Your 5,000 Word Guide to Self-learning Egyptian Arabic as Fast as Possible

I know the feeling.

You want to learn Egyptian Arabic, but don’t want to pay a ton of money to do it.

You’re tired of Egyptians automatically switching to English, but your skill in their language
isn’t good enough to stop them.

You want to fully immerse yourself in Egyptian culture, but you know that your level in Arabic
is hurting your chances.

Maybe you just want to travel to Cairo and get around like a local, but you don’t have the time to
enroll in a language class.

Whether you are living in Egypt, plan to visit in the future, or just have an interest in the country,
the story is always the same: you want to learn Egyptian Arabic, but you don’t know where to
start.

With this guide, Cleo Lingo hopes to change that.

…..

Arabic is hard.

And especially with a dialect of the language, finding resources can be a pain. It’s not like
Spanish or French that have a million books and websites to use. With Egyptian Arabic, you
really have to go searching.

This is a comprehensive resource that will help you to learn Egyptian Arabic quickly, cheaply,
and most importantly, effectively. It is split into the four main categories of language
comprehension: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. In each category you will find
numerous tips, resources to check out, and overall advice for mastering the skill on your own
schedule.

Make no mistake: self-learning takes time. Learning Egyptian Arabic (as cliché as it sounds)
doesn’t happen overnight. It also takes dedication. You have to be committed to not just a couple
minutes per week of learning, but make it part of your daily routine. This is the only way to learn
Egyptian Arabic as fast as possible.

It should be noted that when we say “self-learning,” we don’t mean turning into a hermit.

The purpose of learning a language is always interaction with the culture, whether that is
conversation, music, or otherwise. We want to enable you to learn Egyptian Arabic as effectively
as possible, and to not have to break your bank doing it. It is an amazing language, and we
guarantee that dedicated and consistent use of the resources within will help you to learn it.
 Listening
Listening is typically the most difficult skill to master, but also arguably the most
important. That’s why we cover it first. Beef up your listening skills, and you are well on
your way to speaking better, building your vocabulary, and overall kicking butt at
Egyptian Arabic.

We recommend that when you practice listening, you do it seriously with a pen and paper.
Take notes on what you hear, write down new sounds, and repeat sentences that you don’t
understand. Really pay attention to the information going into your ear. Twenty minutes of
active listening will always beat an entire day of passively “playing the language in the
background.”

LisaanMasry (http://eu.lisaanmasry.com/intro_en/index.html)

This might just be your most valuable resource out there for learning Egyptian Arabic. It is an
online dictionary for Egyptian Arabic with pretty much all of the “need to know” words and
phrases, as well as a fair amount of the slang. Because a lot of the listening resources we
recommend don’t have subtitles, LisaanMasry is your best friend. You can write down the
sounds and words you hear, and then research them with the dictionary to see what they mean.
This rapidly builds up your comprehension of show dialogue, increasing your vocab and “useful
phrase” list surprisingly quick. This online dictionary also has over 1,000 example sentences.
And everything is read by native speakers, so you can hear how things are actually said.
Wonderful!

"CBC Egypt" on Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/user/CBCEgypt)

This is an absolute TREASURE TROVE of good listening resources. This of course assumes
your level gets to the point where you understand at least a little bit, as there are rarely English
subtitles. However, I find slowing down the speed to 50 percent helps (bottom right “settings”
button for most Youtube videos). I call this the “slow down and repeat” method, and when paired
with LisaanMasry (above) and basic knowledge of the alphabet, it really works. Go explore CBC
Egypt and see what kind of things appeal to you. A ton of Egyptian shows are at your fingertips.

SNL Bel Arabee / SNL in Arabic

(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfFM0Sp1L1XILd49XkBBTnw)

This show might be my favorite thing I have ever used to learn Egyptian. It’s exactly what it
sounds like: Saturday Night Live, but based out of Cairo and presented in Egyptian Arabic
instead of English. It’s also formatted in much the same way: it has a “guest host” each episode
(usually a “who’s who” of Middle Eastern celebrities), and the show is split up into numerous
five-ten minute sketches.

