FAQ

During the year we have several starting moments. In principle, there are four starting moments: September, January, April and July. But because you don’t always want to wait to start, courses start throughout the year, even outside these times. Look for the current offer in our schedule.

For the 2024/25 course year, there is no class during these weeks/days:

• Fall break: Oct. 28 to Nov. 3, 2024
• Christmas vacations: Monday, Dec. 23, 2024 to Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025
• Spring break: Monday, Feb. 17 to Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025
• Easter Monday: Monday, April 21, 2025
• King’s Day: Saturday, April 26, 2025
• May vacation: Monday, April 28 to Sunday, May 4, 2025
• Liberation Day: Monday, May 5, 2025
• Ascension Day: Thursday, May 29, 2025
• Whit Monday: Monday, June 9, 2025

During the summer vacations we do open. We offer a modified program then.

After a beginner’s Spanish course(Básico 1), you will be able to have simple conversations in Spanish. You can introduce yourself, ask for directions and order your favorite Spanish dish in a restaurant. You can speak and write in the present tense and know how to use articles, numerals and nouns. With this basic Spanish course you will be prepared for a trip to Spain or South America and have laid the foundation for a follow-up course!

You can find the next beginners’ courses (Básico 1) here.

We offer Spanish courses at all levels. If you are already proficient in Spanish or fluent in Spanish and want to perfect your grammar, you can take our online level test to see which level suits you best. After this online Spanish test, you will receive the advice by email. If you have a high level of Spanish, our course advisor will contact you.

Experience has shown that the material of the higher levels is better covered in a more extensive course. Therefore, we have chosen an 8-week course for all Básico levels and an 11-week course for the higher levels.

Yes, we also offer online courses. Our online classes go through the Zoom platform and are otherwise the same in structure as the onsite courses, with the same top-notch teachers, of course! So do you not live in Amsterdam and prefer not to travel so far for your Spanish lessons? Or do you have another reason to prefer to take the class via your laptop from your home, office or vacation address? No problem! Check the schedule of our online classes.

You can easily register online for the course of your choice by looking at this course overview and choosing the level and desired start date. You can immediately pay the course fee (and lesson materials) via Ideal to reserve your spot. After registration you will receive a confirmation by email.

When you register online you can pay your course fees and course materials directly via Ideal. You can also pay your tuition by bank transfer. Please note: your spot is only reserved after payment; when you pay directly via Ideal you are guaranteed a spot in the course!

As long as there is room in a course you can register for it. If a course is full and you have no opportunity to join one of the other courses, you can always send an email to the secretariat. We will then put you on a waiting list and notify you in case a place becomes available.

When you register for a course, you can immediately purchase the course materials online and pay via Ideal. The course materials will then be ready for you at the first lesson. Should you choose not to pay for the course materials online immediately, you can purchase them during our business hours at the secretary’s office. For the first lesson of your Spanish course, by the way, you don’t have to prepare any homework yet.

Per course block (3 or more levels) we use one basic book. If you move to a higher level, you will need additional course material for that. If you are doing a course for the first time or moving to a new course block, the price of the basic book is between € 30,- and € 45,-. The price of supplementary depends on the level and costs between € 6,- and € 25,-. All prices are subject to change. When you register for a course, you immediately see the cost of the course material. You can also order this when you register so that it is ready for you on the first day of class.

The textbook from the Básico courses AULA Internacional 1 Plus, for example , lasts for an entire level block (that is, from Básico 1 to Preintermedio 3). If you are not going to use the textbook after the course, you can sell it back to us for half the price. Lola Lago reading books can also be sold back to you. However, this arrangement does not apply to Spanish workbooks(Compendios).

At Molinos de Viento we sell all the teaching materials used in the Spanish courses. We also have support materials such as grammars, verb conjugations and different Spanish dictionaries. In addition to didactic material, we sell Spanish comic books (Tintin and Astérix) and advanced reading material. Here you will find an overview of teaching materials available from us.

You can find the price of a course in the course information in the schedule overview for each course level.

You can. Just send us an email with your course choice and the information that should appear on the invoice. We will then take care of your registration and send the invoice to your employer.

If you wish to receive a bill for your purchase, please indicate this in the comments box, when you register or you can contact our secretariat directly.

The homework for the Básico levels, Intermedio levels and Alto levels can be found in the back of the Compendio (syllabus). In addition, before the first lesson of the course, each student will receive a link to a Dropbox folder, where the homework summaries can be found.

For the homework of the other levels, you can contact one of your fellow students through the email list. In the first lesson, this email list will be set up by the students.

Yes! We offer a number of tools to help you follow the course. With the homework overview you can always prepare next lesson. In addition, we can email you an overview of the general content of the lessons you miss. You can also catch up on missed lessons in a parallel group, provided there is room of course. And finally, you can inquire about our special tutoring services! When in doubt, please contact our secretariat. We can give you advice and list the possibilities.

¡Sí, claro! Students receive the Compendio as a gift at the first lesson! So if you are a student you don’t have to order it with you but you can pick it up for free at the secretary’s office at the first lesson, on presentation of your student ID card. If Compendio is not used at your level, you may choose a supporting booklet (for example: Grammar in Brief or Verbs in Form).

