I have recently restarted learning this beautiful language after quite a long break and I was wondering if maybe someone here knows some good and free online resources and would like to share? Especially, I am looking for a dictionary that gives pronunciation examples… I feel like most of the sites that I have browsed so far either do not provide audio or are generally not really extensive
We do have a lot of Arabic learners. Check out my Arabic thread under the non English threads section - I believe.
Wonderful meeting you!
So in regards to pronounciation, are you looking for help with MSA or a particular dialect? Because there is often a night and day difference between those.
If you are looking for MSA resources, take a look at العربية بين يديك (Arabic in your hands) series.
As far as I know it has different books according to your level and audio files in CD too, to assist in pronunciation. Personally I never used it though, just glanced at a few pages.
I saw your thread but I am afraid I don’t understand most of it because I am still a beginner (I was still very happy to see that I could read through some parts already!)
I would love it if a dictionary featuring several dialects happened to exist but other than that I’d prefer the Levantine dialect! However, any MSA material would also be a good start, I guess…
I am Lebanese, and I certainly can help with the levantine Arabic learning.
And the dialect dictionary does not exist I am afraid or else we would need a whole library for its pages hahaha
So I have a friend who has a YouTube channel. Check out Hiba Najem there. It’s a channel dedicated to the Lebanese dialect.
There is also a series called shankaboot on YouTube. It is amazing because it exposes people to the local Lebanese dialect and the ideological nature of the people there.
You can start with those. Let me know if you are facing any difficulties with those resources. I definitely have more to share. But since you are a beginner, both should provide enough guidance for now to develop your skills further.
I just checked out the channels, they look super cool and authentic!
Yeah, I guess you are right regarding the potential scope of such a massive dictionary It would be really interesting though, I always find comparison videos of Arabic speakers from different countries very entertaining!
And in case a fellow Arabic learner reads along - I can also recommend “Learn Arabic with Maha” on Youtube, she makes videos about MSA as well as the Palestinian dialect.
Hi Domi I’m learning Arabic! It’s my mother tongue, so I can speak pretty fluently (at least the Iraqi dialect). Unfortunately, I never learned to properly read and write in Arabic, so I’m working on that. I can’t help you with dictionaries, but if you want to watch interesting documentaries/shorter videos in Lebanese, I can recommend the “VICE Arabia” YouTube Channel!
Anyone here that knows any Podcasts? Or content (movies, YouTube-Channels, series) specifically in Iraqi Arabic?
Thanks in advance!
I am glad you found the references useful. I will be more than happy to recommend others too when you feel more comfortable with the language.
Yes I am familiar with Maha’s channel. Although Palestinian is classified as part of the Levantine dialects, the differences between Palestinian and Lebanese are pretty vast.
One other Lebanese channel I recommend is Mark Hashem. His Lebanese videos are simple and easy to follow and often transcribed.
Hi Dejla!
Thanks for the suggestion, I will check it out!
I came across “The World Around Hawra” on Youtube, her older videos are mostly in English but she started uploading Vlogs, recipes, and other stuff in Iraqi a couple of months ago… It’s not a lot of videos, but it’s something
@Zeina-AR-DE-FR-EN That’s so kind of you, I will definitely come back to you when I advance a bit more!
Yes, I also heard that the opinions are split on whether you can actually speak of “a Levantine dialect” - as you said, the differences between the varieties still are pretty evident!
Thanks also for Mark’s channel! I have seen it after he, Maha, and Hamza from Kulana Arab made a comparison video on the Lebanese, Palestinian, and Iraqi dialects!
@Dejla I don’t know if Hamza from Kulana Arab may also have some more videos in Iraqi, maybe check his channel!
Yes haha I saw that video between the three as well. I wonder, however, how much non-Arabic speakers were able to fully understand. There were definitely some very funny moments that I believe only native or near-native speakers could have understood.
How was your experience with that video in particular?
great Domi, you’re learning a beautiful and very alive language. In addition, Arabic carries rich folklore and culture! Have you ever listened to oriental and belly-dancing music? I wish I knew some Arabic so that I would understand the lyrics. That’s something you can do
I have a great question. So, I am pretty fluent in Portuguese but not so much in Arabic. I have been using Portuguese to study Arabic and it’s been quite challenging but now after a few months I have become accustomed to it since my first language is English. My question is… I have heard that there are many Lebanese who live in Brasil or go between Lebanon and Brasil. Some of them speak English and some do not. How can I find these people?
You may want to check out the Arabic resources at LingQ, in MSA, Levantine and Egyptian, especially the mini-stories. Most of the content, audio and text, is available for free download, although the site is fee based for full access to all functionality and all 37 languages.
(I was still very happy to see that I could read through some parts already!)
It would be really interesting though, I always find comparison videos of Arabic speakers from different countries very entertaining!