Private 1:1 lessons and intensive group courses, in New Delhi and online.
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Learn Hindi and/or Urdu in Lucknow
Make Hindi or Urdu part of your everyday life. Stay with your teacher, Vartika, in her Lucknow home, combining personalised lessons with daily conversation and a closer experience of the city’s language and culture.
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Riya
Learn through clear grammar explanations, engaging discussion, and lessons shaped around you. Riya adapts her teaching to each student’s needs, keeping classes purposeful and enjoyable.
Associated with Zabaan since 2019, she holds a degree in English Literature and Education and has completed a TESOL certificate. Her classes combine language structure with discussion, giving students opportunities to understand and use what they learn.
Riya enjoys reading, writing, travel, and exploring different cultures and cuisines. As a French learner herself, she also understands the discoveries and challenges that come with learning a new language.
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Priya
Connect your language learning with the things you enjoy. Priya teaches Hindi, English, and Spanish and brings a love of books, cinema, and culture to her work.
Based in New Delhi, she holds a master’s degree in English Literature and has C1 proficiency in Spanish. Her enthusiasm for learning languages gives her a personal connection to the work her students are doing.
An avid reader with interests in cinema and sports, Priya offers a lively range of interests for learners who enjoy discovering a language alongside stories and ideas.
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Rachayta
Make sense of Hindi’s structure while discovering the pleasure of using and reading it. Rachayta combines a linguist’s understanding of the language with a thoughtful approach to each student’s interests and goals.
Teaching at Zabaan since 2012, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Hindi from Delhi University and a master’s in Linguistics from Jawaharlal Nehru University. She breaks down language patterns into manageable explanations and selects readings to suit her learners.
Rachayta also teaches Urdu at all levels and has studied and taught Braj Bhasha, a regional language with a rich literary tradition. Her combination of conversational knowledge, structural insight, and literary curiosity gives students several ways into the language.
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Lucas
Build confidence in Brazilian Portuguese through practical language learning and an introduction to Brazilian culture. Lucas has several years of experience teaching international students and makes communication in real-life situations central to his approach.
He holds qualifications in Portuguese Language and Literature and Portuguese as a Foreign Language from the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), where he is pursuing a master’s degree in Language and Culture. His academic interests include language policy, interculturality, and the internationalization of Portuguese.
Lucas also has experience preparing students for Celpe-Bras, Brazil’s official Portuguese proficiency exam. Whether your interest is everyday communication, Brazilian culture, or exam preparation, his background offers a strong foundation for your studies.
Rudraksh
Feel more comfortable using English through clear explanations and practical examples. Rudraksh’s patient approach develops listening, speaking, reading, and writing together.
His lessons include straightforward grammar guidance, short stories, and conversation exercises, with a focus on language you can use in real situations.
He also shares pronunciation tips to help students speak more naturally. His encouraging style aims to make steady progress feel manageable and the learning process enjoyable.
Bruno
Study Sanskrit with a clear progression and a deeper understanding of the texts behind the language. Bruno combines a structured, textbook-based methodology with careful attention to meaning and historical context.
A Portuguese scholar and PhD candidate at the École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE) in Paris, he specializes in Sanskrit and Indian philosophy. He holds a Master of Asian Studies from EPHE, a Master of Philosophy from Université Paris-Sorbonne, and a Bachelor of Indian Studies in Sanskrit from Université Sorbonne-Nouvelle, as well as a Bachelor of Philosophy from Universidade do Minho.
His research has included yoga in the Niśvāsatattvasaṃhitā. Learners drawn to classical Sanskrit texts and Indian philosophical traditions can benefit from his combination of language study and close textual reading.
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Harmain
Meet Harmain, a Kashmiri teacher with a broad academic background and a longstanding interest in teaching and tutoring. She began teaching after completing Class 12 and has worked with students at different proficiency levels.
Her studies span nursing and English, bringing together practical and literary interests.
Outside teaching, Harmain enjoys crafts, creative writing, and reading. Her enthusiasm for literature and hands-on learning adds a personal dimension to her profile.
Ali Taqi
Understand how the language works—and start putting it to use. Ali brings a deep interest in grammar, meaning, and language teaching to his lessons in Hindi, Urdu, and English.
Zabaan’s founder and director, Ali began teaching in Chicago in 2003 and established the school in New Delhi in 2009. He has taught more than 30,000 classes over his career and trained Zabaan’s teachers. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies, with a minor in Asian Languages and Literature, from Loyola University Chicago.
