Now I've learned Arabic from nothing so I have a pretty good idea about what it takes
to go from zero to Arabic speaking
my first tip actually isn't really related to the language specifically
but it's about a time and a dedication thing
so let me just explain
Tip 1:
How much time are you going to need to learn Arabic?
are you going to spend 5 minutes a day? Are are you going to spend 20 minutes a week?
you will have to give up something in order to learn this new language
if you think that you can go about your daily activities
and keep up with your squash and yoga and your nights out with your friends
and your latest Netflix show and learn Arabic and just squeeze it into all the gaps
then you're probably kidding yourself, you will have to give up something
something has to go... when learning a new language
I'm not one to give a specific amount of time, but if you can't spend, say, 2 hours a week
ideally, an hour a day, so 7 hours a week minimum
then it's almost questionable
whether or not you're going to make enough progress to keep yourself motivated to go
so time... you need to give something up
that you currently do
in order to study Arabic
maybe you've just finished exams, or maybe you've just finished your course at uni
or maybe you've just quit your job, or maybe you've just changed jobs
and you've got a lot more time on your hands, that's a great time to learn a language
because you've got more time on your hands, which you can then fill
with learning Arabic
secondly, is commitment
so, you need to be committed... you need to be motivated
to stay motivated to learn Arabic
everyone's motivations varies, maybe you live in the Middle East, maybe you live in Kuwait
maybe you're an expat in Dubai
maybe you've gone to work in Qatar, maybe you're visiting Syria or Jordan on holiday
whatever your motivation to learn Arabic is
try and remember that, try and write it down when you start
I am learning Arabic because by THIS date I want to be able to say this, this, and this
these are generic tips, but motivation is so, so important
and if you have an Arabic speaking friend who can motivate you along the way
that will really, really, really, really help
Tip number 2:
is you need to choose a dialect
now this is such a common question I get asked
what dialect do I learn?
there are so many dialects
you can learn Egyptian, Levant, Algerian... I didn't even talk about Moroccan
North African, Algerian... there's just so many different dialects
you can learn
now my tip for this one is, to...
the Arabic they speak on the television and the news, and in the newspapers and on televsion
and on most TV shows, they will speak Fusha
at least, what is known in English is MSA (modern standard Arabic)
and in Arabic language is known as Fusha
so it's formal Arabic, it's understood everywhere and it's universally understood and spoken
although not in the streets, not colloquially spoken, but it is used as a means of communication
across the Arab world
now my advice is learn Fusha
if you want to learn a dialect as well, then choose one dialect as well to learn along side it
if you have a very specific reason for learning levant dialect,
then you can learn fusha alongside levant dialect
if you're going to be working in the Gulf, then you probably want to learn
so... learn fusha, but learn a dialect
do not try and learn 5 dialects and fusha at once
they are like different languages
the words are different on so many levels so choose one dialect
to learn with fusha
definitely learn fusha, it's gives you a good foundation as to the language and how it works together
and it helps you in understanding the roots, and the basis upon which the other accents are built upon
but when you're learning, learn a dialect
if you have a specific interest, if you just love Arabic and you want to learn Arabic, just learn fusha
and then you can choose a dialect a year down the line once you can say, 'hello, how are you?'
my third tip is:
utilise YouTube, now you're watching this on YouTube right?
you're watching my channel on YouTube
and there are so many good channels
so many
I've learned so much Arabic from watching YouTube videos and I can't express this enough
I can't emphasize this enough
I've got some recommended channels for you
these are: Esra Osh
who teaches gulf Arabic
fantastic channel
good phrases
from a Kuwaiti, she is Kuwaiti, she teaches very, very well
and her lessons are simple
they're easy to understand and you can learn a lot in a very short time
you've got "Spoken Arabic Simplified" for the levant dialect.
'Spoken Arabic Simplified" this is an American lady called Talia
who teaches levant dialect
amazing channel... check that out
you've got, Hanan AlFardan, she's an Emirati lady who teaches the Emirati dialect
again gulf, but even within the gulf dialects they still have slightly different ways of saying certain things
Kuwaitis say things slightly different from Emiratis
who say things different form Saudis
etc... etc.
for Egyptian Arabic, there's a channel called "Arabic Lessons with Nada"
it's not specifically on the Egyptian dialect, but there are some lessons on the Egyptian dialect there
and as a side note, if you are Egyptian and you're watching this
there's a gap in the market for you to make a YouTube channel specifically about the Egyptian dialect
so... maybe you can do that
so utilise YouTube, there's an endless supply of videos
an endless supply of videos, so many different channels, different dialects
you can watch them all day
my advice is, don't just come and search for a random lesson...
