Team Middle East

[cjareck]

Additionally, since I am looking at learning some MSA anyway, is it possible 100% focus on MSA would be more useful for interactions with locals in Riyadh compared to, say 50% of my time on MSA, and 50% on Hijazi dialect? In other words, is spoken Hijazi or spoken MSA closer to spoken Najdi? I ask because, if MSA is closer to Najdi or even just slightly behind Hijazi when comparing proximity to Najdi, then more time on MSA, might be a better investment of time.

The question is not addressed to me, but I will answer it anyway As far, as I know (maybe Hashimi will correct me in this matter), there is no such thing as spoken MSA. It is the language of the books and some TV, but in this second case, mixed a little with dialects. As I read, you will not be able to speak with the locals in MSA - they will understand you (as they understand TV news), but they will not reply in MSA but in their dialect which you will not understand. That made me little sad some time ago, but since I need language for reading mostly, this is not of much importance for me.

[PeterMollenburg]

Additionally, since I am looking at learning some MSA anyway, is it possible 100% focus on MSA would be more useful for interactions with locals in Riyadh compared to, say 50% of my time on MSA, and 50% on Hijazi dialect? In other words, is spoken Hijazi or spoken MSA closer to spoken Najdi? I ask because, if MSA is closer to Najdi or even just slightly behind Hijazi when comparing proximity to Najdi, then more time on MSA, might be a better investment of time.

The question is not addressed to me, but I will answer it anyway As far, as I know (maybe Hashimi will correct me in this matter), there is no such thing as spoken MSA. It is the language of the books and some TV, but in this second case, mixed a little with dialects. As I read, you will not be able to speak with the locals in MSA - they will understand you (as they understand TV news), but they will not reply in MSA but in their dialect which you will not understand. That made me little sad some time ago, but since I need language for reading mostly, this is not of much importance for me.

Thanks cjareck,

I already understand the distiction, but thank you for taking the time to clarify, anyway. I realise MSA is not spoken by locals (but probably understood). What I’m asking is which dialects or even potentially MSA is closest to the Najdi dialect, and what is therefore best (in terms of courses) for me to put time into studing to attempt to most accurately speak to locals in Riyad (who use the Najdi dialect) when there appears to be a complete absence of Najdi Arabic courses.

I have heard that the Najdi dialect is closest to MSA. How true this is, I am unsure, as many ppl claim their particular dialect to be closest to MSA. Still, if it is the case, how close is ‘close’? If MSA is closer to Najdi Arabic dialect than Gulf Arabic dialect or Hijazi Arabic dialect, then, despite the fact MSA is not spoken on the streets of Riyadh (but is likely understood by a decent %), I’d still be better understood speaking MSA to Riyadh locals as opposed to a related dialetic (Hijazi, Gulf) if and only if, MSA is indeed the closest (of all variants of Arabic: dialects, classical, MSA all compared) to the Najdi dialect.

In short, which variant (dialect or not) should I study in the absence of Najdi courses?

Why am I being so specific? We know studying a language takes time and effort. If Italian had no resources, would it be best to use courses in Latin (let’s say that’s MSA), French, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Catalan, Galician or a combination to be best understood? Let’s just say, for Italian, French would not be the best choice. I don’t want to waste potentially hundreds of hours choosing the wrong language/dialect to study.

Time and energy are a precious commodity, I’d hate to make the wrong choice. In the end if all other forms of Arabic are too far removed from Najdi (i.e. they’re a bit like French is to Italian), I might need to reconsider how I choose to spend my time in my attempt to connect to Riyadh locals.

[PeterMollenburg]

Finally a little bit of success....

In this thread HTLAL (2010): Dialects of Arabic according to the second-last paragraph of this post in which Daristani quotes Howard D. Rowland (I’ve highlighted the last paragraph I’m referring to in blue after copying the post and then having deleted the vast majority of that original post- see link above for the full post).

Colloquial Arabic: What Is It and How Does One Learn It?

Editor's Note: This first of a two part article will deal with Modern Standard Arabic (MSA).

by Howard D. Rowland*

*Graduate of 18-month DLI Russian course (1961-62), DLI Russian instructor (1973-77), DLI Arabic instructor (1984-87, 1990-99), Ph.D. in Arabic studies from U. of Michigan at Ann Arbor (1971)

Saudi Arabic Headstart, by Howard Rowland, Siham Munir, and others. Produced at DLI in 1980. A package consisting of a booklet containing eight modules (16 lessons) that teaches the dialect of central Saudi Arabia to officers and others assigned to that country, accompanied by 15 cassette tapes and a Cultural Notes booklet.

