Survival Spanish

Three days. The Spanish you actually need to live here.

**Wednesday May 20, Thursday May 21, Friday May 22**

You know the moment. You’re at the ferretería trying to explain that you need a thing that goes on the other thing — gesturing wildly, watching the patient man behind the counter try to figure you out. You leave with the wrong part. You drive back. It happens again.

Survival Spanish is a focused three-day intensive course built for English-speaking immigrants who need to function in Spanish in real life. Not pass an exam. Not master the subjunctive. Function. Order the right cut at the carnicería. Explain what’s leaking under your sink. Understand the pharmacist when she tells you how to take the pills.

You’ll walk in stuck. You’ll walk out using Spanish.

Who this is for

You’re the right fit if you:

• Live in Mazatlán full-time, part-time, or are seriously thinking about it
• Have some Spanish — maybe a class here and there, maybe just YouTube — but it isn’t translating into conversation
• Can read a menu but can’t order without pointing
• Want practical, immediately useful Spanish, not academic Spanish

You’re probably not the right fit if you:

• Already hold simple exchanges comfortably (look for our upcoming intermediate offerings)
• Need a long, slow, grammar-first track (we’d recommend Centro de Idiomas de Mazatlán)
• Are visiting for a week and want a few phrases (a phrasebook will serve you better)

What you’ll learn

By the end of three days, you’ll be able to:

• Pronounce Spanish clearly enough to be understood the first time
• Hold polite, everyday conversations with shopkeepers, neighbors, drivers, and service providers
• Navigate the situations that actually come up at the doctor, the pharmacy, the hardware store, the bank, the mechanic, immigration, your housekeeper, the taxi
• Listen with confidence, and ask for help when something flies past you

You’ll leave with a complete course book and supporting handouts you’ll keep using long after class ends.

How it works

Three half-day sessions, Wednesday through Friday mornings — approximately 9 hours of focused, hands-on instruction. Real practice from the first hour. You’ll be speaking Spanish before lunch on day one.

Class size is small by design: minimum 6 students, maximum 12. Big enough for cohort energy, small enough that you’ll get real attention.

Your instructor

Josué Milbauer is an immigrant from the US who has lived full-time in Mazatlán since 2023. He built this curriculum from his own experience figuring out what works — and what wastes your time — when you’re trying to function in Spanish as an adult learner. He’s taught the material in informal settings several times. This is its first run at HoLA, with the structured environment and presentation it deserves.

Common questions

I’m an absolute beginner. Is this for me? Yes. The course is built for people with little to no functional Spanish. If you can read a menu but freeze when you try to order, you’re in the right place.

I’ve taken Spanish classes before and nothing sticks. Will this be different? Probably. The course focuses on the situations you encounter daily — which means everything you learn gets reinforced by real life within hours of leaving the classroom. That’s where most language learning falls apart, and it’s the gap this course is designed to close.

What if I can only attend two of the three days? The course is sequential and we don’t recommend it for partial attendance. If something comes up after enrollment, your payment may be applied to a future session.

Will there be another session if I miss this one? Yes. We plan to offer Survival Spanish regularly. Sign up for HoLA’s newsletter to hear about upcoming dates first.

Do I need to bring anything? Just yourself, a pen, and curiosity. We provide the course book and handouts. Bring a notebook if you like to take your own notes too.

Member registration ($2250) open now. Public registration ($2500) opens Monday May 11.