July 17, 2020
K loves taking the Zoom Spanish classes with Gaby.  Could we add 10 more
hours? She will go beyond the 10 hours, but I figure it’s best to pay in 10 hour
increments especially when school starts.
Thank you,
G.H.

Hi Elizabeth,

The ladies presentations were wonderful! I can tell they have learned a lot and working very hard. The ladies, have said Rebecca is a fantastic instructor.

Thank you,

S. P.

May 2, 2019

Spanish group class March, 2019

“I can probably speak for the rest of the group in saying we enjoyed the course and very much liked Giannella’s teaching style. Please pass on our thanks and compliments to her. We all got on well which made learning more fun. I am certainly interested in carrying on with the next level.

B.D.

I had ten sessions with Ms Patty Harlan to improve my spoken English. The purpose of my lessons was challenging as I do speak the language well. However, Patty’s approach was very helpful and practical. She knew what I was looking for and helped me to avoid the mistakes I used to make while speaking too fast! I enjoyed my lessons with her very much. She is a great teacher, very knowledgeable and kind. I’m happy that Be Bilingual assigned her to give me the lessons. My schedule with her was good and worked very well with my daily responsibilities. I am happy and content with my experience with Be Bilingual and Patty.
Best of luck.
H.A.

My experience with Rebecca was amazing, she always took the time to make sure all my questions were resolved and that I had enough resources and exercises to practice. With Rebecca’s help, I improved my pronunciation, grammar and communication skills and she also gave me great tips and recommendations for my business meetups and those worked so well that now I enjoy these events instead of suffering through them and I feel much more confident not only with my English skills but with myself overall.

Rebecca was the most adaptable teacher I’ve had, and she was always willing to work her schedule to make sure I didn’t miss my lessons. This was a great experience for me. Thank you Liz and Rebecca!! CS

I would just like to say how much I have enjoyed taking Spanish lessons from your company. It is something I look forward to every week. In particular, I would like to say how much I have enjoyed working with Claudia. She is an excellent teacher who is very professional, very pleasant, and very patient. She really makes taking Spanish fun and rewarding. You are fortunate to have such a good employee who really prides herself in doing a professional job and who represents your company so well. Thank you for your services. I look forward to continuing to work with your company and Claudia next year. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Regards, Robert L. (Bob) Wilkins

Wow! I am so impressed. Be Bilingual came into my organization and gave my employees so much confidence in their new language skills. The instructor, Pat Walz, really took the time to understand the skill level of the class and then took them at a pace that was comfortable for them. The employees loved her enthusiasm and have asked to bring her back again, a third time. This class was definitely worth the investment.

Claudia

FYI – I am very happy with the class and love Manuela – she is doing an awesome job. My wife is interested in starting Italian classes once the kids are back in school. Will keep you updated on timing when she is ready. Thanks again!
-Bobby

“Having recently relocated in the Houston area coming from France and even if speaking a “not too bad” business English I was looking for a way to improve my English skills and go to the next level.I fully recommend Be Bilingual and Margaret in particular if you’re looking to improve your English, without too much effort. Instead of simply focusing on grammar, I’m learning new vocabulary words, common idioms and I’m working on correct pronunciation. Margaret and I are meeting twice a week (3hrs in total) at my office. My only homework is to read a short article selected from the New York Times that we will discuss in the following session. I can see that Margaret is customizing the lessons to my expectations, my challenges and my learning style. After a few hours, I can already hear the difference and my coworkers are struggling a lot less understanding me.”
-B.B.

“December 12, 2016

Hi Elizabeth:
Just wanted to thank you for the assistance in setting up the 8 accent reduction sessions the past few days in Houston.
The classes were excellent, and the teacher Pat Walz was caring, kind, and all around a great teacher.
So I couldn’t be happier with the results.
Thank you again, and all the best wishes for the season, and the new year.

Christian.

“From the first moment I began communicating with Be Bilingual I knew they would be a great school for me.  I completed a Spanish 2.5 week 5hr-day immersion style class with them.  The teachers were native speakers.  Everyone was very organized and classes were flexible to meet my needs and my teachers needs.

Each level of Spanish is accompanied by a book that is extremely useful.  I’ve been out of the class now a few months and I still enjoy looking through the books.  I bought the next level book on my last day of class and I’m slowly working through it on my own.  I know when I return to the school I can start at a higher level now.

