Arabic · Dialect course
Gulf arabic lessons online for the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar
Most expatriates in the Gulf get by in English for years and then find the door that language does not open. Khaleeji is the dialect that opens it.
- Around 36 million speakers
- United Arab Emirates
- Saudi Arabia
- Kuwait
- Qatar
- Bahrain
- Oman
Who this is for
Is this the right course for you?
Professionals relocating to or already living in the Gulf, and anyone whose work, in-laws or clients are on the Arabian Peninsula.
What you cover
What the lessons cover
- Khaleeji pronunciation, including the ch and y shifts that mark the dialect
- Everyday conversation: majlis etiquette, hospitality, directions, shopping
- Workplace and client language for a Gulf office
- The vocabulary that separates Gulf Arabic from Egyptian and Levantine
- Understanding Khaleeji drama and Gulf social media
- The Arabic script, from scratch if you need it
Gulf Arabic — khaleeji — is spoken across the Arabian Peninsula. It has fewer learners than Egyptian or Levantine and, for anyone actually living in the region, a much higher practical return, because it is what your neighbours, your colleagues and your in-laws speak.
The expatriate problem
The Gulf runs a great deal of its professional life in English, which makes it possible to spend a decade in Dubai without learning any Arabic. It also makes it easy to remain outside every conversation that matters. Learners consistently report that a modest amount of Khaleeji changes their standing far more than the equivalent effort in most other languages would.
Which country, specifically
Emirati, Kuwaiti, Qatari, Bahraini, Najdi and Hijazi are all recognisably the same dialect group and all sound different from each other. We ask which country you are in before matching a tutor, because a Riyadh accent in Abu Dhabi is perfectly intelligible and immediately noticeable.
Gulf Arabic questions, answered properly
Is Gulf Arabic worth learning if everyone speaks English?
English will get you through a working day in Dubai or Doha indefinitely. It will not get you into the conversation that happens after the meeting, and it marks you permanently as a visitor. Learners usually report that the first hundred words of Khaleeji change how they are treated more than the next thousand do.
How different is Gulf Arabic from Egyptian?
Noticeably. Pronunciation differs — the kaf often becomes a ch sound, the jim becomes a y in some areas — and a good deal of everyday vocabulary is distinct. Gulf speakers understand Egyptian easily because of television, but the reverse is less reliable. If you are living in the Gulf, learn Gulf.
Is Saudi Arabic the same as Emirati?
They belong to the same dialect group and are mutually intelligible, with real regional variation inside it — Hijazi Arabic in Jeddah and Mecca differs from Najdi in Riyadh, and both differ from Emirati and Kuwaiti. Tell us which country you are in and we will match the tutor to it rather than teaching a generic average.
Related courses
Other Arabic courses
Modern Standard Arabic
People who need Arabic on the page rather than in the street — students, researchers, journalists, and anyone preparing for formal study or professional work in the region.
Egyptian Arabic
Learners who want a spoken dialect that will be understood from Morocco to the Gulf, and anyone living in, working in or connected to Egypt.
Levantine Arabic
Aid and development workers, journalists, researchers, and people with Syrian, Lebanese, Jordanian or Palestinian family connections.
Moroccan Darija
People moving to or working in Morocco, those with Moroccan family, and learners who have tried a general Arabic course and found it did not match what they heard on the ground.
online arabic tutor — every level and every course we teach in Arabic.
Start with a free Arabic trial lesson
You meet the tutor, they work out where you actually are, and you both decide whether to carry on. If we are not the right fit, we will say so.