# learning Arabic in Abu Dhabi



## dzey

anyone attending Arabic classes in Abu Dhabi? or having any private tutor?
i've seen some ads on dubizzle but i'd prefer someone verified


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## norampin

Im subscribing to this . I too would be interested.


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## zulu52

If you live in AD there is a great institute in Alkalidiah called mother tongue its for non arabs who like to learn arabic also you can always search for someone that wants to learn english in exchange he will teach you arabic


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## dzey

one thing that i've found re learning arabic is that different schools learn different dialects - so it's not much point in learning the 'classic' arabic as it's not spoken in reality by anyone.. so either gulf dialect, or lebanon-area dialect (it has it's own name - i dont remember it now)

so anyone with recommendations here for schools or tutors?


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## Andy17

due to come out in August and will have time to spare so though I've never had much luck learning languages it seems like a good idea to try as it might help with local shopping ect. I will be interested in what you find


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## Linken

Hello,

Did anyone here try one of the teaching courses mentioned? I have just moved here from the UK and I would really like to learn arabic.


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## norampin

Me too, 
I have been here two weeks now and very keen!


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## dzey

I've tried few schools but apparently they only offer teaching Arabic but they don't organize any courses if you ask about it..
NADIA however recently launched a promotion on groupon for 999AED (40 hours) so I'm quite interested how is it - anyone tried this school?
I personally have found a teacher on dubizzle - good rates and he is flexible with days/times


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## rsinner

Try searching for ETon Institute. I have no idea about the quality of the institute in Abu Dhabi, but my wife used them in Dubai and they were pretty good (though by no means cheap)


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## haval

hi 
I was a teacher of Arabic language before and now iam a translator based in Alain,
my recommendation for all of you is that you need to find the right location for the Arabic study , don't trust all the ads about teaching the Arabic , study the dialect of the uae , and study reading and writing alphabets , words and sentences in Arabic , try to find cds , listen to them in your free times , at home , or in the car , gather together speak it in the presence of somebody to control willing to help if I have time.
good luck


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## Guest

I would also suggest Eton institute. 
Friendly stuff, nice atmosphere, they also do free cultural evenings.
They offer different options by the way, group classes, private, semi-private, conversation only. Chek it - eton.ac. good luck!


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## Jumeirah Jim

I studied at Mother Tongue and would recommend it if you can commit to 2-3 lessons per week each lasting 2 hrs. The teachers are mainly Syrian and have masters degrees in Arabic. My Arabic speaking friends were really impressed with the quality of the Arabic they taught. 

My problem was that I didn't have enough free time between classes to practice. If you do have more time however 2-3 lessons a week is certainly the way to learn as you don't forget between lessons in the way you forget with weekly classes. 

I disagree with the comment about learning local dialect (Khaleeji) Arabic. Much better to learn standard Arabic spoken somewhere like Syria or Jordan which every Arabic speaker should understand. Much like speaking English with a clear BBC type accent. Learning local dialect would mean you knowing a weird version of Arabic, like say Glaswegian or Scouse English, which is very hard for outsiders to understand. You will pick up the local UAE slang words easily enough without lessons once you learn proper Arabic.


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## busybee2

dzey said:


> anyone attending Arabic classes in Abu Dhabi? or having any private tutor?
> i've seen some ads on dubizzle but i'd prefer someone verified


be aware that to private tutor you still need the relevant visa to work


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