Not so long ago, learning Arabic might have meant signing up for a course at a language school, travelling, or paying for a private tutor, all of which can be costly and inaccessible.
But these days, picking up a new language has never been easier with the rise of the internet and a plethora of online resources!
This is no exception with Arabic – the fifth most spoken language in the world! Since it’s such a useful language to know, there are all sorts of resources available if you decide to learn it, both on and offline, that fit the needs of every type of language learner.
So keep scrolling for a list of 21 of the best resources to learn Arabic!
Pro Tip
By the way, if you’re thinking about learning Arabic, then I have some great news for you!
I’ve got a new beginner course called Arabic Uncovered. It’s a course where you’ll be able to rely on the power of story and the unique StoryLearning® approach to learn Arabic! It’s fun, easy, and effective!
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Table of Contents
Resources In Modern Standard Arabic (MSA)
If you’ve spent any time looking for resources, you’ll have realised by now that there’s a huge variety both online and offline for learning Arabic. This means that it might take some time to figure out which resources work the best for you.
That’s why I’ve included a variety of Arabic learning resources in this list that are grouped by:
- Websites and blogs
- Online courses
- Online tutoring sites
- YouTube channels
- Podcasts
- TV series and movies
- Books
- Dictionaries
- Apps
MSA VS Arabic Dialects
Before going through this list of resources, here’s a quick disclaimer about Arabic.
There’s a big difference between written or formal Arabic (Modern Standard Arabic, or MSA for short) and spoken Arabic, which can vary depending on the Arabic dialect of Arabic-speaking countries.
This might make it hard to know where to start when it comes to learning Arabic.
The one good thing about learning MSA first is that it gives you a solid foundation of the Arabic language and prepares you to learn any one of the many dialects in Arabic.
So whether you want to learn Egyptian Arabic, Moroccan Arabic, or any other dialect, knowing the basics in MSA makes it easy to pick up any one of these dialects. That’s why I’ve tried to include as many MSA resources as possible in this list.
Now that we’ve gone over this, here’s a list of the best resources to learn Arabic!
The Best Resources To Learn Arabic
Websites And Blogs
These days, there are a lot of websites and blogs that are dedicated to learning Arabic. Here are three great websites and blogs that you can check out!
1. ArabicPod101.com
ArabicPod101 is a website that hosts thousands of Arabic lessons online that you can go through in your own time and at your own pace!
Because there’s thousands of lessons available, you can choose for yourself which lessons you want to focus on, whether that be reading Arabic, writing, grammar, or more.
There are both short audio and video lessons, as well as a wide range of study tools like flashcards and slowed-down audio for listening practice.
And if you go premium, then you can also get assigned a personal teacher that helps correct your speaking and grammar!
Check out ArabicPod101!
2. TalkInArabic.com
Talk In Arabic is another great website for learning Arabic, especially if you’re trying to become fluent in speaking!
That’s because the website is a learning resource for eight different dialects of Arabic: Egyptian, Levantine, Moroccan, Tunisian, Algerian, Sudanese, and Iraqi!
You can access videos and other materials that use a variety of dialects, which can help you start speaking Arabic wherever in the Middle East you decide to travel. Check out TalkInArabic!
3. Dr. Bulbul’s Arabic
Here’s a more unusual website, but it’s useful!
Dr. Bulbul is an Arabic teacher based in Amsterdam who runs a blog where he compiles a useful list of resources and materials for learning Arabic.
As an Arabic teacher himself, he shares his recommendations for useful books, videos, and music for learning Arabic.
Be sure to check out his lessons on the website that teach Arabic through songs!
Check out Dr. Bulbul’s Arabic!
Online Arabic Courses
Taking an Arabic course is a practical step forward for learning Arabic in an effective way! Fortunately, there are lots of online courses now with the spread of the internet. Here are two courses you can try out.
4. Rosetta Stone Arabic
If you’ve thought about learning any language, then you’ve probably heard of Rosetta Stone.
Rosetta Stone is a giant in language learning, and their Arabic course is great if you want to get the fundamentals of MSA down.
You can customize the course based on your interests, and it’s a great tool for picking up basic vocabulary.
But if you do take a Rosetta Stone course, it might be a good idea to get a grasp of the Arabic alphabet before you start, as that will make it easier to follow the course.
Check out Rosetta Stone Arabic!
5. Pimsleur Arabic
Pimsleur is another famous language learning service.
The course focuses mostly on learning through listening and audio, making it great for learning Arabic if you have a long commute or you’re constantly on-the-go!
It’s a great course that you can start with to get the basics of Arabic down before you branch out into other resources.
The best part is that there are separate courses for MSA, Egyptian Arabic, and Levantine Arabic, so you can choose which one best fits your needs.
Check out Pimsleur Arabic!
