Are you looking for the best Egyptian Arabic YouTube channels? Maybe want to learn Egyptian Arabic, and want a list of the best YouTube channels you can use?
You’ve come to the right place!
In this post we are covering why YouTube is a good resource for learning Egyptian Arabic, how to use YouTube most effectively to improve your Egyptian Arabic, and some of the best Egyptian Arabic YouTube channels you should check out.
Let’s get started!
Why Egyptian Arabic YouTube Channels Are Good For Learning The Language
Here are a few reasons why YouTube is a great resource for learning Egyptian Arabic – no matter what your level is.
Useful for learning actual spoken Arabic.
So often you spend all the time and money to learn a language in a class, only to find out that native speakers of the language sound completely different.
It’s even worse with Arabic. That’s because of the big difference between the Arabic you will usually learn in a class (Standard Arabic, or fusha) compared to the dialects.
That doesn’t happen so much with YouTube videos. Because pretty much all Arabic speakers speak their dialect more naturally than Standard Arabic (if they speak Standard Arabic) their videos will almost always be in spoken Arabic. In this case, Egyptian Arabic.
A great chance to learn slang.
Similar to the first point.
Also, because many YouTube channels are just streamers literally talking to the camera as they go about their day, you’re guaranteed to get authentic content.
Not only are you getting exposure to spoken Egyptian Arabic, but you’re going even deeper into the language with slang. Of course, your ability to spot this slang and remember it for later use will depend on your ability to get help with these videos. Make sure to read the next section (“Advice For Using Egyptian Arabic YouTube Channels”) for more advice.
Let you improve your listening comprehension as much as possible.
Listening skills take a really long time to improve. I remember when I first started learning Egyptian Arabic, it basically went like this:
- Learn a bunch of phrases and vocab
- Practice them in conversation
- Get good at speaking Egyptian Arabic
- Still suck at understanding Egyptian Arabic spoken to me
This lasted for many months before I got good at understanding spoken Egyptian Arabic. It was the same thing when I learned German super fast in four months.
The fact is, listening comprehension is a very different thing than speaking competency, and will take awhile to improve. Thankfully, that’s where Egyptian Arabic YouTube channels can help.
Allows you insight into Egyptian culture.
Sure – if you’re reading this, your number one goal is probably improving your Egyptian Arabic language skills. No problem there – it’s the entire reason Cleo Lingo exists!
Still, truly learning a language requires a healthy dose of cultural competency, and that’s exactly what Egyptian Arabic YouTube channels can give you. The more you learn about Egyptian culture, the more you learn about Egypt, and the better you can connect with Egyptians.
Plus, more cultural competency usually goes hand-in-hand with linguistic competency. Definitely a win-win!
Really fun.
This last point about Egyptian Arabic YouTube channels is less about the learning, and more about the motivation. Let’s be honest: nobody wants to have their nose buried in a book all day. Even fewer people want to learn Egyptian Arabic exclusively through grammar rules. Even if you like grammar, it’s just not a sustainable way to go about learning a language for the long-term.
That’s why Egyptian Arabic YouTube channels can be so useful: they are fun, which gives you a healthy dose of motivation during your studies. This allows you to keep putting in the study time day after day, which is really the only “secret” to learning a language: consistency.
Advice For Using Egyptian Arabic YouTube Channels
Alright, here’s some useful advice before we tell you what our favorite channels are. Refer back to this when you start collecting your Egyptian Arabic YouTube channels and when you really dive into them for study.
It’s not enough just to watch some videos and hope for the best – it helps to have a coherent plan if you want to get the most out of your study time.
That’s what this section is for. Here are our most important pieces of advice if you are learning the language through Egyptian Arabic YouTube channels…
Repeat, repeat, and repeat some more.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if you want something to stick in your brain, you have to repeat it. A lot.
Repetition is how you maximize the benefit of watching an Egyptian Arabic YouTube video. It’s how you get words and phrases to stay stuck in your brain, skyrocket your listening comprehension, and gradually get more fluent in Egyptian Arabic.
Don’t just watch a YouTube video once. Watch it five, ten, twenty times. Trust me – you will pick up more and more every time.
Don’t consume videos that are too long.
