radio, TV and the internet; or call ILI at (202) 362-2505. Closures are also posted on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/ILIinDC. We rarely follow early dismissals.

ILI is closed for the following holidays: Martin Luther King Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year's Day. Group classes will not meet on these holidays and the missed class(es) will be made up at the end of the term.
Please contact our Foreign Language Coordinator, Jane Edwards, at (202) 686-5610 ext. 105 or at [email protected].