Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy Review: Is It Worth It?
Kelsey Wetherbee
Published on March 1, 2022
Excellent Spanish course for beginners
The Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy (FSSA) video lessons mimic the typical classroom style of teaching. The course covers everything you need to know to build a solid foundation in Spanish. The host, Nate, is also engaging and constructive. The FSSA is an ideal course for beginners, but more advanced learners might not get as much from it.
PROS
- Easy-to-use platform
- Variety of learning materials, such as video lessons and flashcards
- Learning communities on Facebook and Discord
CONS
- No feedback for incorrect answers
- Not as helpful for advanced learners
- Course is still growing, material is not very extensive
Table of Contents
Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy Overview Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy Price Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy Review: Getting Started & Features Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy Review: Overall Learning Experience Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy Review: Areas of Improvement Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy Alternatives & Competitors- Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy vs Lingoda
- Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy vs italki
- Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy vs Babbel
- Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy vs Pimsleur
- Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy vs Rocket Spanish
Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy Overview
Nate, of the popular YouTube channel Spanish With Nate, created the Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy. He’s originally from the United States, but was able to learn Spanish fluently enough that even native speakers think that he’s from Mexico. Now he’s transformed his learning techniques into a course to help others do the same.
Nate teaches you useful Spanish topics through video lessons, and the course also includes other practice materials, like multiple-choice questions and vocabulary flashcards.
I’ve been learning Spanish for years, but my pronunciation isn’t much better than it was on day one. Whenever I have conversations with native Spanish speakers, they immediately know I’m from the USA. I was excited to check out this course to see how Nate could do what I never could, pass for an hispanohablante.
While I can’t say that the Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy will make you sound like a native speaker, it is a solid course if you want to quickly build up your Spanish skills. Nate starts with the basics, such as learning the alphabet and vowel sounds – something that many other language apps skip over entirely. His explanations are clear and detailed, and you’ll learn pronunciation from your very first lesson.
However, this course is not for advanced speakers, at least not yet. The Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy is still growing, but right now there aren’t too many advanced topics. Nate does introduce some more difficult concepts in the last few units of the course, but they feel a little out of place as there are some intermediate steps missing.
The course is still improving and expanding though, so I’ll keep an eye out to see what new content he continues to create!
Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy Price
There are two different price options for the Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy. Lifetime access to the course costs $997.00. This includes access to all content, including content that is added in the future. You also have the option to pay in 2 installments of $499.00
If you’re a complete beginner in Spanish, you can choose to add on the Spanish for Beginners Mini Course for an additional $32.67. This includes extra lessons that teach basic greetings and how to conjugate verbs.
The price of Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy is higher than most popular language apps like Babbel and Rosetta Stone. This is often the case with courses that use videos from teachers. For the price of the entire course, you might be better off taking live lessons with teachers on platforms like Baselang, Lingoda, and italki.
Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy Free Trial
You can try a few lessons from the Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy for free. When you sign up with an email address, you will receive one trial lesson a day for 4 days. Nate also has a few free videos on his Spanish with Nate YouTube channel, so you can watch them and get a sense if you like his teaching style before paying.
It’s important to note that there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee for the FSSA. If you aren’t happy with the course within the first month, you can get a full refund.
Fluent Spanish Speaker Discount
The FSSA offers a referral program to get discounts on your purchase. If a friend or family member signs up using your referral code, you both get 10% off your next purchase.
Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy Review: Getting Started & Features
Getting started with FSSA is easy! Once you set up your account and choose your subscription, you’re ready to go. There is no placement test, and you have access to all lessons in the course immediately (no checkpoints or level tests like in Duolingo). This means you can skip to the more challenging content if you’re already an intermediate learner.
The first unit consists of videos showing you how the platform works, how to join the online community, and tips for how to learn Spanish. After the introduction, you can dive in and start taking the lessons!
The Spanish Lessons
The bulk of the program consists of 6 units of increasing difficulty. Each unit has 9 or 10 lessons of varied content, and every unit covers different grammar topics, vocabulary practice, and recorded conversations with native speakers. At the end of each unit, there is a learning checkpoint to make sure you’re ready to move on to the next unit.
Bonus Content
There are also 3 units of bonus content. This includes slang words used in Mexico, Spain, Colombia, and Argentina. The bonus content includes masterclass videos too, like interviews with language experts and native Spanish speakers. For even more practice, Nate includes different resources, such as lists of movies to watch in Spanish and a playlist of popular music in Spanish.
Online Community
When you subscribe to the Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy, you gain access to two online communities. There is a private Facebook group and a Discord community that includes speaking practice sessions. These are excellent ways to put what you learn to use. You can interact with other students and ask Nate questions to improve your conversational skills.
Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy Review: Overall Learning Experience
Overall, Nate has produced a solid Spanish course for beginners. The platform is easy to use and works well. He has included a variety of different activities so the lessons aren’t monotonous and he includes a lot of different ways to practice.
