Learn Arabic online in the Gambia

Learning Arabic from the Gambia

The Gambia is a mostly Muslim country where many children attend Quran school (daara or majlis) and Arabic-medium madrasas. Learners contact Lisanova for private Quran support, MSA for study, or Moroccan Darija — Morocco is also a study destination for students from the region.

Lisanova Academy is an online academy run from Morocco. It has no classroom, branch, agent or locally based tutor in Africa outside Morocco: every lesson is a live one-to-one video lesson with a Moroccan teacher.

English, Wolof, Mandinka and Arabic

English is the official language, while Mandinka, Wolof and Fula are widely spoken. Lessons are explained in English, French or Arabic; French can suit families with ties to Senegal.

Lisanova teaches two kinds of Arabic: Modern Standard Arabic (MSA, Fusha) — the formal Arabic of books, news, documents and Islamic scholarship — and Moroccan Darija, the everyday spoken Arabic of Morocco. Quran lessons are a separate path.

Modern Standard Arabic lessons in the Gambia

MSA lessons suit students from madrasa backgrounds who want stronger grammar and writing, and adults who want to understand Islamic texts.

Moroccan Darija lessons in the Gambia

Moroccan Darija suits Gambians planning to study or work in Morocco, or with Moroccan family.

Quran lessons online in the Gambia

Families ask for memorization with revision and Tajweed; adults ask for correction of recitation.

Quran lessons available: reading from the first letters, recitation with correction, Tajweed rules, memorization (Hifz) with revision, and understanding the meanings. Lisanova’s Quran teachers hold Ijazah in recitation and Tajweed. Lessons are arranged on WhatsApp so the academy can confirm the teacher, the explanation language and a realistic scope; no memorization outcome is promised.

Quran and Islamic Studies: single class $12 per hour; Monthly Package 1, 8 hours per month, $80; Monthly Package 2, 12 hours per month, $110. Families get 15% off for each additional sibling. Discover Islam sessions are free.

An Arabic tutor for Banjul, Serekunda and the Kombos

Most learners who write from the Gambia live in Greater Banjul — Banjul itself, Serekunda, Bakau, Brikama and the Kombo villages around them. Many already read Arabic from Quran school or a madrasa and want a private tutor for a specific gap: grammar, writing a paragraph without mistakes, or understanding what they recite.

A private online tutor removes the journey and lets a learner keep one fixed weekly time, which suits students who balance madrasa and the English-medium school system. Learners upriver follow the same arrangement as long as the connection is stable.

Learn Moroccan Darija online before studying in Morocco

Gambian students who go to Morocco for university quickly find that classes may use MSA or French, but daily life — taxis, landlords, the market, classmates — happens in Moroccan Darija. A few weeks of Darija before leaving makes the first months much easier.

Darija lessons focus on everyday conversation and listening. Learners who already know MSA recognise many words; the teacher shows where Darija pronunciation and vocabulary differ.

English or French?

This page is for Gambian learners and explains everything in English, the Gambia’s official language. Families with ties to Senegal who prefer French can ask for a French-speaking teacher or read the French page for Senegal. The lessons, teachers and prices are the same.

Lesson times

the Gambia is on Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0). This is UTC+0 all year. Morocco is on UTC+1 for most of the year, so you are usually one hour behind your teacher; during Ramadan Morocco moves to UTC+0 and the clock time is the same.

When you book the free trial or ask on WhatsApp, send your city and two or three preferred local times. The academy replies with a proposed time in your local time and in Morocco time; the lesson is fixed only once you both confirm. No timetable is published in advance and no hour is guaranteed.

Explanation language

Lisanova has teachers who explain lessons in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese, as well as in Arabic; not every teacher speaks every one of these languages. The Arabic you learn is a separate choice from the explanation language. Wolof, Mandinka and Fula explanations are not offered. Tell us your preference when you enquire and we match you with a suitable teacher.

Prices and getting started

Private Arabic and Moroccan Darija: one 60-minute lesson $20; 8 hours $120; 12 hours $170; 16 hours $200. Prices are in US dollars; no local-currency price is offered. The first trial lesson is free.

Book the free Arabic/Darija trial with your name, WhatsApp number and preferred package; the academy arranges the time with you on WhatsApp. You can pay by bank transfer, by card or through a money-transfer service such as Western Union. Quran enquiries are arranged on WhatsApp. Cancellation and refund conditions are on the Terms page.