Elena & Esther

Elena

Elena is a qualified teacher having provided Spanish lessons for many years for international students from places all over the world, such as Scotland, China, Hungary, New York, Hawaii. She studied library science and is in love with Lavapiés, an incredibly changing and creative neighbourhood full of history in the centre of Madrid. She has a great passion for flamenco and considers that the best tablaos (flamenco bars) are located in Madrid. If you happen to show up at the Casa Patas flamenco bar on a Friday evening, you will probably find her surrounded by her friends and chatting with the waiters, all of whom know her very well.

Esther

Esther has more than 15 years experience as a teacher of Spanish as a second language for adults. She knows that effective language learning takes place in a relaxed environment in an entertaining activity, with direct contact with the real world and the real language use. She is also a skilled literary translator and editor. You can often see her with her computer on the roof top of the Círculo de Bellas Artes working on her current literary translation, sipping her café con leche, which she thinks is nowhere as hot as it is in Spain.

Her favourite word in Spanish: mármol (marble)
The funniest Spanish word for her is:
pizpireta (vivacious woman)
Her recommended place for you to visit in Madrid is:
The San Fernando market on Sundays
A Spanish food she thinks you should try and probably won’t find in your guide book:
berenjenas rebozadas (breaded eggplants)

Her favourite word in Spanish: libélula (dragonfly)
The funniest Spanish word for her is:
chiringuito (refreshment stand)
Her recommended place for you to visit in Madrid is:
The two statues of the fallen angel
A Spanish food she thinks you should try and probably won’t find in your guide book:
pipirrana (tomatoe salad)

Break down language barriers

Instant Spanish is a project designed by Esther and Elena, two madrileñas, one of them by heart, the other one by birth. They share the passion for the Spanish language and culture and for the amazingly vivid city of Madrid.

The idea of Instant Spanish emerged during their conversation about a trip that Esther made to Slovenia. She was enthusiastic about the landscape and the people of the country, but felt very uncomfortable at being unable to say ‘hello’ or ‘thank you’ in their language or to pronounce the names of the food she wanted to order. Despite all her efforts to wander off the beaten track to discover how local people think and live, the language barrier prevented her from achieving this.

Elena and Esther are both professional teachers of Spanish as a second language. They decided to share their experience, knowledge and their passion for Madrid with visitors who would like to get closer to the real city and to engage with madrileños.