I decided to work with a language tutor to prepare for my first visit to Italy. Although I possess certain useful life skills, learning a foreign language is not among them. Dr. Capra is the most patient teacher imaginable. He is very attuned to my needs and has even managed to convince me to speak Italian out loud with actual people (not just my dog, who never laughs at my pronunciation or my absurd way with pronouns). I would recommend Dr. Capra to anyone who would like to learn Italian!
Carlos Capra is a wonderful Italian teacher! He combines deep idiomatic and grammatically sound knowledge of the language with fun exercises, readings, conversations, and coaching sessions. In a recent trip to Italy, I was delighted to talk with (and understand!) so many people I interacted with. What a joy to learn a language in Carlos’ supportive and encouraging classes. If you want to learn Italian, Carlos è buonissimo!
Carlos is a terrific teacher who adapts on the fly to my state of mind in any given lesson. Some days when I’ve been a “good student” and completed all my homework we focus on moving forward with grammar instruction targeting areas he’s observed that I need to strengthen. Other days when my mood is less disciplined, we launch into pure conversation ranging from cheese making to complaining about politics…all while ensuring I don’t stray too far away from proper Italian. Carlos makes the lessons varied, teaching with readings and film, pulling from a variety of grammar exercises and drawing upon his own original material from his years teaching at UT. The sessions with Carlos move quickly and are great fun.
I have taken Italian classes with Dr. Capra for over two years. Over the course of these two years, Carlos has crafted an individual course of study for me, emphasizing conversational ability and experiential learning. Every week when I meet with Carlos he know exactly what topics to focus on to maximize the impact of the lesson, and is always ready to provide extra help.
It is clear to me that Carlos’ work is more than a job; it’s a vocation. He is so enthusiastic about Italian and culture that he often continues our lesson even after we have officially run out of time. In fact, after only a few months of study with Carlos, I was able to take a trip to Italy where I could plainly gauge the progress I have made in reading, writing, and speaking ability.
I wholeheartedly recommend Carlos’ course to everyone interested in learning Italian, traveling to Italy, or anyone looking for a new venture
An absolutely excellent teacher! A teacher myself, I learned so much from Carlos–and will be forever thankful! He is caring, insightful, passionate, and so very knowledgeable of anything Italian (not just the language, of which he is an expert of course, but food, opera, music in general, history, dialects, popular culture, current events…you name it!!)
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