So the DLI Saudi Arabic course sounds very much like its Najdi Arabic. Wohoo! Who’da thought I’d be celebrating over such a course

As for dialect closeness, I will have to dig through this book, see if there are hidden gems of info:
Najdi Arabic: Central Arabian by Bruce Ingham

[A Callidryas]

Hi Peter. I am a native English speaker with what are probably B2 receptive skills in MSA. My active skills are functional but messy. I have never lived in Saudi, but I have lived in the UAE and Kuwait. I can’t guarantee the accuracy of what I’m writing here, but I would imagine that it is not too far off the mark.

1 Almost all, if not all, the health professionals at your wife’s workplace will speak passable to good English. Even many of the support staff (receptionists, tea servers, cleaners) may speak at least a little bit. Most of the Westerners won’t speak any Arabic.

2 I’m not an expert on compounds as I have never lived on one. That said, on the compound, many/most of the spouses and children will probably speak some English. In fact many children may be attending international schools where the language of instruction is English. There may be some Saudi guards at the compound, but grounds keepers, maintenance people and other on-site staff are more likely to be Indians, Bengalis, Pakistanis or possibly Levantine or Egyptian Arabs. Any southern Asians will probably speak some English, and the Arabs might.

3 Saudis generally don’t work in service jobs. At traditional and fast food restaurants, bakeries, supermarkets, department stores, malls, and branches of foreign stores, you are most likely to interact with the nationalities mentioned above or with Filipinos, all of whom will probably speak English.

4 You are most likely to interact with Saudis at the airport, government offices, the post office, banks, and possibly as small business owners, especially in traditional trades. Of course a busy government worker won’t appreciate Arabic unless you are fairly fluent. A business owner or bored government worker may offer you some chai and a quick chat. You might also meet a friendly, talkative Saudi working/volunteering at a museum. At any of these places, Arabic will be unnecessary, but you will get a good reception if you speak a bit of any sort.

5 Unless you befriend a Saudi because of a shared interest (sports, photography, language learning, etc.) there’s much less of a chance of socializing/interacting with a local compared with what you would expect in most countries. Saudis tend to be very family-oriented, and as such do much of their socializing with their extended family. Anyone who does extend an invitation will probably speak good English and may have attended university in an English-speaking country.

6 You are probably more likely to have opportunities to use Arabic in daily transactions (shops, restaurants, transportation, on the street, etc.) with non-Saudi Arabs. It will probably also be easier to socialize with them.

So what is my point in writing this? You seem to be unsure about whether or not to learn Arabic, and if so, what kind. I won’t try to persuade you to do anything, but here what I think you will find. Most signs will be in Arabic and English. There will be at least one local newspaper and news channel in English. Foreign media will be readily available. Many police and people in government offices will speak English. Virtually everyone in larger stores and restaurants will speak English. You will probably never need Arabic of any kind, although a few niceties will be appreciated and some phrases for taxis or basic transactions might come in handy. Though learning Arabic is completely unnecessary, knowing it could transform your stay. Arabs can be outgoing and hospitable – if they think you are making an effort, the welcome only gets better.


If you speak MSA, virtually everyone will understand you. As for dialects, because of media exposure and the huge number of non-Saudi Arabs in the country, as long as you avoid the Maghrebi dialects, virtually any Arab you meet while in Saudi will understand you and try to accommodate you regardless of the dialect you speak.

If I were you, I would probably learn the script as that makes learning pronunciation easier, helps with learning vocab as you will learn from signs, and helps in making sense of grammar (because of the connection between morphology and grammar. I might try to find a course for daily conversation in MSA, as it serves as the core of all the dialects. Or I might get an urban Egyptian or Syrian course as virtually everyone will understand them, and because those dialects probably have the most materials available. But probably, if I only wanted to be conversational, and didn’t think I would be using Arabic much once I left Saudi, I would just use the FSI Saudi Hijazi course as it is free, can be accessed and/or downloaded immediately, is reasonably close to MSA, gives you a dialect that all Arabs in Saudi will be familiar with, seems to cover all the basics, is a very functional course, and probably takes you as far as you would want/need to go. But I would just choose one type of Arabic and stick with it. Learning Arabic is different from learning other languages – unless you are learning MSA, grammar rules, pronunciation, and preferred vocabulary usage will be slightly different in every single course, which is a nightmare for beginners trying to find their feet.

