Spanish teacher Santiago Tellez

Santiago Tellez

Community Tutor
Teaches
Spanish
Native
Speaks
English
Portuguese
Other
Speak Spanish with confidence—naturally and effortlessly. Comprehensible Input & Crosstalk. 🌎
From ColombiaLiving in Bogota, Colombia (08:44 UTC-05:00)
About Me
italki teacher since Aug 9, 2021
InterestsFilms & TV SeriesFoodSports & FitnessMusicHistory
👋 Hi! I’m Santiago from Colombia. I’ve been teaching Spanish to foreigners for over five years, both online and at a language school in Bogotá. I also hold a diploma in teaching Spanish as a foreign language. But my greatest learning experience? Becoming a language learner myself. It helped me truly understand the challenges of learning a new language and how to overcome them. 🧠 Language acquisition, not just learning. I believe that acquiring a language—rather than just learning it—is the key to lasting fluency. I’ve seen how students who follow this natural approach gain confidence, express themselves more accurately, and understand spoken and written Spanish with ease. That’s why I teach through Comprehensible Input and Crosstalk, and I do my best to provide my students with compelling, comprehensible input that makes learning feel effortless. ❓ What is Comprehensible Input? ✅ Comprehensible Input is language you can understand, even if you don’t know every word. You acquire a language best when messages are slightly above your level but still make sense through context, visuals, or gestures—just like how you learned your first language. 🗣️ Crosstalk is a fun, low-pressure conversation where each person speaks their native language. You understand the other person through gestures, visuals, and context, without needing to translate or switch languages. It’s a na 🎯 Both methods, backed by research, help you gain confidence, understand Spanish effortlessly, and spe...
My teaching material
  • PDF file
  • Text Documents
  • Audio files
  • Image files
  • Video files
  • Flashcards
  • Articles and news
  • Graphs and charts
5.0
Rating
44
Students
430
Lessons
99%
Attendance rate
100%
Response rate

Spanish Lessons

Trial Lesson
14 lessons completed
USD 5.00+
Comprehensible Input for Beginners 🟢
A1 -  A2

Conversation

255 lessons completed
USD 8.00+
Package with 15% off
Comprehensible Input for Intermediate Learners 📖
B1 -  C1

Conversation

53 lessons completed
USD 8.00+
Package with 15% off

Availability

48 Reviews

Student Angie
Angie
23 Spanish lessons
Teacher’s pick
I look forward to my conversations with Santiago. He is a great instructor and will cater lessons toward your learning preference. For me, that has largely been crosstalk and comprehensible input as I'm using Dreaming Spanish to learn. I plan to continue my lessons with Santiago as I progress in my Spanish journey.
Jun 19, 2025
Student Julia Franceschini
Julia Franceschini
42 Spanish lessons
Teacher’s pick
Santiago is an amazing teacher. Each session is thoughtfully planned with many opportunities for me to gain comprehensible input (which is my main goal right now). Santiago checks for understanding and uses visuals, videos, and other media to ensure I am engaged. I also appreciate how creative Santiago is when helping me understand a phrase or concept without using English. Santiago fosters a calm and open learning environment where I feel safe and not embarrassed if I make a mistake. Thank you for being my teacher not just in Spanish but also about culture and the world. I always leave each session with something to think about or research more. :)
Dec 2, 2023
Student Nash Luffman
Nash Luffman
7 Spanish lessons
Santiago was great as always! Even when I am struggling he’s very supportive and patient. Highly recommend!
Jul 7, 2025
Student MarcusUSA
MarcusUSA
13 Spanish lessons
Teacher’s pick
Wow! What a great lesson! Santiago was fun, engaging and easy to understand. His methods of instruction fall perfectly in line with the latest research in language acquisition. Can't wait for the next one!
Mar 19, 2025
Student chelsea
chelsea
1 Spanish lesson
Santiago was amazing! Very clear, very helpful. He gave excellent advice and created a really welcoming environment. Thank you!
Jul 24, 2025
Student Nash Luffman
Nash Luffman
7 Spanish lessons
Santiago is the best! Cannot recommend him enough. Very easy to talk to and very forgiving on my terrible Spanish
Jun 30, 2025