• Why is it better to learn spoken dialects rather than MSA?

  Most Arabic courses, books and websites teach Modern Standard Arabic as a spoken language. Usually, these products are marketed to promote the idea that MSA will enable you to freely communicate anywhere in the Arab world. This is false. Nobody anywhere speaks MSA as a native language. Most Arabs will understand you if you speak MSA but you almost certainly will not understand them when they speak. Many students make the mistake of studying MSA for years, and then when they travel to theFew readers

• How to choose a dialect to learn

  You should choose the Arabic variety of the country and people you're most interested in. It doesn't make much sense learning a dialect because you've heard it's the most widely spoken, when you're more interested in a different one. Motivation is key. If you're not serious about the dialect from day one then you probably won't succeed in the long run. That being said, as a very general overview: Egyptian is the most widely understood (due to media). Followed closely by the LevantinFew readers

• Does TalkInArabic.com use standardized spelling?

  Not exactly. Modern Standard Arabic is the standard system of writing across the Arab world. Because of this, native speakers don't usually write their spoken dialect in Arabic and this leads to a lot of variations in the way people spell things. You might find some slight inconsistency in different lessons written by different teachers. This is true of the Arabic and the transliteration. Transcripts are provided by the native Arabic speakers themselves and they're only there as a guide to hFew readers

• Why no Qatari, Kuwaiti, Omani or Emirati (UAE) dialects?

  Unfortunately, at this time we are unable to provide Qatari, Kuwaiti, Omani or UAE dialects. These dialects are in increasingly high demand and requested often at TalkInArabic.com, so they are on our agenda to include. For now, we recommend choosing a geographically close variety instead (e.g. Saudi or Iraqi).Few readers

• Which Saudi variety is used in the Saudi content?

  We use a mix of Najdi and Hijazi content that depends on teacher availability.Few readers

• Where is the Levantine Arabic content sourced from?

  At present, the majority of our Levantine material comes from Jordan. That being said, we do aim for a good mix of Palestinian, Lebanese, Jordanian and Syrian where possible but this depends on teacher availability.Few readers

• How literal are TalkInArabic.com's translations?

  The most important instruction given to every native speaker who contributes to TalkInArabic.com is this: Say it exactly as you would naturally say it to your friends and family. This means that for many recorded expressions, even though there may be a literal translation, there are actually far more natural ways to say it which you won't find in any textbook. TalkInArabic.com is therefore not only the largest source of dialect material but also a source of the most natural dialect materiFew readers

• How often is new lesson content added?

  TalkInArabic.com's lesson content is constantly growing and expanding. We aim to add new - or improve existing - content each week. Frequency of updates is dependent on teacher availability.Few readers