The levels of the European Framework of Reference are determined at the European level and exist for all European languages. The levels of Molinos de Viento can also be classified according to the ECFR. In the following diagram, you can see how the levels of the ECFR relate to the levels of Molinos de Viento.

At the end of the course, there will be a test during class. There is no certificate attached to the test. However, students can make an appointment to take an exam. This can be done at the end of the levels Básico 3, Intermedio 4, Alto 3, Avanzado 4, Superior and Perfeccionamiento. If you pass this, you will receive a certificate. You can always receive a certificate of participation upon request. Please inquire at the secretariat: [email protected].

Our diplomas have no official status, but they are well known! In more than 40 years, hundreds of students have earned a diploma with us and our good name is known in the “Spanish world”. For officially recognized diplomas, we can give you information and recommend matching courses.

Sure! We provide private Spanish lessons for both individuals and companies. Great if you want to learn at your own pace or take classes at irregular times. These classes are set up on a customized basis. The program, lesson frequency, days and times depend entirely on your wishes. Lessons can take place at Molinos de Viento, at home or at the office. If you are interested, please look under Private Lessons or contact our secretariat directly. We will be happy to give you advice and more information about the possibilities.

All teachers at Molinos de Viento are enthusiastic and professional native-speakers from Spain or from Latin America, with great experience in and passion for teaching. For all teachers and their backgrounds, see our team.

Of some courses, we know this well in advance. For the rest of the courses we only know a week before the start. If you want to inquire please contact the secretariat.

Please call or send an email to the secretary. We greatly appreciate this because it allows us to offer a spot to students who want to catch up on a class!

Yes! See our Facebook page and our Instagram.

Molinos de Viento is located at Utrechtsedwarsstraat 13-I in Amsterdam. Our center is therefore located on a second floor (no elevator available).

You can find paid parking nearby, for example on the canals or on Falck Street, a few minutes’ walk from Molinos de Viento. The nearest parking garage is The Bank and is located on Amstelstraat, a 15-minute walk from our institute.

Our Jura coffee machine makes delicious coffee from Café del Mar. You can only pay for it contactless.

Yes! See our Facebook page and our Instagram.

It can always happen that you are unable to come to your Spanish class. In principle, it is possible to catch up your class in a group at your course level. This is only possible if there is a Spanish course parallel to yours and if there is enough space in the group. If you want to catch up a Spanish class, please contact the secretariat. We will look at the possibilities with you.

After our beginner Básico 1 course, you will already have a decent elementary knowledge of the Spanish language. You will no longer be at a loss for words! You understand and you can respond to simple, everyday questions and comments, such as greetings, who you are, what you do, etc. To become more confident with the language, a Básico 2 or Básico 3 course is necessary. After the Intermedio levels, you have had the complete basic grammar of Spanish and can follow and participate in most general conversations quite well. In the follow-up levels you will strengthen and perfect your Spanish.

If occasionally you have not been able to do homework, that is not a problem. In class you may not be able to participate in all the exercises, but you will always learn something. With homework, there are always parts that are more important than others. So if you have less time, you can focus on those topics. Your teacher can advise you on that. If you know in advance that you won’t have time for homework at all, we advise you to consider private lessons. Please contact us for that.

If occasionally you have not been able to do homework, that is not a problem. In class you may not be able to participate in all the exercises, but you will always learn something. With homework, there are always parts that are more important than others. So if you have less time, you can focus on those topics. Your teacher can advise you on that. If you know in advance that you won’t have time for homework at all, we advise you to consider private lessons. Contact us for that.aOur courses are spirited, fun, hands-on. The pace of our classes is fairly fast. We do ask our students to do some preparation at home, and if you have some general grammar knowledge that’s a bonus. At the same time, there is also time for socializing and relaxation. The class is an excellent place to meet other people with a similar interest in the Spanish or Latin American language and culture. Above all, we want our students to have made real progress in their mastery of the Spanish language by the end of the course.

This can of course vary from lesson to lesson, course to course and level to level (a lesson in a conversation course is of course different from a regular course). We have fixed programs for each course, but the teacher is also free to adapt them as he or she sees fit. Nevertheless, in regular class in a Básico course you can expect to begin with a round of conversation about what everyone has been doing this week. Then there is time for questions about homework and review of exercises done. This is followed by a new grammar topic or discussion topic, with different types of exercises. The lesson can be concluded by discussing the chapter read from the reading booklet.

We are housed in an old monumental factory building in the middle of Amsterdam. The atmosphere is open, casual and cozy. Our classrooms each have their own character, with different colors and dimensions. The tables are set up in a square shape, with room for about 10 people. The instructor uses a whiteboard, audio set and projector. Most classrooms have large windows and border a quiet courtyard. For an impression of the classrooms, click here.

We welcome enthusiastic and motivated students, from 18 to 80 years old, many with a great passion for Spain or Latin America, who would like to learn, perfect or keep up with Spanish (finally!). One has a house in Spain, another is going to study in Buenos Aires for six months, this one wants to be able to communicate better with his in-laws from Mexico, another has friends in Madrid. Many learn it for work, many also for fun!