albi

Language Institute

WE TEACH FROM THE HEART

albi means “my heart” in the Lebanese dialect. Our Arabic language institute is shaped as a virtual program, physically located at the center of Beirut. We cater to students both local and remote, and offer instruction in Spoken Lebanese dialect and Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). Incorporating scenes from daily life, we integrate the culture of the Levant, so you can put your learning into practice from the start.

Our Team

The albi approach was developed by our director, Joelle Giappesi, and our team of qualified and versatile language instructors. It was perfected through years of experience and proven to produce great results. Combined with small class sizes, this is what makes our program truly unique.

Joelle Giappesi

Program Director

Joelle has 16 years of experience in managing a language program and teaching Levantine Arabic, both in English and French. She is the chief editor of the Lebneini w 2aktar series, one of the foremost curricula for the study of the Lebanese dialect. Joelle holds an MBA as well as certificates in language instruction. When she is not busy with albi, she is designing customized jewelry at her seaside atelier.

Rania Fawaz

Language Instructor

Rania Fawaz brings a fresh perspective and teaching approach to her Levantine Arabic instruction, inspiring innovation throughout albi Language Institute. While her gentle personality has made her particularly appreciated in teaching Arabic to expat children, she is gifted with students of all ages.

Ahmed El Rifai

Language Instructor

Ahmed El Rifai adds great expertise to our team. In addition to teaching the Lebanese dialect, he also handles our Media Standard Arabic. He is committed to providing students with the skills and tools necessary to succeed in their specialized learning journey.

Nadia El Debek

Language Instructor

Nadia has a degree in Arabic literature and teaches both Levantine Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic. She is greatly appreciated by her students.

Michel Audi

Language Instructor

Students often comment about Michel’s great patience, a precious skill with language learners! He is a gifted linguist, an expert in classical Arabic, and an experienced translator.

Dimah Slaiby Deeb

Language Instructor

Well integrated into Lebanese society, yet originally from Jordan, Dimah represents a link with other Levantine countries. She has a wealth of experience in Arabic instruction and loves to bring documents from current affairs into her conversation with students.

Zmorrod Estephan

Language Instructor

Zmorrod is noted for her great sense of humor. Her flexibility and sensitivity to the needs of her students have earned her love and loyalty from all.

Rania Dabbour

Language Instructor

Rania loves to bring scenes of daily life into her teaching. She is passionate and enhances our program’s ability to be flexible both in style and class schedules.

**The albi Approach**

We shape our classes around your learning goals, your schedule, and your pace. Since the Lebanese acquire spoken Arabic in the home and not at school, it can be difficult to find a good program to learn the dialect. The way we see it, your decision to learn Arabic gives us the opportunity to help you connect your existing linguistic and cultural distinctiveness with your newly adopted language.

Everything You Need in One Place

Spoken Lebanese Dialect

We use the Lebneini w 2aktar textbook series, which was carefully crafted by a team of experienced language specialists. It is designed to introduce students to Arabic culture and daily life through the study of language. We want to help you attain a good level of conversation within one year, so you can communicate effectively with native Arabic speakers.

Online Arabic Classes

You can take one-on-one lessons over online platforms to learn the spoken dialect or Modern Standard Arabic. Personalized lessons are 45 minutes in length with one of our experienced language instructors. They will focus on your specific learning goals and customize sessions accordingly. Skype lessons are available for all levels of Arabic.

MSA & Arabic Media Classes

If what you’re looking for is standard Arabic rather than spoken Lebanese, we have the expertise to help you achieve your goals. And if you already have a foundation in reading and writing Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), Arabic Media classes are a great way for you to improve your comprehension and vocabulary. Your learning will center on Arabic media articles, allowing you to improve your linguistic skills by rooting them in current affairs. Your grammar will improve inductively as your practical understanding and reading increases. Recordings of some of these same articles will help you improve your listening comprehension and pronunciation, while mastering the subject matter of your choice. Whether you choose to delve into politics, business, culture, or literature, you will have the opportunity to read articles and expand your vocabulary in that particular domain.

Hear it from our students

I’ve been studying Levantine arabic in Joelle Giappesi’s program.

I genuinely recommend her, her teachers, and her methodology to any student that would like to learn fast and be able to quickly cope with multiple situations of everyday life in Lebanon. Within a few weeks, I was able to read and write in a whole new alphabet.

Above all, more than classmates, I’ve made friends thanks to a fun, yet serious atmosphere at her school.

Thank you so much Joelle and Ahmed for your devotion. I will be back!

Anthony Quéré

I really enjoyed the Lebanese Arabic classes I had with Ahmed in the past two months! I was a total beginner and now I already feel a lot stronger. I can read slowly, write, and I have had some successful conversations – short but successful 🙂

The method of teaching he uses is great, following the course schedule and also taking some time to discuss more practical words and sentences, giving us some good practice material we can use in our daily life, which is great! He is also fun and we always have a good time in class.

Joelle did a great job setting up our classes, and she’s very nice and accommodating. I was happy to find myself in a fun and motivated learning group thanks to her!

I recommend this program greatly and will keep on taking classes in the next months.

Thanks a lot!

Jonathan Fady

Joelle taught me Arabic once a week for just over six months. She and the team made the experience a real pleasure by tailoring their teaching to my needs.

They were extremely flexible in arranging the time and frequency that would work for me, and they were always prompt to communicate and respond to changes.

And although there was a syllabus and structure to follow and measure progress against, the teaching was always made relevant to my life and work, with relevant exercises and examples woven into the lessons.

I couldn’t recommend Joelle and the team more, and should I return to learning Arabic, they will be the first people I call.

Simon Tidd

Best program in town! I’ve been studying for the past year and I almost started to find that learning arabic is easy… and fun at least! Great method with great educational content, the program is managed by very lovely people, whether Joelle or the teachers.Highly recommended if you want to learn arabic in/from Beirut!

Corinne Boulad

Lebanon Awaits! Get in Touch!

[email protected]
Call or WhatsApp: +961-70-948109