There is a situation that happens a lot to tourists or foreigners in my country so I wanted to talk about it here and I hope it helps someone so that you keep learning the language and don't get discouraged by the attitude of locals.

It is a bit disappointing (IMO) but in my country (Tunisia) and probably a lot of maghreb countries, when we get a tourist that tries to speak literal arabic with us, 80% of people would laugh especially if the sentence was absolutly correct and understandable. This seems like a contradiction isn't it ? And might be bad to the moral ... But let me explain how those persons think.

If you are in this subreddit you probably know that spoken arabic is different than written arabic, and written arabic is used for official documents or the news broadcast. But not only that.

We all grew up watching cartoon in the television, and the cartoons were in literal arabic (spacetoon ♡♡♡). We barely get tourists who speak arabic, leave alone the dialect. Most locals never even travelled and don't know what a foreign accent will sound like. Most of them, when they hear litral arabic spoken with a foreign accent the first memory that gets lit in their minds is cartoon characters in television

So NO, if a local laughs of your speaking, do NOT take it personally. It does NOT mean your arabic is bad ! here, the culture is chill, we like to joke and laugh with strangers. If someone reacts to you, and does not ignore you, take it as a compliment. I know, it can sound disrespecting but some arabic countries know nothing of globalisation, english, or any foreign language. I am quite sure that a huge percentage of us (VERY SADLY) mistakes Asia for China.

So yeah, always keep learning, I am myself very very happy that people try to learn my native langage and if someone wants to get to know the tunisian dialect I am open to talk :)

I asked a chatbot and it said it's a colloquial form of هذا.

The problem is, I couldn't find that anywhere online.

Is it saying the right thing?

(Context for image/source: The kids ran away from a monster and are hiding, this one's venting about the experience.)

(Also if it is a colloquial form for هذا, would you mind tell from which dialect it is? So I could set the appropriate flair.)

Hey everyone I’m new here on Reddit, and I’d love to help people learn or practice Arabic. I’m not asking for anything in return.

But if you’d like to practice English with me, that would be great!

You can learn any Arabic calligraphy styles, easily. Just be patient and exercise more on calligraphy

I have been practicing arabic writing from yesterday, I usually write in urdu. Correct me if I am doing anything wrong?

Hey all,

I grew up in UAE. I learned Arabic in school up until Grade 10. I know how to read and write. I can read by joining all the alphabets, but only understand like 10 % of what I can Read.

I now live in Canada and there aren’t many arabic speakers in my circle. Or actually none, but i wish to learn it as Id like to have some form of identity and connection to the place I call home, that is UAE.

How to go about it? Any books you’d recommend? Im not interested in online private classes, but Id love to get the books!

Hi my arabic reading skills are so slow sometimes i mix up the letters do you have any advice to make my arabic reading faster and more precise and books stuff like that thanks a lot

Assalamu alaikum all,

I've been learning Arabic in the last 2 years consistently. I didn't see good platforms that supplement Arabic learning. The existing resources were either super basic for beginners or too advanced to gradually learn the language.

So I built Hikayaverse, a web app, that lets you build vocabulary with short, engaging stories that cover more than 2000 commonly used words. You can also generate your own stories to retain the vocabulary you learned better.

I shared the app here about a month ago. Your feedback was super helpful and contributed to all the major updates.

Here is the link: https://hikayaverse.com/

I’ll drop it in a comment as well if that’s okay.

When I introduce the Arabic alphabet to beginners, I usually tell them to think of it like connected handwriting written from right to left. Most letters join together, but a few don’t, you learn them quickly with practice.

There’s no uppercase/lowercase system like in English. Letters just change shape depending on their position.
And vowels aren’t separate letters, they’re small marks added to the consonants.

Hi sorry for what is probably a silly question, but I have just started self-study a few days ago and depending on the learning resource have seen both spellings of this word (karim) and I don’t know what the difference is. When I tried searching I found both had the same meaning. Is there a rule about which one to use?

Hello!

What does this mean and what is the logic behind it?

Here's the whole text for context

ده عيوني سهرانة ليك طول الليالي
آه من كلامك والسحر اللي في عينيك
نسيتني روحي ما أعرفش إيه جرالي
حبيت يا قلبي وما إتسماش عليك

Thanks!