This is a great show to learn Egyptian as it’s actually spoken. Expect to get solid exposure to the
more formal/uniform usage of the dialect, as well as a ton of slang/idioms/jokes. Additionally,
it’s amazing for learning things about Egyptian culture. Most of the sketches are done in a
Cairo/Egypt setting, and this gives you a unique opportunity to view the country as seen through
Egyptian eyes. No amount of textbook reading can give you this. All in all, SNL in Arabic is one
of those resources that are worth their weight in gold. It might be a bit too fast at first, but with
the whole “slow down and repeat” method, this quickly becomes less of an issue.

Egyptoon (https://www.youtube.com/user/Egyptoon)

This one isn’t for the faint of heart. It is a channel on Youtube that makes cartoons for
adults….and it’s absolutely hilarious. If you are like me and have a dark, messed up sense of
humor, you might just binge watch this show for hours. However, even if it’s not your cup of tea,
Egyptoon is something that you will find easy to learn from. The language is slow and the
episodes are usually simple enough to understand a bit without advanced fluency. As an added
bonus, they deal quiet often with random cultural topics. Not only will you be learning Egyptian
Arabic, but you will also learn all about a new country.

Easy Arabic (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqcBu0YyEJH4vfKR--97cng)

This is a really cool Youtube series that is part of the larger “Easy Languages” video project. The
format of this show is about as “real” as you can get: the hosts walk up to Egyptians (usually in
Cairo) and ask them questions. You see the Arabic script on the screen, as well as English
translations. This is a good series to binge-watch, take notes, and turn into vocabulary cards. This
is exactly what I did, and it improved my vocabulary quite rapidly. It has a bunch of episodes (all
with English subtitles), but the series seems to have been discontinued.

El Bernameg (https://www.youtube.com/user/albernameg)

A show that you just have to know about. If you are even slightly interested in Egyptian culture
or politics, there is a good chance you have heard of Bassem Youssef before. A formally-trained
doctor, Youssef became one of the most popular talk show hosts in revolutionary Egypt for his
hard-hitting, “no bullshit” style. Unfortunately, this is the exact same reason he is no longer on
air. The government didn’t take too kindly to his “anti-government” style, and Youssef ended up
fleeing Cairo and taking a job teaching at Harvard. However, there is a ton of his content still on
Youtube, and most of the episodes you can find with English subtitles

Fair warning: this show is advanced. The episodes are almost exclusively about difficult topics
(politics, current events, economic policy) and Youssef’s speaking style is fast, explosive, and
witty. Quite difficult. You’ll get to the level with enough practice, but this is not the best show
when you are just starting out. In any case, Youssef’s show is immensely valuable for its insight
into the Egyptian revolutions alone. The host doesn’t mince words. If you want to know how a
lot of “common” Egyptian citizens think about the government, free of propaganda, you can’t go
wrong with El Bernameg.

El Setat Mawyawurufoosh Yekdeboo / The Women Don’t Know How to Lie

(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRukeVa-CYD4A4R1XvgAb_w)
This is essentially a talk show geared towards a female audience. It’s a bit cliché (mostly female
listeners call in to discuss the problems they have with their husbands) but I found this show to
be great for steadily building my listening comprehension. No shame. The topics are usually
quite simple and the format of the show lends itself to a slower speaking speed. In addition,
because this talk show is all about opinion and discussion, you learn quite quickly how to
naturally express your thoughts in Egyptian Arabic. A good skill to have in any language.

Ramadan series in general

If you don’t yet know about the famous “Ramadan series,” you soon will. These are essentially
soap operas that happen during Ramadan and give viewers one episode per day of the holy
month (29 or 30 episodes in total). While these don’t have subtitles, you might be surprised how
much you understand. The shows aren’t meant to be mentally stimulating (are soap operas ever?)
and the language used is usually quite simple. You also get to learn a lot about Egyptian culture,
and certain Ramadan series really are good television for its own sake. Seriously, just Google
“Egyptian Ramadan series.” Two of my favorites:

 Bent Esmaha Zat / A Girl Named Zat (https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=vWgfXNixDoc&t=20s)
A sprawling account of the last 60 years of Egyptian history, all told from the perspective
of the main character Zat. If you want to learn about Egypt and how it’s changed over the
last half-century, massively improve your command of Egyptian Arabic, and be
entertained while doing do, this is a great choice.

