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ABC Languages
Category: Education Specialty Schools Language Schools Language Schools [Edit]
101 Spear StSte 400
(between Mission St & Howard St)
San Francisco, CA 94105
Neighborhood: SOMA
(415) 738-7383
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 10 am - 9 pm
Sat 9 am - 2 pm
Try our services before you commit to any hours. 3 Free trial hours for New customers
9 reviews for ABC Languages
9 reviews in English
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Review from Ems K.
San Francisco, CA
11/6/2010
I purchased lessons off of a Groupon promotion and look to continue learning with ABC.
The staff is SO responsive and helpful via email or phone.
You get to keep you textbook.
And my Spanish teacher, Marcelo is a dream.
He is extremely patient, helpful, yet strict at the same time. I was in a 4-week intensive course (3hrs per class) with 4 students. Weekly homework was assigned from the book and a telenovela; all helped tremendously with comprehension.
Looking forward to continue my learning with ABC and Marcelo, muchas gracias! -
Review from Charles A.
San Francisco, CA
10/25/2011
I can't speak for other languages, but Celso's Brazilian Portuguese class is fun. He is really energetic and incorporates a bit of music in the lesson. The staff at the front desk are kind and helpful, too.
As for me I know a bit of French and other languages, so learning Portuguese is easier for me - much like if you know Spanish or Italian. If you are a complete beginner with languages, you might want to spend some extra time preparing for a class since I think most people in the class had studied a Romance language before and we progressed quickly! I think ABC is really nice. Give it a try. -
Review from Urban C.
San Francisco, CA
11/18/2010
I had a terrible experience with ABC Language School last year when I signed up for a Hindi course.
Class 1: Teacher cancels the class an hour before it starts.
Class 2: We have class, but the teacher had never taught Hindi before, is totally unprepared, and makes stereotypical statements the whole time about people from different regions of India (we had several Indian Americans in the class) making the whole thing very awkward.
Class 3: Canceled 15 min. before class starts.
Class 4: The teacher seemed more prepared but it was still awkward.
Class 5: The language school informs us that since the class was canceled twice they would extend the course for two weeks. That's a nice idea, but I had only blocked off 8 Thursday evenings, so I wouldn't be able to attend the extra two weeks. I asked for a prorated refund for the two classes that I would not be able to attend. The language exchange ignored my calls and e-mails for a while, and then when they finally responded they said they would not refund a portion of my money even though it was their fault that the classes were canceled.
Super unprofessional all-around. Don't waste your money here. -
Review from A.B. C.
Los Angeles, CA
3/28/2011
I took intermediate spanish classes- the school was fun, a bit pricy, I felt like it helped me remember what I've learned in the past, but I'm not sure that I learned anything new. Possibly because I realized homework was optional, since you don't actually get grades or credit? I feel like wine and cheese makes me a better spanish speaker because it reduces my social anxiety :)
My class had about 4-6 people and the teacher and other students all were supportive and friendly.Listed in: Getting happy, finding…
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Review from Sujit R.
San Francisco, CA
8/19/2008
If you're willing to pay $300 to start learning a language, do yourself a favor and buy Rosetta stone. You'll still have plenty left over for wine and cheese.
In 8 weeks I didn't learn a thing. I never felt like there was anything resembling a lesson plan at play, and couldn't manage to get the instructor to focus long enough to fully conjugate a verb, or properly explain some grammatical rule. And it didn't help in the first week when the instructor told us our issued textbooks were all "completely wrong", but let's go ahead and open it up to page 15.
I mean, there's "unstructured", and then there's.... this.
There's plenty more I could complain about, but it could all very well just be specific to the class I took. According to their FAQ, you may be able to observe a class (but not from inside the classroom, lest you disrupt the established "groove"). I strongly recommend you do this, whatever it is they are talking about.Comment from Rachel M. of ABC Languages 11/6/2009
HI Sujit, Looks like you fell victim to our Summer 2008 El… More » -
Review from Sonia S.
San Francisco, CA
1/17/2008 1 photo
I signed up for an 8 week Hindi course with ABC Language Exchange and just finished my last class last night.
Pros:
a) 2 convenient spots in the city (one on Pine, and a new location in the Flatiron bldg on Market/Sutter),
b) personalized classes due to small class size,
c) friendly, responsive administrative staff (they know you by name and respond to issues relatively quickly),
d) not as expensive as other language institutions
e) evening weekday classes make it easier to fit into your schedule (other classes I looked at were on the weekends or at strange times during the day)
Cons:
a) They aren't as organized as a college type class- in my case, as I was only one of two students in my class, our classes and curriculum were pretty unstructured. So, it was difficult to feel directed or disciplined. This could be very case-specific, as I'm sure some of the more popular languages have a set curriculum.
Other highlights:
-they serve wine and cheese in the lobby, which lends to a social, relaxed atmosphere upon entering the building.
-In my case, my original class was canceled and there a couple other small mishaps, but the staff was friendly and accommodating- and made sure they addressed any concerns I had (they were flexible in providing me a couple extra sessions due to issue with rescheduling). I don't think a college class would provide such flexibility.
I recommend attending a class to see if you like it and then signing up. -
Review from Ting A.
11/14/2008
i'm a nerd.
i love to learn.
i get warm and fuzzy feelings when i walk through the office supply/back to school aisle. highlighters and college-rule notebooks make me giddy.
so i've got a little french, arabic, italian, tagalog, and ilocano under my belt. i thought i'd venture into spanish. muy caliente indeed.
yeah, it's a little pricey to some. in my opinion, the experience is worth walking around w/a lighter wallet.
i've grown accustomed to occasionally partaking in wine and cheese events, so it was a pleasant surprise when i was greeted w/these treats in the lobby.
gerardo is a FABULOUS teacher. for the most part, my class was a pretty bright group, so our lessons became rather accelerated, which totally satisfied my nerddom. the flexibility of our classes was great, as we were invited to inquire about things that weren't in the lesson plan. gerardo is also a funny and laid back guy, which contributed to the experience.
i also met a couple of cool people in the class. naturally, they were the ones who were serious wine lovers. (i miss you, will! come back to sf!!)
as a sidenote, one day, i noticed that there weren't any recycling bins anywhere in the classes, hallway, or lobby. i brought it to the attention of the admin. ...thank you to whoever was responsible for taking my concerns seriously and putting a recycling bin in the hallway! : )
i learned A LOT in the span of 6 weeks. should the financial gods bless me w/a considerable amount of dinero, i shall feed my nerdy desires posthaste! -
Review from Stephanie M.
San Francisco, CA
8/6/2007
I have been taking beginning Spanish for several sessions and am very satisfied with the entire experience. Not only is the school located within walking distance of my house; my small class size, interactive activities and awesome instructor have dramatically increased my ability to understand and communicate the Spanish language. If you are looking to learn a new language in a more private but economical setting, while drinking wine, ABC is the place for you! I highly recommend.
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Review from jon r.
San Francisco, CA
9/2/2007
EDIT : They immediately responded to my original, negative they-didn't-contact-me review. I enrolled for a few terms, and had an overall really good experience. I was an advanced student, so I had private lessons, and can't speak to the group classes.
A star off for slightly unfocused lesson plan, but I was a special case - advanced in some areas, large holes in others. Overall, highly recommended and I'm looking for an excuse to go back.
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I'd love to give them more stars but I can't get them to contact me! I have emailed them three times, filled out their online form, and nothing! I'm just waiting to give them my money and I've heard nada. Completely unresponsive. What are my options? Community college? Imprisonment overseas? A torrid affair with a native speaker? Come on, ABC, get off your asses!
