Arabic Videos

I Saw Where Coffee Actually Grows.

Taylor Swift is famous for singing. Cristiano Ronaldo is famous for football. Colombia is famous for coffee. That is how I explain it on camera, and then I went to see it for myself. I visited a coffee farm with my Colombian friend Natalia, up in the mountains. There is a small house, a white car, a motorbike, flowers, grass, and then trees in every direction. Three things happened that had never happened to me before. I saw a banana tree for the first time in my life. I saw a mango tree for the first time in my life. And I saw a coffee tree for the first time in my life. The coffee tree surprised me most, because it is small, and it is covered in beans, green ones and a few red ones. I took one, opened it in my hand, and stood there looking at it like a small child. I played with it. I am not going to pretend otherwise. The mango tree did not go as well. It is huge, I wanted a mango, I started climbing, I got partway up, and the mango was still too far. I came back down with nothing and I was properly upset about it. We also met Fernando, who works on the farm, and the three of us walked between the coffee and the banana trees while the sun went down. Orange sky, mountains behind it. One of the best views I have ever stood in front of, and I want to go back. Photo format, clear Levantine Arabic. The full library, 400+ videos in Modern Standard Arabic and Levantine Arabic, organized by level from Super Beginner to Advanced: https://arabicallthetime.com Hear from other learners, or share your own story: https://arabicallthetime.com/reviews Arabic Journeys podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/60ofkXIaju9Zhz04kGrbNB

Beginner (A2) | premium | 00:15:07

Would You Rather Live in Syria or Canada?

This time Rachel asks the questions. She brought a game where she gives me two choices, I pick one and explain why, and then I turn the question back on her. First, would I rather live in Syria or in Canada. I live in Canada and I could go back, so I've already made my choice, but that doesn't mean I don't miss Syria. I've lived in a lot of countries, and the best days of my life were in Syria. After the war, life there became very hard. Canada has its own difficulties too, and it isn't all rosy the way people imagine. Rachel would choose Lebanon, because her family is there, the people she loves, and all her memories, even if she misses some calm now and then. Then love or money. Ideally I want both. I always say money can't buy love, health or a clear mind, but it solves the money problems, so you can put your energy into those three. Right now I'm focused on building a business. Rachel always picks love, and she thinks my answer is a little too logical. The last question was the easiest one for me. The freedom to be who you are, or living up to what your family and the people around you expect. Anyone who knows me knows my answer. On this one, Rachel and I agree. The full library, 400+ videos in Modern Standard Arabic and Levantine Arabic, organized by level from Super Beginner to Advanced: https://arabicallthetime.com Hear from other learners, or share your own story: https://arabicallthetime.com/reviews Arabic Journeys podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/60ofkXIaju9Zhz04kGrbNB

Intermediate (B2) | free | 00:21:55

This Lake Isn't Real.

Another photo for Rachel to guess, and this one I took at night. She describes what she sees. Tall towers, a lot of lights, water, and a small boat with people in it. It looks like the sea, but it's a lake, and the lake isn't real. Somebody built it. All around it there are restaurants and cafés, and people everywhere. Rachel loves water. Just looking at it calms her down when she's stressed, and I'm the same with any water. When you're standing there, you forget the lake was built. I didn't get on the boat, by the way. I just watched it. Then the guessing. The towers made her think of Dubai straight away, and from there she got the exact spot. I took the photo right next to the Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower in the world, beside Dubai Mall, one of the biggest malls in the world. Dubai likes to have the biggest of everything. I also asked her what comes to mind when she thinks of Dubai. Next time, Rachel brings the photos and I guess. The full library, 400+ videos in Modern Standard Arabic and Levantine Arabic, organized by level from Super Beginner to Advanced: https://arabicallthetime.com Hear from other learners, or share your own story: https://arabicallthetime.com/reviews Arabic Journeys podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/60ofkXIaju9Zhz04kGrbNB

