Online Arabic Classes

Overview


The Lebanese Arabic Institute (LAI) offers live and interactive online group courses in Lebanese Arabic and online private lessons in Lebanese Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic throughout the year.

Led by LAI’s highly qualified and experienced teachers, our programs have been designed for adults who are motivated to learn Arabic as a foreign language (with a particular focus on Lebanese Arabic), and are dedicated to making the consistent effort over time that is required to attain a good level in the language.

Group courses follow our structured and comprehensive curriculum, Lebanese Arabic from Scratch, with many finely-tuned proficiency levels from complete beginner to advanced.

Pace of Study

Regular group courses are four contact hours per week. Classes are scheduled two days per week, and each class is two hours.

Intensive group courses are normally ten contact hours per week. Classes are scheduled five days per week, and each class is two hours. In some cases, intensive courses may be scheduled for more than two hours per class.

Private lessons are scheduled, subject to availability, for a minimum of one hour per lesson and two total hours per week, and a maximum of four hours per lesson and 20 total hours per week.

Terms of Study

Terms of study are approximately two months for regular and intensive group courses, and one month for private lessons. The minimum registration period is one full term, although students commonly study with LAI for multiple consecutive terms.

Students can begin private lessons at any time there is availability. In the case of group courses, students normally begin their studies at the start of the relevant term. It is sometimes possible for students to join a group course partway through a term, depending on their level and availability in a suitable course.

In each two-month term, a regular group course covers half a level, and an intensive group course covers one full level. Students in private lessons can cover more or less material, depending on the particular pace of their lessons.

For a list of upcoming term dates, please see the schedule page.

Timetables of Classes

In order to accommodate students located around the world, group courses and private lessons are scheduled at various times throughout the day. Classes are scheduled according to either Beirut time1 or New York time2, and thus follow the time changes of the relevant location, i.e. from standard time to daylight saving time in the spring and vice versa in the fall.

1Beirut time is Eastern European Time (UTC+02:00) from the last Sunday of October until the last Sunday of March, and Eastern European Summer Time (UTC+03:00) from the last Sunday of March until the last Sunday of October.
2New York time is Eastern Standard Time (UTC-05:00) from the first Sunday of November until the second Sunday of March, and Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-04:00) from the second Sunday of March until the first Sunday of November.

Group Course Timetables

There are seven group course timetable options, five for regular courses and two for intensive courses:

Beirut Time – Morning Courses (Regular Pace, i.e. 2x per week)
10:00 – 12:00: Mondays and Wednesdays, or Tuesdays and Thursdays
Beirut Time – Evening Courses (Regular Pace, i.e. 2x per week)
18:00 – 20:00: Mondays and Wednesdays, or Tuesdays and Thursdays
20:30 – 22:30: Mondays and Wednesdays, or Tuesdays and Thursdays
   
Beirut Time – Afternoon Courses (Intensive Pace, i.e. 5x per week)
12:30 – 14:30: Mondays to Fridays
15:30 – 17:30: Mondays to Fridays
New York Time – Evening Courses (Regular Pace, i.e. 2x per week)
18:00 – 20:00: Mondays and Wednesdays, or Tuesdays and Thursdays
20:30 – 22:30: Mondays and Wednesdays, or Tuesdays and Thursdays

Not every level is available for every timetable option in a given term. However, courses are normally scheduled to continue in the same time slot at progressively higher levels in each subsequent term. In this way, it is possible for students to advance uninterruptedly through our Lebanese Arabic program from one term to the next, following the same timetable of classes.

Private Lesson Timetables

Private lessons can be scheduled, upon request and subject to availability, within the following ranges of time:

08:00 – 20:00 Beirut time on Mondays
08:00 – 20:00 Beirut time on Tuesdays
08:00 – 20:00 Beirut time on Wednesdays
08:00 – 20:00 Beirut time on Thursdays
08:00 – 20:00 Beirut time on Fridays
13:00 – 22:30 New York time on Fridays

All Timetables in Your Local Time Zone

To view all timetable options for group courses and private lessons in your own time zone, simply click on your region and time zone below.

Most time zones and time zone rules are covered, but feel free to let us know if your location is not represented or if you need any assistance understanding the course timings.

Asia (excluding the Middle East)

Australia and Oceania

Europe, the Middle East and Africa

North America

South America

Fees and Payment

The cost of a group course is calculated at the rate of 10 USD per course hour. Thus, a 34-hour regular course is 340 USD, and a 72-hour intensive course is 720 USD. Students make payment in advance for the total cost of the course, and there are no price reductions for any classes students may miss because of illness, late arrival, early departure, or any other reason.

For students registered in an intensive course, the relevant course materials are included at no additional charge. For students registered in a regular course, the cost of the course materials is as follows: 10 USD for the Arabic alphabet book and 30 USD each for Books 1-5.

The rates for private and customized classes are as follows:

30 USD/hour for 1 person
20 USD/hour/person for 2 persons (40 USD total)
15 USD/hour/person for 3 persons (45 USD total)
12 USD/hour/person for 4 or more persons

Payment may be made by bank transfer or credit card. Our base currency is USD and prices are by default quoted in this currency. However, it is possible for students living in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and most European countries to pay via bank transfer to a local account in their own currency.

Apply for Online Arabic Study

If you are interested in joining an online Lebanese Arabic group course or would like to request online private lessons in Lebanese Arabic or MSA, please complete the relevant application form below.

We are currently accepting applications for the following terms:
2024 Autumn 2: October 21 to December 20
2025 Winter: January 15 to March 14

Application Form – Online Group Course (Lebanese Arabic)