Improve your Spanish
by improving your Confidence

Do you feel ready to have Spanish conversations but not yet with hispanohablantes?

Entonces bienvenido, bienvenida a ¡Charlemos!
No correcting - No teaching - No pressure!

¡Charlemos! is a place where intermediate Spanish learners come to enjoy the company of others and to practice Spanish conversation with other learners.

Are you looking for ¡Charlemos! French! It’s here.

 ¡Charlemos! is a place of encouragement and inspiration and a super-safe place to practice Spanish conversation.

There are no teachers, native speakers or impatient advanced speakers here which means:

  • we don’t speak very fast
  • we have fairly simple vocabulary
  • we don’t have strong accents.
 
Of course, being learners means we make mistakes in our grammar and pronunciation but the goal of this group is more about confidence than competence.
 
When you speak to your partner in Spanish you won’t be corrected and they won’t try to teach you how to say something correctly. So you’ll have the space to correct yourself and to note down the words and phrases that you don’t yet know – but want to know!
 
When we’re together as a big group, we speak English. When you’re practicing Spanish, you can switch to English if you need to, to keep the conversation going. Then switch back to Spanish! ¡No hay problema!
 
Spanish, English, Spanglish and Jibberish are all accepted at ¡Charlemos!

How does it work?

We use two platforms:

Skool to connect and communicate, and
Zoom to practice our Spanish face to face.

If your application to join ¡Charlemos! is successful you’ll participate in our community on the platform known as Skool. Skool is super-easy to join. There is a one-off $5 administration fee to join ¡Charlemos! but after that there is no charge to attend the charlas. By being in our Skool group you will have access to our Zoom sessions and other activities.

The Thursday / Friday session is NOT taking place while Tony is on vacation for roughly two months.
The last Thursday session is 21 August 2025 and we’ll resume on Thursday 6 November 2025.

When do we meet?

Then this list of days and times should be correct for you:
City Days (Local) Local Time Time Zone
Los Angeles, USA Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday 12:00 PM PST
Saturday 4:00 PM PST
Monday 4:00 AM PST
Denver, USA Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday 1:00 PM MST
Saturday 5:00 PM MST
Monday 5:00 AM MST
Austin, USA Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday 2:00 PM CST
Saturday 6:00 PM CST
Monday 6:00 AM CST
New York, USA Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday 3:00 PM EST
Saturday 7:00 PM EST
Monday 7:00 AM EST
Buenos Aires, Argentina Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday 5:00 PM ART
Saturday 9:00 PM ART
Monday 9:00 AM ART
UTC Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday 8:00 PM UTC
Sunday 12:00 AM UTC
Monday 12:00 PM UTC
London, UK Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday 8:00 PM GMT
Sunday 12:00 AM GMT
Monday 12:00 PM GMT
Barcelona, Spain Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday 9:00 PM CET
Sunday 1:00 AM CET
Monday 1:00 PM CET
Cairo, Egypt Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday 10:00 PM EET
Sunday 2:00 AM EET
Monday 2:00 PM EET
Uganda Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday 11:00 PM EAT
Sunday 3:00 AM EAT
Monday 3:00 PM EAT
Pakistan Monday, Wednesday, Friday 1:00 AM PKT
Sunday 5:00 AM PKT
Monday 5:00 PM PKT
India Monday, Wednesday, Friday 1:30 AM IST
Sunday 5:30 AM IST
Monday 5:30 PM IST
Manila, Philippines Monday, Wednesday, Friday 4:00 AM PHST
Sunday 8:00 AM PHST
Monday 8:00 PM PHST
Osaka, Japan Monday, Wednesday, Friday 5:00 AM JST
Sunday 9:00 AM JST
Monday 9:00 PM JST
Melbourne, Australia Monday, Wednesday, Friday 7:00 AM AEDT
Sunday 11:00 AM AEDT
Monday 11:00 PM AEDT
Wellington, New Zealand Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9:00 AM NZDT
Sunday 1:00 PM NZDT
Tuesday 1:00 AM NZDT