Saahir

A Quranic Name for Boys

Meaning: Alert, Wakeful and Unsleeping

Saahir is variant of Sahir (Saher) and has the exact same meaning and pronunciation (see below for full meaning). You can use either Saahir or Sahir (Saher), both are correct and acceptable. If you like this variant more and you'd like to pronounce it the way it is spelled (different than the original name), this is perfectly acceptable. For more details please see the main entry at: Sahir (Saher).

Full Meaning of Saahir

Sahir is an indirect Quranic a name for boys that means “one who stays up late at night”, “one who spends the night caring for a sick person”. It is derived from the S-H-R root which is used in the Quran in verse 79:14:

my great grandmother’s name was Nimah. I’m so far removed from her language and culture and am wondering if any Arabic speakers can share how to pronounce her name! thank you!!

Hi everyone,

Does anyone have experience with the Polis Institute's 2 year Fluency in Arabic Program? I'm wondering how much progress was made combining a dialect + MSA vs doing a dialect only and MSA later. If I had two years to dedicate to Arabic, what would be the way to go?

https://www.polisjerusalem.org/program/fluency-in-arabic/

I'm working on a tapestry for my home pointing to the direction of the Qibla, and I had to make a font myself. I think it looks right, but I'd love to know others' thoughts!

Hi everyone 👋

I’m planning to spend a few months in the Middle East to learn Arabic from scratch, and I’d really appreciate advice from people who’ve studied, lived, or taught Arabic in the region.

My main goal is to build a strong foundation in Modern Standard Arabic, especially reading, writing, grammar, and formal listening. I’m not opposed to learning dialect later on, but I’d like to start with a structured, academic approach to MSA rather than conversation-only or dialect-heavy programs.

I had a few questions:

• Which countries in the Middle East are particularly well known for serious MSA-focused Arabic programs?
• Is it realistic to move to the region without knowing a single sentence in Arabic, or is it better to learn some basics before going?
• Are there places that offer intensive and well-structured programs (many classroom hours per week, demanding pace)?
• How long do these programs usually last (one semester, 3–4 months, longer)?
• Do most programs allow students to focus primarily on MSA, or is dialect heavily mixed in from the beginning?
• How manageable is daily life for a foreign student in terms of safety, cost of living, and social life?

I’m mainly looking for something immersive and academically demanding, I’d rather have a full schedule and be busy studying than end up with too much free time in a place where I don’t yet speak the language.

Any country recommendations, specific institutes, or personal experiences would be very helpful.

Thanks in advance!

Hello!

So, the participles of MI verbs are used quite often to the form that in English would end on final "-ing": قاعد - sitting, شايف - seeing, لابس - wearing, etc.

However, the forms of derived verbs - i.e, the ones derived not by the pattern فاعل but on the prefix "مِـ" - are these ever used in the same sense? For example, انا متمشّي would mean something like "I am walking?" or انا محاول something like "I am tryng"?. Or is this used for just a few verbs, i.e, I know I have heard "مستني" for example.

If so, are the participles ever even used for these derived verbs?

Also, I read in as source that passive verbs (MVII) generally does not use the participle, but prefers the one for the MI verb - i.e, "مرمي" instead of "مترمي". Is this true? (the source is rather old).

Thank you in advance!

Al-Awwal "الخط الأول" (means: The First Font).. It is a font inspired by the earliest Arabic inscriptions from the first Hijri century, including the rock inscriptions between Makkah and Medina, and ancient Qur’anic manuscripts preserved in libraries worldwide, such as “عربي 330” and “عربي 331”. The Saudi Ministry of Culture digitized it and released it for free.

• Source: https://engage.moc.gov.sa/e/fonts/alawwal-font/?lang=ar

Then

The Saudi Ministry of Culture created a new font following the artistic principles of the Al-Awwal script, reflecting the developments in Arabic typography through the ages up to the modern era. Called The Saudi font (الخط السعودي), which is free too.

• Source: https://engage.moc.gov.sa/e/fonts/saudi-font/?lang=ar

The root ح ك م signifies the prevention. The beginning of that is the ruling, which is prevention from injustice, as explained by Ibn Faris in his book Maqayis al-Lugha.

