العربية · مرحبا
Learn Arabic online with a private tutor
Modern Standard Arabic and the spoken dialects are different projects — picking a teacher from the right region is the single biggest decision you make.
- Native name
- العربية
- Speakers
- 400M
- Hours to fluency
- ~2200
- Lesson length
- 25 / 50 / 80
How long does Arabic actually take?
The US Foreign Service Institute has been timing this for decades, and the figure everyone quotes is only half of what they publish. FSI puts Arabic at 88 weeks — 2200 classroom hours for an English speaker to reach professional working proficiency. But FSI also states that a typical week is 23 hours in class and 17 hours of self-study, so the real total is closer to 3696 hours of work. The pace below divides that full total rather than the classroom half, which is why these numbers are longer than the ones you have seen elsewhere:
One lesson a week
about 28.4 years
≈2.5 hours a week including homework
Two lessons a week
about 14.2 years
≈5 hours a week including homework
Intensive — daily
about 4.7 years
≈15 hours a week including homework
Worth saying plainly: that figure is for full professional proficiency, which is a much higher bar than most learners need. Holding a real conversation in Arabic usually arrives at somewhere between a fifth and a quarter of the way in.
What the Arabic levels mean
Teachers describe lessons using the Common European Framework. If you do not know your level, a teacher will place you in the first ten minutes of a trial.
- A1Beginner
Introduce yourself and handle very simple, predictable exchanges.
- A2Elementary
Cope with routine tasks — shopping, directions, simple description of your background.
- B1Intermediate
Handle most travel situations and explain opinions on familiar topics.
- B2Upper-intermediate
Hold a fluent, spontaneous conversation with a native speaker without strain on either side.
- C1Advanced
Use the language flexibly for social, academic and professional purposes.
- C2Proficient
Understand virtually everything heard or read, and express yourself with precision.
Kinds of Arabic lesson
Teachers list what they specialise in, so you can match on purpose rather than on price alone.
Arabic tutors for beginners
Teachers who work with absolute beginners every day and can run a first Arabic lesson entirely in a language you share.
Conversational Arabic tutors
Lessons that are mostly you talking. For learners who can read Arabic but freeze when someone answers back.
Business Arabic tutors
Meetings, email, negotiation and presentations — Arabic for the situations your job actually puts you in.
Arabic tutors for kids
Teachers experienced with children, who keep Arabic lessons short, build them around games, and keep a parent in the loop.
Arabic exam preparation tutors
Teachers who know the Arabic exam formats, mark to the real rubric, and work backwards from your test date.
Intensive Arabic courses
Several Arabic lessons a week with homework between them, for learners with a deadline rather than a hobby.
Native Arabic speaking tutors
Teachers who grew up speaking Arabic, for accent work, idiom and the register textbooks never cover.
Arabic grammar tutors
Focused work on the Arabic structures that keep breaking, with exercises built from your own mistakes.
Questions about learning Arabic
How long does it take to learn Arabic?
The US Foreign Service Institute puts Arabic at roughly 2200 hours of study to reach professional working proficiency for an English speaker. At two lessons a week plus homework — call it five hours — that is about 8.5 years. Conversational comfort arrives much earlier, usually somewhere between a fifth and a quarter of the way in.
How much do Arabic lessons cost?
Each Arabic teacher decides which lesson lengths they offer and sets a price for each — you see both before booking. Many teachers also sell lesson packages at their own price, usually cheaper per lesson. If you are still choosing, you can top up your wallet instead and spend the balance with any teacher — nothing is tied to one person.
Should I learn Arabic with a native speaker?
For pronunciation, idiom and register, yes — a native ear catches things a textbook cannot. For grammar explanations early on, a teacher who learned Arabic as a second language themselves is often clearer, because they remember finding it hard. Many learners use both, and there is no rule against switching.
Can I learn Arabic from absolute zero?
Yes. Filter for teachers who work with beginners and your first lessons will be run partly in a language you already share, shifting into Arabic as you gain ground. You do not need to prepare anything beforehand.
Free Arabic guides
All Arabic guides →- VocabularyA1
Modern Standard Arabic or a dialect? The decision that shapes everything
Nobody speaks Modern Standard Arabic at home and dialects are not written. What each is for, how far apart they are, and how to choose before you pay.
- CostAny level
How much do Arabic lessons cost?
What platforms publish for Arabic tutors, the lowest rates in the catalogue, and the decision that costs far more than the price if you get it wrong.