CityDays (Local)Local TimeTime Zone
Los Angeles, USASunday, Tuesday, Thursday12:00 PMPDT
Saturday4:00 PMPDT
Monday4:00 AMPDT
Denver, USASunday, Tuesday, Thursday1:00 PMMDT
Saturday5:00 PMMDT
Monday5:00 AMMDT
Austin, USASunday, Tuesday, Thursday2:00 PMCDT
Saturday6:00 PMCDT
Monday6:00 AMCDT
New York, USASunday, Tuesday, Thursday3:00 PMEDT
Saturday7:00 PMEDT
Monday7:00 AMEDT
Buenos Aires, ArgentinaSunday, Tuesday, Thursday4:00 PMART
Saturday8:00 PMART
Monday8:00 AMART
UTCSunday, Tuesday, Thursday7:00 PMUTC
Saturday11:00 PMUTC
Monday11:00 AMUTC
London, UKSunday, Tuesday, Thursday8:00 PMBST
Sunday12:00 AMBST
Monday12:00 PMBST
Barcelona, SpainSunday, Tuesday, Thursday9:00 PMCEST
Sunday1:00 AMCEST
Monday1:00 PMCEST
Cairo, EgyptSunday, Tuesday, Thursday9:00 PMEET
Sunday1:00 AMEET
Monday1:00 PMEET
UgandaSunday, Tuesday, Thursday10:00 PMEAT
Sunday2:00 AMEAT
Monday2:00 PMEAT
PakistanSunday, Tuesday, Thursday12:00 AM (Monday)PKT
Sunday4:00 AMPKT
Monday4:00 PMPKT
IndiaMonday, Wednesday, Friday12:30 AMIST
Sunday4:30 AMIST
Monday4:30 PMIST
Manila, PhilippinesMonday, Wednesday, Friday3:00 AMPHST
Sunday7:00 AMPHST
Monday7:00 PMPHST
Osaka, JapanMonday, Wednesday, Friday4:00 AMJST
Sunday8:00 AMJST
Monday8:00 PMJST
Melbourne, AustraliaMonday, Wednesday, Friday5:00 AMAEST
Sunday9:00 AMAEST
Monday9:00 PMAEST
Wellington, New ZealandMonday, Wednesday, Friday7:00 AMNZST
Sunday11:00 AMNZST
Monday11:00 PMNZST

When you first arrive you’ll be in the main zoom room and in this room we speak English. So when you first arrive you’ll be greeted in English and you have a chance to settle in without having to worry about speaking any Spanish at all!

Then we do two things:

1. We break into pairs and have a conversation in Spanish, and then

We talk abut everyday things such as where we live, our family, our jobs, our interests etc. Common discussion points are why you’ve started to learn Spanish and how long you’ve been learning.

If you get stuck, you can switch to English to get yourself past the block and then continue in Spanish.

Because your charla partner is also a learner, you’ll probably find the vocabulary not too hard and of course, if there’s a word or phrase you don’t understand, just ask!

The chats last 10-15 minutes and then you’ll be returned to the main group. We have three charlas during the hour. At each one, you’ll get a different person to speak to (depending on how well I can manage the break-out rooms!)

Usually you’ll be in a pair but sometimes you’ll be in a group of three depending of how many people turn up.

2. We return to the main room and talk about our experiences as Spanish learners

One of the benefits of belonging to this group is the ability to talk about our challenges, learnings, breakthroughs.

So after each charla there’s an opportunity for a debrief where we can reflect on how the charla went and what we learned from doing it.

We have these conversations in English so that it’s not a strain to express the sometimes intricate ideas we want to talk about.

At the end of the hour, if you have time, you’re welcome to stay in the main room for our “sobre mesa” where we share stories – both poignant and funny – about when we used our Spanish in el mundo real!

Here’s a typical conversation.

We also talk about tools and resources we’ve found useful.

But I want my speaking to be corrected!

Then this is not the group for you. There are heaps of resources out there for people wanting teachers or feedback but this is not one of them.

We are different – we just open our mouths and give it a go and nobody interrupts to correct you or tries to give you a lesson.

There’s definitely a place for being corrected – many of us have Spanish teachers for that very reason – but ¡Charlemos! is a place to practice what you’ve learned – to self-correct – and be in flow!

How do I get invited?

Your first step is to watch the introductory video below and fill in the form at the bottom of this page.

If you understand what my community is about I’ll invite to complete a Spanish comprehension self-assessment and application to join us. Then we’ll have a quick on-line chat together in English and Spanish to confirm that your level of Spanish and our levels of Spanish are a good fit!

All going well (which it usually does!) you’ll be made a welcome member of this community. I’ll ask you to pay the US $5 administration fee and then invite you to join our Skool community where you’ll be able to get access to our Zoom sessions and any other activities we have going on.

I'm nervous about joining!

I get it – I too used to be really nervous whenever I tried to speak Spanish with people I didn’t know! Many of our members have had difficult experiences using their Spanish with teachers and in practice groups. That’s one of the reason I created ¡Charlemos! to be different from other teaching or conversation groups.
Check out this video where participants talk about their experience of our community:

Participants' Experience

“Thank you for such a warm welcome. I have been involved in dozens of group chats and this is 100% different.

Just to give everyone an idea of how phobic I am of speaking Spanish: the night before I know I will be on a chat, I don’t sleep and all day I have anxiety. Most of the time, I am a no-show. Even groups like Rosetta Stone where NO ONE can see you or even know who you are, I have such anxiety that I pay for the class and don’t show up. I have read articles about it and nothing seems to help.

Until now.

I feel a complete weight has been lifted off and I was so excited when I hung up that I called my husband to tell him. It was a huge step for me. I HIGHLY recommend that anyone who feels even remotely shy to join Tony Burns and his group whenever you can. Thank you Tony and everyone for your patience and kindness. I had so much fun!!!!!!! 🇨🇦“

What level of Spanish do I need?

We are not a teaching group so you need to be beyond Beginner. You need to be able to understand every-day questions and statements so that you can take part in a conversation.