[PeterMollenburg]

Hi Peter. I am a native English speaker with what are probably B2 receptive skills in MSA. My active skills are functional but messy. I have never lived in Saudi, but I have lived in the UAE and Kuwait. I can’t guarantee the accuracy of what I’m writing here, but I would imagine that it is not too far off the mark.

1 Almost all, if not all, the health professionals at your wife’s workplace will speak passable to good English. Even many of the support staff (receptionists, tea servers, cleaners) may speak at least a little bit. Most of the Westerners won’t speak any Arabic.

2 I’m not an expert on compounds as I have never lived on one. That said, on the compound, many/most of the spouses and children will probably speak some English. In fact many children may be attending international schools where the language of instruction is English. There may be some Saudi guards at the compound, but grounds keepers, maintenance people and other on-site staff are more likely to be Indians, Bengalis, Pakistanis or possibly Levantine or Egyptian Arabs. Any southern Asians will probably speak some English, and the Arabs might.

3 Saudis generally don’t work in service jobs. At traditional and fast food restaurants, bakeries, supermarkets, department stores, malls, and branches of foreign stores, you are most likely to interact with the nationalities mentioned above or with Filipinos, all of whom will probably speak English.

4 You are most likely to interact with Saudis at the airport, government offices, the post office, banks, and possibly as small business owners, especially in traditional trades. Of course a busy government worker won’t appreciate Arabic unless you are fairly fluent. A business owner or bored government worker may offer you some chai and a quick chat. You might also meet a friendly, talkative Saudi working/volunteering at a museum. At any of these places, Arabic will be unnecessary, but you will get a good reception if you speak a bit of any sort.

5 Unless you befriend a Saudi because of a shared interest (sports, photography, language learning, etc.) there’s much less of a chance of socializing/interacting with a local compared with what you would expect in most countries. Saudis tend to be very family-oriented, and as such do much of their socializing with their extended family. Anyone who does extend an invitation will probably speak good English and may have attended university in an English-speaking country.

6 You are probably more likely to have opportunities to use Arabic in daily transactions (shops, restaurants, transportation, on the street, etc.) with non-Saudi Arabs. It will probably also be easier to socialize with them.

So what is my point in writing this? You seem to be unsure about whether or not to learn Arabic, and if so, what kind. I won’t try to persuade you to do anything, but here what I think you will find. Most signs will be in Arabic and English. There will be at least one local newspaper and news channel in English. Foreign media will be readily available. Many police and people in government offices will speak English. Virtually everyone in larger stores and restaurants will speak English. You will probably never need Arabic of any kind, although a few niceties will be appreciated and some phrases for taxis or basic transactions might come in handy. Though learning Arabic is completely unnecessary, knowing it could transform your stay. Arabs can be outgoing and hospitable – if they think you are making an effort, the welcome only gets better.


If you speak MSA, virtually everyone will understand you. As for dialects, because of media exposure and the huge number of non-Saudi Arabs in the country, as long as you avoid the Maghrebi dialects, virtually any Arab you meet while in Saudi will understand you and try to accommodate you regardless of the dialect you speak.

If I were you, I would probably learn the script as that makes learning pronunciation easier, helps with learning vocab as you will learn from signs, and helps in making sense of grammar (because of the connection between morphology and grammar. I might try to find a course for daily conversation in MSA, as it serves as the core of all the dialects. Or I might get an urban Egyptian or Syrian course as virtually everyone will understand them, and because those dialects probably have the most materials available. But probably, if I only wanted to be conversational, and didn’t think I would be using Arabic much once I left Saudi, I would just use the FSI Saudi Hijazi course as it is free, can be accessed and/or downloaded immediately, is reasonably close to MSA, gives you a dialect that all Arabs in Saudi will be familiar with, seems to cover all the basics, is a very functional course, and probably takes you as far as you would want/need to go. But I would just choose one type of Arabic and stick with it. Learning Arabic is different from learning other languages – unless you are learning MSA, grammar rules, pronunciation, and preferred vocabulary usage will be slightly different in every single course, which is a nightmare for beginners trying to find their feet.

Thanks Callidryas,

You have illustrated well, the language situation on the ground, so that others may now visualise how in fact I could possibly live in SA without learning any Arabic. From the reading and information we’ve received, what you say appears right on the mark.