 Taht El Saytara / Under Control (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=143NM-

2750g&list=PLk7aOjrbxuorIrPS9MXGUBBBXYeLYRc1d)
Drugs, drugs, and more drugs. This one is intense, and Egyptians will love you for
knowing it. Things are most definitely not under control. I’ll say no more…

Ted Talks from Egypt (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrbJ-gHp_eeDsPhMb5q4YmA)

A resource with consistent English subtitles. You probably already know all about Ted Talks, but
in case you don’t, they are 15-minute speeches about pretty much anything you can imagine.
TED is one of the world’s best platforms for “ideas worth spreading,” and you will find a ton in
Egyptian Arabic with a simple Youtube search (TEDx Cairo). Be sure to take notes so you are
able to implement 15 minutes worth of speaking into vocab cards. Repeat as many times as
necessary. You might learn something interesting along the way, as well.

ArabicPod101 (https://www.arabicpod101.com)

Full disclosure: I have never myself used this podcast. Innovative Languages (the parent
company) is responsible for over 20 similar podcasts in a variety of languages, and they typically
receive great feedback. I use GermanPod101, and it’s an awesome resource all-around. Then
again, I have heard mixed reviews regarding ArabicPod101 (mixing different Arabic dialects
without making it clear), so take this recommendation with a grain of salt. Check it out (they
have a 60 day “money back” guarantee) and see what you think. Worst case scenario, it could
still be a great way to gather some more words with their popular vocabulary lists for each
episode.

Music
Music is always mentioned as a great way to learn a new language. I’m not so convinced. Words
sung are a bit more difficult to understand than words spoken, and lyrics are not always “natural”
enough to be used in everyday conversation. That being said, when done right (think “look up
the lyrics and memorize the translation”) music can be an effective (and fun) way to practice.
Take an afternoon with your computer and see what you can find. Here are a few Egyptian bands
popular enough to have lyrics and translations online

 Cairokee: My personal favorite. And that drop on the song “Dinosaur.” Lordy lordy. 

 Sharmoofers: A bit funnier, with lyrics that are a bit more difficult to understand.

 Sherine: Potentially Egypt’s most famous female singer.

 Amr Diab: One of Egypt’s most famous male singers.

 Tamer Hosny: Like Amr Diab (Egyptians will hate me for saying that), but a bit more
popular outside of Egypt. Apparently he also collaborated with Snoop Dog, so that’s
cool.

Speaking
Speaking: the best way to connect with people of a different country, and the quickest
method to impress your friends with your newfound language skills. We will be honest with
you: Arabic is difficult. It’s not like other “romance” languages where you already know a
bunch of the words. Learning to speak Egyptian Arabic takes time and effort, and your
mouth has to learn how to make different sounds.

Still, with enough time, Egyptian Arabic becomes less and less perplexing. Improving your
ability to speak with Egyptians is all about practice. No surprise there. Here are some
resources to make it a bit easier, and much quicker. Be sure to be taking notes as often as
you can….and get over yourself. You are supposed to sound dumb at first.

iTalki (https://www.italki.com/home)

Maybe you have heard of this website. Some people consider iTalki to be the most valuable
language learning resource on the web today. That might just be true. It’s basically a site
dedicated to putting you in touch with people that can teach you the language you want to learn.
You either do a free language exchange with them on Skype (if they are interested in learning a
language from you), or you pay. You will pay for either Formal Teachers or Community Tutors.
Formal Teachers: Certified teachers that are either professional language instructors or have a
fair amount of experience doing it on the side. These are the people you think of when you think
of “teachers.”

Community Tutors: These are native speakers (or native-like speakers) that are a bit more
“informal” than certified teachers. They are also cheaper. Tutors are probably just as good as the
teachers, but have less experience in the formal classroom setting.

From my experience, there isn’t that big of a difference between “Formal Teachers” and
“Community Tutors,” especially when you are somewhere between absolute beginner and
intermediate. What you really need is a native speaker that fits the way you learn and makes you
comfortable practicing the language in a natural setting. Both the teacher and the tutor can do
this.