If you decide to join an immersion program be prepared!  I shouldn’t say this but I highly recommend studying on your own before taking your private classes.  Any tiny little bit of Spanish you have before joining the class will be useful.  Also, don’t worry, relax!  No matter what it takes, they will help you learn.  I came into class with a closed mind and low expectations.  I failed Spanish1 in college twice.

During my initial meeting with Be Bilingual they told me the heart of the problem.  I didn’t have the right mindset to learn.  I returned a month later with a clear mind and an open heart for the language.  And let me tell you, they crammed it in there.  They would teach me exactly as fast as I could learn.  We started flying though the material.  It was amazing.

Oh, and be ready for homework!  Wow, 5 hours a day of class time, would mean that I would have at least 3 hours of homework a night, sometimes more.  I hope you’re ready to learn Spanish.  These people can really make it happen.

-Sean

P.S.  Gracias por todo.  Fue mi primera vez, en serio, pude aprender español.  Ahora, yo vivo en México gracias a ustedes.

Be Bilingual Reviewed by Laura – .I have just completed my first 10 classes with Itzel at Be Bilingual. I wanted to write and thank you for recommending Itzel to me. Although I’ve taken many classes before, Itzel has paid special attention to how I use Spanish in my daily life. She is excellent at conveying complicated grammatical structures and simultaneously, at being flexible about the format of our classes so that they are really relevant to my life and my work. Her familiarity with Mexico City has been an added bonus, since I travel there as often as I can. My Spanish has improved exponentially in just over a month, and I have thoroughly enjoyed every single class. Itzel’s professionalism, patience, and thoughtfulness go above and beyond any instructor I’ve worked with previously, and I’m delighted to know her.

Sincerely,
Laura

Rating: 5

Be Bilingual Reviewed by Ana – .After years of discouraging investments of my time and money, I am pleased to have found Be Bilingual.

The workbook is well designed with vocabulary appropriately relevant to international business situations.

The CD’s are an excellent help for me to practice proper pronunciation.

But the most critical element is the one-on-one immersion method of each session.  My instructor and I are forming our relationship around my personal situation, which enables me to build my vocabulary in an immediately useful way.

The final element that impresses me is the written compositions that are assigned for each session.  My compositions allow me to stretch the envelope by combining what I am learning with where I want to be in my ability to express my thoughts in written form.  The compositions are an amazingly helpful format for exploring and absorbing the fundamentals of Spanish grammar.

Judging by my experience after only 10 sessions, I’d say that Be Bilingual has done a wonderful job in refining their method for adults participating in the international business environment.

Ana

Rating: 5

Be Bilingual Reviewed by Mark – .To whom it may concern,

I took Portuguese lessons because I work on international projects that require communication with employees whose native language is Portuguese. These lessons allowed me to learn how to read, write and speak the language. The instructor is a native Brazilian and very fluent in English. She is very skilled, dedicated and personable. It is a joy to find someone that has natural talent, enjoys their job and demonstrates such a great desire to share what they know.

The teaching materials included audio, textbook, music, and internet materials. The instruction was customized to meet my needs. The instructor showed a keen interest in seeing me learn. She was very adept is finding a method to help me understand the subject. Often learning materials were made available I had from previous lesson. This was extra effort made the instruction very enjoyable.

I am now able to communicate with my colleagues in their native Portuguese language. It is amazing what this has done for me. I have developed some very good friendships that I know are due in large part to my speaking their language. It is very enjoyable to communicate in their natural way and my lessons were fundamental in making this happen. I now have greater job skills which have increased my value to the company.

I would highly recommend this language instructor to anyone wanting to learn Portuguese.

Mark

Rating: 5

Be Bilingual Reviewed by John M. – .Caryl and I have been taking Spanish at Be Bilingual for the past six months and really like it. We feel like we have made great progress towards our goal of fluency. We have had two excellent teachers during that time, both native speakers of Spanish, who have introduced us to the grammar and verb tenses that make up the language. Being able to speak one-on-one with native speakers has been invaluable and we are looking forward to continuing with our studies.

John M.