Intermediate (B1) | premium | 00:13:01

This Airport Sits Between the Mountains. Levantine Arabic

After Manizales I flew to Bogotá. Manizales is a small city and Bogotá is the huge capital, and these are the photos from the trip between them. The airport in Manizales sits right between the mountains, and it's one of the most beautiful airports I've walked through. There are houses and a big building right next to it, so the people who live there watch planes all day. The plane was a small one, with the Colombian flag on it and the number 93. The airline might have been called Clic, I'm not sure. In Bogotá there's an old church with beautiful decoration, people sitting on the steps and pigeons walking around eating from the ground. Then a Mexican restaurant with candles everywhere, Mexican songs and salsa dancing inside. And a market full of souvenir shops, تذكارات, with purple flowers I couldn't stop looking at. Colombia is a beautiful country and I hope I get to go back. The full library, 400+ videos in Modern Standard Arabic and Levantine Arabic, organized by level from Super Beginner to Advanced: https://arabicallthetime.com

Beginner (A2) | premium | 00:10:57

I Woke Up Before the Sun to See This View.

Part two of my trip to Los Cabos in Mexico. Los Cabos is beautiful, but it's a very touristy place, with people coming from the US, Canada and everywhere else. I stayed at a resort, not a normal hotel and not an Airbnb, and on the first morning I woke up very early, maybe around five, because I wanted to see the view. The sun was just coming up. From the balcony I could see three pools, a jacuzzi with hot water, palm trees, pink and purple flowers, and rows of chairs and umbrellas next to the pools. Every single chair was empty. Nobody was swimming and nobody was sitting anywhere, because it was still so early. I spent a lot of that trip going between the pool and the jacuzzi, and it was very relaxing. In the next video I'll show you more of the resort. The full library, 400+ videos in Modern Standard Arabic and Levantine Arabic, organized by level from Super Beginner to Advanced: https://arabicallthetime.com Hear from other learners, or share your own story: https://arabicallthetime.com/reviews Arabic Journeys podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/60ofkXIaju9Zhz04kGrbNB

Beginner (A2) | free | 00:10:27

I Went Back to the Street I Used to Live On.

I lived in downtown Toronto for more than a year, in a building connected to St Lawrence Market by a bridge. My own private entrance to a farmers market. Today I went back. Come walk the old neighbourhood with me on a sunny Saturday: the Saturday farmers market where growers come in from across Ontario, the old market building, the noise I genuinely love, and the memories attached to every corner of a street I used to call home. Then something happened that I did not plan. A young man recognized me in the street: Ali, who studies Arabic online and watches this channel. We talked, in Arabic, about why he is learning, his friends from Syria, Palestine, and Lebanon, and his faith. You will hear his Arabic, and it is good. A real, unscripted walk in clear Levantine Arabic. More Toronto videos are coming, including the reasons I came back. The full library, 400+ videos in Modern Standard Arabic and Levantine Arabic, organized by level from Super Beginner to Advanced: https://arabicallthetime.com Hear from other learners, or share your own story: https://arabicallthetime.com/reviews Arabic Journeys podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/60ofkXIaju9Zhz04kGrbNB

Intermediate (B1) | premium | 00:11:40

Nour 30 : Let's Drink and Forget

Two dinners, one city. Aisha and Fajr are at a restaurant by the water in Istanbul. Fajr is second in command under his sister Bana now, and when he finishes university the department is his. Except he does not want it. بدي أسس شركة خاصة. Aisha asks why, when the family already owns half the companies in the country, and his answer involves fashion shows and models, which he describes as شغلة كثير ممتعة. On the other side of town, Muhannad and Anwar have caught three fish and carried the bucket straight into a restaurant. Anwar has a new plan every week. Open a place like this one, call it مهند للأسماك, and he will bring the customers. Muhannad agrees on one condition. Then Anwar mentions that Dana is going back to America, and says the thing he should not have said. يا الله شو قضّينا أيام، نحن الأربعة، أنا وإنت ونهال ودانا. Muhannad stops talking. خلينا نشرب وننسى. And at the next table, a man neither of them knows has not taken his eyes off them. I explain ناوي, بجولة, سطل, العرق, and شلونها. Next episode: who he is.

