hello Alicia, I think you have to know how you can read the arabic at the first time. I meant keep working with their own letters, and then you will be able to read anything in Arabic. Now, I have two suggestions for you: 1° If you stay in US, and you wanna learn arabic at home without doing some courses away, I advice you as a native speaker to learn the standard Arabic. because it will help you to understand anything from the net, specially, if you would like to check some online courses by an arabic teacher. Everyone use the standard around the arabic world, and remember you have to contact a partner in arabic to correct you. I did the same for my chinese since 6 months, and for now, I can understand and I can write down my own sentences. It was really hard, but keep fighting! if you love a language you will get it! 2° If you're planing to go to an arabic place, I advice you to go to Egypt, because their accent is esier and also it's famous around the arabic countries, I mean everyone can understand and speak the egyptian [me too, I practice this accent with some natives], for me it's not problem, I can stay in Morocco, and I can learn the egyptian from anyone becaus,I am native speaker in Arabic[the standard], we use the same words from the standard to any dialect. so, for you, it's better to live there in same months to get their accent as well. About the dialects; actually they're not different from the standard, we only change the tone or the pronunciation of the words. and we use some different words, and you can check the meaning of them by heart. It's the same on your language, for example, it will be crazier thing to study a specific accent, so that's why I have to study the standard american to understand almost accents. that's my view, regards.

I think you have to learn standard Arabic since it should be understandable by most of Arabian whatever the dialect that they speak.. Good luck :)

hello sister i advice you to learn Standard Arabic baucsue all arabs understand it thay all speak by Standard Arabic

Thank you! This is very helpful! I think I understand a bit better now. =)

Hi, Well, you're quite right. Egyptian dielect is actually easy and very well understood in the arab world. I come from Saudi Arabia for example and speak modern Arabic most of the time. However, when I speak with my saudi accent with a lebenese whot's never been to saudi arabia, he would misunderstand me quite often and we have had once to speak in English to understand each other well. (This case took place in the US) But on the other hand I understand his lebanese accent with much ease. Try and learn modern Arabic and focus on simple words that is understood by many dialects.(words that are used in the news, short stories, magazines) because they're aimed at arabs and not at certain region of the arab world. to say "I want" in different dialect for example. Gulf region: "Ana Abgha ..." (gh sounds like R in french) "أنا أبغى " egypialn: "Ana 'awez" " أنا عاوز " Palestinian: "Ana beddi " "أنا بدي " Modern arabic (used in news broadcasting and writings ): "Ana Oreed" "أنا أريد" Wish you best of luck. And please do let me know if you have certain question and/or would like to learn certain phrases (ex. how to say: "I don't feel like doing anything today" in modern arabic) Al