find a channel that you like
and that you know is reliable and is going to give you good information
regularly and from someone that you can trust
maybe form someone who replies to comments
and maybe who has a Patreon so you can ask them direct questions
which by the way I do, but in all seriousness, you need to
find a YouTuber who can actually give you depth and clarity on the questions that you have
so use Youtube
use the resources... the free resources which are on YouTube
I myself personally have about 30 videos just teaching Arabic phrases
to get you started
I've got Arabic alphabet lessons, I've got Arabic phrases videos
and like the channels I've just mentioned as well, there's just so much out there
you're never going to be short of learning resources
so use it, use it wisely
stick with channels that you know, and you trust, don't waste time searching around, bouncing around
random videos and going on all the...
suggested this, and recommended that, you'll end up going off track
but choose channels that you trust like the ones I've mentioned
use them
and that takes me on to tip number...
4... which is keep a record of everything you learn
especially in the early days
record everything you learn
whether it's in a notebook or on a piece of paper, or in a word document, or on a flashcard app
like Flashcards++
or cram.com
chegg
Tinycards
Duolingo... I think Tinycards is (part of) the Duolingo app
there're lots of of different apps, choose whichever one you want
I don't have relationships with any of these particular apps
I've used Flashcards++ and I've used Tinycards, and I've used cram.com
they're all a little bit different they all have their good points and bad points
but keep a record of what you learn
you need to be tracking your progress
if you learn 30 words in a day
that's fantastic but if you don't write them down, if you don't keep a log, then revisit those 30 words
a few days later
you won't know that you ever learned them
because you'll have forgotten them by the time you see them again
you'll think, "oh, looks familiar, but I can't remember what it was'
to remember a word, to remember a piece of vocabulary,
you need to be exposed to that word
through seeing it, hearing it, reading it, writing it
10-15 times, depends who you are
if you're really, really, really smart, some people can just look at it and remember it instantly
if you make another connection with it by linking it with something, then of course you remember it quicker
but generally, you need to be seeing these words.. these new words that you learn, several, several times
and in the early days of learning
vocab, is really the key
just learn vocab
once you've got 1,000 words in your head
once you know 1,000 words, then you can start putting them together
and you can start to make sentences with them
and actually start speaking Arabic
Tip 5:
is an important one
there's only so far you can go
in learning Arabic with YouTube videos and flashcards
now that level is pretty far
but there's going to become a stage where you want to develop your fluency
now I've lived in the Middle East, I've been surrounded by Arabic people
everywhere, I've taught in schools... Arabic speaking schools
in the Gulf and...
I can speak... I can honestly say, there's nothing quite like the immersion you get
being in that environment in learning a new language
however, there is a very, very, very good alternative
and that is to sign up with an online Arabic teacher
you meet for an hour a week, 2 hours a week, an hour a month... whatever you want
and... just have a chat and get their native speaker advice
advice from a native speaker is invaluable
the site I recommend is italki
and it's an amazing sight... I've tried some of the other competitors as well
there's a few different ones, but italki is honestly the best
and there's a link in my description about that, and a link in my comments as well
I do have a relationship with them as well
so if you do go through the italki link
then you'll be supporting my channel as well
and they are honestly, a really, really, good site, so modern, you can find a guy out in Egypt
who's got a degree in Arabic, a degree in English, a degree in this... a degree in that
fantastic, lovely, friendly people
and the prices are extremely reasonable
so I really, really, really recommend you to check out italki and try it
just experiment with it, see how you get one and then let me know... let me know as well
in addition to having a native Arabic speaker online Arabic teacher
then if you want to be able to ask me tips... for tips and advice
from the perspective of someone who's an English native speaker
who has learned it and gone through all of theses processes
then you can do that as well
the best way to do that is for you to join my Patreon page
and that's a way where you can contact me, you can ask me for help
I will literally be your on call guide to give you tips and help with English or Arabic
probably Arabic if you're watching this
but I know a lot of my audience as well are Arabs
so if you want English help, or Arabic help
you can join my Patreon page at
and just go there, see my page
that explains everything... what it's about
and that's my final tip
so those are my 5 tips on how to learn Arabic
I really hope they are helpful to you
and I hope they make your language learning journey more rapid
more smooth, faster, smoother, and more enjoyable
thank you for watching this video
I appreciate you being here. I'll put more videos up there and there
and I will see you again very soon