- What is Lahja?
- Lahja is a language learning app for spoken Arabic dialects. It teaches 11 dialects as separate courses instead of Modern Standard Arabic, using short lessons and recordings of native speakers.
- Which Arabic dialect should I learn?
- Learn the one spoken by the people you want to talk to. For family, choose your family’s dialect. For travel, choose the country you are visiting. If you have no particular connection, Egyptian is the most widely understood.
- Is Modern Standard Arabic the same as a dialect?
- No. Modern Standard Arabic is the formal written language used in news and books. Nobody speaks it at home. Dialects are what people use in daily life, and they differ a lot from one country to another.
- Is Lahja free?
- Sections 1 to 3 of every dialect are free and stay free. Lahja Pro unlocks every section, practice round and test, plus unlimited hearts, for $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial.
- Do I need to read Arabic to use Lahja?
- No. Every word is shown in Arabic script and in Latin letters with its English meaning, so you can start speaking before you learn the alphabet.
- Who records the audio?
- Native speakers from each country. Recording is ongoing, and each dialect guide on this site shows how many of its words have native audio so far.
- Where can I use Lahja?
- Lahja is available on iPhone from the App Store, and most courses can also be used in a web browser at learnlahjaapp.com.
- What does a number like 3 or 7 mean in the spelling?
- Arabic has sounds English does not, so learners and native speakers often write them with numbers. 3 is the letter ayn, 7 is a breathy h, 2 is a glottal stop, 5 is kh and 9 is qaf.