Learn Gulf Arabic (Khaleeji) الخليجي
The Arabic of the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain — the language of the majlis, the souk and the fast-growing Gulf cities.
Lessons
Structured lessons covering greetings, family, food, travel and more.
Phrases
How to say hello, thank you, happy birthday and the rest, with audio and the forms for a man, a woman or a group.
Stories
Read and listen to Gulf Arabic (Khaleeji) stories with translation and a vocabulary glossary.
Vocabulary
Search the word database, hear each word, and save it to your review deck.
Start Here
How to learn Gulf Arabic: which Gulf accent to aim for, what to learn first, and how long each stage takes.
Verb Conjugations
Full conjugation tables for 72 common verbs, every tense, affirmative and negative.
Conversation Practice
Talk to the AI tutor in Gulf Arabic (Khaleeji) and get corrections as you go.
Where Gulf Arabic (Khaleeji) is spoken
Spoken by the citizens of the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and parts of Oman and eastern Saudi Arabia. What is taught as Khaleeji is a shared Gulf koine, closest to Emirati and Kuwaiti speech.
What makes Gulf Arabic (Khaleeji) different
ج often becomes "y"
jadeed (new) is said yideed, and dijaaj (chicken) is diyaay. Not every speaker does it every time, but it is the clearest Gulf sound.
ق is "g" and ك can be "ch"
gahwa (coffee) keeps a hard g, and kaif (how) can become chaif. "You (f)" endings are -ich: shloonich?
abi, wayid and il-7een
abi means "I want", waayid "a lot" and il-7een "now". These three alone make a sentence sound Gulf: abi gahwa il-7een.
Hospitality has its own language
7ayyaak alla (God greet you) welcomes a guest, and coffee from the dalla comes with its own etiquette: shake the cup gently when you have had enough.
How Gulf Arabic (Khaleeji) compares
Practice the basics
8 questions, half of them spoken out loud. Free, no account needed.
Common questions
Is Khaleeji the same in every Gulf country?
Not exactly. Emirati, Kuwaiti, Qatari and Bahraini Arabic differ in accent and some words, but Gulf speakers understand each other easily. Learning the shared Gulf forms prepares you for all of them.
Do I need Arabic in Dubai if everyone speaks English?
You can get by in English, but even a little Khaleeji changes how people respond to you — at work, in the majlis, and with Emirati colleagues and neighbours.
How do you say "I want" in Gulf Arabic?
abi (أبي), as in abi gahwa (I want coffee). Saudis say abgha, Egyptians 3aayiz and Levantines biddi.