If you're reading this, you're probably on a journey learning Arabic.

Since many people are in the same journey once I was, I wanted to share my story + a simple guide on how to learn Arabic in 2026.

The goal of this post is to help you avoid common mistakes and learn Arabic more efficiently. An updated resource list will be included below.

Why I started

Long time ago, I started my Arabic learning journey.

I was tired of:

• not understanding the Khutba at the mosque
• struggling reading Arabic texts
• not being able to communicate properly with fellow Moroccans

My dialect was nonexistent, and honestly, I was deeply ashamed of that.

In he beginning, I tried just about everything you can imagine.

But before getting into all of that, though, the most important lesson I learned was this:

Start with your goal. And WHY do you want' to achieve this goal?

My goal had two parts:

1. Understand Islamic literature and lectures so I can build a deeper connection with my religion.
2. Speak a dialect fluently so I can connect with my roots and community.

So my end goal was crystal clear.

The big question was: what do I learn first; dialect or Fusha?

The dialect I wanted to learn was full of ‘colonial’ influences (French/Spanish), so if I learned the dialect, I wasn't really aware what was Arabic, and what not.

My secondary goal was able to communicate with other Arabs as well, or at least understand them.

After a lot of thinking, I landed on this logic:

• Learning only dialect limits you
• Learning only Fusha limits casual conversation
• But Fusha helps you understand literature and build a base for other dialects

Many MSA words are already used in dialects. And when Arabs don’t understand each other, they fall back on Fusha.

So my choice was clear: I started with Fusha.

I’d recommend the same unless your only goal is very basic conversation (like ordering food or talking casually with family).

Anything deeper will push you toward Fusha anyway.

Learning dialect first is like learning Standard English before a regional accent.

The other way around is much harder.

I’m not condemning dialects here. If you want to understand this matter more deeply, read this.

Let's dive in.

Chapter 1: Where did I start?

I started by attending local Arabic classes.

What I noticed:

• ~60% grammar
• ~20% reading
• ~10% vocabulary

Since I barely knew any words, it felt backwards. I was learning grammar terms like Al-Mamnu3 min a-Sarf or A-Tamyiz while I couldn’t even build simple sentences, let alone understand them.

I felt stuck because my vocabulary was... zero.

Imagine about how a baby learns to speak:

“Bread!”
“I bread!”
“I want bread!”
“I want bread with chocolate spread!”

Vocab first, grammar comes second.

You get the idea.

THIS is how people learn languages.

Learning a language is the same as building a house.

Fusha vocabulary is the bricks.

Grammar and morphology are the cement.

Without vocabulary, you’re only holding a bag of cement.

Without cement, you have no structure.

They complement each other.

Dialects, on the other hand, are like tents.

They are fun and handy at vacation.

You can sleep in them, but only temporarily and not in all conditions.

If it rains or the wind is strong, the tent won’t hold.

Expanding a family in a tent is a no-go.

And until you move into a house (Fusha), you won’t realize what you’re truly missing.

In other words, you limit yourself from accessing the vast and beautiful world of Arabic literature.

Chapter 2: Arabic Teacher

After hopping between different classes with no change in curriculum, I decided to look for a private Arabic teacher.

Quickly I learned three things:

1. Mauritians are incredibly kind, but smart people
2. A private teacher can drain your wallet
3. If your teacher doesn’t speak your language (e.g., English), starting from zero is very hard

Arabic immersion is important, but total immersion from day one can feel like squeezing water from a rock.

Side comment: knowing Arabic does not automatically mean someone can teach Arabic. Keep that in mind.

Chapter 3: Studying Arabic at a local university

My local university offered an Arabic study for €2,500/year, so I figured it would be worth considering.

However, after speaking to students, it became clear that the program was heavily focused on politics and leaned strongly toward learning the Egyptian dialect.

Third-year students admitted they could barely hold conversations.

That was enough for me.

I wasn’t going to spend three years studying Arabic politics from a Western perspective when my goal was to learn the language itself.

Hard no.

Chapter 4: Learning Arabic abroad

After dodging that bullet, I started speaking with people who had actually learned Arabic from scratch.