Thank you for your points on dialects and MSA, I shall take them into consideration.

I think it makes me feel that one hour of Arabic learning a day, although very little for any language, divided between MSA and dialect(s) study, would help me feel a little more connected to the culture even if my chances of usage are few and far between and I can barely say or understand a word in reality, but not be so much time so as to have me feel cheated as though investing so much time in the language was a bad decision and a waste of time that lead to little in practise and frustration in finding opportunities for usage.

[PeterMollenburg]

...

Thanks again Hashimi.

Your comments and experience are invaluable. I truly appreciate those who have replied thus far in sorting out the minefield that is Arabic dialects and their usefulness relative to a particular location.

I have of course taken your comments Hashimi and those of others into careful consideration. I’ve also followed some threads, here are some, providing further insights into the dialect situation, and which might be of best use to myself and my wife.

Word Reference (forum): Hijazi Arabic: mutual intelligibility with other dialects

Word Reference (forum): Dialects of Saudi Arabia

Word Reference (forum): Najdi / Hijazi Arabic

In conclusion (feel free to disagree), in the absence of Najdi learning material, and hypothesizing that I have ample time (I don’t), courses in these varieties of Arabic will be of use for Riyadh:

Equal First place: Hijazi dialect, Gulf Arabic and MSA
More distant but of use: Egyptian Arabic due to it’s large reach via media

It seems there a differing viewpoints when it comes to which is the closest dialect in proximity to Najdi. Hashimi, your points are really pertinent to the situation in Riyadh, principally that Najdi speakers in Riyadh are likely quite familiar with the Hijazi dialect. It seems too, according to other sources, that Gulf Arabic also shares many similarities with Najdi, so perhaps it’s arguably less present in Riyadh, but a course in Gulf Arabic wouldn’t harm my chances were I to run out of Hijazi resources. Were I to ever (no it won’t happen) run out of Hijazi and Gulf Arabic resources, Egyptian Arabic would probably be of some use.

In reality, that’s perhaps unlikely, given I’m not going to be studying it full time, and may be luckly to manage an hour a day, and will be dividing my time with MSA. I’ll be scratching the (very hard) surface, barely making an indentation.

So, I think I will tackle the FSI Saudi Arabic Basic (Urban Hijazi Dialect) course from 1975 together with some MSA from a French base (likely Assimil, but not 100% sure).

Would using audio courses, such as Michel Thomas if based on another Arabic dialect (I believe it’s Egyptian Arabic) audio course during commutes for example, be useful (asking anyone)? Or is it too far removed from the Arabian dialects?

[PeterMollenburg]

So, I think I will tackle the FSI Saudi Arabic Basic (Urban Hijazi Dialect) course from 1975 together with some MSA from a French base (likely Assimil, but not 100% sure).

Would using audio courses, such as Michel Thomas if based on another Arabic dialect (I believe it’s Egyptian Arabic) audio course during commutes for example, be useful (asking anyone)? Or is it too far removed from the Arabian dialects?

Please stay away from the old Arabic course by Assimil, this course is completely BS!

Hi again Hashimi, thanks again for your input.

Oh, that's a shame re: the Assimil course. What's not good about it, if you don't mind me asking?

The latest one is better, but it is in MSA and does not teach any colloquial Arabic.

Yeah, that's the plan, to use it to learn MSA. In fact, since I intend on learning some MSA as well as some dialect, I figured that as I can't be picky about which courses I decide to use for learning colloquial spoken language (FSI Hijazi, as discussed), which is from an English base, I'll therefore use French based resources to learn MSA. I am a fan of Assimil, but my impression is one dimensional since I've only used two Assimil courses, both from an English base to learn French.

It's a shame I can't use the two Assimil beginner courses together (Assimil l'Arabe sans peine and the latest one: l'arabe), as that was the plan I was gravitating towards to learn some MSA. So, you feel, Hashimi, that the latest Assimil course is at least okay? Any further details in comparison with the old one (l'arabe sans peine)? What about the 'perfectionnement' Assimil course?

Here's a list of French based learning materials I've come across for learning MSA (some I am not sure are for MSA, yet to clarify, but most are), would you happen to have any feedback on any of them? Those in bold are of particular interest, the rest are more superfluous that I have added to my list in the course of simply searching amazon.fr and elsewhere.

Also in the second list I have put in bold a trilingual dictionary (as, naturally, I'd prefer to have an Arabic dictionary with French as well), do you know it, by chance?