One of the wonderful things about Egypt is that it’s so freaking cheap. This is equally applicable
to teachers on iTalki. A professional teacher will set you back as little as eight dollars/hour,
while a solid community tutor can be found for as little as four dollars/hour. I can’t emphasize
enough how worth your money iTalki is. An hour of personalized language instruction with a
native speaker is worth upwards of 50 dollars; get it for five bucks, and you could afford to take
a class every day. If you are serious about speaking Egyptian Arabic as fast as possible,
conversation practice with an Egyptian is without a doubt the best way to spend your money.

Tandem app (https://www.tandem.net)

This is a mobile app that puts you in contact with people around the world looking for
conversation partners. You can use the app itself to video or voice chat, or message each other
with Skype/Whatsapp details so you can practice on different platforms. You list on your profile
which languages you are able to speak, as well as which languages you are learning. The app
matches you with people who are your “opposite” (speak your target language and are learning a
language that you can already speak), and you take it from there.

I myself have had mixed results using the Tandem app. Most users seem to be not very active /
serious about using it, and a good 50 percent of the people I have messaged don’t even message
back. I’ve used it for Egyptian as well as German, and the results have been generally the same.
However, even one great conversation partner that is willing to trade languages once a week is
worth 100 unanswered messages. All you really need is a few good, consistent native speakers to
catapult your skills. Give this one a try.

AnkiDroid app for vocabulary (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?

id=com.ichi2.anki&hl=en)

Oh, the joys of technology. This is, hands down, the best app out there for vocabulary review.
It’s also free. Usually, I’m somebody that recommends a pen and paper, and physically writing
things down. For this app, though, the main advantage over paper is the “spaced repetition”
system that it implements. When reviewing a card, you can choose between a variety of options
that correspond to how “easy” that card was for you. The easier it was, the longer the app will go
(sometimes weeks or months) before again showing the card to you. This ensures that you are
spending the majority of your vocab review time with only the cards that are giving you the most
trouble. It’s a great feeling getting the same ten cards on repeat, of course, but it’s not doing
anything good for your languages.

Input into the app whichever sentences or phrases are useful for you specifically. If you don’t
care about cats and you don’t plan on owning one anytime soon, phrases with the word “cat”
probably aren’t the best use of your time. If, however, you live in a Cairo apartment that is
overrun with cats, and you want to complain to your doorman how annoying they are, then “cat
phrases” may very well be worth your time. Just like anything, use your time wisely.

Pro tip: use phrases instead of single, solitary words. It’s not that efficient learning each word for
“I want to drink coffee” individually. Much better is just to learn the phrase straight from the
beginning. It might be slightly more difficult at first, but it will increase your speaking and
thinking rate in Egyptian Arabic far quicker.

Talk in Arabic (https://www.talkinarabic.com/)

While this website focuses on all Arabic dialects, and not just Egyptian, the main creator of it
(Donovan Nagel, also the man behind the popular Mezzofanti Guild blog) focuses especially on
Egyptian. He has spent numerous years, and done numerous language projects, in Egypt. This
guy knows what he’s talking about, and the content of the website shows it.

Native speakers take you through grammar explanations, discuss the meanings behind Arab
advertisements, and provide you with massive amounts of actionable vocabulary and sayings.
This is a highly-trusted site, and one of the only resources of its kind. It is also a nice little bonus
that you can compare and contrast between different dialects. Even with focusing on Egyptian,
an overview of similarities and differences can only be beneficial.

Watching shows

While the four skills of language acquisition often overlap, I am speaking here of a specific
method: repeating what you hear. This enables you to both actively watch a show as well as
practice your pronunciation. Watching shows this way somewhat mimics real life interaction (ok,
maybe you don’t go around repeating what other people say in real life), and it is good practice
for natural speech. Give it a try. It’s a much more “active” way to watch things.

