FAQ

You will be able to read and write like native speakers if you choose to and with continuous study. In terms of sounding like a native, if you learned Spanish as an adult, you will always have your native accent when you speak Spanish, but accents are endearing and unique!

Depending on your age, Unica Languages focuses on building a strong foundation of grammar that will be easily applied to higher levels of learning as you continue with studying the foreign language. Skills are built slowly and methodically so you understand how the language works on a grammatical level, which will help you speak properly. Rote memorization is not one of our tactics to facilitate learning. After completion of our Level 1 class you will be able to speak in the present tense, read basic sentences, talk about yourself, home and activities, ask simple questions, and start a conversation.

Unica offers intimate classes, which can range from seven to 14 students depending on the level of study. Beginner level classes usually feature more students.

Unica teachers do not speak solely in the target language during class, especially in Levels 1 and 2. Once you move to Level 3 teachers will predominantly speak in the foreign language, and in the conversation courses, teachers speak in the target language at all times in every level.

At the end of each course, an exam will be administered to assess your understanding. You should pass the exam before you move to a higher level.

Our instructors all teach the same program and sometimes highlight regional and colloquial differences. When you are in class, our teachers are more than willing to discuss the variances in vocabulary used in different countries and contexts. Please read about our instructors here.

If you are thinking of taking private Language lessons, we recommend twice a week, plus allocating 5-6 hours per week to study and review. If you have a very busy schedule, once a week might be better (you can always increase the frequency after a few weeks if you feel like you can keep up with a faster pace). Three times a week might be too much, unless you have plenty of free time to study/review.

If, for example, you already speak French, Italian or Portuguese, you will find there are many similarities in verbs and vocabulary in Spanish and other romance languages, but you will need to put in hard work to learn the nuances of Spanish, cultural differences, pronunciation, and still memorize words and phrases.

We offer online classes for the following programs: conversation groups, workshops, and private and group classes of various levels. We have also resumed offering small in-person Total Beginner and Beginner 2 group classes in Spanish and French,

An electronic copy of the textbook is included in the cost of the class and will be e-mailed to you a few days before your start date.

Monday to Friday - 9 am to 9 pm  

We have a rolling admission policy for above beginner classes. As long as we have a minimum of two students enrolled, the group continues with the same teacher at the same schedule, and the level keeps progressing.

In order to receive a full refund, you must do withdraw so at least seven days before the class start date. Any subsequent withdrawal from a contracted course, for whatever reason, will result in forfeiture of the total cost of enrollment.

Yes! If you're interested in a total beginner class that's full, please e-mail cs@unica-languages.ca or call (905) 334-7876 and ask to be placed on the waitlist for that group. We will contact students right away if a space opens up in the class.

We need at least 3 students to start a new online total beginner class and 4 to start an in-person class. In case you sign up for a class that doesn't reach the minimum enrollment, we will contact you a few days before the scheduled start date with options. These options include transferring to another class, putting your credits on hold, or receiving a full refund.

If you are in a class and cannot continue, please notify us of your situation as soon as possible so we can work with you to find a solution. We cannot credit you for classes you missed before notifying us or for a class scheduled to occur on the day you contact us.

If you miss a class during a 12-week enrollment, you automatically get a 13th consecutive bonus class added to your enrollment!

If you are unable to attend the 13th consecutive class, you forfeit your make-up lesson.

Please email us at cs@unica-languages.ca, and we will let your instructor know about your absence. We can also send you any homework and class notes so you can catch up on your own time.

Yes! We can apply your account balance towards a private lesson package. Please contact us as soon as you decide to do this, as any classes you miss before notifying us will be deducted from your enrollment. We will work with you on arranging lessons that will fit your schedule.

If anything about your class is not working for you, contact us right away! We're happy to help you find the program that's best for you. There are many options that we can provide, from setting up private catch-up lessons to placing you in a new group.

Feedback helps us improve and we want to ensure that every one of our students has the best possible experience with Unica-Languages.
We are happy to discuss whatever concerns you may have, so please contact us as soon as they arise so we can assist you asap. You may send an e-mail to cs@unica-languages.ca or call (905) 334-7876. Your feedback will remain confidential and anonymous.

There are rare unforeseen times when we will have to suspend a regularly scheduled class (teacher emergency, global classroom software outage, etc.) We will notify you as soon as possible about the class suspension, and the missed class will not count towards your enrollment.
Your enrollment is for consecutively scheduled classes, not necessarily weeks. For example, if you signed up for 6 weeks but one class was suspended due to a holiday and another because your teacher had an emergency, you 6-week enrollment will be covered in 8 weeks.