“Learning Spanish has given me a fun and fulfilling challenge outside of my 9 to 5” #BaseLangStories

Nadia spent winters working remotely from Mexico and Costa Rica, but Duolingo and grammar books only got her so far, she’d freeze up in real conversations and couldn’t follow what locals were saying back. BaseLang’s live classes let her practice on her own schedule with teachers from the countries she’s actually living in, and she’s built real relationships with a few she keeps booking. The payoff came when she realized she was following full conversations with new friends in Mexico without even noticing the shift.

BaseLangStories series puts the spotlight on BaseLang students – asking them about their motivations for learning a foreign language, what impact learning Spanish has had on their lives, advice they have for fellow students, and more.

1. What’s your name? Where are you from?

Nadia, Canada

2. Why did you want to learn Spanish?

I work remotely, so I have the flexibility to live and work from pretty much anywhere. Being Canadian, our winters can be very cold, so I started spending the winters in Spanish-speaking countries like Costa Rica and Mexico. That’s what sparked my interest in learning Spanish, I wanted to be able to connect with the locals in the towns I was living in. Learning Spanish felt like a natural way to feel more at home in the communities I was living in.

3. In the past, what did you use to learn Spanish?

When I first started learning Spanish I was using duo lingo. This was a fun way to start but I felt I needed more to get to a level where I could be conversational. I also used grammar books but felt without knowing proper pronunciation I could only get so far with a book.

4. Before BaseLang, which part of learning Spanish did you struggle with the most?

Before BaseLang I struggled a lot with conversation. I knew vocabulary but putting together sentences was difficult. I also had a hard time speaking with Spanish speakers because I would freeze up and I had a difficult time understanding what they were saying.

5. What obstacle would have prevented you from signing up for BaseLang before?

Actually no obstacles prevented me from signing up for BaseLang. When I read about it on reddit I knew I felt like it was what I needed. The ability to be able to take lessons at any time of day with live teachers from various countries felt perfect for me.

6. What did you find as a result of signing up?

After signing up I was so excited to start my lessons! I couldn’t wait to dive into the content and to start with the live classes. I have nothing but good things to say about the platform. The lesson content is well organized and easy to follow. The flow of the lessons feels like it contains the most important parts of being able to be conversational in Spanish. Taking the live lessons helps clarify the content and it makes learning the language enjoyable. I look forward to the lessons and also being able to just have conversations with teachers about life.

7. What specific feature did you like the most about the Real World program?

My favourite feature is the live classes. Its great that you can choose from such a large number of teachers this allows me to take lessons almost whenever I want and its helpful to be able to choose teachers from the countries I am travelling to. I find doing classes is easy to do because I look forward to conversing with teachers. I tend to choose the same teachers if I can and have built relationships with teachers. It’s fun to connect and practice my Spanish at the same time.

8. How has learning Spanish impacted your life?

Learning Spanish has been such a positive addition to my life. It’s given me a fun and fulfilling challenge outside of my 9 to 5, and I’ve loved seeing my progress over time. Thanks to BaseLang, my Spanish has improved so much. I didn’t even realize how far I’d come until I started having real conversations with new friends in Mexico and actually understood them. That moment was incredibly rewarding.

9. Would you recommend this course, if so, why?

Yes! I would recommend BaseLang because it is such an enjoyable way to learn a new language. It’s cool to connect with teachers around the world and it makes learning fun.

10. Complete the following sentence

“After my first month of BaseLang, I realized that…..” this platform was going to be the fastest and most enjoyable way for me to learn Spanish. BaseLang is so accessible, I can take lessons that fit into my schedule at almost any time and I can take it with me wherever I go. The lessons are very effective and the live classes are so helpful in my learning.

11. Anything else to add (advice for other students, what you wish you had known) etc?

I honestly think BaseLang is one of the best tools out there if you want to fast-track your Spanish and actually become conversational. One tip that’s helped me is reviewing the lesson material before class—it makes the session smoother and helps things stick. But on days when I’m not feeling super motivated, I’ll just book a class anyway and have a casual conversation with my teacher. Even those low-effort days add up and keep the momentum going.