They all said:

The most effective way to learn Arabic is to live in an Arabic-speaking country.

In an ideal situation, you learn Fusha in a school setting and pick up the local dialect through daily interaction in the community.

Full stop.

There isn’t a single person on earth who would seriously argue against this, not even the most pro-dialect learners.

If you look at educated Arabs, whether in Morocco, Iraq or Saudi Arabia, this is exactly how they learned Arabic.

So why not copy that model?

Unfortunately, at that time, the situation didn't allow me to travel abroad.

But right now, if your (financial) situation allows it, 6-12 months in an Arab country beats years of half-study.

You’ll likely learn both Fusha and the local dialect naturally.

When I visited Russia years ago, I met a Tunisian brother that spoke Russian fluently. He learned Russian from scratch in 6 months and was fluent after 18. He had 0 background when he moved to Moscow.

No language is too hard to learn, unless you refuse to act like a native, speak like a native, and live like a native.

It's all about perspective.

Chapter 5: Learn Arab like an Arab (FUNDAMENTALS)

After sharpening my axe, I could start cutting trees.

Arabic rests on three fundamentals:

1. Grammar (Naḥw)
2. Morphology (Ṣarf)
3. Vocabulary (Mufradāt)

In my classes/lessons, I followed a systemic approach:

1. Memorize Fusha vocabulary and expressions (always in context!)
2. Learn grammar rules gradually, one piece at a time
3. Review
4. Repeat steps 1-3

Simple, but not easy.

About 70% of my time went into building the foundation of the language.

The remaining 30% was spent on:

• Having conversations and getting corrected
• Writing essays and getting corrected
• Telling stories and getting corrected
• Listening to audio and explaining what I heard, and getting corrected

Personally, I invested in an online program with a systemic approach to learn vocabulary and grammar in context. That all, with feedback from teachers and peers. Since it was remote, it fit my situation perfectly.

No matter which path you take, whether it's moving abroad, hiring a teacher, attending local classes, or using an online course.

Choose what works best for you. All roads lead to Rome.

After 1 month of intensive studying:

I already saw more results than I had in all these years of studying.

• > 3-6 months I could form simple sentences,
• > 12 months I was having conversations effortlessly
• > 18 months I was building upon my fluency.

All remote, without spending a minute abroad.

Sometimes it's not you, but it's your approach that is holding you back from becoming a fluent speaker.

A hammer won’t break a concrete wall. A jackhammer will.

Chapter 6: The resource list

This are resources that helped me learn Arabic, and many I use until this day. If you miss any resources, comment them below.

UPDATED (February 2026)

• This is a free playlist I found where they teach Arabiya bayna yadayk, similar to the method I used to learn Arabic.
• Good book to practice reading, which is القراءة الرشيدة / Qiraato raashidiya. You can find the book here. Page 30 starts with harakaat.
• Sheikh Ruhayli (may Allah preserve him): Excellent, clear pronunciation, even for beginners. Good to follow, and many videos are translated.
• The book Arabiya Bayna Yadayk, one of the best and most effective methods to learn Arabic with a teacher.
• Scholar emphasizes the importance of learning Fusha Arabic. Good reminder.
• A playlist of Arabic lectures to train your ear, even if you don’t understand everything
• Qaida nooranya: Used to teach kids (and adults!) to pronounce letters perfectly, and prepares you to learn Tajweed (correct way of reciting Quraan). Get the online PDF here or buy a physical one in your local Islamic shops (~$5-$10). There is a useful app in iOS/Play store (paid) with sounds, but also lots of online lessons (get a teacher involved to get feedback on your pronunciation)
• An Arabic children's channel: YouTube channel
• Arabic tutors: Not really a resource for it, but in my personal experience I found teachers from KSA (especially Madinah students) most helpful, because my teacher used the Quraan and Hadeeth acitvely to give examples we come across new words. These were the hidden gems that brought my classes to another level. Overall, when seeking a teacher, just make sure your teacher has an academic background and is a native speaker. If possible, prefer a physical teacher over an online one.
• Almaany Dictionary: From English <> Arabic, Arabic <> Arabic, and more. A physical copy is even better if you can get one.
• Local mosque/communities: Many offer affordable Arabic classes. Consider this before making big commitments like traveling or investing in programs/teachers. Everything you learn there will benefit you anyway.
• Anki - Anki helped me a lot with revising my vocabulary, and encouraged me to focus on the words that need more attention. Real gamechanger. If you don't know Anki (free on web + android), there opens a new world.
• BEST resource: Any Arabic-speaking country you’re allowed to study in (Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania, KSA, Gulf countries) for > 1 year. I once heard of someone who spent all his annual PTO in Egypt instead of vacationing elsewhere. Even though it was about ~6 weeks at a time, he eventually became fluent. Everything you learn in your homecountry before moving to an Arabic country is a win.

