Spanish for Arabic speakers
Spanish explained through Arabic
If your first language is Arabic, some difficulties in Spanish are predictable. Our bilingual teachers anticipate them and work on them from the start, without translating word for word.
Pronunciation
Five vowels instead of three
Standard Arabic distinguishes three vowel qualities (a, i, u). Spanish has five, short and stable. E and o are the ones that need most work.
P and b
The /p/ sound is not a phoneme of standard Arabic, so the ear tends to turn it into /b/. We train it with pairs of words that differ only in that sound:
- pesobeso
- pinovino
- pelovelo
- palabala
Grammar
The differences you notice most
Ser and estar01 / 03
«Soy director. Estoy en la oficina.»
“I am a director. I am at the office.”
In Arabic, a nominal sentence in the present has no verb: «أنا مدير» (anā mudīr) literally says “I director”. Spanish needs the verb, and you also have to choose between ser and estar.
Word order02 / 03
«La directora firmó el contrato.»
“The director signed the contract.”
Classical Arabic prefers to start with the verb (verb–subject–object). Spanish usually starts with the subject, although it is flexible.
Un, una, unos03 / 03
«Tengo una reunión a las diez.»
“I have a meeting at ten.”
Arabic marks indefiniteness without a separate word. Spanish needs the article: a common mistake at the beginning.
What you already know
Words you already know
Thousands of Spanish words come from Arabic. Recognising them builds confidence from day one.
- ojaláوشاء اللهwa šá lláh
- azulejoالزليجazzuláyǧa
- aceiteالزيتazzáyt
- almohadaالمخدةalmuẖádda
- azúcarالسكرassúkkar
- alcaldeالقاضيalqáḍi
Andalusi Arabic etymologies according to the Diccionario de la lengua española (Royal Spanish Academy).
Our teachers
Spanish nationals of Arab origin, philologists and bilingual
Our teachers were born and educated in Spain, in families of Arab origin. They hold university degrees in philology, linguistics or translation and specialise in teaching Spanish as a foreign language.
Read: Spanish pronunciation for Arabic speakersBefore you start
Frequently asked questions
Why is the p so hard?
Because standard Arabic does not have /p/ as a phoneme of its own: the ear hears it as /b/. It is corrected with minimal-pair exercises from the first lessons.
Are the lessons in Arabic?
They are in Spanish. The teacher uses Arabic only when an explanation needs it: a difficult grammar rule or a cultural nuance.
Does the method work for any dialect?
Yes. Our teachers know standard Arabic and the most common varieties, and adapt the comparisons to the way you speak.
Free level test · 30 minutes
Shall we talk?
Write to us in English, Spanish or Arabic. We will call you to arrange the level test with a bilingual teacher.