Too short and you aren’t being exposed to Egyptian Arabic in a meaningful way. Too long, however, and it becomes hard to focus – especially if your level isn’t very high yet.
Of course, this will obviously depend on your level. For example, if you are at a comfortable intermediate skill level with Egyptian Arabic, longer videos start to be much more beneficial than shorter ones.
The point still stands though: try to watch videos that are about 2-4 minutes long. Or at least sections of a longer video that are 2-4 minutes long. This seems to be the sweet spot of pushing your “learning boundaries” in a healthy way, while still keeping your focus.
That said, here is my next tip for using YouTube to learn Egyptian Arabic…
Don’t be afraid to watch videos that are above your level.
With language learning, I have always thought that something that is slightly too hard for you is better than something that is a bit too easy. And really, that’s not just a thought – the evidence backs it up. As Steve Kaufman says, comprehensible input that is slightly too difficult for you is the way to go.
Plus, it keeps your brain engaged. Understand everything and you can zone out. Understand just enough, but not all, and your brain is trying to understand what is going on. So don’t be worried if an Egyptian Arabic YouTube video is too hard for you – as long as you are following the next tip…
Get help on things you don’t understand.
One of the biggest problems with Egyptian Arabic resources (YouTube videos included) is that they often don’t have subtitles. This is frustrating: here’s all this great content, with a ton of useful phrases I could be using – and almost none of it has subtitles.
That’s why getting help with videos can be such a game changer. This will usually imply working with an Egyptian Arabic teacher. here’s the process I use:
- Watch an Egyptian Arabic video on YouTube
- Send your teacher a link to the video
- Get your teacher to transcribe certain parts of the video
- Learn the vocab from their notes
- Watch again…and again…again
You’d be amazed how quickly your skill in a language improves following this process. Try it out!
Take notes.
Over the course of three years of living in Cairo and learning Egyptian Arabic practically daily, I was taking notes pretty much all the time. Whether it was watching videos, conversations with friends, or snippets that I overheard on public buses, I was always writing down new phrases and words.
The result? After three years I had thousands of words and phrases, ready to be transferred over to my Anki vocab app:
Literally thousands of Egyptian Arabic words and phrases – all from my notes.
You don’t have to be this obsessive about it, but you’d be surprised how much new vocabulary you can pick up just writing it down.
Bonus tip: pay attention to the comment section.
This is a more general tip here, but it’s something that helped me immensely in building up my Egyptian Arabic vocabulary.
Here’s the process that I went through weekly during my most intensive period with Egyptian Arabic:
- Find YouTube videos that were popular in Egypt / made by Egyptians
- Copy down some of the comments into a word document (whether in Franco or written in Arabic)
- Work through the comments to understand them, and send comments that I didn’t quite get to a teacher to be translated
- Make Anki vocab cards on my phone with phrases that I really wanted to remember
- Repeat
The big benefit here is that because YouTube comments are almost always written informally (and not in Standard Arabic!), you are getting a ton of exposure to how Egyptians actually speak. You’d be surprised at how quickly you can build up your vocabulary and internalize how Egyptian Arabic works just by trolling YouTube comments. 😀
Does this take awhile? A bit, yes.
But trust me – it’s time well spent!
And good news – if you want advice like this, we send out a newsletter every other Friday.
Each edition includes a ton of useful information for people learning Egyptian Arabic, and one section is always about helpful resources for learners.
Only people on our email list get our newsletter, though. So be sure to sign up below (it’s completely free):
The 8 Best Egyptian Arabic YouTube Channels
Without further delay, here is our list of the best Egyptian Arabic YouTube channels.
These are all guaranteed to teach you a ton of useful vocabulary as well as help you with your listening comprehension. We’ve added a bit of description to each to help you decide which channels to tackle first.
1) Linguamid
One of the more consistent YouTubers. Hamid has all sorts of videos on a variety of topics, and even dives into the history behind certain words and phrases (if that’s your kind of thing). He even has an online course that teaches you Egyptian Arabic. Haven’t checked it out so we can’t tell you if it’s good, but it shows that he’s professional!
The good:
- Hamid is a funny guy that is enjoyable to listen to. This makes learning with his videos pretty fun.
