Humans first
Every course is taught by a trained native or near-native teacher, never by an app alone.
About us
A small school with a loud classroom
Founded in Brussels in 2009, Lingua exists for one reason: to get people speaking a new language sooner, and enjoying it.
2009
Group sizeMax 8 learnersSpeaking time70% of every lessonThree teachers, one classroom and a stubborn belief that speaking beats memorising.
Rue du Progrès 42 · BrusselsOur story
We got tired of students who could pass an exam but freeze in a café.
So we rebuilt the lesson around one measurable thing: how many minutes each learner actually speaks. Everything else (grammar, vocabulary, homework) exists to support that number.
Seventeen years later, Lingua teaches twelve languages to 12,500 learners, from absolute beginners to C2 candidates. We still cap groups at eight, still record speaking feedback every week, and still let you reschedule when life gets in the way.
Not bad for a school that started with a whiteboard and a coffee machine.
What we stand for
Four rules we never break
They are written on the classroom wall and in every teacher's contract.
Small by design
Groups cap at 8 learners so everyone speaks for a meaningful part of every lesson.
Real-world material
Podcasts, workplace emails, menus and news clips instead of dusty textbook dialogues.
Transparent progress
You always know your CEFR level, what is next and exactly what to practise this week.
Milestones
Seventeen years, five big moments
From a single classroom to twelve languages, without ever growing our groups.
2009 Lingua opens its doors
Three teachers, one classroom and a stubborn belief that speaking beats memorising.
2014 First exam cohort
94% of our DELF and IELTS candidates passed at their target band, and the number has only grown.
2018 Hybrid classrooms
Every in-person room got broadcast-grade audio so online learners join with the same experience.
2022 12 languages, one campus
We expanded to East Asian and Middle Eastern languages with new specialised teachers.
2026 12,500 learners later
Still capped at 8 seats per group, still conversation-first, still run by teachers.
Lingua in numbers
- Students taught
- 0+
- Languages offered
- 0
- Lessons delivered
- 0+
- Would recommend us
- 0%
The people
Some of the teachers you'll meet
Hover a card to read the full story behind the lesson.
EC
4.9
Emily Carter
Head of English & Exam Prep
- English
- French
- 12 yrsexp.
- 4,200lessons
- 1courses
Emily has spent twelve years turning nervous beginners into confident speakers. She trained at Cambridge, taught in three countries and built Lingua's exam curriculum from scratch. Her lessons run on one rule: you speak more than she does.
- IELTS & Cambridge exams
- Pronunciation
- Beginner coaching
MA Applied Linguistics, University of Cambridge
MR
4.9
Mateo Rodríguez
Spanish & Portuguese Lead
- Spanish
- Portuguese
- English
- 9 yrsexp.
- 3,100lessons
- 2courses
Born in Bogotá and raised between Medellín and Lisbon, Mateo teaches both European and Latin American Spanish. Expect playlists, street slang, and a strict no-translation rule after week two.
- Latin American variants
- Travel Spanish
- Conversation labs
BA Hispanic Studies, Universidad de los Andes
CD
4.8
Claire Dubois
Romance Languages Coach
- French
- Italian
- Spanish
- 11 yrsexp.
- 3,600lessons
- 2courses
Claire makes grammar feel like a puzzle worth solving. She spent a decade in Lyon and Bologna writing coursebooks before deciding she missed the classroom, and now she runs our most popular conversation classes.
- DELF/DALF prep
- French for travel
- Italian for food lovers
Master Didactique des langues, Sorbonne Nouvelle
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