Online Tutoring Sites
One of the best ways to practice speaking is to study 1-on-1 with a tutor! These days, there are a lot of online tutoring services available!
Here’s two of my favorites:
6. LanguaTalk
LanguaTalk is one of the best online tutoring services around! It’s a great language learning platform where you find a teacher yourself and develop your language skills with them.
LanguaTalk selects only the very best tutors so you can be sure you're working someone specialised in teaching Arabic.
Each teacher is a specialist on one or more of the dialects, and there are also MSA teachers on LanguaTalk.
You can also book trial lessons with different teachers, so you can search around to find a teacher that you click with the most.
Check out LanguaTalk!
7. NaTakallam
Natakallam (نتكلّم) means “we speak” in Arabic, and is another fantastic tutoring website that started specifically as an Arabic learning platform.
It’s a tutoring platform that allows you to combine learning MSA with Levantine Arabic, which you’ll commonly hear in places like Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine.
The best part about NaTakallam is that it supports a great social cause.
The platform started as a way to provide income for refugees and people displaced by conflict, so all of the tutors and teachers are refugees themselves.
Check out NaTakallam!
YouTube Channels
YouTube channels are all the buzz for language learning, and it’s no exception with Arabic ! Here are some useful YouTube channels to learn Arabic.
8. ArabicPod101 YouTube
ArabicPod101 not only runs a website – it also runs a YouTube channel!
The ArabicPod101 YouTube channel is a great resource for Arabic learners of all levels. There are lots of clear and concise videos that feature useful Arabic vocabulary and phrases.
And while many of the videos are focused on Egyptian Arabic, there are also lots of videos that are helpful for learning MSA. For example, the channel includes a series of videos for learning the Arabic alphabet, which is critical if you want to learn MSA.
Check out ArabicPod101 on YouTube!
9. Arabic With Toqa
Arabic With Toqa is another useful YouTube channel for learning Arabic! Toqa’s channel includes over 20 lessons on the basics of the Arabic alphabet, vocabulary, and grammar.
For the most part, the channel teaches MSA, but there are a few videos that give you comparisons between MSA with other Arabic dialects.
There’s also a video with a playlist recommendation for learning Arabic through songs, another creative way to pick up essential words and phrases.
Check out Arabic With Toqa!
10. Arabic101
Arabic101 is distinct from ArabicPod101, and is another popular YouTube channel for learning Arabic.
The YouTube channel is a great resource for people who are interested in studying MSA or people interested in learning Arabic for religious purposes, like reading the Qur’an.
The videos on Arabic101 break down everything you need to know to be able to read and pronounce Arabic fluently.
Check out Arabic101!
Arabic Podcasts
Podcasts are also great for learning languages, especially if you like to learn on-the-go. There are a couple of Arabic podcasts that you can check out for learning Arabic.
For example:
11. ArabicPod
Not to be confused with ArabicPod101, ArabicPod is a podcast run by four different hosts that equip you with practical vocabulary and phrases in MSA if you decide to travel to the Middle East.
There are over 700 episodes of ArabicPod with lessons ranging in difficulty, from beginner to advanced.
The best part is that for a small membership fee, you can access a written transcript of each episode, which can help you review all of the new content.
Check out ArabicPod!
12. Arabic In 60 Steps
This is a one-of-a-kind podcast! To date, the podcast has over 150 episodes that are all about learning Arabic.
Arabic In 60 Steps is highly creative.
In one episode, you might listen to some useful pointers about Arabic grammar, while in others, you can listen to its host Sam breakdown short stories in Arabic or explain jokes in Arabic.
Check out Arabic In 60 Steps!
Arabic Dictionaries
When it comes to learning Arabic, and especially MSA, having a decent Arabic-English dictionary is key. That’s because Arabic has a root system, which means that you can trace back the roots of all words to 3 or 4 root letters.
Because of this, you can make educated guesses into the meaning of any word if you know its root letters.
And because dictionaries in Arabic follow the root system, dictionaries can be a useful tool to learn new vocabulary once you know some of the root patterns
Here are some of the most useful dictionaries on and offline:
13. Hans-Wehr Arabic English Dictionary
If you’ve started taking an Arabic course, then there’s a pretty good chance that the Hans-Wehr Arabic English dictionary was on your list of course books.
That’s because the Hans-Wehr dictionary is widely considered one of the best Arabic-English dictionaries worldwide, especially if you are studying written Arabic or MSA.
It’s especially useful for reading and translating texts or stories yourself.
The best part is that now there’s a Hans-Wehr Arabic English dictionary app that makes it easier than ever to look up words.
Check out the Hans-Wehr Dictionary App!
14. Cambridge English-Arabic Dictionary
Another useful and easy-to-use dictionary is the Cambridge English-Arabic dictionary.