- A professionally trained teacher. Sometimes with YouTube channels you are basically learning from “normal people”, which can be a double-edged sword. Because Hamid is a teacher, he knows how to speak and explain topics in a way that maximizes your retention.
The bad:
- A lot of Hamid’s videos are basically him explaining Egyptian Arabic in English. Not exactly the best “immersive” experience.
- His topics, in my opinion, are hit-or-miss. Sometimes he will do a deep dive on a scene from an Egyptian movie, which I find really helpful. Sometimes he will spend 10 minutes talking about just a few words, which (for conversational practice) isn’t so great.
2) Easy Arabic
My personal favorite YouTube channel if you are learning Egyptian Arabic! Easy Arabic is basically a collection of video interviews with normal, everyday Egyptians about a wide variety of topics. This channel can be super useful to you, no matter how good your Egyptian Arabic is.
The good:
- You have subtitles in Egyptian Arabic, not fusha. This is rare enough to warrant you checking it out, and can massively increase your level of usable vocabulary. There are also subtitles right below the Egyptian Arabic in Franco-Arabic, which is the combination of letters and numbers that young people often use when writing. Excellent practice if you want to learn this style!
- A nice mix of people from different parts of Egypt. This is cool if you want to hear the different ways that people talk and is an effective way to train your ear.
- They just started posting videos again! There are quite a few from years ago, but they have also started posting again just a few months ago. Keep a look out for more videos to practice with!
The bad:
- The topics aren’t always so interesting. That means you might be watching videos on questions that are…well, kind of boring.
- While most videos are in Egyptian Arabic, the general channel “Easy Arabic” also has other dialects like Tunisian. Be sure which dialect the video is in before you start studying it.
- People are speaking at “normal speed.” These aren’t interviews made with “slow” Egyptian Arabic, but rather natural conversations at a pace Egyptians normally speak at. This means, especially if you’re just a beginner, that these conversations can seem quite fast.
3) AJPlusKibreet
Not going to lie, you are kind of on your own with this Egyptian Arabic YouTube channel. This is really just a collection of different channels that cover a huge range of topics. Probably more interesting the better your Egyptian Arabic is.
The good:
- Over three thousand videos across the different sub channels. You are pretty much guaranteed you are going to find something you think is interesting.
- A wide variety of speakers. You have many Egyptians from various shows speaking with slightly different accents, which means you are getting a very well-rounded exposure to the language.
The bad:
- Not super well organized. You really have to go exploring to find stuff you might find interesting. This is made even more frustrating with the sheer volume of videos you have to comb through.
- The wide variety of topics can be a bit overwhelming. At first you’ll be watching a comedy sketch, and then two clicks later you’re watching some weird talk show. Not the best learning experience.
4) Ali Gamal
This guy is an Egyptian Arabic teacher for foreigners that live in Cairo. There is a wide variety of video types on his channel, and after over ten years on YouTube, he’s built up quite the collection!
The good:
- He has made over 3,000 videos. That’s dedication! This guy is dedicated to his job, and it shows in the quality of his videos. They’re pretty educational, and yes – he has a ton of them!
- A fair amount of his videos are literally just conversations in Egyptian Arabic (with subtitles!). I think this is one of the most useful things you can study if you are serious about getting better at Egyptian Arabic.
The bad:
- Many of his videos aren’t super exciting. A lot of the time it’s just him talking about random stuff, which doesn’t make you engaged as a learner. But hey, 3,000 videos can’t all be good!
- Some of his videos are very heavy on the English. This is useful for people that are absolute beginners, but kind of a waste of time for most other levels. Just something to keep in mind.
5) Egyptoon
When I was about six months into living in Cairo (and learning Egyptian Arabic), I asked an Egyptian friend for some suggestions on new learning material. Egyptoon was his suggestion. It’s a YouTube channel of animated cartoon shorts, all about life in Egypt.
The good:
- Egyptoon is an absolutely wonderful resource for learning Egyptian Arabic as it’s actually spoken by Egyptians – which just so happens to be the entire goal of Cleo Lingo!
- Really funny, once you start to understand things. Whether or not you find it funny largely depends on your kind of humor, though (see point #3 in “the bad”)
- Brilliant insight into Egyptian culture. This channel doesn’t shy away from complicated topics within Egyptian society, which makes it a treasure trove of “learning about Egypt through humor.”