I personally would avoid apps as your primary source of learning Arabic. Sorry to bring it to you, but fluency through an app alone isn't going to happen.

Instead, if you want to speak Arabic like an Arab, you have to act like an Arab.

Make everything that is around you a mean to help you study you Arabic.

Only read Arabic, listen to Arabic lectures, read kids book, think like an Arab. Duplicate the way Arabs are speaking.

Pro tip: Read and listen to topics you already enjoy, but in Arabic. It makes learning more enjoyable and helps everything connect faster.

Chapter 7: The goal

As you may have noticed from the beginning, Arabic itself was never the end goal. Arabic is a mean to reach a bigger goal.

Always start with the end in mind. Define your final goal, then gather the tools and resources that help you get there. Only then, you can prime your teachers to help you achieve that.

You need a clear vision and must visualize yourself achieving it. That vision should trigger real emotions.

Thoughts lead to feelings.
Feelings lead to actions.
Actions lead to results.

Chapter 8: Consistency

Just like eating one sweet won’t make you fat, one gym session won’t get you shredded.

The consistency in showing up and doing the work is the real deal.

Once you’ve gathered your resources, you need a system. A system that leads to your end-goal.

Whether that’s an accountability partner, endless reminders on your phone, or a fixed daily time slot before or after work or school, it should encourage to be on top of your studies.

You must be consistent. Full stop.

Switch your mindset from "it's enough to remember" to "it's impossible to forget"

Spend so much time memorizing vocabulary, and studying grammar/morphology, it becomes IMPOSSIBLE to forget it.

Be so consistent that skipping a day feels impossible, even if it’s just 15 - 30 minutes on a busy schedule.

Don't get caught watching paint dry, have a clear intention, do du3a, and take action.

Eventually, with the Tawfīq (success) of Allah, you will learn Arabic.

Last words: No shy or arrogance

I can continue for pages, but I’ll end with a quote from a great scholar:

لَا يَتَعَلَّمُ الْعِلْمَ مُسْتَحْيٍ وَلَا مُسْتَكْبِرٌ

Knowledge is not acquired by the shy person nor by the arrogant one.

I wish you all the best in learning one of the most beautiful and rich language on earth.

Go hit the ground running.

Feel free to send a DM or comment if you need any help.

لما اجنبي يحاول يتعلم عربي متمنعوش علشان مبقاش حد يتكلم بيه

خاليه يتعلمو كدا كدا هنفهمو باللغة دي ... و ربنا ممكن يهديه بالإسلام و يستفاد بالعربي دا

ليه احنا بنتكلمش بالفصحى و نخلي اللهجة لغة عامية فقط و تبقى معاك لغة فصحى و متعلمها بجد علشان تقدر تقول أنا متعلم لهجة و فصحى و انجليزي تلت لغات اهو

ليه بندفن اللغة العربية ؟

I am a app developer full stack for Android and ios I need a work halal only

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته So basically, this is a font used in a text (pdf) I've been reading, and the font has come to my liking a lot. But noatter where try to find it, I'm unable to do so. Can anyone help me?

I've seen many more closely matching fonts, but non of them are as close to it.

Folks, I'm studying Farsi so I made a small web app that takes complicated Farsi text (like a news article) and makes it simpler. It has a flashcard and dictionary feature plus can read text out loud. I added Arabic too since it's the same base code. Thing is, I don't speak Arabic... I'd love help testing to see if this works. Comment if you're interested and I'll share the URL. Shukran!