The story behind the school
Spanish Taught by Someone Who Lives It
Mountain Spanish was built on one belief: the best way to learn a language is to actually use it — from day one, in a room full of people who are just as nervous as you are.
Maria Rosa Galter
Founder & Lead Instructor
I grew up speaking Spanish at home and English at school, which means I've spent my whole life living between two languages. I know what it feels like to search for a word that doesn't exist in the other language. I know the joy of finally understanding a joke told in your second tongue.
Many years ago, I moved to Colorado, fell in love with the mountains, and now have been teaching Spanish for over a decade to small groups of adults and children. Some of these students are now my best hiking buddies! And that's what Mountain Spanish is all about. It is built around a simple idea: small groups, real conversations, and a classroom that feels more like a community gathering around a common interest rather than a lecture.
Every class I teach is built around the Spanish you'll actually use — whether that's ordering coffee in Barcelona, chatting with a neighbor, or finally understanding the lyrics to your favorite song. Grammar is a tool, not the destination.
Credentials
- B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature, Metro State University of Denver
- 15+ years Spanish instruction
- Native speaker (Spain and Ecuador)
- Lived in Spain and Ecuador
Three principles that shape every class we run.
How I Teach
01
Conversation first, grammar second
Grammar is the map, not the journey. I teach you to speak first and explain why it works second. You'll be surprised how much you can say before you understand all the rules.
02
Small groups are non-negotiable
Eight students maximum. Always. Because language learning happens in the moments when you have to speak — and in a class of thirty, those moments are rare.
03
Mistakes are the curriculum
Every error is data. We create a classroom where getting it wrong is part of getting it right. The students who improve fastest are the ones who stop being afraid to try.
Based in Colorado
Classes held in-person in the Evergreen and Conifer mountain area, with select sessions available online.
Ready to meet the class?
Come see what Mountain Spanish is about. Browse our current sessions or book a free placement chat.