Frequently Asked Questions

Polydemy is an academy of natural language acquisition. Acquisition needs four things: input, immersion, output and feedback. You already have input and immersion. We supply the other two — small groups of 3-5 where you speak for real, with a polyglot moderator correcting you in the moment.

A school teaches you about the language: rules first, speaking later. We work the way you acquired your first language — you produce it, and someone corrects you while you're producing it. We don't teach the language. We're the two ingredients every other method skips.

General runs in Spanish, French, English and Ukrainian. Business, Academic and Specialised run in English only. Every moderator either speaks the language natively or learned it as an adult themselves — which is why they recognise where you're stuck instead of guessing.

Speaking Clubs are ongoing, monthly subscription, 1 or 2 times a week. Day 0 Lab is a fixed 6-month programme, 3 times a week, one price, with a clear end date.

It's how you learned your first language, and how humans acquire any language: by using it, getting corrected, and adjusting. Not by memorising rules before you're allowed to speak. Acquisition needs four ingredients — input, immersion, output and feedback. Most adults have the first two in abundance and almost none of the last two, which is exactly why they understand everything and can say nothing.

Because free gives you output with no feedback. At a tandem or a meetup you do talk — and nobody reliably corrects you, so you repeat the same mistakes until they harden. Linguists call that fossilization: errors practised without correction become permanent. You're not paying us for a room and a native speaker. You're paying for the correction that stops the mistakes from setting.

General if you want everyday fluency in Spanish, French, English or Ukrainian — that's what most people want. Business if you already use English at work and freeze in meetings. Academic if you study in English and go quiet in seminars. Specialised if your job runs on vocabulary nobody outside it uses — IT, Science, Economics. Same method underneath. What changes is what you talk about and who else is in the room.

It is the General course in a physical room — BCN Conversation Lab. Same languages, same levels, same method, no screen between you and the correction. It is the only course we run in person; everything else is online.

Yes. Business, Academic and Specialised run in English only and need B1 minimum. Spanish, French and Ukrainian live on the General course, from A1 up.

Because the right group depends on your field and how intensively you need it — the same way we build Spanish A1 groups on request instead of pre-scheduling them. Tell us what you need and we'll quote it before you commit to anything.

Yes. Same underlying method, different room. Message us and we'll move you once a spot opens.

You can, and we will usually talk you out of it. Two groups a week in two different registers is how people quietly stop coming by week three. Pick the room you freeze in most, and add the second one later if you still want it.

You join a fixed group of 3-5 students at your level — online or in person in Barcelona. You meet once or twice a week for a structured speaking session led by your teacher. The teacher guides the conversation, introduces topics, and gives targeted corrections without interrupting the flow.

Online sessions last 70 minutes. In-person sessions in Barcelona last 1.5 hours. Either way, everyone gets enough time to speak, practice, and receive feedback.

Sophie will contact you on WhatsApp within 24 hours. She will have a short conversation with you to understand your level and goals, then match you with the right group. Once matched, you can start your first session.

We understand that plans can change 😊 If you know you can't make a session, just message your group and try to reschedule together for another day, ideally at least 24 hours in advance. Since your subscription reserves your spot in a small group, individual missed classes are not refunded. For serious circumstances that prevent you from attending for the entire month, just contact us and we'll review the situation individually.

General takes you from A1 up. A1 groups are built on request rather than pre-scheduled, and in Spanish only for now. Business, Academic and Specialised need B1 minimum — you have to be able to hold a conversation before we can fix one. Not sure where you land? Apply, and we'll tell you after a short spoken check.

During the initial WhatsApp conversation with Sophie, we will get a sense of your level through a friendly chat. There is no formal test. We want to understand how comfortable you are with the language.

Yes, all participants must be at least 18 years old. Our groups are designed for adult learners.

General is one monthly price, the same every month. In person in Barcelona: €63/month for one class a week, €123/month for two. Online: €63/month for one, €99/month for two (€12 a class — the best per-class value). Business is €70/month, one session a week, groups of max 4. Academic and Specialised are quoted after you apply, because the right group depends on your field. No punch cards, no counting Tuesdays.

One flat monthly payment, billed at the start of each month. Same price whether the month has four class weeks or five, whether a holiday falls on your day, whether we close for a week — it's already priced in. We'll share the payment details after you're matched with a group.

Yes, one month. After the first month you continue month-to-month and can stop or switch plans (1×/week ↔ 2×/week) at the next billing cycle.

Yes. Your first class is a €15 trial, paid separately upfront. If you continue, the monthly subscription starts on top of that — the trial is not credited back. If you don't continue, that's the end of it, no strings.