Today, “Lebanese Arabic with Hiba” has expanded, but it will always maintain its casual, stress-free approach to teaching and learning. They’ve also been relieved to find that they can use Lebanese not only in Lebanon but throughout the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) region.
Whether they came to impress their Lebanese partner, mother-in-law, boss, parents, or simply to try a new activity, our students have loved the courses and have been able to speak the language with ease. We’ve also published two books, the “Lebanese Arabic Phrasebook” volumes 1 and 2, and I’ve had the opportunity to teach live in some of Beirut’s charming cafes. Some of our students have become real friends and continued to support us. During this journey, we’ve met wonderful students, some of whom we’ve even visited in person. Since then, we’ve been joined by many teachers who offer prepared lessons and conversational ones, both in groups and one-on-one. Naim and I decided to expand it to offer online lessons. But that joke turned into almost a full-time occupation, thanks to the Italian group of friends! After teaching on YouTube for years with over 18,000 subscribers, the channel grew. We started recording videos and shared them with friends, initially as a joke. I made the first YouTube video with the help of my friend Naim, who was able to handle video editing and more. This is when the idea of teaching Lebanese Arabic struck me. Lebanese people mostly use the local dialect, not formal Arabic. As we drank and laughed, they shared their disappointment with me: after studying classical-formal Arabic for years, they discovered they couldn’t really use it in everyday conversation.
Back in 2010, I had a beer at Dany’s bar in Hamra and met a group of enthusiastic Italian colleagues who had moved to Beirut for work.
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