Ressources en français pour apprendre l’arabe (MSA) :

1. Assimil Apprendre L’Arabe Faux Débutants
2. Assimil Arabe Débutants - Les cahiers d’exercices
3. Assimil Arabe Les Bases Débutants - Les cahiers d’ecriture
4. Assimil Arabe Faux Débutants - Les cahiers d’exercices
5. Arabe Audio en Parallèle
6. Glossika Arabe-Français (?MSA)
7. 40 Leçons pour parler Arabe (livre + 2 CD)
8. Arabe - Grammaire Active - exposé des règles, exercices et corrigés
9. Arabe : Les verbes
10. Méthode 90. Arabe Pratique de Bases (Arabe débutant 1 leçon par jour pendant 3 mois)
11. L’Arabe Langue Vivante I
12. L’Arabe Langue Vivante II
13. L’Arabe Langue Vivante III
14. Assimil L’Arabe sans Peine
15. Assimil L’Arabe (livre + 2CD)
16. Manuel d’arabe littéral
17. Manuel d'arabe en ligne: Les bases de l'arabe en 50 semaines -Tome I
18. Manuel d'arabe en ligne: Les bases de l'arabe en 50 semaines -Tome II
19. Manuel d'arabe en ligne: Les bases de l'arabe en 50 semaines -Tome III
20. Manuel d'arabe en ligne: Les bases de l'arabe en 50 semaines -Tome IV
21. Manuel d'arabe en ligne: Les bases de l'arabe en 50 semaines -Tome V
22. Manuel d'arabe en ligne: Les bases de l'arabe en 50 semaines -Tome VI
23. Manuel d'arabe en ligne: Les bases de l'arabe en 50 semaines -Tome VII
24. Manuel d’Arabe Moderne 1
25. Manuel d’Arabe Moderne 2
26. Assimil Perfectionnement Arabe

----------------------------------
Dictionnaires arabe-français :

1. Al-Mawrid Trilingual dictionary: Arabic-English-French: found here on amazon
2. Larousse des écoliers dictionnaire illustré FR-FR-AR (4200 entrées, 500 illustrations)
3. Dictionnaire arabe : français-arabe (100,000 mots, la couverture est verte)
4. Larousse dictionnaire Arabe (200,000 mots)
5. Arabic-English Bilingual Visual Dictionary by DK en combination avec (que j'ai déjà): French-English Bilingual Visual Dictionary by DK
6. Vocabulaire français arabe pour l’autoformation 3000 mots
7. Vocabulaire français arabe pour l’autoformation 5000 mots
8. Vocabulaire français arabe pour l’autoformation 7000 mots
9. Vocabulaire français arabe pour l’autoformation 9000 mots

Michel Thomas Arabic course is useless. Jane Wightwick talks so much English that it feels more like an English lesson with a lot of errors and badly pronounced sentences by the two students. If I were to estimate the percentage of how much time the Arabic native speaker, Mahmoud Gaafar (he is an Egyptian by the way), spoke throughout the entire audio course, I would say less than 5%. It is in fact devoid of any authentic listening opportunities. I recommend you to spend your commuting time listening to real Arabic audio like podcasts or audiobooks. Choose a very short audio with a transcript in a topic you are interested in, and listen to it repeatedly.

That's very useful information, thanks Hashimi. I'll steer clear of MT Arabic, given your feeback. Any thoughts on Pimsleur Arabic and Rocket Languages Arabic? I hear that Rocket Languages Arabic is Egyptian Arabic. In your opinion is Egyptian Arabic of any use? (would using such a course be okay). Btw, I take into account your mentioning of podcasts, but I'd prefer to begin with an audio course if a decent one exists and I can get my hands on it. I like the slow audio, as it helps me to build my pronunciation in particular as well as comprehension in the beginning. Just for the record, I'm not the kind to spend time listening to incomprehensible masses of audio in a new language when starting out. Gradual building is preferred, thus comprehensible (yes ridiculously slow even) audio is what I like, so Pimsleur is fine for me (if suitable).

[cjareck]

https://www.almaany.com/en/dict/ar-en/

This dictionary looks extremely promising! Thank you very much. By the way, I also use traditional paper dictionaries since sometimes I need to translate older vocabulary.

[PeterMollenburg]

What's not good about it, if you don't mind me asking?

