I cannot recommend Lena enough to learners of any level interested in the Lebanese dialect! Her dedication in preparing lessons for all levels and careful attention to your specific development really distinguishes her as an instructor. She brings great energy and a very detailed understanding of contemporary Arabic language instruction to every lesson, and really invests in helping her students improve and develop their Arabic language skills.

I am a researcher and a lawyer, and I work for an international organization. The amount of information and data that I process and analyze on a daily basis challenge significantly my learning and mnemonic capabilities. However, one can be surprised by how Lena’s course and methodology immediately go straight to your heart and memory without you noticing. In fact, in no time I was progressively able to catch key words, then understand entire conversations happening around me and right after even interact and engage in basic dialogues, formulating more and more complex sentences in Lebanese. If you are lucky enough to have Lena as your teacher, you can benefit from her expertise in structuring classes tailored according to the learners’ interests, inclinations and weaknesses. With her passion, she immerses you in the Lebanese culture and is capable to grab audience’s attention even at late hours of the day, being extremely flexible and trying to accommodate your needs and pace. I never had so much fun in learning a language,  I totally recommend it!

I worked with Lena to complete my BA degree and am continuing to take lessons from her even after fulfilling my degree requirement! I have a learning disability that affects language learning and Lena has always been accommodating and understanding. She has modified the lessons to appeal to my specific interests and needs, which has made the language-learning process much easier and so much more fun! I always, always look forward to my lessons and feel like I not only have an amazing teacher, but also a friend.

Lena est ma professeure de libanais depuis un peu plus d’un an : sa méthode pédagogique est vraiment géniale ! Tous les cours sont en arabe libanais, et je peux désormais participer à une conversation ou suivre une vidéo sur à peu près n’importe quel sujet en libanais. C’est aussi une professeure très agréable, drôle et qui nous donne envie de découvrir toute la culture de son pays. Elle parle parfaitement français ce qui parfois peut aider aussi. Bref, une perle rare!

I really enjoy taking classes with Lena and will recommend it to everyone who wants to learn spoken Lebanese. She is a funny and warm person teaching in a very professional manner. She is focused on the needs of her students and you can really sense that she has a lot of experience in teaching!

I’ve been taking Lebanese classes with Lena since summer 2021 with the aim of improving my Ammiya and be able to use it in international contexts once I complete my degree in Arabic and International Relations. Since the beginning, Lena has demonstrated to deeply care about transmitting a passion for Lebanese culture to students that goes beyond language teaching. We were able to create an atmosphere in our class that made learning fun and consequently easier. Lena is always available for clarifications as well as improving pronunciation. In essence, I’m beyond satisfied with the classes and sincerely recommend Lena as teacher!

I knew Lena was a brilliant teacher when I first met her in Beirut with a class of English speakers. She had us all engaged and progressing from the first lesson. Lena is a very methodical teacher and scaffolds all her lessons so we feel like we are having a real conversation in Arabic. She even remembers the mistakes I made last week and reminds me again! Lena has convinced me learning online is not only possible but lots of fun as well. I love learning about Lebanese culture, cooking, music, cinema and speaking Arabic with Lena

During the eighteen months that I have been working with Lena Chibani, both my facility in the Lebanese dialect as well as my knowledge of Lebanese society have grown enormously. Lena tailors lessons to individual students’ needs, but her special strength as an instructor is to emphasize the importance of developing broad competence across a range of possible communication scenarios. To this end, Lena is extremely well organized, prepared, and creative in her lessons. My conversations with her have become a highlight of my week. Besides challenging me to think differently, she has inspired my curiosity about areas of Lebanese life I didn’t know existed. I can’t think of a more hospitable, patient, and yet rigorous guide to the language and culture of Lebanon.