Arabic speakers use one standard form, Modern Standard Arabic, for news, books, and formal speech, and a local dialect for everyday talk. Choose which one you want to say out loud before you choose an app, because courses and tutors are listed by the kind of Arabic they teach. After that, decide how you want to practice: repeat after audio, talk with a partner, or book a tutor who corrects you. For all the ways to learn Arabic, see our Arabic apps comparison, and for reading and listening, see our Arabic comprehensible input comparison.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Arabic. You learn from Arabic you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Modern Standard Arabic lessons. If a sentence is hard to follow, ask Poppy to explain it.
With Regenerative Review™, words you save show up again in new lessons, so that you can review words in new contexts without having to use flashcards.
You can also learn Egyptian Arabic or Moroccan Arabic in Bubblegum.
- The Arabic Alphabet course teaches the letters from the first one, so you can read what you want to say.
- Ask Poppy to explain a sentence, or to roleplay a conversation.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved Arabic words back in new lessons, and you can export them to Anki.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Learn every letter in the free Arabic Alphabet course, with a picture to help you remember each one.
- Bubblegum focuses on reading and listening more than speaking, so use a tutor or a partner for speaking practice.
- Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read.
- Regenerative Review™
- Teaches the Arabic Alphabet
Mobile
Pimsleur
Pimsleur's Arabic lessons are audio only. You hear a prompt, say your answer out loud, and then hear the model answer to compare with.
- Modern Standard Arabic has its own course, and Egyptian and Eastern Arabic have separate courses.
- The Modern Standard Arabic course starts with a 7-day free trial.
MobileWeb
Kaleela
Kaleela has separate Saudi, Iraqi, Syrian, Egyptian and Modern Standard Arabic courses, and one combined course for Jordanian and Palestinian Arabic. It fits learners who know where they will use their Arabic.
- Course choices for Saudi, Iraqi, Syrian, Egyptian, Jordanian and Palestinian Arabic, and Modern Standard Arabic.
- The site lists pronunciation exercises among its lessons.
- Teaches the Arabic Alphabet
Mobile
italki
italki lets you book a one-to-one Arabic lesson with a teacher. Teacher profiles list the kinds of Arabic they teach, so confirm with your teacher before you book.
- Tutors teach Modern Standard Arabic and dialects such as Levantine.
- Each teacher decides how and when to correct you.
MobileWeb
Preply
Preply has Arabic tutors for beginners and advanced learners. Message a few tutors, and pick the one whose Arabic matches yours.
- Filter Arabic tutors by dialect, country, and specialty.
- Tutors teach Modern Standard Arabic, dialects, Qur'anic Arabic, and exam preparation.
MobileWeb
HelloTalk
HelloTalk is a language-exchange app: an Arabic speaker helps you with Arabic, and you help them with your language. Basic use is free, and the VIP plan adds more.
- Talk with Arabic speakers by text, voice messages, calls, and voice rooms.
- Partners can correct your messages and translate for you.
MobileWeb
Tandem
Tandem works like HelloTalk but is built around finding one regular partner. It has a free basic app and a Pro plan, and a language party lets you meet several people at once.
- Find Arabic partners in cities such as Cairo, Riyadh, Damascus, and Fez.
- Practice with text, voice notes, audio calls, and video calls.
- Partners are not teachers, so agree on which Arabic to practice and how to split the time.
MobileWeb
Other Apps We Looked At (2)
Each number is how many languages the app's US iPhone App Store listing shows, and Bubblegum's number is the languages you can use its menus in. Lessons and explanations may be offered in fewer.
| App | How You Practice | Who Gives Feedback | Languages You Can Use It In | Full List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Ask Poppy questions or a roleplay about a lesson | Poppy | 76 | Full list
|
| Pimsleur | Answer prompts aloud | You, by comparing with the model answer | 3 | Full list |
| Kaleela | Dialect courses with pronunciation exercises | The app's pronunciation exercises | 1 | Full list |
| italki | Live lessons with a teacher | The teacher | 19 | Full list |
| Preply | Live lessons with a tutor | The tutor | 19 | Full list |
| HelloTalk | Text, voice, calls, and voice rooms | Your partner | 16 | Full list |
| Tandem | Text, voice notes, and calls | Your partner | 14 | Full list |
| Talkpal | Talk or write with an AI partner | The app | 51 | Full list |
| Mondly | Set dialogues and a chatbot | The app | 32 | Full list |
Which Arabic app should a beginner choose for speaking?
If you are serious about learning Arabic, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. To speak from the first week, add Pimsleur's Modern Standard Arabic course, which has a 7-day free trial. Then book a trial lesson with an italki or Preply tutor and tell them which Arabic you want to learn.
Should I practice Modern Standard Arabic or a dialect?
Modern Standard Arabic is used in news, books and formal speech across Arabic-speaking countries. A dialect is what people speak at home, and it changes from country to country. If you plan to talk with friends or family, pick their dialect, and use our Arabic comparison to find a course for it.
Can I practice Arabic speaking for free?
HelloTalk and Tandem have free basic exchanges with Arabic speakers, and Talkpal has free basic access. italki charges for each lesson, and Preply starts with a paid trial lesson and then bills a recurring tutor subscription.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read. Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Pimsleur: Modern Standard Arabic course
- Kaleela: features and access
- Kaleela: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- italki: Arabic teachers
- italki: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Preply: Arabic tutors
- Preply: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- HelloTalk: Arabic
- HelloTalk: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Tandem: supported languages
- Tandem: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Talkpal: Arabic
- Talkpal: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Mondly: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Duolingo: What are Arabic dialects, and what are the differences between them?
- Bubblegum
- italki
- Tandem
