Finding a genuine Arabic specialist in Cambridge is easier said than done, and even in a compact city, cycling across town in the dark can eat an evening before you begin. I teach Arabic privately, one to one, live over Zoom, so whether you are in Newnham, Chesterton or out towards Cherry Hinton, the lesson comes to you. No bike in the rain, no parking, just you and a native speaker.
Cambridge has a real tradition of Arabic and Middle Eastern study, so the interest is here, yet a native Levantine Arabic tutor who teaches properly, rather than a marketplace algorithm, is still a rare thing to find on your doorstep. Add the reality of crossing even a small city by bicycle after work, and a local lesson asks for the journey on top of the hour. Because the lessons are online, you can learn from home, which removes that and gives the hour back.
Most of the Cambridge learners I teach fall into one of these four groups, and plenty sit across two. Wherever you start, the free first chat is where we work out what you actually need.
Students sitting Arabic at GCSE or A-level, often heritage speakers or keen linguists. I teach to the specification, rehearse the speaking exam until it feels routine, and work through past papers so the grade reflects the effort that went in.
No background, no family link, just genuine interest. We begin at the alphabet, build proper foundations, and move at a pace your week can actually carry. There is no assumption that you should already know anything.
You grew up around Arabic but never formally learnt it. We pick up the thread gently, in the dialect that matches your family, and with no judgement about where you are starting from.
You need Arabic for your job: government, NGOs, journalism, finance, or diplomacy. I build vocabulary around the sector you actually work in, with the pronunciation and cultural register to go with it.
Arabic has two faces: the formal written language shared across every Arab country, and the spoken Arabic people actually use at home. As a native Levantine speaker and a linguist, I will help you choose in the first chat, and many learners weave both together over time. There is no wrong answer, only the one that fits your goal.
The written Arabic of books, news, study and formal use, the same from Morocco to Oman. The practical anchor if you are learning for work, academic study, reading, or travel across several regions.
The spoken Arabic of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine, and my mother tongue. Usually the faster way in if your goal is real conversation, heritage reconnection, or travel in the Levant. Lighter grammar, and progress you can hear within the first few weeks.
If your son or daughter is sitting Arabic at a Cambridge school, I teach to the specification their school follows. At GCSE that is commonly AQA, and at A-level commonly Pearson Edexcel, the two boards that offer Arabic in England. We cover the written papers, rehearse the speaking exam until it feels routine, and work through past papers and exam technique. Lessons are online over Zoom, so the school run and the cross-city traffic never come into it.
Plenty of working adults in Cambridge need Arabic for a clear reason: a role with a Middle Eastern brief, NGO or government work, journalism, finance, or family ties they want to honour properly. We build the vocabulary around the situations you actually face, practise pronunciation and the right register, and keep the sessions flexible around a working week. Evenings and weekends are fine, and because everything is over Zoom, a late finish at the office does not cost you the lesson.
For many learners of Arab descent, the language is tangled up with family: a grandparent's voice, half-remembered phrases, a song or a film you wish you understood without subtitles. Reconnecting with it can feel daunting, especially as an adult who feels they should already know. There is no judgement here. We work gently, in the dialect that matches your family, and rebuild the thread at a pace that feels comfortable. It is some of the most rewarding teaching I do.
Every lesson is live, one to one, over Zoom. You see me and I see you, and we talk in real time. Nothing is pre-recorded and nothing is automated.
All you need is a laptop or tablet, a quiet space, and a pair of headphones so the sound is clear both ways. No special software beyond Zoom.
Anything we will use I send before the lesson, so you can glance over it in advance and we spend the hour talking rather than setting up.
With your agreement the session can be recorded and saved, so you can go back over a tricky point in your own time during the week.
The first proper session is about you. We work out your current level honestly, talk through what you want Arabic to do for you, and agree a simple plan for the weeks ahead. Then we start: speaking or reading a little Arabic gently from the off, so you leave with something real rather than just a timetable. No fixed syllabus is forced on you, nothing is guaranteed, and I will never put a timescale on your fluency that I cannot stand behind.
I am a PhD linguist with twenty years' teaching experience and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. As a native Levantine Arabic speaker, I teach both Modern Standard Arabic and Levantine dialect, at every level from the alphabet to university study.
Cambridge is historic, compact, and a city that moves by bicycle, home to the University of Cambridge and Anglia Ruskin University and a long tradition of Middle Eastern study. Whether you live in Trumpington, around Mill Road, in Chesterton or out at Cherry Hinton, the lesson is the same: live, personal, and built around you. There is no cycle across town in the dark, just the lesson at your kitchen table. Because it is all online, the part of the city you live in makes no difference at all.
A few questions I am asked often by learners across Cambridge.
Only online, and that is a deliberate choice rather than a limitation. Teaching live over Zoom means I can give every learner my full attention, send tailored materials, and save the session for later, without anyone losing an evening to travel. All you need is a laptop or tablet, a quiet space, and headphones.
It depends on what you want Arabic to do for you. Modern Standard Arabic is the formal written language, ideal for reading, study and formal use across the Arab world. Levantine is the spoken Arabic of the region and my mother tongue, usually the faster route to real conversation. We talk it through in the first chat, and many learners weave both together over time.
Yes. I teach to whichever specification the school follows. At GCSE that is commonly AQA, and at A-level commonly Pearson Edexcel, the boards that offer Arabic in England. We cover the written papers, rehearse the speaking exam, and work through past papers and technique.
Often. A good number of my learners start with no Arabic at all. We begin with the sounds and the alphabet, build proper foundations, and move at a pace that suits you. There is no pressure and no assumption that you should already know anything.
Very little: a laptop or tablet with a camera, a reliable internet connection, a quiet space, and headphones so the sound is clear both ways. I send any materials in advance, and with your agreement the lesson can be recorded so you can revisit it during the week.
If this sounds like what you have been looking for, send me a short message with where you are now and where you would like to get to with your Arabic. From there we can arrange a free, no-pressure first chat to see whether we are a good fit. There is no obligation to book anything, and no hard sell at the end of it.
I teach learners right across the country, all online. If you are nearer one of these cities, or simply browsing, here are some of the other places I work with.
Tell me where you are with your Arabic and what you would like to reach. The first chat is free, online, and entirely no-pressure.
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