Does Duolingo teach Arabic dialects?
As of November 2026, Duolingo's Arabic course teaches Modern Standard Arabic rather than spoken dialects such as Moroccan, Egyptian or Lebanese. It is a reasonable free way to start the alphabet and basic vocabulary, but it will not teach you how people talk at home.
Where Duolingo is genuinely good
- It is free to start and very easy to keep up as a habit.
- It helps with the Arabic script and first vocabulary.
Where it falls short for speaking
Standard Arabic is not what you will hear in a shop in Casablanca or at a family dinner in Beirut. Here is the same question in spoken dialects:
| Dialect | Say it | Arabic |
|---|---|---|
| ๐ฒ๐ฆ Moroccan Arabic | shno smitk | ุดูู ุณู ูุชูุ |
| ๐ฉ๐ฟ Algerian Arabic | wash ismak | ูุงุด ุงุณู ู |
| ๐น๐ณ Tunisian Arabic | chneya ismk | ุดููุฉ ุฅุณู ู |
| ๐ฑ๐พ Libyan Arabic | shin smak | ุดู ุณู ุงูุ |
| ๐ช๐ฌ Egyptian Arabic | ismak eh | ุงุณู ู ุงููุ |
| ๐ฑ๐ง Lebanese Arabic | shu ismak | ุดู ุงุณู ูุ |
| ๐ฏ๐ด Jordanian Arabic | shu ismak | ุดู ุงุณู ูุ |
| ๐ธ๐ฆ Saudi Arabic | esh ismak | ุฅุด ุงุณู ูุ |
| ๐ฆ๐ช Emirati Arabic | shลซ ismak | ุดู ุงุณู ูุ |
| ๐ฎ๐ถ Iraqi Arabic | shismak | ุดุณู ู |
If you want a dialect instead
Pick a course built for your dialect. We list the options, including ones other than Lahja, in the guides below.
Common questions
- Is Duolingo enough to speak Arabic?
- Not for everyday conversation in a particular country, because it teaches the formal standard rather than a spoken dialect.