About
Hi, I'm Héctor.
A patient Spanish teacher from Spain, podcaster and full-time language nerd.
My story
¡Hola, hola! My name is Héctor
I'm a Spanish teacher. I studied veterinary medicine and have a Ph.D. in biotechnology with a focus on microorganisms, but I left that behind to devote myself to my greatest passion: languages.
When I'm not helping Spanish students, I'm probably at the gym, hiking in the countryside or the mountains, or spending time with people (which is what life is all about).
I love reading (but I'm usually too tired for it), learning about different cultures around the world, and enjoying the pleasure of food.
If you want to learn more about me, I have a podcast about my life. Literally: La Vida de Héctor — Comprehensible Spanish Podcast.
¡Hola! Me llamo Héctor
Soy profesor de español. Estudié veterinaria y tengo un doctorado en biotecnología con microorganismos, pero lo dejé atrás para dedicarme a mi gran pasión: los idiomas.
Cuando no ayudo a estudiantes de español, probablemente estoy en el gimnasio, paseando por el campo o la montaña o pasando tiempo con gente (que para eso está la vida).
Me gusta leer, aprender cosas sobre diferentes culturas del mundo y disfrutar del placer de la comida. Como he dicho, me apasionan los idiomas: hablo español (evidentemente), inglés, italiano y estoy aprendiendo ruso.
Si quieres aprender más sobre mí, tengo un pódcast sobre mi vida. Literalmente: La Vida de Héctor.
My approach
Why "guide" and not "teacher"?
In Spanish, we also use verbs of movement to talk about time. We turn time into a spatial dimension, and so we say:
- Voy a hablar con tu amigo — I'm going to speak with your friend
- Mañana volveremos a empezar — Tomorrow we will start over · lit. "we will come back to start"
- Nunca llegaré a entenderte — I'll never get to understand you · lit. "I will never arrive to understand you"
- Me vas diciendo, ¿vale? — Keep me updated, ok? · lit. "you go telling me"
Time is a spatial dimension for us. And that's also how I like to view language learning: a place, a world where you have to learn how to find your way, a territory that you have to gradually discover and get to know.
At first, everything is strange, which is why you need guidance and to hold on to the things that are familiar to you: using your own language (or another one you know) to learn the basics of your target language.
But then a world of possibilities opens up — one that traditional language teaching tries to channel, only to end up blocking other ways of looking at it. Memorizing and studying grammar rules can make sense, but it's slow because it doesn't connect with what you already know.
The best way to learn is to connect with your personal knowledge. And that's unique to you.
I'm not a traditional teacher. I come from a science background, which is why I follow the scientific logic behind languages. I provide you with content and guide you through the world of Spanish. I help you connect with what you already know. But you're the one who's going to learn Spanish.
¿Por qué guía y no profesor?
En el español usamos los verbos de movimiento para hablar también del tiempo. Convertimos el tiempo en una dimensión espacial y, de esta forma, decimos:
- Voy a hablar con tu amigo — I'm going to speak with your friend
- Mañana volveremos a empezar — Tomorrow we will start over
- Nunca llegaré a entenderte — I'll never get to understand you
- Me vas diciendo, ¿vale? — Keep me updated, ok?
El tiempo es una dimensión espacial para nosotros. Y de la misma forma me gusta ver el aprendizaje de un idioma: un lugar, un mundo donde tienes que aprender a orientarte, un territorio que poco a poco tienes que descubrir y conocer.
Al principio todo es extraño, por eso necesitas indicaciones y agarrarte a las cosas que te son familiares: usar tu propio idioma (u otro que conozcas) para aprender lo básico de tu idioma objetivo.
Pero después se abre un mundo de posibilidades que la enseñanza tradicional de idiomas intenta encauzar, consiguiendo solo bloquear otras maneras de verlo. Memorizar y estudiar reglas gramaticales puede tener sentido, pero es lento porque no conecta con las cosas que ya sabes.
Lo mejor para aprender es conectar con el conocimiento personal. Y eso es único en ti.
Yo no soy un profesor tradicional. Yo vengo de las ciencias y por eso sigo la lógica científica detrás de los idiomas. Yo te doy contenido y te hago de guía en el mundo del español. Te ayudo a conectar con lo que ya sabes. Pero eres tú quien va a aprender español.
How I teach
Lessons built around you, not around a textbook
- Conversation and full immersion in Spanish, adapted to your level and interests.
- Vocabulary questions answered on the spot — and explained so you remember them.
- Friendly chats on many topics, with a special interest in linguistic and cultural differences.
- Reading lessons with texts written or chosen for your level.
- Premium lessons with audio, readings, discussion in Spanish and active use of the new vocabulary.
- Beginners' lessons with a logical, step-by-step method adapted to Spanish from Spain.
Beyond the lessons
Listen, read, then come and talk about it
Every Friday I publish a new episode of La Vida de Héctor: comprehensible Spanish about life in Spain. On Substack you'll find the transcript and vocabulary — and every week, the group class is about that episode. Listen on your own, then practise it with me.
Students
What students say
Real reviews from students on italki and from my previous website.
“Hector has been my Spanish tutor for the last 2 years. He is an amazing teacher of language for sure. However, I didn’t realize until recently that he was hiding his true talent. Hector knows everything about traveling in Spain. He told me where to go, where to eat, which dishes to try there, and special activities that I would like in each place. He made our trip incredible. I felt like a local with the knowledge that he shared. If you want the trip of a lifetime, with the best Spanish food you can eat, talk to Hector. He knows!”
“I have been taking lessons with Hector for a while now, and I can confidently say he is an outstanding Spanish tutor. He is always punctual, well-prepared, and highly attentive during our sessions. What sets him apart is his ability to teach colloquial expressions and natural phrasing, helping me sound more like a native speaker. Above all, I feel comfortable speaking with him, which makes every lesson enjoyable and productive. If you're looking for a dedicated and knowledgeable Spanish tutor, I highly recommend Hector!”
“I love learning with Hector. He is very encouraging and seems just as excited as I am when I learn something new. We are reading a really good book together and I always look forward to our classes so that I can find out what happens next.”
“Héctor is a great teacher! I really enjoy learning Spanish with him. Our lessons are incredible because I'm interested in medical vocabulary — I'm a veterinarian, so it's very important for me. And I love talking with Héctor because I learn colloquial expressions and a lot about Spanish culture. Thanks to him I know so many things about Spain and Spanish!”
“Hector is a great teacher. By innate nature, he is a very caring person and adapts himself to individual needs. During uni holidays, I look forward to upskilling my Spanish.”
“I just completed my first lesson with Hector. I was very nervous, as I have not spoken much Spanish. However, Hector immediately put me at ease. He was very patient, kind, and he guided me through some topics that were interesting to me. I really enjoyed my lesson with him, and I look forward to taking another soon!”
“Héctor was a really kind and patient teacher, even when I struggled to remember words. I was nervous at the start, but that vanished quickly!”
“He personalized our conversation for topics that were specific to me! Super!!!”
“La lección de lectura es una forma súper para practicar el idioma y Héctor prepara los materiales perfectos!”
“La primera lección fue muy bien. El profesor Héctor se comunica bien y mantiene un ambiente muy amigable. Planeo seguir estudiando con él de forma más seria. ¡Recomiendo encarecidamente estudiar con Héctor!”
“¡Héctor es muy pedagógo! Me corrigió mis errores con mucha delicadeza. No busquéis más, será un tutor perfecto para vosotros.”