Learn Arabic, one letter at a time.
Short lessons on a winding path: a new word, one rule, a real sentence, then practice until it sticks. Flashcards bring words back before you forget them, and a tutor is there when you’re stuck.
The first lesson starts with a whole sentence: هَـٰذَا بَيْتٌ, “this is a house.” Arabic doesn’t need a word for “is”.
Try the first lesson
This is lesson 1 from the app, running right here. It has 14 steps; the preview plays 5 of them. Each lesson works the same way: learn a word, see the rule, read it in a sentence, then answer.
- Learn a new wordبَيْتٌ
- The ruleArabic has no 'is'
- See it in contextهَـٰذَا قَلَمٌ
- Choose the answerWhich means "What is this?"
- Fill the gapThis is ___.
Learn a new word
Words come back just before you’d forget them
Tap a card to see what it means, then say how well you knew it. Again brings it back in under a minute. Easy puts it away for four days.
Flashcards leave off the short-vowel marks, so you learn to read words the way they’re usually printed.
Tap the card to see what it means.
Learn one root, and a whole family of words opens up
Most Arabic words grow from three letters. ك ت ب carries the idea of writing, so a book, a writer and a library all share it.
The roots map puts every word you meet next to its relatives, and marks the ones you’ve mastered.
- كتابkitāba book
- كتبkatabahe wrote
- كاتبkātiba writer
- مكتبmaktaba desk, an office
- مكتبةmaktabaa library
- Mastered
- Learning
- New
Keep a streak, climb a tier
Every lesson earns XP. Each week you’re ranked with other learners in your tier, and there are seven tiers to climb. Learn a little every day to keep your streak going.
Stuck? Ask your tutor.
Grammar, vocabulary, roots, pronunciation: ask anything, in English. The tutor is one tap away on the ع button, in every screen of the app.
The replies here are examples. In the app, the tutor answers what you ask.
ك-ت-ب carries the idea of writing. Change the pattern around it and you get a family of words:
- كَتَبَ kataba · he wrote
- كِتَابٌ kitāb · a book
- كَاتِبٌ kātib · a writer
- مَكْتَبَةٌ maktaba · a library
Start with Unit 1
Four lessons that take you from your first sentence to saying where things are. Each has 3 steps to learn and 11 to practice.
- هَـٰذَاLESSON 1
This is…
Your first Arabic sentence — no 'is' needed.
8 kinds of practice
- ذَلِكَLESSON 2
That is…
Point to far things — 'that' vs 'this'.
9 kinds of practice
- الْLESSON 3
The (al-)
Add الْ to make a word definite — 'a book' becomes 'the book'.
7 kinds of practice
- حُرُوفُLESSON 4
In, on, from, to
Four little prepositions that place things in space.
9 kinds of practice
Questions
Which Arabic does Arabilee teach?
Modern Standard Arabic (fuṣḥā), the Arabic of books, news and formal speech. Lessons are fully vowelled, so you can read every word aloud from the start.
Do I need to know the alphabet first?
No. Lesson 1 starts with a two-word sentence, هَـٰذَا بَيْتٌ, and every new word comes with its transliteration and meaning. Tracing exercises teach you to write the letters as you go.
What are the small marks above and below the letters?
They’re tashkīl, the short vowels. Lessons show them on every word. Flashcards and word lists leave them off, so you also learn to read Arabic the way it’s usually printed: كتاب rather than كِتَابٌ.
How do flashcards decide what comes back?
After you flip a card, you rate it. Again shows it again in under a minute, Hard in 6 minutes, Good tomorrow and Easy in 4 days.
What can I ask the tutor?
Anything about Arabic: grammar, vocabulary, roots or pronunciation. It’s one tap away on the ع button in the tab bar.
Coming soon to iPhone and Android
Your first sentence is two words away. Start with lesson 1 and keep going, one letter at a time.