Raised in Chicago by Indian parents, Ali brings a bilingual perspective to language learning. His interests in syntax, semantics, and bilingualism make him a compelling choice for learners who enjoy understanding the patterns behind what they say.
Read Ali’s personal story of learning, teaching, and the bond with his students: We could be heroes! Me and you!
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Anshu
Discover Hindi and Punjabi with a teacher who brings together language, history, and culture. Anshu’s long association with Zabaan and broad academic background give her teaching a well-rounded foundation.
She holds master’s degrees in Hindi and History from Delhi University, a Bachelor of Education from Jammu University, and a Diploma in Sanskrit from St. Stephen’s College. Alongside her teaching expertise in Hindi and Punjabi, she also speaks Bengali and Balochi.
Her interests in dance, music, and travel bring a lively cultural perspective to her work. Learners who are curious about the people, stories, and traditions behind a language will find much to connect with in Anshu’s background.
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Samer
Begin or develop your Arabic with a teacher who aims to make the language accessible and enjoyable. Samer has several years of experience teaching students from different backgrounds.
His approach emphasizes a supportive, motivating learning environment, welcoming learners with different levels of experience.
Samer’s enthusiasm for Arabic and experience introducing learners to its script offer an encouraging starting point for students curious about the language.
Ahmad
Put Dari, Pashto, or English into practice with lessons built around your goals. Ahmad combines more than ten years of teaching experience with conversation, interactive activities, and multimedia resources.
His approach connects vocabulary and grammar with culture and context, helping students understand how language is used in everyday life. Lessons are tailored to the learner, whether the motivation is travel, work, or personal interest.
As a learner of Arabic and Urdu himself, Ahmad understands the effort involved in acquiring a new language. He aims to create a supportive setting where students feel comfortable practising and staying motivated.
Jeff
Learn with someone who knows what it feels like to be a language student. Jeff’s experience studying languages and living in different countries informs an understanding, compassionate approach to teaching.
He holds a master’s degree in linguistics studies and education and has teaching experience in English, Chinese, Chinese Sign Language, American Sign Language, and Thai. Of Puerto Rican descent, he speaks Spanish and also studied Arabic at university.
Jeff has studied several languages at Zabaan, including Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Tamil, Punjabi, Pashto, and Dari. He sees language learning as a way to connect with people, food, dance, and literature—and encourages learners to use those interests as motivation to keep going.
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Raza
Explore Hindi and Urdu with a teacher whose expertise reaches from everyday language to modern literature. A native Hindi/Urdu speaker, Raza brings an extensive academic background and a deep love of prose and poetry to his teaching.
Raza holds a BA and MA from Lucknow University and a PhD in Modern Urdu Literature from Jawaharlal Nehru University. His research focused on modern Urdu prose after independence, and his interests include novels, short stories, screenplays, and poetry.
His articles on Hindi and Urdu language and literature have appeared in magazines and newspapers. For learners interested in reading more deeply and discovering the cultural world behind the words, Raza offers a rich literary perspective.
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Vartika
Discover the connections and subtle differences between Hindi and Urdu with Vartika. Born and raised in Lucknow, she brings a personal connection to both languages and a keen interest in their cultural and political histories.
Vartika holds a degree in Political Science from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi University, and worked in public policy before teaching. She has been part of Zabaan since 2019.
Her curiosity about how Hindi and Urdu overlap—and where they differ—makes her background particularly appealing to learners who want to understand nuance as well as vocabulary and grammar.
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Louis
Use French in real situations while building a solid command of grammar and vocabulary. Louis is a certified French teacher with more than twenty years of experience, working with learners from complete beginners to advanced students.
He holds a master’s in Didactics of French as a Foreign/Second Language and a bachelor’s in Linguistics and Communication from France. His teaching experience spans universities, schools, companies, and online learning across several countries.
Louis tailors lessons to your level and goals, using songs, films, articles, and everyday dialogues to make learning engaging. He also has experience preparing students for DELF/DALF and TEF/TCF exams, making him a strong option for both practical communication and exam-focused study.
Jagannathan
Develop your spoken Hindi or Tamil with a linguist who has spent years studying how languages are learned. Prof. Jagannathan specializes in building oral skills from the elementary level through varied speaking drills and his own teaching materials.
His expertise includes syntax, grammar theory, language teaching, and lexicography. He has extensive experience researching and developing methods for teaching Hindi as a second and foreign language.
