Learn Arabic online in Russia with a private teacher

Learning Arabic from Russia

Learners in Russia include students of oriental studies in Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Kazan who want more speaking practice, professionals working with Arabic-speaking countries, people with Moroccan partners or friends, travellers preparing a trip to Morocco, and Muslim families in Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, the North Caucasus and the large cities who want their children to read the Quran. Lessons with Lisanova suit learners who can follow explanations in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese or Arabic.

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

Russian speakers: explanation language and searches in Russian

Lisanova does not explain lessons in Russian, and this page and the lessons are in English. If you searched for «учить арабский онлайн с преподавателем» (learn Arabic online with a teacher), «марокканский дариджа онлайн» (Moroccan Darija online) or «уроки Корана онлайн» (Quran lessons online), you can still study with Lisanova if you are comfortable following a lesson in English or another confirmed language. Russian х, as in хлеб, is the same sound as Arabic خ (kha), and readers of Cyrillic are already used to learning a second alphabet. The new parts are right-to-left writing, letters that join within a word, and the throat sounds ع (ʿayn) and ح (ḥa), which Russian does not have.

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, Egyptian, Gulf or other Arabic dialects, or Turkish.

Modern Standard Arabic lessons in Russia

MSA lessons suit complete beginners who want to learn the Arabic script with a teacher, university students who want conversation and grammar practice alongside their course, and professionals who need formal Arabic for documents, news or meetings. Lessons follow the six CEFR levels from A1, starting with the alphabet and short vowels.

Moroccan Darija lessons in Russia

Moroccan Darija lessons suit travellers preparing a trip to Morocco, people with a Moroccan partner, family or friends, and anyone who wants to speak with Moroccans rather than read formal texts. The variety taught is Moroccan Darija only — not Egyptian, Levantine or Gulf Arabic. Lessons are conversation-first and can begin in Latin letters before adding Arabic script.

Quran lessons online in Russia

Families can arrange regular online Quran reading for children from the first letters, and adults can work on Tajweed or memorization revision privately, with the same teacher each week where possible. Explanations are given in English or another confirmed language, or in Arabic for learners who already understand some — never in Russian or Tatar.

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 Moscow

Moscow has university Arabic programmes and a large Muslim community, yet a private teacher in the city still means long journeys. Online lessons remove the commute: a 60-minute lesson can sit before work or in the evening. With Moscow two hours ahead of Morocco for most of the year, a 19:00 lesson in Moscow is 17:00 for your teacher.

Saint Petersburg: support for oriental studies students

Saint Petersburg has one of Russia’s longest traditions of oriental studies, and students of Arabic there often want spoken practice alongside text-heavy courses. Private lessons can work through texts you bring, conversation in MSA, or Moroccan Darija if you plan to visit Morocco. Lessons give no university credit, and Lisanova is not connected to any Russian university.

Kazan and Tatarstan

In Kazan, Arabic is tied to Tatar heritage: Tatar was written in an Arabic-based script until the late 1920s, and many Tatar words come from Arabic, such as китап (kitap, book) from كِتاب (kitāb). Families in Kazan, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan often ask for Quran reading for children, and adults may want MSA to understand prayers or read older religious texts. Lessons are explained in English or Arabic, not Tatar or Russian.

Other cities and Russia’s time zones

Russia spans eleven time zones, so the difference with Morocco depends on your city. For most of the year Kaliningrad is one hour ahead of Morocco, Yekaterinburg four, Novosibirsk six and Vladivostok nine, so an evening lesson in the east falls in your teacher’s morning or early afternoon. Send your city with your preferred times.

Lesson times

Russia is on Moscow Time. Moscow Time is UTC+3 all year. Morocco is on UTC+1 for most of the year and UTC+0 during Ramadan, so Moscow is usually two hours ahead of your teacher, and three hours ahead during Ramadan.

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 suits most learners who can follow it; lessons are not explained in Russian, Tatar or other languages of Russia. 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, koruna, forint, leu, hryvnia, rouble 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, or message the academy on WhatsApp at +212 604 630 920; times are arranged on WhatsApp. If WhatsApp is unreliable where you are, say so in your first message so the academy can check whether lessons are practical before you pay. Lisanova accepts bank transfer, card and money-transfer services such as Western Union. Since 2022 many cards issued in Russia no longer work for payments abroad and some international transfer services have suspended operations in Russia, so the academy confirms which method can actually reach it from your situation before you buy any lessons. Do not pay until a method is confirmed; the free trial needs no payment. Quran enquiries are arranged on WhatsApp. Cancellation and refund conditions are on the Terms page.