Our teachers are the core of Fluent City and all speak with native-level fluency. They come from all over the world—from Paris to Tokyo to Buenos Aires (and everywhere in between!) and are eager to share their love of language with you. Explore some of their stories below.
Jesús is a lifelong language instructor with 14+ years of experience in creating engaging, fun, and personalized lessons for his students from Mexico to Sweden. When not teaching, Jesus loves photography, books, coffee and learning new languages himself.
A Brazil native, Karen is fluent in three languages and holds a B. A. in Education from the University of Rio Grande do Sul. She has stepped foot on five continents already and looks forward to helping you improve your Portuguese!
A native of Rome, Chiara has over a decade of tutoring experience in both English and her native Italian. Chiara combines her savvy for the language with a patient and engaging approach that helps students to feel at ease in the classroom.
Daniela has been teaching Portuguese to adults learners from around the world for eight years. She has great passion for learning new languages and believes that New York City is the best place to do it.
A travel lover and fluent in four languages, Emily understands the difficulties associated with acquiring new vocabulary and grammar skills as well as anyone. Emily likes to incorporate games and foreign cultural notes to bring the language to life.
Alex is a Brooklyn-based teacher, actor and writer who brings this creativity and vivacity into the classroom. In addition to teaching French, he also sometimes officiates weddings, translates literature, and works as a mortician (no joke!).
Born in China and raised in Iowa, Minwei has been switching between English and Chinese since she was little. She's currently studying French and Japanese and loves the Fluent City community for its active exchange of languages, ideas, and new learnings!
Tommaso is an Italian-born teacher, journalist and published author. Tommaso's interdisciplinary background translates into his classroom, where he uses film and art to train other in his native language.
Felicia has a BA in Spanish & Italian Language and Literature and holds a Masters in Foreign Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics. She has over 5 years of experience in adult education and private tutoring in Spanish, Italian and German.
Maryah learned Arabic as a Peace Corps volunteer in Jordan. She has over 14 years’ experience teaching adults and children, including in academia and private language schools in Jordan, Indiana, Cairo and New York.
Carolina was born in Colombia, grew up in Panamá and has taught Spanish in the US since 2005. Her students affectionately call her Caro. She loves riding her bike, reading poetry and meditation.
Lydia is a native French speaker, born and raised in Paris, who is also fluent in Italian (she lived there for 5 years) She is passionate about language and how she can use it to impact the world! As a teacher, she strives make lessons fun and engaging.
Esther is from León, Spain. She has a BA in Flute Performance and an MA in Education. She found her passion for teaching through teaching music in Spain for the past 10 years. She is especially good at adapting to her students' specific learning styles.
Vjosa grew up in Kosovo and studied German in Vienna; she's now working on her PhD! She has a real passion for teaching and prepares her lessons with love and enthusiasm. Outside of class, Vjosa loves relaxing to classical music and exploring the city.
Simona was born and raised in Mantua, Italy. She speaks Italian, English, Spanish, French and has over 7 years of teaching experience. In her free time she enjoys exploring the city, new restaurants, going to Broadways shows and Opera concerts.
Daria was born and raised in the North of Russia. She loves creative approaches to teaching, so she experiments with different types of exercises in the classroom. Outside of class, Daria greatly enjoys traveling, museums, and reading non-fiction.
Born and raised in Syria, Sumar studied music and placed in the top 50 singers of 2014's Arab Idol. After moving to New York to study neuroscience and behavior, Sumar discovered the joy of teaching his native language and hasn't looked back since.
Born and raised in Milan, Italy, Valentina worked at La Scuola International Italian School of San Francisco and as a Language Supporter for all ages since 2012. In her spare time you can find her in a museum or cooking delicious Italian food at home!
Originally from Madrid, Spain, Sara discovered her love for teaching when she volunteered as a Spanish teacher to a group of refugees. Mangoes are her absolute favorite fruit!
Katie grew up in Florida and loved learning about different cultures of Latin America. She holds a Masters in Spanish Translation from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. In her free time, she enjoys traveling to new cities and dancing!
Eliana is a born-and-raised “Porteña”, but after almost 8 years she considers herself a New Yorker. When she’s not inspiring her students to live up to their potential, you can find her performing in plays and musicals in the city.
Maryssol has been teaching for over 8 years and students love the ability to learn from a native speaker. Growing up in Mexico, she says her coolest travel experience has been coming here to America; and that everyday feels like one big adventure.
Eva's natural curiosity, empathy and motivational spirit are most clearly expressed in the classroom as she uses creative methods to help students discover their ability to learn a new language & to develop the confidence to thrive in a newfound culture.
Terri is a native Chinese speaker from Taipei, Taiwan and earned a BA in English Language and Literature and received a master's in PreK-12 Chinese Teaching. She is excited to teach, to delight, and to move her students with the beauty of Chinese.
Mark will come to your event and eat your free food. Whether it's in a private or group lesson, in French or Chinese, be prepared to talk about your horoscope, the latest in Hulu TV, and who would win in a fight: Fergie or Mother Theresa.
Matthew is a teacher, adventurer and entrepreneur with more than 3 years of experience teaching and designing curriculum both in Germany and in the U.S. He's well-versed in German culture, having lived there and being immersed with the natives.
Marlen is a native German, born and raised in a small town near the capital Berlin. Outside of the classroom, she can be seen at Pearl Jam concerts, walking her dog, or reading about U.S. and German history.
With a background in theater, Lexee is a French instructor who likes to get her students learning through fun and unconventional teaching methods. When not teaching French classes, Lexee is probably working on her next screenplay or reading a Camus novel.
Named a “Renaissance artist with extraordinary abilities” by the New York Foundation for the Arts, Torkom is a dance artist, polyglot and a cultural ambassador of the arts who has been teaching Spanish and Arabic at Fluent City since 2014.
