# Experience with Berlitz and Berlitz-type intensive language instruction?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experience-with-berlitz-and-berlitz-type-intensive-language-instruction/526002>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [January 22, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experience-with-berlitz-and-berlitz-type-intensive-language-instruction/526002 "2010-01-22T16:52:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\
**Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experience-with-berlitz-and-berlitz-type-intensive-language-instruction/526002/1 "2010-01-22T16:52:34Z")

</div>

I’m going to Argentina soon for a vacation. I used to be able to get by in Spanish; I could say most things, but I often had to ask people to slow down or use easier words. It’s been years and I barely remember a thing.

I’m thinking of treating myself to an intensive day or two of Berlitz to bring it all back. Does that work?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\
**Post date:** [January 22, 2010, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experience-with-berlitz-and-berlitz-type-intensive-language-instruction/526002/2 "2010-01-22T19:32:12Z")

</div>

> [@Plan\_B](#):
>
> I’m going to Argentina soon for a vacation. I used to be able to get by in Spanish; I could say most things, but I often had to ask people to slow down or use easier words. It’s been years and I barely remember a thing.
> 
> I’m thinking of treating myself to an intensive day or two of Berlitz to bring it all back. Does that work?

Do you mean like and intensive _complete_ day or two? That might do the trick. Let me know if it works, because I’d really, really like to get some of my German back.

In any case, Berlitz worked incredibly well for me when I wanted to learn Spanish, but they were two-hour, private sessions, a couple of times a week for a month. I’d taken two semesters of Spanish back in high school, and I was the designated restaurant orderer for our group back then, but there’s no way I’d’ve ever claimed to speak Spanish. The little bit of time that I spent at Berlitz really, really provided focus and made further, independent study a breeze.