Meet-ups

This is especially useful for learners of Egyptian Arabic who are currently in Cairo. Without a
doubt , one of the best thing for my spoken Arabic while I was living in Cairo were
Couchsurfing meet-ups. I was usually the only foreigner there, and by the first couple meetings I
had already made numerous friends who were more than happy to “exchange” languages with
me. Much more than any conversation behind a screen, sitting at a café smoking shisha
catapulted my command of Egyptian Arabic.
I remember being quite nervous the first time I went to a Couchsurfing meet-up. This was
September of 2015, and I had no idea what was going to happen. By the time I left Egypt in July
of 2018, I had been to countless meet-ups in Cairo and made some of the best friends of my life.
Meeting with people in person makes a language much more real. It can often be the perfect hit
of inspiration you need when feeling unmotivated. If you happen to be living in Egypt, or will be
moving there soon, take this idea of “meet-ups” (especially Couchsurfing meet-ups) seriously.

Making friends

We’ll round out this list with what may be the best thing ever for language learning: a social life.
Making friends that are native speakers of your target language is simply amazing. It gives you
insight into a different way of thinking and teaches you so much more than vocabulary cards
ever will. Slang, idioms, inside jokes….native speaker friends are a wealth of information, and
are usually glad to help.

Whether this means trying to be social in Cairo, or finding an “Arab culture club” in your area,
living, breathing people will always be the best teachers. Egyptians are hilarious anyway, and
you should consider yourself lucky if you are able to spend an afternoon with one.

Reading
Practicing reading is (a bit) complicated when it comes to dialects. Sure, there are easy-to-
find websites and textbooks that specialize in Fusha Arabic, and going to any newspaper
stand or bookstore in the Middle East will have you drowning in thousands of Fusha
options. But dialects (are you starting to see a pattern?) are less accessible. Even Egyptians
themselves often say that Egyptian Arabic isn’t a language so much as a variety of the
“real” Arabic.

Thankfully, there are resources out there. You’ve heard it before, but the best method for
improving your reading is improving your vocabulary. Get your hands on a good Egyptian
Arabic-English dictionary (think LisaanMasry), mark up whatever it is you are reading,
and put in the work. For each word you learn, reading will get progressively easier. With
that in mind, here are a few of our recommendations.

“Taxi” by Khaled Alkhamissi

This is the first book I ever attempted in Egyptian Arabic. I bought it at a bookstore two months
after I got to Cairo, and I understood about three words per page. It was too frustrating and I put
it in my closet. Two years later I opened it up again, and understood practically everything. I
must say: I wish I had stuck with it. This is a fantastic book for reading practice, of course. But
even more is the cultural insight you gain from it. This book is essentially just a bunch of
(fictional) conversations that the narrator has with taxi drivers about life in Egypt. It covers the
history of Egypt, typical married life in the country, and so much more.
This book in Arabic can be hard to find. The only listing on Amazon is the English version, but
maybe you will have more luck. Also a warning: “Taxi” is not exclusively in Egyptian Arabic.
Only the dialogue (70-80 percent of the book in total) is in Egyptian, while the actions, character
descriptions, etc. are written in Standard Arabic. This is standard practice. Still, if you work your
way through this one, you are going to come away with loads of vocabulary, as well as a solid
understanding of Egyptian grammar. Get a pen, underline what you don’t understand, and then
learn it. You’ll thank me later.

Kalimni ‘Arabi book series

Many serious students of Egyptian Arabic credit this book series as the most useful resource they
have studied. It is quite commonly used in schools that teach the dialect and is widely considered
the best series there is. There are five books in total, ranging from beginner all the way to
advanced. If you are serious about learning Egyptian Arabic, check these out. Each book has a
ton of dialogues and vocabulary lists, and if you stay committed to working your way through
each one, you will come away as an Egyptian Arabic guru. Make sure you get the accompanying
CD’s that come with the books, though. These are essential for practicing correct pronunciation
as well as listening comprehension.

Soor el-Azbakeya (https://cairobookstop.wordpress.com/find-a-book-in-cairo/soor-el-azbakeya/)

This recommendation is specifically for people in Cairo (or that will travel there). Soor el-
Azbakeya is Cairo’s largest book market, and certainly a sight to see. It is made up of hundreds
of book stalls, each with a book vendor selling new and (mostly) used books. This is always one
of my best recommendations I have for people visiting Cairo. It’s amazing to see giant stacks of
books in the middle of one Cairo’s busiest districts; the vendors smoking shisha while reading
newspapers only add to the vibe. This might be the best place in the world to find reading
material in Egyptian Arabic. The vendors will be happy to help you.

