Arabic lessons online in New Zealand

Learning Arabic from New Zealand

New Zealand’s Muslim and Arabic-speaking communities are smaller and spread out, so local Arabic or Quran teachers can be hard to find outside Auckland. Learners include Muslim families, heritage learners, students and people with Moroccan connections. Online lessons remove the need to travel.

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

Arabic far from the Arab world

Most learners in New Zealand study in English and have little daily contact with Arabic, so regular lessons and short practice between them matter. Lessons are explained in English.

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 New Zealand

MSA suits heritage learners who want literacy, students and adults who want to understand religious or formal texts.

Moroccan Darija lessons in New Zealand

Learning Darija suits New Zealanders with Moroccan partners or friends and travellers to Morocco.

Quran lessons online in New Zealand

A Quran teacher online can help children and adults with reading, Tajweed, memorization with revision or meanings.

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.

Wellington, Christchurch and beyond

Learners in Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton and other cities follow this page; Auckland has its own page. All New Zealand cities share one time zone.

Lesson times

New Zealand is on New Zealand Standard Time (UTC+12), or UTC+13 during daylight saving from late September to early April. Morocco is on UTC+1 for most of the year and UTC+0 during Ramadan, so New Zealand is usually eleven or twelve hours ahead of Morocco, one hour more during Ramadan. A New Zealand evening falls in the Moroccan morning.

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. Lessons are not explained in Māori or other languages. The Arabic you learn is a separate choice from the explanation language. 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.