The bad:
- Egyptoon is quite advanced. While I believe anybody can learn from more difficult material, don’t expect to understand all that much if you aren’t already quite good at Egyptian Arabic. The channel deals with complicated topics, the characters speak fast, and it’s material made for natives. This all makes it quite hard.
- The channel doesn’t have Egyptian Arabic subtitles. This is always pretty lame if you are learning the language, but especially so with Egyptoon’s relatively advanced level.
- It can be a bit…crass. If “adult humor” isn’t your thing (and no worries if it’s not), Egyptoon might not be all that enjoyable to watch.
6) Sarah Hany
This is basically an Egyptian live streamer that talks about life. She’s quite funny and positive, which makes it enjoyable to watch her videos. Nothing super crazy here – basically just a girl talking about her life and opinions on various things.
The good:
- YouTubers across all languages have a tendency to speak pretty fast. That can make it kinda tricky to understand what the heck they’re saying. Not so with Sarah. She’s clear and speaks at a normal pace – great for focusing on your comprehension.
- Most of Sarah’s videos are literally just her talking into the camera. No fancy cuts or edits or special effects – just an Egyptian speaking. That’s a good thing because you’re guaranteed to get a ton of exposure to the language.
The bad:
- Probably not appealing to everybody. She focuses on fashion and “lifestyle” in most of her videos. If you aren’t into these, you might find her videos a bit boring.
- Like most of these channels, there aren’t any subtitles with most of Sarah’s videos. That said, if you send a few to your Egyptian Arabic teacher, they will be more than happy to whip up some subtitles for you. One 5 minute video can give you enough new vocabulary to practice for weeks!
7) Al Bernameg
Alright, time to get real. While this isn’t strictly a YouTube channel, a ton of the show’s videos made it to YouTube. This makes it a cultural treasure trove of (no joke) one of the most influential shows to ever come out of Egypt. I mean, the guy is best friends with John Stewart!
The good:
- Bassem Youssef is one of the most important Egyptian newscasters you need to know. He was basically front and center with his show when the revolution of 2011 was happening. If nothing else, being able to say that you’ve watched El Bernameg is going to win you some respect.
- Will teach you a ton about recent Egyptian history. If you are interested in the events of 2011 and everything that unfolded afterwards, this is a great show to check out.
- Advanced stuff. This is a show that will teach you how to speak about serious topics, all with a great sense of humor. Very stereotypical Egyptian, I’d say! 🙂
The bad:
- Again – this is as advanced as you get. Youssef speaks super fast, which can make understanding what he’s saying difficult at best. Definitely worth your time, but this is the perfect YouTube channel to be implementing our “get help from a teacher” tip.
- Very politically-inclined. Not everybody’s thing. If you aren’t interested in politics, a show that speaks almost exclusively about politics is probably not for you.
8) Kareem Elsayed
Lastly, time for one more Egyptian YouTuber. Kareem is a streamer that records all sorts of moments from his life. Everything from hanging out with his family to eating KFC – northing is off limits. While he has actually lived in the U.K. for quite awhile, he is originally from Egypt and just moved back
The good:
- Really well-made stuff. You can tell the passion that goes into Kareem’s videos, and it really helps to stay engaged as a learner. He has been making YouTube videos for 15 years – it really shows with the quality.
- English subtitles. This is helpful especially if you are a beginner just starting out with Egyptian Arabic. Careful with an over-reliance on the subtitles, though – it can be a good thing to not understand a whole lot and immerse yourself in spoken Egyptian Arabic before seeking out a translation.
The bad:
- Not everybody will find his video topics interesting. As a streamer, he is more into “everyday life”, which not everybody finds all that interesting to pay attention to.
- Not geared towards Egyptian Arabic learners. Kareem is literally just making videos about life, which can make it difficult to understand if your level isn’t very high yet. In fairness, though, the best YouTube channels for learning a language are often the ones that are just normal people chatting. That ensures you are seeing the language used in a natural and authentic way!
That’s that!
With this list of Egyptian Arabic YouTube channels, you’ll be on your way to fluency in no time!
Enjoy the process, and let us know if you ever have any questions!
