Arabic dialects / Tunisian Arabic
🇹🇳 Learn Tunisian Arabic
Tunisian Arabic, or Tounsi, is the spoken language of Tunisia. It belongs to the Maghrebi family and carries the mark of the many cultures that have passed through the country.
What makes Tunisian Arabic distinct
- Layers of Tamazight, Italian, French and Turkish sit in its vocabulary.
- It shares its structure with Algerian and Moroccan, but its greetings and everyday words are its own, such as 3aslema for hello.
- Few courses exist for it, so most learners only ever find Standard Arabic materials.
Essential Tunisian Arabic phrases
These come straight from the first sections of Lahja’s Tunisian Arabic course.
| English | Say it | Arabic |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | 3aslema | عسلامة |
| How are you? | chneya a7welk | شنو هي أحوالك |
| What's your name? | chneya ismk | شنية إسمك |
| Thank you | 3aychek | عيشك |
| Please | aman | أمان |
| I love you | n7bk | نحبك |
| Let's go | haya nmchiw | هيا نمشيو |
| Delicious | bnin | بنين |
In the spelling, 3 is the letter ayn, 7 is a breathy h, 2 is a glottal stop, 5 is kh and 9 is qaf.
Lahja’s Tunisian Arabic course
- 70 words and phrases across 9 sections
- Every word has a recording by a native speaker
- Short lessons, practice rounds and a test for each section
- Sections 1 to 3 are free. Pro is $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial
Best for: Tunisian heritage speakers, visitors to Tunisia, and partners of Tunisians.
Questions about learning Tunisian Arabic
- Is Tunisian Arabic different from Modern Standard Arabic?
- Yes. Tunisian Arabic is the spoken language of Tunisia, with its own pronunciation, grammar and everyday words. Modern Standard Arabic is the formal written language, so learning it alone will not prepare you for ordinary conversation in Tunisia.
- How do I start learning Tunisian Arabic?
- Start with greetings and everyday phrases you can use straight away, and listen to native speakers as often as you can. Lahja’s Tunisian Arabic course has 70 words and phrases across 9 sections, in five minute lessons.
- Is the Tunisian Arabic course free?
- Sections 1 to 3 are free and stay free. Lahja Pro unlocks the rest for $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial.
- Does the course use native Tunisian Arabic speakers?
- Yes. All 70 words in this course have recordings by native speakers.
Other dialects
Lahja teaches 11 dialects in all, including: