English · USD $

Group Class

Community

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Margarita Martínez

Community Tutor

Teaches

Spanish

Native

Zapotec

Native

Speaks

English

Other

Native Speaker of Spanish and Zapotec, an indigenous language of Oaxaca, Mexico

Teaches

Spanish

Native

Zapotec

Native

Speaks

English

Other

Native Speaker of Spanish and Zapotec, an indigenous language of Oaxaca, Mexico

About Me

Me as a Teacher

My lessons & teaching style

From MexicoLiving in McAllen, United States (10:01 UTC-05:00)

About Me

italki teacher since Sep 18, 2025

InterestsReadingFilms & TV SeriesPets & AnimalsWritingFood

I am originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, and I grew up speaking not only Spanish but the indigenous language of my community, a variety of Zapotec. As a young adult, I moved to the United States, where I learned English. Eventually, I went on to earn my BA in Spanish from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and then my MA in Spanish, with a concentration in linguistics, which allowed me to produce a Master's Thesis on Zapotec. At UTRGV, I had the opportunity to not only be a student, but to become a Spanish tutor and teacher, a vocation I fell in love with. I am excited about the opportunity to continue to share my love for my languages and cultures on italki.

Me as a Teacher

I have almost 10 years of experience in various capacities helping students learn and practice Spanish. I have worked as a middle school teacher, teaching beginning and intermediate Spanish, and as a graduate student instructor and peer tutor and instructor for university students of all levels. I have had the opportunity to work both with non-native beginning students and with heritage language students, those who grew up around Spanish. I love helping others and helping them learn my native languages. As someone who learned a second language as an adult, I know how challenging, yet ultimately rewarding the process can be, and I am eager to support and help others on that journey.

My lessons & teaching style

My goal is to work individually with learners to tailor my lessons to their language learning needs and goals. I can work with Spanish learners on developing and refining their speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills, as well as sharing cultural information and grammatical explanations as desired. For beginning and intermediate students I have a wide variety of practice materials available from simple worksheets to online games and quizzes. For more advanced students, I can work with them on advanced reading and writing prompts as well as personalized conversation practice. I have yet to have a student learn Zapotec but would love to develop more materials for the language.

My teaching material

Audio files
Image files
Video files
Quizzes
PDF file
Presentation slides/PPT
Flashcards
Articles and news
Text Documents

5.0

Rating

Students

551

Lessons

100%

Attendance rate

100%

Response rate

5.0

Rating

Students

551

Lessons

100%

Attendance rate

100%

Response rate

Spanish Lessons

Spanish

Zapotec

Trial Lesson

28 lessons completed

USD 6.00+

Conversación básica / Basic conversation

A1 - B1

Conversation

242 lessons completed

USD 7.50+

Package with 18% off

Español para principiantes / Spanish for beginners

A1 - A2

Language Essentials

63 lessons completed

USD 7.50+

Package with 18% off

Gramática / grammar

A1 - C2

Language Essentials

167 lessons completed

USD 7.50+

Package with 18% off

Group Lessons for Conversation, Grammar, Language Basics and more

A1 - C2

Language Essentials

8 lessons completed

USD 15.00+

Package with 17% off

Conversación Avanzada/Advanced Conservation

B1 - C2

Conversation

5 lessons completed

USD 9.00+

Package with 14% off

Availability

71 Reviews

All

Spanish

Zapotec

Kimi

28 Spanish lessons

Siempre es un placer platicar con Margarita. Siempre es muy alentadora y optimista.

Apr 15, 2026

Colby

21 Spanish lessons

She makes learning fun. Perfect balance of natural conversation while challenging you to take your Spanish to the next level.

Apr 14, 2026

Kim W

3 Spanish lessons

I had a great first lesson with Margarita and am looking forward to continue learning with her. Thank you for making practicing Spanish easier and more fun!

Apr 1, 2026

Ed K

2 Spanish lessons

Great trial lesson, mi primero con una tutora.

Apr 14, 2026

Atlani

1 Zapotec lesson

Wonderful class. I'm interested in Zapotec, which is the teacher's mother tongue. I'm so grateful for her input.

Apr 12, 2026

Kathy

12 Spanish lessons

One of my best teachers on Italki. A perfect blend of conversation and grammar explanation. We are also reading a book together. Thank you for being so encouraging and inspiring!

Mar 31, 2026