One aspect of the course I really enjoyed was that he included conversations with native Spanish speakers so you can hear different accents.
The course is not as extensive as some others available though, and some of the lessons could go a little more in-depth. However, it’s still a good resource for those who have a beginner or low-intermediate level.
Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy Review: Areas of Improvement
As with any language resource, there are areas that could be improved. In general, the Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy is a bit light on content and practice exercises in some of the units. As any language learner knows, it takes a lot of practice to reach a certain level of fluency. The course is still growing though, so those with a lifetime membership will benefit from all future content that Nate adds.
The course also starts off at a great pace for beginners, and Nate carefully explains each topic in detail. However, in the last few units of the course, there is a dramatic jump in difficulty. For example, in unit 7 he includes a lesson on the imperfect subjunctive. This is a complicated topic that learners don’t usually see until an intermediate-level course.
While it’s important to include topics like this, teaching them too early can be confusing and intimidating for students.
Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy Alternatives & Competitors
If you want to explore alternatives to the Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy, there are some other excellent options out there. A very similar course is Spanish Uncovered. Two other options are Lingoda and italki. Both of these platforms let you take lessons with live tutors who are native Spanish speakers. Lingoda has a curriculum you can follow, while italki provides a lot of flexibility and lets you choose what you want to study. In terms of Spanish apps, Babbel, Rocket Spanish, and Pimsleur all offer complete Spanish courses. However, they don’t give you the human interaction that FSSA, Lingoda, and italki do.
Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy vs Lingoda
FSSA and Lingoda both offer comprehensive Spanish courses, but there are some important differences between the two. The FSSA has recorded videos that you can watch and rewatch anytime you want. Lingoda, on the other hand, offers live lessons with native-speaking tutors. You can retake the classes as many times as you’d like though. Another key difference is price. The FSSA is cheaper than Lingoda but lacks real-life instruction. You can learn more about Lingoda in this review.
Lingoda also offers a free trial, so sign up and take a few classes to see how you like it!
Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy vs italki
Similar to Lingoda, italki offers live classes with tutors around the world. However, it’s much more flexible and you can design your own curriculum and study what you want. This isn’t possible with FSSA, but that doesn’t mean italki is necessarily better. The quality of tutors varies on the platform, and so do their prices. You can read more about how the platform works in this italki review.
Most tutors offer discounted trial lessons on italki, so take one to see if you enjoy live lessons!
Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy vs Babbel
The FSSA and Babbel have similar course structures, but there are some key differences. First of all, Babbel doesn’t provide videos. It does have extensive grammar explanations and tips though, just like FSSA. In terms of the courses, Babbel has a smoother flow that helps you progress in a natural way. FSSA is quite a bit more expensive than Babbel but gives you a more personal experience. You can check out this Babbel review to learn more about the app.
You can try both for free, so sign up for both to see which you prefer!
Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy vs Pimsleur
FSSA and Pimsleur both focus on helping you speak more naturally. FSSA is the better choice if you like in-depth grammar explanations, but Pimsleur is the way to go if you want to learn new phrases quickly. A key difference between the two is that Pimsleur lets you choose from different variations of Spanish, while FSSA teaches mainly Mexican Spanish. Pimsleur is all audio too, which means you can take the lessons anywhere. Learn more about it in this Pimsleur review.
You can try Pimsleur free for 7 days, so check it out and see if it’s a good fit for you!
Fluent Spanish Speaker Academy vs Rocket Spanish
FSSA and Rocket Spanish both offer Spanish lessons that are short, manageable, and easy to follow. The main difference between the two is the human factor. FSSA has more detailed grammar explanations directly from the teacher. However, Rocket Languages offers solid grammar help as well as cultural lessons throughout its course. In terms of price, FSSA and Rocket Languages are somewhat close, so it comes down to your preferences to choose which one is better. You can read through this Rocket Languages review to learn more about how it works.
Rocket Languages offers free trial lessons, so take a look to get a feel for the course.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nate is a native English speaker who was able to learn fluent Spanish. He is now a Spanish teacher who created an online platform to help others learn Spanish like he did. He also runs a YouTube channel, Spanish with Nate.
Yes! In his video lessons, Nate carefully explains the different topics. As a native English speaker, he knows what difficulties this type of learner might face when learning Spanish.
The FSSA is best for complete beginners (A1 level) or those with little Spanish-speaking experience. It would be good for Spanish students who want to reinforce what they learned in their classes or for people who want to learn Spanish to travel abroad.
There are 10 units in the program. The first unit is how to use the platform and useful learning tips. There are 6 units of lessons and content. There are 3 units of bonus material.
Spanish with Nate uses a variety of activities. There are video lessons that explain grammar topics, vocabulary flashcards, and recorded conversations with native Spanish speakers.
About this FSSA review
This is an independent review, and the company has not sponsored this article. To write this review, I was given access to the Spanish with Nate website to thoroughly test its content and features. I also found additional information on Nate’s website and YouTube channel to verify my findings.