Intermediate (B1) | premium | 00:12:57

Halawet el Jibn or Baklava? We Finally Agreed.

Today it's sweets. Rachel shows me halawet el jibn and baklava, and we each pick one. Rachel picked halawet el jibn, which surprised me, because she doesn't really like cheese. She finds it lighter than baklava, even though she isn't a big fan of Arabic sweets, and she'll barely eat one piece. The word she uses for that is إنجا, and it's very Lebanese. When I hear it, I know the person is from Lebanon. I picked halawet el jibn too. I love soft sweets that melt in your mouth, and I love cheese. It's even better with ice cream on the side, which Rachel says is my own invention. In Syria it sometimes comes with a plate of muhallabiyeh. Then baklava, and when people eat it. In Syria we put it out for guests any day, no occasion needed. In Lebanon it comes with almost everything, weddings, births, engagements, graduations, Eid. Most people outside Syria and Lebanon think baklava is one sweet. It's a whole family, every shape has its own name, and most people just walk into the shop and ask for a kilo مشكل. For once, Rachel and I chose the same thing. The full library, 400+ videos in Modern Standard Arabic and Levantine Arabic, organized by level from Super Beginner to Advanced: https://arabicallthetime.com Hear from other learners, or share your own story: https://arabicallthetime.com/reviews Arabic Journeys podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/60ofkXIaju9Zhz04kGrbNB

Intermediate (B1) | free | 00:13:17

There Is a Café on the Roof of This Cathedral.

Manizales is a Colombian city in the mountains, not big and not small, and the views are everywhere. These are my photos from walking around it. A street in the historic centre with tall palm trees, people selling things from carts, old buildings and a blue sky. Then I went up the cathedral, because there's a café on the roof, and I had coffee with ice cream while looking down at the main square. I love both, so that mix is perfect for me. Inside, the cathedral is big and old, with wooden pews, people sitting quietly, and sunlight coming through the coloured glass. I'll admit that churches in Latin America all look a bit alike to me. Then the mountains, with simple houses all the way up them, not villas, just ordinary homes. And a cup of Colombian coffee, which is very good everywhere in Colombia and especially in Manizales. This is one small part of the trip. There are more Colombia videos on the channel. The full library, 400+ videos in Modern Standard Arabic and Levantine Arabic, organized by level from Super Beginner to Advanced: https://arabicallthetime.com Hear from other learners, or share your own story: https://arabicallthetime.com/reviews Arabic Journeys podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/60ofkXIaju9Zhz04kGrbNB

Beginner (A2) | premium | 00:11:36

I Don't Like Tourist Cities. Los Cabos Was the Exception.

About four years ago, when I was still living in Toronto, I went to Los Cabos in Mexico. I'm not a fan of touristy cities, and Los Cabos is very touristy, but it's beautiful anyway. There's desert, sea and rocks all in the same place. The first photo is from the night before I left. It's the view from the terrace of the building I lived in, looking over the financial district where I used to work, with the towers of TD, BMO, Scotiabank and CIBC, and the CN Tower. I used to go up there at night just to look at the city. The next morning I flew to Baja California, over the mountains of Mexico, and arrived tired, with red eyes and a long beard, but very happy. I stayed at a resort, not a normal hotel, with pools everywhere, palm trees, flowers and the sea right behind it. At night the sky was completely clear. In the next video I'll show you more of the resort. The full library, 400+ videos in Modern Standard Arabic and Levantine Arabic, organized by level from Super Beginner to Advanced: https://arabicallthetime.com Hear from other learners, or share your own story: https://arabicallthetime.com/reviews Arabic Journeys podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/60ofkXIaju9Zhz04kGrbNB

Beginner (A2) | free | 00:11:25

Rachel Had to Guess Where This Mosque Is. Syrian and Lebanese Arabic Conversation

Another round of the photo game with Rachel. I show her a photo, she tells me what she sees, and then she guesses where and when I took it. This one is a huge white mosque with four minarets and a lot of domes, palm trees and pink, yellow and white flowers in front, and a clear sky. She guessed midday. It wasn't, the sun was going down. She guessed Saudi Arabia, which was close. Then she got the country, and then the city. It's the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, and one of the biggest mosques in the world. I took the photo at sunset on the last day of Ramadan in 2022, and right after it the Eid cannon fired. Then I asked her whether she'd like to visit. She'd pick Dubai, because there's more going on, even though she thinks Abu Dhabi might be the more beautiful of the two. If you want calm, go to Abu Dhabi. If you want people and noise, go to Dubai.

