Frequently asked questions
Can I learn Lebanese Arabic for free with these worksheets?
Yes. The five sheets are a complete A1 starter course: greetings, numbers, pronouns and questions, verbs, and core words and phrases, each with exercises, a speaking task and an answer key. They are free PDFs with no sign-up. What they cannot do is answer back; for speaking practice, pair them with a partner or the Yallah Speak app.
Is Lebanese a language or a dialect of Arabic?
People often say "the Lebanese language", but linguistically it is Lebanese Arabic, a spoken dialect of the Levantine group. It is not written in newspapers or used in the news, which use Modern Standard Arabic, but it is what people speak at home, in shops, in songs and on TV. Speakers of Syrian, Palestinian and Jordanian Arabic understand it easily.
Why learn Lebanese Arabic and not Modern Standard Arabic?
Modern Standard Arabic is the written language of books and news, and nobody speaks it at the dinner table. If you want to talk to Lebanese friends, family or colleagues, or follow Lebanese music and TV, you need the spoken dialect. These sheets teach what people in Beirut actually say.
How is the pronunciation written?
In Latin letters next to the Arabic script: ʾ for the glottal stop (ق in Beirut), ʿ for ع, kh as in Scottish "loch", j for ج said like the s in "pleasure", and e or o where Lebanese has those vowels (kifak, ente, ʿando). The Arabic script is always there too, so you can use the sheets before and after you learn to read.
Are the worksheets suitable for teachers?
They are designed for class use: name and date line, points fields on every exercise, at least one pair activity per sheet, and a separate answer-key page with teacher notes and a time estimate (45 to 60 minutes per sheet). Print the key separately or remove the last page before copying.