The author of books on Hindi grammar and usage, as well as dictionaries for learners at different levels, he brings both scholarly depth and practical teaching resources to his classes.
Tamanna
Build your Hindi through interactive lessons and opportunities to practise everyday communication. Tamanna works with students from diverse backgrounds and proficiency levels at Zabaan in New Delhi.
For beginners, she uses Rupert Snell’s Teach Yourself Hindi course as a foundation. As students progress, lessons include conversation, role-play, and real-life situations to develop confidence.
Whether you are learning for travel, work, or personal interest, Tamanna’s practical approach keeps the focus on using the Hindi you learn.
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Anita
Start using Hindi with lessons that make complex ideas easier to understand. Anita is a native Hindi speaker who has taught since 2012, helping learners build confidence in speaking, reading, and writing.
She creates personalized lessons around each student’s goals and aims to make Hindi accessible and enjoyable at every level.
Whether you are starting from scratch or strengthening your foundation, Anita’s emphasis on clear explanations and an engaging approach offers a welcoming way to develop your Hindi.
Mohammed
Build your Persian step by step with Dr Mohammed, whose teaching combines clear guidance with deep expertise in language and literature. He begins by understanding your goals and the time you can devote to study, then shapes the course around those needs.
He earned his BA, MA, MPhil, and PhD in Persian at Jawaharlal Nehru University. His expertise includes Indo-Persian literature, classical texts, Nastaliq, and Persian manuscripts.
With teaching experience at Mumbai University’s Persian Department and the American Institute for Indian Studies in Lucknow, Mohammed supports reading and writing from the beginning and addresses errors early. His background also offers valuable depth for learners interested in literary and historical texts.
Bahati
Learn Swahili through practical communication and a closer connection to East African culture. Bahati is a native speaker from East Africa with extensive experience teaching students from diverse backgrounds.
Lessons focus on developing confidence in speaking, reading, writing, and understanding Swahili, with support shaped around each learner’s level and goals.
Bahati brings a deep understanding of the language’s cultural heritage to the classroom. Whether you are learning for personal, academic, or professional reasons, that cultural perspective adds meaning to the language you practise.
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Akemy
Build a practical foundation in Japanese or beginner Portuguese with Akemy. A native Portuguese speaker, she spent six years of her childhood in Japan and developed fluency in Japanese through everyday immersion.
That experience gives her a personal perspective on learning a language through daily life. She now teaches Japanese and basic Portuguese, with a focus on making learning engaging and useful.
For students beginning either language, Akemy’s background offers an approachable connection between language study and the experience of using it.
Good to know
Questions & Answers.
Find your starting point, plan your lessons and book with confidence.
Can I study online from outside Delhi or India?
Yes. Private lessons are available online worldwide, subject to teacher availability. Share your city or time zone and preferred local lesson times so we can coordinate a suitable schedule.
How do I know which level is right for me?
Start with our proficiency guidelines. Tell us what you can already understand, say, read and write. If you are unsure which course fits, contact the Student Coordinator before booking.
Should I choose private lessons or a group course?
Private lessons suit individual goals and an agreed timetable. Group courses follow their advertised level, dates and pace. Check the current courses and packages, or ask us to help you choose.
Can my private lesson schedule change when I travel?
Private lesson times are agreed with the teacher and Coordinator. Send your proposed dates and times in advance; changes depend on availability and the 24-hour cancellation policy. A package does not guarantee every requested time slot.
I can speak the language but cannot read its script. Where should I start?
Your speaking and reading levels may be different. Tell us about both so we can discuss private lessons that develop the skills you need, including script study without starting your spoken language again from the beginning.
How long are private hourly packages valid?
The 15-, 30-, 60- and 120-hour private lesson packages are valid for three years from purchase. Plan to use your hours within that period. Other products, including time-based packages and group courses, have their own stated conditions.
Can I cancel or reschedule a private lesson?
Notify the Student Coordinator by email or WhatsApp at least 24 hours before the scheduled start to avoid being charged. The lesson can then be rescheduled for a mutually convenient time. Cancellations with less than 24 hours’ notice are charged in full.
What is the Hindi and Urdu homestay in Lucknow?
The Lucknow homestay with Vartika combines personalised Hindi and/or Urdu lessons with staying in your teacher’s home and everyday conversation. Send your dates, level and study goals for availability and a current quote.
