Deewan Arabic Podcast

In this episode Hiba is in conversation with Patrick.  He is a student from the UK studying ​Arabic here. Listen in for the next 20 minutes to hear lots of laughter and a discussion about Patrick's experience so far of living in Amman, life as a student and sport in England including a passionate debate about whether rugby really is the violent sport it can be made out to be.   The transcripti...

Hello and welcome to season 3 of the Deewan Arabic Podcast!   We are excited to continue the success of both season 1 and 2 as thousands of you from around the world have listened in. From Amazon and Deewan, an accompanying book is available for season 1 containing all of the transcribed episodes, a glossary of terms from each episode and written exercises.  The  book for season 2 will be released...

This episode includes a crucial conversation between Allison, a black American, and Duaa. We listen to Allison describe the struggles that people of color must face every day all around the world; but for Allison, especially in America. Unfortunately, her struggles began all the way back in school where she faced prejudice for the color of her skin, where she could only be pretty for her skin colo...

In this episode, we hear an enlightening conversation between Roger and Areen. Roger is a 70 year old retired man from Scotland who has been living in Jordan for two years. Interested in Jordan and its culture, he decided to take up Arabic! Listen to find out more about his experience learning Arabic at his age and how you really are never too old to learn something new. The transcription of this...

In this episode, Mohammad, a founder of Deewan, talks to Dayini who hails from Malaysia. They discuss why Dayini is learning Ammiyeh (colloquial) Arabic as well as FusHa (Standard) instead of just FusHa Arabic which is typical of Islamic Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia and Indonesia. Dayini is also studying Arabic and Middle Eastern studies in the UK, listen to find out what prompted her t...

How did a German woman fall in love with an Argentinian/Uruguayan dance? Listen to Nicole talk to Areen, one of our Arabic teachers, about how she got into tango and started practicing it. This dance was once forbidden for its intimacy and the close personal contact required between a man and a woman. Nowadays, people still talk about tango’s seductive nature. The transcription of this episode is...

In this episode, we listen in on the conversation between Hiba and Svenja, a German living in Berlin, about the little details relating to social life and rules and regulations that we never notice when comparing Jordanian and European culture, like texting and response times! Listen to find more differences! The transcription of this episode is provided in the  Guide to Deewan Arabic Podcast , al...

This episode is perfect for beginner listeners as students get to hear Enas and Adriana’s conversation about Adriana’s favorite thing in the world to do: traveling. Adriana talks about her traveling experience, her favorite and least favorite parts and her future plans.  The transcription of this episode is provided in the  Guide to Deewan Arabic Podcast , along with its translation; this book is...

In this episode, Hannah from Germany has a conversation with Hiba about her love of sports, especially yoga, running and riding her bike! Like everyone else living through pandemic, Hannah has been struggling with not being able to go to the gym or work out with her friends but is making it work from home. The two bond over their mutual love of fitness, their workout - and diet - preferences, and...

This episode, led by Enas, brings us one of the most enlightening conversations we have heard on this podcast. Mohammad and Georgina discuss the vast differences between European cultures and Middle Eastern cultures, Europe from the point of view of Mohammad, a Syrian living in Germany, and the Middle East from the point of view of Georgina, a Brit who has lived in the Middle East for a couple of...

This episode brings you a conversation between Johanna and Hiba about the illegal occupation of Palestine. Johanna is an American who grew up with the same stereotype shared by the western media, but after coming to Jordan as a kid and getting to visit Palestine several times, she immediately fell in love with the country and its culture, and even more so… felt for its suffering people. Listen as...

The first episode of the new season introduces us to Clara through her conversation with Areen. They tell us all about vegetarianism, and more specifically, vegetarianism in Jordan; a country famous for its levantine cuisine with many popular vegetarian options. Clara tells us if it’s hard to be vegetarian and why she would or would not recommend it. Listen to find out how she answered these quest...

After season one was more successful than we could have ever imagined, we decided to continue with a new season and introduce new and more exciting topics with more interactive exercises. We have had listeners from all over the world, from Costa Rica all the way to Australia, and not to mention how many copies of our book “The Comprehensive Guide to Levantine Arabic” have been sold on Amazon and a...

In this episode, we hear Amée’s interesting opinion on refugees in Europe. During a conversation with Hiba, she shares her experience as a brit living and working in Greece in the humanitarian field. From her experience, Amée tells us that having refugees actually has a positive effect as some refugees have even helped develop the community that gives them shelter, proving that no good deeds go un...

This episode shows a discussion between Hiba, one of Deewan's Arabic teachers and Marcela, a Mexican student who lives in Colombia.  Hiba asks Marcela everyday questions about her profession, her education and the countries in the world she’s previously been to, and they talk about the Arabic culture and compare it to the Mexican culture from the point of view of Marcela, who had lived in Jord...

This episode show a conversation between Enas, and Charlotte from Belgium, in which they discuss Charlotte’s PhD research about Jordanian heritage, and about how she used the situation surrounding the pandemic to her advantage whilst undertaking her PhD here in Jordan. The transcription of this episode is provided in the Guide to Deewan Arabic Podcast, along with its translation, this book is avai...

This episode shows a conversation between Heba (one of Deewan Arabic teachers) and Sophia (a student from Spain) in which they discuss Sophia’s life in Amman and her favorite activities to do before the pandemic hit. They also compare their cooking skills after fantasizing about magloobeh, a traditional Arabic rice dish; although there’s not much to compare because Heba can’t even make microwavabl...

In this episode, Duaa, one of the co-founders of Deewan is chatting to her student Clair from the US. Clair loves dogs, and she has one in Amman, so in this podcast she shares with us her experience of being a dog owner in Jordan. The transcription of this episode is provided in the Guide to Deewan Arabic Podcast , along with its translation; this book is available on Amazon and at Deewan institut...

In this episode, Enas is chatting to Diana. A Jordanian who was born and raised in the US. Also one of Deewan many Jordanian by origin students who want to learn Arabic to connect with their roots. Diana and Enas will talk about how becoming a mom changed Diana’s life and daily routine. The transcription of this episode is provided in the Guide to Deewan Arabic Podcast , along with its translation...

In this episode, Scott أبو السوس and Mohammad talk about racism and equality in general, but especially in the U.S., Scott's home country. They touch on this topic during their chat, what the situation is today, how things have changed, and what is needed for further positive changes in the future. The transcription of this episode is provided in the Guide to Deewan Arabic Podcast , along with...

In this episode, Amanda - one of our students from Ireland - shares her Arabic learning journey with us as she tells Enas - one of Deewan’s teachers - the reason why she decided to learn Arabic and come back to Jordan for the second time. The transcription of this episode is provided in the Guide to Deewan Arabic Podcast , along with its translation; this book is available on Amazon and at Deewan...

In this episode, Areen, one of our teachers at Deewan, interviews Amber, one of our students from Belgium. Areen asks Amber about her life in Jordan and her thoughts about her experience here. But first, Areen will give you the keywords for this episode. The transcription of this episode is provided in the Guide to Deewan Arabic Podcast , along with its translation; this book is available on Amazo...

This podcast is for Levantine colloquial Arabic students of all levels who want to improve their listening and speaking skills and expand their vocabulary and Arabic knowledge. The Arabic transcription of this introduction is provided in the Guide to Deewan Arabic Podcast , along with its translation; this book is available on Amazon and at Deewan institute in Amman - Jordan. To learn more about o...