Facebook

I had to mention social media at least once. The fact is, technology today makes your excuses of
not learning a new language sound stupid. You can hop online, and in five minutes be reading
posts and comments by Egyptian native speakers. This method is great for both reading and
writing, as it gives you massive exposure to “real life material” (as do every one of these
resources). I’m speaking specifically of Facebook, but consider the internet in general your
playground of language learning. Find native speakers, and engage them in conversation. Your
learning will accelerate far faster than you can imagine.

Writing
The last and final language skill is likely the one you are least interested in. In many cases,
students don’t care all that much about writing. Speaking and listening are valued at a
premium. Reading is essential for vocabulary acquisition, understanding signs, and a ton of
other activities. Writing, meanwhile, usually gets left out.
While I understand the sentiment, I believe it’s misplaced. Getting good at writing leaks
into your competency throughout the other three skills, and if you want to be a well-
rounded “user” of Egyptian Arabic, it’s essential. Plus, who doesn’t want to write love
letters to their new Egyptian hubby? Either way, take the time to get good at writing in
Egyptian. If nothing else, it will pay dividends when talking to your boweb over WhatsApp.

Pen pals.

This can take the form of a letter exchange or, much quicker, a text message/WhatsApp
conversation. Get in touch with Egyptians however you can, and then just start chatting. You’d
be surprised what learning every single word they send to you can do for your Arabic.

However, it needs to be said: most Egyptians (especially younger ones) like to write in “Franco.”
This is essentially a combination of Latin letters along with numbers to write words instead of
the Arabic alphabet. Franco is especially prevalent in messaging apps like WhatsApp. While
learning this system will endear you to Egyptians everywhere, and make you look pretty freaking
cool in the process, it’s not the best for your ability to actually use the alphabet. You don’t want
to be the guy who knows that house in Arabic is “bate”, but can’t for the life of him write ‫ بيت‬.
Kinda lame, and damaging to your overall language understanding. Learn the “Franco” system if
you must, but try to stick to actual Arabic as much as possible.

Writing letters

Cliché, but cliché for a reason. Find somebody that speaks Egyptian Arabic better than you do,
and write them letters for correction. It’s a system that resembles the Pen Pal technique, but can
be a bit more “focused” on certain topics that you really want to learn how to write about. A
great way I have found to practice this is to simply pay iTalki teachers to correct your mistakes.
Book a “speaking lesson”, don’t take it, and then pay them whatever you agree on to correct your
writing. This is also great for learning new vocabulary through corrections.

Conclusion
This is just a start, but it’s a good one.

I was able to get to B2 (formally tested) in Egyptian Arabic in about 18 months of self-study.
This was, of course, in a very “learner friendly” environment. I was living in Cairo, had a ton of
Egyptian friends, and was about as serious as you can get about learning the language.

We realize that not everybody has the good fortune to be able to drop everything and live in (or
even travel to) Egypt. Still, these resources can work for anyone, provided they put in the time.

I have used every one of these resources myself (with the exception of ArabicPod101), and they
enabled me to self-learn Egyptian Arabic faster than almost every foreigner I ever met in Cairo.
Simply put, they work. Results may vary, but that is not a criticism of the resources. Rather,
people simply learn in different ways. If one thing isn’t quite working, move onto the next one.
The most important thing is that you find a resource (ideally two or three) that you really fall in
love with. This keeps you dedicated.

Be ruthless in inspecting your own flaws, plan out how you are going to improve them, and then
act act act. Almost anything is achievable if you have a solid plan in place and the dedication to
follow through with it every day.

Learning Egyptian Arabic is no different. Give these resources a try, pick the two or three that
really resonate with you, and then commit. Using only a few of them every day is far better than
using all of them every now and then. Always remember that.

Good luck. People have a variety of reasons for wanting to learn Egyptian Arabic, but one thing
is certain: it’s a wonderful language, and it will benefit your life in ways you can’t imagine.

The world is a big place. Learning Egyptian is a great step towards discovering it.

Keep up the hard work, keep a notebook of your daily studies, and let us know if you have any
questions.

Happy learning,

Cleo Lingo