It’s an online dictionary that helps you find the Arabic translation of any word in English!
All you need to do is enter the word you want to translate to find out its equivalent in Arabic!
While it’s a great dictionary, it only does English to Arabic translation, so you’ll still need to rely on other dictionaries like the Hans-Wehr dictionary if you want to find out the meaning of a word you don’t know in Arabic.
Check out the Cambridge English-Arabic dictionary!
Arabic TV Series And Movies
One of the best ways to start learning Arabic is to watch TV series or movies in Arabic. They’re not only great for practicing listening comprehension, but they also give you a glimpse into the culture and history.
While there are a ton to choose from, you can check out these three:
15.Wa Halla’ La-Wayn? (و هلاء لوين؟) (Where Do We Go Now?)
Wa Halla’ La-Wayn (و هلاء لوين؟) (Where Do We Go Now?) is easily one of the best Arabic movies in the 21st century by the renowned Lebanese director Nadine Labaki.
The movie is about a village in Lebanon with both Muslims and Christians, and the women of the village’s attempts to distract the men from fighting with one another.
Because the movie is set in Lebanon, it’s definitely required watching if you are trying to learn Lebanese Arabic with MSA.
16. Meen Qaal? (مين قال؟) (Who Said?)
No list of Arabic resources is complete without a TV show from Egypt! Meen Qaal? (مين قال؟) (Who Said?) was one of the most popular shows that aired during the month of Ramadan in 2022.
The TV show is a coming-of-age series about a son and his father, and the challenges the son faces pursuing his dreams for the future.
As it’s a story about youth at its core, it’s great for picking up on how the younger generations communicate.
17. Jinn (جن) (Jinn)
Here’s another coming-of-age TV show that you can easily watch from Netflix!
Jinn (جن) (Jinn) is about a group of high school students that are thrust into a supernatural battleground when two Jinns enter their world after a school trip to Petra.
It’s a bit surreal, but it’s still great for practicing listening to Arabic, especially Jordanian Arabic.
Arabic Books
Nothing can beat reading novels, short stories, or poems when learning Arabic. Like movies and TV shows, they give you a glimpse into the culture, but with even more depth.
Here are some Arabic books you can try reading:
18. Short Stories In Arabic For Intermediate Learners
Short stories are a great way to practice reading in Arabic to prepare for longer novels and books.
And what better way to get started with reading short stories than to read a compilation of them?
“Short Stories in Arabic For Intermediate Learners” contains eight short stories that are suitable for adults and youth.
All of the dialogue in the short stories is authentic, making it great practice for getting a better grasp of how people speak in daily life.
Check out Short Stories In Arabic For Intermediate Learners!
19. An-Nabi (النبي) (The Prophet)
If you’re looking for a challenge, then look no further than An-Nabi (النبي) (The Prophet), one of the most important works of the writer Khalil Gibran.
The book is written in poetic prose, and the best way to describe it is that it’s a meditation on life that shares wisdom on all kinds of subjects, whether it be children, justice, or more.
There are Arabic and English bilingual copies of the book available on the market, which can help you pick up new words while appreciating the work of art.
Check out An-Nabi (النبي) (The Prophet)
Arabic Apps
Apps are steadily becoming one of the go-to ways for learning a language. These days, it’s easy enough to pull out your phone when you have a few extra minutes on hand to practice your Arabic skills.
Here are two useful Arabic apps you can try out for learning Arabic:
20. Busuu
Busuu is a great way to learn Arabic if you’re short on time, as its approach promotes learning a language in short 10 minute chunks.
The app lets you create your own study plan so that you can learn at your own pace.
It’s especially good for memorising vocabulary. Plus, you can also send exercises you complete to native speakers to get personalised feedback on your progress.
Check out Busuu Arabic!
21. Duolingo
Last but not least, Duolingo is another app that also teaches Arabic. It relies on gamification to make learning Arabic more fun in short spurts!
The app is great for picking up vocabulary and is surprisingly useful for getting some grasp of Arabic grammar.
But while it’s good for learning the basics, you'll need to complement Duolingo with another type of learning resource to pick up on the more complex features of the language.
Start Learning With These Best Resources To Learn Arabic
That’s a wrap of my list of the best resources to learn Arabic. As you can see, there’s a huge variety of resources that fit the needs of every type of language learner.
There isn’t one right way to learn Arabic, so the best way to get started is to start trying out some of these resources to see which ones work for you.
I hope that some of these resources will help you get started with learning Arabic and will make it a fun and rewarding experience!
And if you’re thinking about learning Arabic in the coming year, then you can sign up for my beginner course, Arabic Uncovered. The course will use the StoryLearning® approach to make learning Arabic fun, easy, and effective!
Click here to sign up for updates and register for the course!
Olly Richards
Creator of the StoryLearning® Method
Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.
Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.
When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.
