Español Andando is a unique four-day Spanish language course for which the magnificent city of Buenos Aires doubles as its classroom. It's the ideal program for Argentina-bound travelers who want to learn basic Spanish, brush up, or fine-tune the Argentine accent, but are unwilling to sacrifice precious vacation days sitting indoors as the city beckons.

"It was part tour, part Spanish class," a 33-year-old American, Daniel Kosta, said of his Espa–ol Andando experience. Classifying his pre-Argentina Spanish level as, "able to order off a Taco Bell menu," and frustrated by his attempts to learn Spanish from a CD alone in his room, Kosta signed up for the course. He soon found himself, as do all Espa–ol Andando students, following its unconventional curriculum: asking strangers for directions on the street, inquiring with shop clerks about their prices, and hunting for bus schedule information at the dizzying Retiro Station.

During each three-hour class, in addition to the exercises, students are shown famous landmarks and neighborhoods intended to provoke conversations about Las Madres de Plaza de Mayo, ChŽ Guevara, Evita, the former footballer Diego Maradona, the literary behemoths Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cort‡zar, and the world of Tango.

The vibrant, 26-year-old creator of Espa–ol Andando, Paula Capodistrias, conceptualized the program while teaching Spanish in London.

"I started thinking, 'Wouldn't it be cool if we were in Argentina and could teach using actual bus schedules, menus, price lists?'" Within months of Capodistrias's return to Argentina in 2005, Espa–ol Andando was thriving on the streets of Buenos Aires. Made possible only by the near zero cost of a website and the magic of Google, web links and tourist message boards.

"Students will learn, and they get so much more out of South America knowing Spanish," said the quick-witted instructor, Julieta Linares, 26, who joined Espa–ol Andando and currently teaches all classes. She notes Espa–ol Andando's flexibility; each course caters to various Spanish levels and students' personal interests, such as traveling to Patagonia, Buenos Aires' nightlife, local sports-from polo to soccer, or Argentina's political history.

In early winter of this year, Margaret Wyatt, a retired nurse from Scotland, met Ms. Linares at Espa–ol Andando's starting point, the graffitied corner of San Lorenzo and Avenida Paseo Colon in the historic San Telmo neighborhood. At a nearby cafŽ, Ms. Linares and Ms. Wyatt, the lone student after a couple cancelled at the last minute, chatted in Spanish and the fee of $45.00 was paid. Ms. Wyatt, who is conversant in Spanish perused the Espa–ol Andando 38 page booklet, an excellent source of vocabulary, grammar, with class outlines and practical city information. There is even an amor section that lists popular sayings such as, "Te quiero comer la boca," literally translating to, "I want to eat your mouth," meaning, "I want to kiss you."

The instructor and her student boarded the bus, el collectivo, to Retiro Station, where the undeterred Ms. Wyatt, perhaps fortified by her glass of beer over lunch, completed her assignments in a few laps around the station. The next day she was challenged to ask a pet store clerk how much it would be for a doggie haircut and blow dry. Ms. Linares, who waits patiently outside each venue with notebook in hand, was met with giddy excitement as Ms. Wyatt reported she had not only successfully procured the price, but had also fabricated a story about the dog belonging to a local Argentine friend.

A visitor from outside London, Brian Cole, knew no Spanish before landing in Buenos Aires. "The idea of doing a conventional Spanish class didn't even occur to me," Mr. Cole, who was simply going to walk around the city alone for a week before venturing to a Welsh settlement in Patagonia, said. "When I found the website, it immediately struck a chord with me." On his 3rd day, when students are asked to compare and contrast the Buenos Aires dailies in a cafe, a new Canadian student appeared. "I had a pang of jealousy!" laughed Mr. Cole. The 68-year-old intrepid traveler had relished Ms. Linares's one-on-one attention for two days, "but I soon realized there was an advantage to more than one student - we began to have competitions and games," he said.

Because of Español Andando's fun, relaxed feel, students are surprised at the amount of Spanish they've absorbed when they meet for the final class dinner. "It's very practical, very tactile," Ms. Capodistrias said, noting that the interactive exercises help students get over their shyness as well as open up their ears. Mr. Kostas recounts with pride the first time he understood how many centavos (cents) a cashier was asking him for: "It was a minor victory."