Rating: 5

Be Bilingual Reviewed by Wanda – .Hello Liz,

I hope you are doing well. Thanks for offering the accent reduction course at your institution, it is very helpful. I was able to learn many details (phonetics, important rules) that I never learned at ESL courses at other schools. Both Alex and Rachel were very good at teaching and paying attention to my specific needs. They e-mailed me additional information and recordings that will be of help. I appreciate the fact that both of them are very approachable, effective on their own teaching styles, and one feels comfortable working with them. The course was effective and will be of help in my future career as I continue to practice what I have learned.

Thanks again,
Wanda

Rating: 5

My experience with the Be Bilingual School has been a very positive one.  There are separate classrooms for privacy and ease of learning, after work hours to accommodate my work schedule and there is an effort with all concerned to make sure the student has what they need to succeed.  My teacher is a native speaker, fluent in English and her lessons have just the right amount of information for me to process.  I feel like I have learned a lot so far.  I found the office building accessible from a major freeway and easy to get in and out of.  I am very happy with my choice of schools.

Ellie

Be Bilingual is definitely worth the investment! My instructor helped me feel comfortable throughout the course and provided many opportunities to practice speaking and writing in fun and meaningful ways. I had a wonderful experience and am feeling confident using my language skills!

Hope you have a wonderful week!

– Kind regards, Penny

Ms. Elizabeth,

I am grateful for the opportunity that I had with your institution.  I have learned a great deal in a short period of time.  Mr. Jorge was very helpful in my studies and I am honored to be his student.  We had a great time together and he made it more fun and likewise adjusted to my needs.

As much as I wanted to learn and expand more my studies, I have to attend to other needs in a short period of time before I move to Sacramento. I will surely recommend your institution to my colleagues.

May God bless and keep you always.

– Glen

I want to tell you that Jorge was a great teacher (I rate him 10 out of 10). My having to stop the classes has nothing to do with either of them and everything to do with my terribly busy work schedule, which I unfortunately have no control over. Gaby and Jorge are both great teachers and great people.

Finally, thank you for everything and for running a great Spanish school. I hope I will be able to come back.

– Dennis

Dr. Kirkpatrick

My teen-aged boys are taking Spanish III as freshmen in high school, but it was clear that since this class would meet their language requirement for graduation, neither of them were going to continue studying Spanish.  They just didn’t enjoy the language.  I thought that if they could build up more confidence in their speaking ability, they would come to enjoy the language and would continue beyond this year.  So, I thoroughly researched language institutes and even considered having them attend a language institute in either Mexico or Guatemala over the Christmas break.  In the end, I selected Be Bilingual here in Houston.  I was impressed with both the time that they had been in business and their long list of corporate clients. Read more…

Milena

I would like to tell you that I am very satisfied with my French classes. Ms. Muriel is a really good teacher and above all she is an extremely kind person, with a lot of energy and so many topics to talk about. She tailored the classes exactly as I wanted and with her I was given the opportunity to talk in French, to express my thoughts, to improve my pronunciation and fluency. I enjoyed every single class.

I have had experience with many different language schools all over the world, but I can say that my experience with “Be Bilingual” is exceptional.

Michelle

I’ve absolutely loved  taking Spanish lessons through Be Bilingual! Before taking classes at Be Bilingual, I felt frustrated by trying to learn another language and was unable to speak in Spanish.   Now after 6 months of private lessons working with Gaby Cabrera,  I feel more confident in my abilities and encouraged that I am making great strides towards my goal of becoming bilingual.  Gaby is a wonderful teacher and has made the lessons fun and relevant, while always providing a safe environment in which I feel comfortable and not afraid to make mistakes.  She is patient and kind, yet challenges me in my learning.  I am looking forward to continuing my lessons through Be Bilingual.

Will

I have really enjoyed and learned from my 18 months of study with Be Bilingual. Thanks to you and your
great staff of teachers, I will continue to recommend Be Bilingual as I often meet people expressing interest in studying Spanish.

Muchas Gracias

Michelle

Before taking classes with Be Bilingual, I was afraid to speak to people in English. Now that my English and pronunciation have improved, I enjoy reading, and when people speak to me I can comfortably answer them. I am very happy with my English and Accent Reduction lessons, but am still taking classes because there is more to learn.

