These are sites and apps that can help you with various aspects of language. There is also a list of tutors and institutes.

Podcasts

These podcasts can be found on Apple Podcast, Soundcloud, and more. Some have their own websites.

Azzbda الزبدة : has a group of Saudis who have studied in the States. They often bring in someone else to chat with. They discuss a variety of interesting issues.

Finjan فنجان : a Saudi guy sits over a finjan (cup) of coffee with someone he finds interesting and they have a conversation.

Murabba مربْع : a man and his guest, bringing beautiful stories, beneficial thoughts, and interesting discussions.

Ashyaa Ghayaratna أشياء غيرتنا : the purpose of this podcast presented by two Saudi men is to give a societal history of Saudi Arabia.

Abajora أبجورة : a lady sharing her thoughts about things she’s read and experienced. It’s a little more fus7a-y than the others, but episodes are short.

The Conversation السالفة : A very Saudi ammia podcast

TV shows

Shahid.net and Netflix have many options, but here are some specific options:

The Recklessness of Kids طيش عيال : This is a Saudi kids’ cartoon that is easy to understand.

Takki تكي : A TV Saudi show (from Jeddah) with interesting episodes. Many of the first episodes have English subtitles.

Hyperloop هايبر لوب : a funny comedy TV show with short (2-5 min) skits about life in Saudi. You can find episodes on YouTube.

The Inheritance الميراث : a Saudi drama. Only a few available on YouTube, the full season available on shahid.net.

Justice قلب العدالة : an interesting and well-made Emirati show on Netflix with English subtitles about a female lawyer.

In the Bosom of a Thorn حضن الشوك : a Kuwaiti drama about families. It’s a very dramatic but interesting story and the language is very clear. Available on Netflix and at least some on YouTube.

Good Luck, Naseeb حظ يا نصيب : This is an old Emirati comedy featuring cultural tradition and heritage through the humorous saga of “Naseeb” who comes to a far off village to claim a house as his inheritance, only to find that it has already been sold by the characters “Khamas” and “Saeed.” Available on YouTube.

Proverbs and Honey مثل وعسل : a Omani YouTube show about social issues.

Morning Coffee قهوة الصباح : This is an Omani morning show uploaded daily to YouTube. The presenters speak more MSA, but the guests speak more ammia.

Mansour’s Adventures مغامرات منصور : This is an Emirati cartoon with short easy-digestible episodes. We have transcripts for many episodes on this page.

YouTube Channels

Omar Farooq عمر فاروق : a Saudi guy who tries a bunch of things. English subtitles.

Saud Brothers : four brothers who do funny stuff. No subtitles.

Emirati Arabic : This page is run by Al Ramsa Institute and contains a lot of helpful videos in Arabic and English explaining phrases and grammar points.

Saudi Dialect : has helpful tips on Saudi dialect

DanyahShafei : a Saudi teen and kids content creator who speaks in ammia. Short easily-watchable videos with simpler vocabulary than ones aimed at adults. No subtitles.

Qalby Etmaan : an Emirati who travels to poor countries and interviews local (Arabs) then gives them a financial gift. Heartwarming, with English and Arabic subtitles.

Arabic Comprehensible : This great channel has both MSA and Saudi ammia GPA-style picture stories and lessons. Is a great place even for beginners.

Dive Into Arabic : This channel showcases culture, language, how to articulate letters, basic phrases, poetry, and more! It is a fantastic all-around channel.

TED talks

في رسمتي حل لمشكلتي : An interesting talk by a Saudi girl about paying attention to art made by children.

في بيتنا طبيب نفسي : A compelling talk by a girl about mental health and how to really help.

الإلهام بالعطاء : An amazing talk by a Saudi man who became paralyzed.

المستحيل مجرد كلمة : An inspiring story of a young Saudi man who decided to change his life.

Instagram accounts

#ABquestions – An Emirati named Anas Bukhash (@anasbukhash) makes short videos in Arabic/English with interesting questions. Often comments are very interesting as well. Following the hashtag instead of the handle makes sure you get just those videos.

@alramsauae – run by Al Ramsa Institute in the UAE. Has a lot of phrases / information on grammar and vocab in Arabic and English. They also have many YouTube videos that are helpful.

@meema244 – has tons of stories in Saudi Arabic. Most are funny / interesting short stories. The comments are often very interesting as well.

@vxzic – Is a meme account with lots of stories in Saudi Arabic. They are very interesting / funny. It’s followed by tons of Saudis.

@drjasem – He is a religious teacher who has lots of videos (many subtitled in English) about marriage, raising children, following Islam. He has interesting ideas.

@emmy.art – an Emirati cartoonist

@tariq_albahhar – a Bahraini cartoonist

@shasho91 – a Saudi cartoonist

@shahd99b – a Yemeni cartoonist

Places to Find Meanings of Words

Aratools
Aratools is an amazing resource. Enter any (MSA) word and it will tell you the meaning and root for each different voweling of it. You can access it via their website or as an Android or Apple app ($5 and worth it!)

Hans Wehr
After you’ve looked up a word in Aratools (which tells you the root), type the root into Hans Wehr to find more options for secondary meanings. There is a searchable PDF on this site, or you can find it on app stores or online.

Twitter
Twitter is a great place to find meanings of even ammia words. You can search for that specific word, and you will find many examples of how locals are using it in short sentences. What’s great about this is that it works for ammia words, which can be hard to look up other places.

Apps to Interact with Locals

HelloTalk
HelloTalk is a free language exchange app where you can message, voice message, and call other language learners, and it is easy to receive corrections on what you are saying. You can filter conversation partners by country if you’re interested in a certain dialect.

Jodel
Jodel is an anonymous social media feed that only shows you super-local posts. It’s a great place to ask questions of locals about local events and recommendations, as well as get short interactions with locals.

Clubhouse
Clubhouse is an invitation-only app which is helpful for listening practice on certain topics. Find a room where they are talking about a subject you are interested in, and enjoy listening!

Twitter

Any account that you follow on Twitter can easily be used to grow in your Arabic. See the video below to see how: