About me

Who am I? You’re wondering… I’m just an optimistic native Spanish teacher from Spain who helps people from different parts of the world to learn Spanish. But let me tell you how I got here… because we all have a story to tell, don’t we?

I discovered my passion for languages when I was 14. I grew up in a neighborhood where there was a lot of immigration from North Africa, especially from Morocco. Having so many Moroccan friends made it easy for me to become interested in their language. I didn’t want them to speak without me being able to understand them, so I started learning their language little by little. First, the swearing, then simple phrases, and gradually, I learned a very natural way to communicate. After 2 years, I was fluent in Moroccan Arabic and had an almost native accent.

As you can imagine, in a poor neighbourhood there are many bad influences, so I took some paths that I am not proud of. I repeated several courses, and I dropped out of school without even having a high school diploma—a real mess.

I started to work and, surprise, surprise! I was not too fond of the jobs I could find.

I never considered myself stupid, so I decided to go back to school and go to university. It was a long, hard road because I studied in the mornings and worked in the afternoons but I made it. It was at the time of entering the university that I became seriously interested in learning English. I thought it was a language I should master if I wanted to have a good resume. But it was harder for me to learn English than to learn Arabic because I had no one around me who could help me. So, I started looking for people online to exchange languages. They helped me with English, and I helped them with Spanish.

It was just at this time (the year 2010) when I met one of the most influential people in my life, my girlfriend María. We have been together ever since, and I consider myself lucky to have her by my side. She is a person who transmits endless positive energy and is always willing to help you if you need it. Our first “meeting” was in a copy shop. I was photocopying a whole book, and I didn’t realize that she was waiting because she wanted to make some photocopies. Obviously, she couldn’t because I was occupying the photocopier. But that’s another story we’ll tell in my Podcast one day…

Let’s go back to my academic life. After studying at the universities of Malaga for 3 years and Lincoln (UK) for 1 year, I got my degree, learned English fluently, and started working as an accountant in a company in Barcelona. The job wasn’t very fulfilling, and the salary was low, so I decided to go back to my hometown and work somewhere where I could get a good salary. Speaking good English, being fluent in Arabic, and having great social skills, where can you work in Malaga if you want a good salary? Well, the answer is simple, as a salesman in the golden mile of Marbella. The part of Malaga that has the highest amount of rich people per square meter. The salary there was high, but the work was not fulfilling. I had to persuade people to buy things they did not need, and I had to submit to a schedule I did not like, I had to drive every day for 2 hours through traffic jams. It was then that I realized that making money in a job is not the main thing. I was making good money and still was not happy. So I decided to do a self-analysis and try to find something that I was passionate about. Something that, wouldn’t necessarily make me rich, but that would allow me to make a living and at the same time wouldn’t condemn me to waste a third of my life doing something I wasn’t passionate about.

What am I good at? I had given some Spanish classes and not only was I good at teaching but I also enjoyed it. Besides, I’m good at telling stories. I’m always the one telling the stories when I’m with friends. “David, you tell the story, you’re better at it.” Plus, I’ve learned two languages on my own, and I’ve been able to figure out what works and what doesn’t. I’m currently in the process of learning French.

So why not help people who are learning Spanish? Spanish is in high demand, and I am a native speaker. So, in 2015, I decided to get certified as a Spanish teacher and start a new project. Now I am 100% sure that I was not wrong. I work much more than before, but I don’t mind that. I enjoy what I do. I feel that I bring value to the world and that I help many people.

And why “Yourspanishguide”?

Well, because when you are learning a language, many times you feel lost. And when you feel like that it’s common to throw in the towel.

I like to say that learning a language is like crossing a desert. You can do it with a map and a camel, or you can do it on your own. Either way, you can make it, but you have a much better chance if you choose the first option. Yourspanishguide is my suggestion to be your map and your camel to cross the desert and get your goal of speaking Spanish fluently. In this academy, you will be able to interact with me (the teacher) and the other students and ask questions getting individual attention.