Your listening skills are more important than your speaking skills because, if you need to or want to, you can respond in English. But you’ll need to be able to understand Intermediate Spanish in order to do that.

I’ve created a Spanish comprehension self-assessment to help you assess if your comprehension level should allow you to comfortably participate.  If you do OK, you and I will then have a one-on-one chat in English and Spanish to confirm that when you come to your first charla, you won’t be either overwhelmed or underwhelmed by our level of Spanish!

To get started, watch the video below and, if you easily understand most or all of it, you should continue with the join-up process. 

If you struggle to understand this video, do more work on your listening skills and come back to us later

This introductory video will help you to decide whether to request to join us.

So you'd like to join us?

If you understood most of this video, then by all means continue the application process!

Fill in your details and answer the accompanying questions. If it looks like you’re a good fit for ¡Charlemos! I’ll email you with instructions on how to complete our Spanish comprehension self-assessment. Then we’ll have a quick charla together and if you’re at similar level to other members of our community you’ll be able to join us!

How did you get on? Did you understand most of that? If so, it’s worth doing the self-assessment. If that indicates that your comprehension is OK you’ll be taken to our application to join. You’ll be asked to agree to these rules.

To access the self-assessment you need to first contact me using Facebook Messenger and let me know that you’ve watched this video and that you’d like to join ¡Charlemos!

Please:
1. tell me a little a bit about yourself and your Spanish learning journey up to now
2. any background as to why you’re learning Spanish
3. any reasons why ¡Charlemos! specifically appeals to you.

Then I’ll send you the link the self-assessment so you can get started.

If you’re on your phone: Click here to Contact me via Messenger right now
or
On computer: go to my Facebook Profile and click the Messenger Button that looks like this:


If you don’t think you’re ready to join us, click here for some suggested resources to help you with your listening comprehension.

 Here’s the process:

1. Do the self-assessment
2. Complete the application form (this becomes available once you complete the self-assessment)
3. Go to our Facebook Group and hit the Join button. Please don’t just try and join us through the Facebook Group – it won’t work and you’ll be declined 🙁
4. Contact me via Facebook Messenger to tell me you’ve done the previous 3 steps.

Step 4 is very important! You are asking to join a special community and you and I need to be able to contact each other directly and privately and immediately when necessary – Messenger is how we do this! If you do not connect with me via Messenger, I won’t be letting you in!

 Here’s the process:

1. Do the self-assessment
2. Contact me via Facebook Messenger to tell me you’ve successfully completed the self-assessment and would like to join us. I’ll send you the Application Form details.
3. Complete the Application Form
4. Go to our Facebook Group and hit the Join button. Please don’t just try and join us directly through the Facebook Group – it won’t work and you’ll be declined.

Step 2 is very important! You are asking to join a special community and you and I need to be able to contact each other directly and privately and immediately when necessary – Messenger is how we do this! If you do not connect with me via Messenger, you won’t be able to complete the join-up process!

 Here’s the process:

1. Do the self-assessment On the basis of your result decide whether to join us or wait and improve a bit more.

2. Agree to the rules of the group and complete the application form.

3. Join the Skool community (a one-off US $5 administration fee) and start coming to the charlas!

How much does it cost?

There is a US $5 non-refundable administration fee to join the community. You’ll only be asked to pay this when your suitability to participate is confirmed.

After that you will be charged absolutely nothing to attend our charlas!

The process of managing the membership of the ¡Charlemos! community involves various digital tools that have a cost. To join the community we ask that you make a one-off, non-refundable* administration fee to help cover those costs.

Non-refundable means you will not get this payment back for any reason. This includes (but is not limited to):

  • joining by mistake or changing your mind
  • realizing the times don’t suit you
  • not having good enough internet to participate properly
  • deciding to leave ¡Charlemos! for any reason
  • being removed from ¡Charlemos!
 

A core pillar of the ¡Charlemos! community is that it is safe for members and that they are not made uncomfortable by the deliberate or accidental behaviour of others. No-one is removed from the community unless, following a discussion with the administrator (or attempt to have a discussion) about an issue, the problem with their behavior continues.

So, unless you’re a pain-in-the-arse you don’t have to worry about being kicked out!

Go to the Self-Assessment

Sorry - I'm not admitting new members right now. You can use the form below to be put on a waiting list and I'll contact you when admissions open again.

Now you need to convince me to invite you into my special community!

If you don't hear back from me it will be because you don't seem to understand how we operate or you haven't given me enough information to make a decision.

Based on what you've read about this group:

If you’re on your phone: Click here to Contact me via Messenger right now
or
On computer: go to my Facebook Profile and click the Messenger Button that looks like this:

Rules for during our Charlas

1. I’ll be patient, kind and courteous
2. I realise that mistakes are OK
3. I won’t correct other speakers or do any teaching
4. I’ll share the time
5. I’ll respect people’s privacy
6. If I’m not participating I understand that I may be removed from the group
7. I’m over 18 years old
8. I’ll have my video on and all my attention will be focused on the conversation. I’ll not be on the move, multi-tasking or caring for children during the charla.