Learn Arabic online in Iceland

Learning Arabic from Iceland

In-person Arabic teaching is rare in Iceland, so online lessons are the realistic route for most learners. Learners include Icelanders preparing for travel or study, people with Arabic-speaking or Moroccan partners, and Muslim families who want Quran reading for their children.

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

Starting Arabic from Icelandic

Icelandic has two sounds that English learners of Arabic often find hard: þ, as in þú, and ð, as in eða. Arabic has the same two sounds in ث (th) and ذ (dh), so Icelandic speakers usually pronounce them easily in MSA. In Moroccan Darija most speakers say these letters as t and d instead, one of the first differences between MSA and Darija your teacher points out.

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. It does not teach Levantine, Iraqi, Egyptian, Gulf or other Arabic dialects, or Tamazight (Berber) languages.

Modern Standard Arabic lessons in Iceland

MSA lessons suit beginners who want to read and write Arabic, travellers who want to read signs and menus across the Arab world, and adults who read the Quran and want to understand the Arabic. Lessons follow the six CEFR levels from A1.

Moroccan Darija lessons in Iceland

Online Moroccan Darija lessons suit Icelanders with a Moroccan partner or friends and anyone planning time in Morocco. Lessons start with greetings, getting around, prices and family conversation, in Latin letters first if you prefer.

Quran lessons online in Iceland

For Muslim families in Iceland, an online Quran teacher means a child can keep regular reading or memorization revision at home, and adults can improve Tajweed privately.

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 online Arabic tutor for Reykjavík

Most of Iceland’s population lives in the capital region — Reykjavík, Kópavogur and Hafnarfjörður. A private online tutor saves the trip across town after work or school, and you keep a regular weekly time with the same teacher where possible.

Learners in Akureyri and smaller towns follow the same arrangement, as long as the connection is stable enough for video.

Lesson times

Iceland is on Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0). Iceland stays on UTC+0 all year with no summer time. 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. English is widely spoken in Iceland and suits most learners; lessons are not explained in Icelandic. 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 euro, króna or other 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.