Craig

I recommend Be Bilingual to anyone who has a serious desire to learn to speak Spanish. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to take two weeks of intensive Spanish classes from Be Bilingual in September of 2011. I came in with basically no Spanish training or skills and by the end of my two weeks I had the solid foundation to become fluent. Be Bilingual’s methodology of intensive training, which involved individual instruction from the same teacher for two hours at a time, was perfect for me. From the beginning they required me to attempt to answer and ask questions in Spanish. This helped me to quickly overcome my lack of self confidence and try to speak out loud. Also, I know that their emphasis on writing as well as speaking helped me to grasp the language much more quickly.

Having two 2-hour sessions per day, five days a week for two straight weeks was very challenging, and that was just the in-class work! I also had homework assignments nearly every day. However, it was effective and helped
me move forward. The instructors were very professional, but also very personable, which helped ease my tensions and make the learning environment enjoyable, not threatening.

David

I have enjoyed the lessons very much. You did a good job in matching me with an appropriate instructor. Please give Ana my best regards and tell her I have had a great time.
Thanks again for everything, and all the best to you..

Brandy

I wanted to let you know how pleased I am with my classes . Gloria has been wonderful and has done a great job of moving at a pace that works for me and including things that are specific to my work and about which I have specific questions. This has definitely been a good choice for me and I look forward to continued progress.

Pat

I am writing to thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to be taught by your instructors. My co-workers and I enjoyed learning from them. They all have high standards and a sense of fun combine to make them highly motivating teachers. They were dependable—always here and always on time. They were extremely competent, knowledgeable, and patient with us no matter how slow we were.

Letters of Recommendation

June 2nd, 2006
To whom it may concern:

I would like to submit to you a letter of reference for Piedade Alvarado.  I have been taking classes from Piedade for 2 years now.  I find her to be not only an excellent person, but an excellent teacher as well.  She comes prepared to class and does a superb job of explaining and teaching the Portuguese language.  I would recommend her as a Portuguese teacher to anyone.  She is knowledgeable and patient, two fine qualities to have in this profession.  We have also become good friends over the last 2 years.  She has a cheery disposition and is an outstanding person of credibility and honesty.  She is very personable.  I highly recommend her for these reasons.

Sincerely,
Martin Long

BP
501 Westlake Park Blvd.
Houston, TX 77079

To whom it may concern,
I have been a student of Be Bilingual for the last year and a half, taking private lessons twice a week in Spanish. In that time, I have progressed from knowing only a few phrases in “tourist” Spanish to being able to express and understand complex ideas in conversations with native Spanish speakers.

I travel to several Latin American countries in my business, and my new skills in speaking and reading Spanish have made meeting new contacts and spending time in these countries much easier, more productive and more enjoyable. My Spanish abilities have also allowed my company to reduce costs because I now read letters and reports in Spanish that I would formerly have paid to have translated into English.

The Be Bilingual instructors I have had are native Spanish speakers, and besides the language, I have learned from them about the people, places and customs in those countries. The instruction is done in Spanish, with workbooks, videos, homework, and conversation.

I have gained the valuable ability to speak a second language through Be Bilingual, and I strongly recommend them as a source of instruction.

Jack A. Albers
Planning and Portfolio Manager
Burlington Resources International

March 21, 2002
Ms. Elizabeth Thrush-Alatorre
Be Bilingual, Inc.
510 Bering, Suite 300
Houston, Texas 77057
Dear Elizabeth:

I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you what a wonderful experience I have had learning Spanish with Be Bilingual. In a little over a year (including a hiatus of several months), I have satisfied one of those long-espoused New Year’s resolutions – – progressing from a complete lack of knowledge of Spanish all the way to the “dreaded” subjunctive tense! In fact, after less than three months of lessons I went to Spain and was able to communicate (if only in the present tense) including during dinners with different families where solely Spanish was spoken.

The Be Bilingual system is extremely well organized, with building blocks that make the learning easy and, most importantly for me, help me comprehend the “logic” of the language. Not only have your teachers been very good instructors but they each have a talent for making the classes fun.

I have recommended, and will continue to recommend, Be Bilingual as it has been a wonderful, fulfilling experience for me. Thank you, and Irma, Sandra, Dawn, Norma and Patricia, for helping me achieve one of my life goals.

Very truly yours,
Douglas K. Eyberg