Abigail is a language enthusiast who started teaching Japanese in 2009. In her spare time she enjoys doing yoga, traveling with friends and family, and figuring out if one can actually be both a dog person and a cat person.
Cristino studied French language and literature at New York University. In addition to French, he also knows German and Spanish. Cristino has worked at the US Sciences Po Foundation, in Membership at FIAF, and as a French-English translator at Datawords.
Victor is a Head Spanish Teacher at Fluent City who has been teaching with us since 2014. Raised in Brooklyn, Victor teaches Spanish and Russian and speaks 10 other languages at varying levels.
Vincent was born and raised on "La Cote D'Azur" in Cannes. When not teaching, you can find Vincent playing guitar at home or enjoying all the amazing eats NYC has to offer (despite his best attempts to stick to his diet).
Carlos was born and raised in Zaragoza, Spain. He has a Master's in Spanish Linguistics. Of all his trips, his greatest has been living in Cayo Cochinos with no water or electricity for a month and half.
Chris is a teacher, translator and Master's candidate in German Literature at Middlebury College. Outside of the classroom, Chris' hobbies including reading, dancing and philosophizing. He's a proud member of n+1.
Khaled is a Syrian-American who has taught in the US for six years. He has a vast knowledge of various dialects. In addition to teaching Arabic, he enjoys traveling, trying new cuisines, and attending concerts and Broadway shows.
Manuela is a native Italian speaker from Puglia. She started teaching Italian while she was still a university student in Bari. When she isn't teaching, Manuela works as a fashion photographer with major brands like Dolce&Gabbana and Burberry.
After receiving an undergraduate degree in Anglophone Studies and a Masters in Translation Studies from the Sorbonne, Claire began teaching both English and French. She enjoys translating modern poetry, figure drawing and hanging with her cat Pâcome.
Israel has 25 years of teaching experience in Los Angeles, New York and Guatemala and believes that learning a language expands your understanding of different worlds. Israel is also a certified triathlon coach and once did an Ironman in France.
Passionate about languages and intercultural exchanges, Alexandra has taught English and Spanish as foreign languages for over 12 years. Originally from Puerto Rico, Alexandra loves teaching because it gives her an opportunity to learn new things as well.
Dinah grew up bilingual in the suburbs of LA, earned two bachelors degrees and worked abroad in Botswana and Peru. She believes that the world is a weirdly beautiful place and looks forward to using her creativity and quirkiness in the classroom with you!
Bill has been teaching French for Fluent City since 2013. He has a B.A. in French and an M.A. in French Literature from NYU. He is also a movie lover and always ready to give French-language movie suggestions.
Robert has taught French for 12 years and Italian for a whopping 27. He is also a classically-trained pianist (but also has fun with Ragtime!) and performed at the Carnegie Recital Hall.
A native Russian speaker born in a British mission in Zambia with a doctoral dissertation on Hispanic Cinema, Anna excels in creating immersive atmospheres in her classrooms and to transport students and help them ramp up their speaking abilities quickly.
Sebastian was born and raised in Chile. In addition to teaching, he has a deep passion for museums, art, culture and people with different backgrounds.
Tai was born and raised in Japan, and aims to introduce the beauty of the Japanese culture through language and illuminate new perspectives through the lens of a different language. When not teaching, Tai likes to run, play tennis and draw.
After earning her Bachelor's in Linguistics and Literature in her native Russia, Yulia learned English, French, Latin, Spanish, Italian and German. When not teaching, Yulia is working on learning Mandarin or on her side projects in fashion and design.
Allan is a Venezuelan native who has been teaching Spanish in the US for many years. As one of the most experienced teachers on staff, Allan assists with the training of all of our new Spanish teachers at Fluent City.
Mo studied Teaching Chinese as a Second Language at Sichuan University before proceeding to study cognitive linguistics at the prestigious Fudan University, in China. Mo enjoys writing, microfilm, photography and spending time with her two guinea pigs.
Yasunori studied film and has worked as Video and TV director for many years. Yasunori moved to NYC about four years ago and has experience teaching both Japanese and English.
Andy is a theater and visual artist, he infuses his creativity into every class so as to help his students grow. He has been speaking Spanish for 28 years including a four-year stint in Barcelona. Andy enjoys cycling, dancing, and studying languages.
Eirene is what you might call a language guru: she grew up speaking English, French, and Chinese, and now also speaking Spanish, Russian, Italian and Swahili. She holds a Master's in International Affairs and was a Fulbright scholar.
Originally from a small village next to the Sea of Galilee in Israel, Sivan has been living in New York City for the past 8 years. Sivan uses her passion for cultures and food as a way to make learning a new language exciting.
In her role as Head French teacher, Marie is one of the senior-most instructors at Fluent City, responsible for training new French teachers and curriculum. Marie likes to structure lessons around current events and French culture, especially art.
Jiayan was born and raised in China, in the Zhejiang province. She was the lead vocalist in a punk disco band called Unattractive Girl once in Oakland, California. When not teaching, Jiayan likes to Instagram her cat a lot.
Sichen’s dedication in linguistics is motivated by her appreciation and enjoyment of the diversity of languages, especially, phonetics and phonology. She earned a BA in Chinese Language and Literature in Beijing and an MA in Applied Linguistics.
Diego was born in Colombia and grew up in Texas. He is an avid reader and likes to incorporate his knowledge of historical linguistics, phonetics and geography into his teaching. He is a Gemini and a gourmand.
Originally from Ukraine, Viktoriia speaks five languages and sees herself not only as a teacher, but a tour guide and companion for her students on this amazing journey of immersing into the German language!