Intermediate (B1) | premium | 00:11:08

Syrian-Style BBQ Chicken, Every Spice Named.

Tonight we grill chicken thighs, Syrian style, and the seasoning is the whole show. Salt, pepper paste, curry, paprika, ginger, cumin, white pepper, coriander, and cardamom. I name every one in Arabic as it goes on the chicken, so this video is quietly a full spice vocabulary hiding inside a barbecue. Then the grill, the night, the garlic sauce, and a beard that will smell like garlic until further notice. A real cooking vlog in clear Levantine Arabic. No script, just food and the words for it.

Intermediate (B1) | premium | 00:13:09

She Sees This View Every Day.

This is the first photo game with Rachel, an Arabic teacher from Lebanon, and the game is simple. I show her a photo I took, she tells me what she sees, and then she has to guess when I took it and where. The first photo has a cup of coffee in front and mountains, trees and a small road behind it. She guessed it was taken around midday, because the light wasn't strong, and she was right. It was 12:30. Then she guessed the place, and she got that right too. The second photo is a pine forest on a mountain, with snow on the peaks behind it. She knew the trees were pine straight away, and she knew where it was, because both photos come from the same place. It turns out she lives there. She sees this view every day and she still thinks it's beautiful. Both photos are from Mount Lebanon. Next time we look at photos from somewhere else. Rachel teaches Lebanese Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic. You can find her on Instagram at @lahja_ti.

Intermediate (B1) | free | 00:11:02

Nour 29: You Would Have Been a Great Mother

Nour and Maysoun have spent the morning together and Noor is happier than she has been since she arrived in this house. So she says something warm. بتعرفي عمتي، لو كان عندك ولد، أكيد كنت أم عظيمة. Maysoun's face changes. She cannot have children. حكمة الله. And then, quietly, the part she has never said out loud: صرت عم بستحي قول لطارق نروح على الدكتور، لأني بعرف إنه العطل مني. Noor tries to repair it, medicine is advancing, they find something new every day, and Maysoun says she thinks that time has passed. Out on the street, Muhannad waves down a taxi that does not stop, then calls Anwar, who is not on the boat. He is on the bridge. And in the garden, Sharifa is cutting roses when Noor comes out. بعدك زعلانة؟ Noor says no. بس أنا زعلانة. Your behaviour was vulgar. From now on you will carry yourself like a woman of this family, لازم تتصرفي بأكابرية، وإلا رح تفضحينا. I explain تغيّر وجهها, العطل منّي, حكمة الله, الوقت فات, بأكابرية, and رح تفضحينا. Next episode: three fish, a bottle of arak, and a man watching them.

Intermediate (B1) | premium | 00:17:07

We Drove Two Hours to See the Leaves Change

We rented a van and drove two hours north of Montreal to walk around in the autumn colours, which is the most Canadian thing I do all year. The group was Lutus, Yasmine and friends. We stopped at Tim Hortons on the way, because of course we did. Then Mont Tremblant, and the trees doing the thing they do at the end of September: red, orange and yellow, all at once, in every direction. I interviewed people as we walked. I asked Yasmine why she came and what she made of it, and I asked Lutus the same, so you get two more voices and two different speeds of Arabic inside one video. We climbed up to the viewpoint, and it turned out to be somebody's birthday, so there was champagne at the top, which nobody had warned me about. This is a walking vlog, so the Arabic moves faster than the photo videos: clear Levantine. Part two is the lake and the village.

Intermediate (B2) | free | 00:15:34