Watch this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEmK_SO8Bo4

I watched the video. To be honest, I don't see the issue. To add to that, I must emphasize that I do prefer courses that are slow, particularly in the beginning, when starting out in a language I have very little (if any) understanding of (me and Arabic, zero background, nothing at all). So, if that's the main reason for your dislike of the course, then for me it's actually a plus. With regards to the older edition, there are only 2 votes on Amazon, with an overall 3.5 out of 5. Not enough votes to be conclusive.

So, you feel, Hashimi, that the latest Assimil course is at least okay? Any further details in comparison with the old one (l'arabe sans peine)? What about the 'perfectionnement' Assimil course?

"L'arabe sans peine" / "Arabic with ease" and the "Perfectionnement Arabe" are the worse. "L'Arabe" (2013) / "Arabic" (2015) are better, but the audio is still unnatural, exaggerated, and very slow. Here is a sample from the 40th lesson:

https://soundcloud.com/assimil/le-on-n-40

With regards to your complaints about the Assimil Arabic courses, if they are mainly about the slowness of the audio, you're not alone. I know there are other learners about these parts that cannot stand the slow audio. I love it. Without it, I cannot approach an entirely new language in the manner I wish to. It helps me break down the sounds, get my head around it, and enunciate the sounds slowly. Once I become more confident, I speed things up (my speaking, I mean). If your complaints also relate to other aspects of the courses, I'd like to hear about them. When it comes to the latest Assimil L'Arabe course, four voters all gave it 5/5 on Amazon. That's a better sample size, but still not conclusive. However 5 out of 5 sounds promising.

My comments are not to be intended as argumentative, Hashimi, I value your feedback, I am just sincerely wondering whether our approaches to language learning are vastly different. What suits one learner may infuriate another. I mean, it's not that common that learners of European languages on this forum don't complete the initial Assimil (level = sans peine series) course in their chosen language of study. Whereas I completed that course in French, as well as the Using French (more advanced follow up course) by Assimil as well. Furthermore, I've completed close to 30 courses in French, and although I don't wish to reach that number in subsequent languages I choose to study, it perhaps can serve to demonstrate that I'm a language learner that likes the structure and even unnatural breakdown (both in audio and visually) of language as I learn it.

Glossika is very good and unique, but it may be not suitable for you at this stage. It uses the "mass sentence method" combined with an advanced spaced repetition system to teach you MSA in context (I heard that there is an Egyptian version too). There are no grammar explanations or lists of vocabulary. It gives you a lot of exposure to a language, things like grammar, syntax, pronunciation etc, is all taken care of through mass exposure. Basically, there are 3,000 sentences with audio, IPA transcription, and English (or French) translation, in different kinds of audio formats (e.g. bilingual, target-only, etc.)

This sounds good, but I take heed of your warning in that it's not suitable for me currently. I have used Glossika for French as well, so your descriptions make a lot of sense to me. Thank you kindly for sharing.

I know nothing about the other courses mentioned in your list. As for the dictionaries, Al-Mawrid and Larousse are well-known to students of Arabic everywhere (also Hans-Wehr), but who needs heavy paper dictionaries these days?

This website is all you need:

https://www.almaany.com/en/dict/ar-en/

Thank you for taking a look at the list anyway, I appreciate it, Hashimi.

As for the dictionary, well here perhaps we differ as well. I have two very thick French dictionaries sitting beside me - one French only, the other FR-EN-FR. Why? Well, I just like paper sometimes, and I feel our reliance on technology is a little unhealthy. Call me nostalgic or a bit old-fashioned, if you will. Mind you I'm frequently on my electronic dictionary apps on my phone and I do make use of online dictionaries as well. Thus, I am nostalgic, but the reality is that technology can and does make things easier and more efficient too. Unfortunately, convenience is used to 'sell' human beings many things that seemingly improve their lives, but ultimately they'd be better of without. To fight against such a tide however, seems almost pointless sometimes.

I'm very pleased to see French-Arabic offered via the online dictionary you provided the link for, thank you

[ancient forest]

So basically, most verbs and nouns are the same in MSA and Hijazi. Just learn MSA + the function words of Hijazi + the intonation, and don't pronounce the final vowels of MSA (e.g. say "akalt" or "akalit" أكلتْ not "akaltu" أكلتُ)

If you want to take the approach of modifying MSA to sound less bookish, I think that the Formal Spoken Arabic Fast Course and Basic Course work really well. The Fast Course is easier, but the Basic Course assumes an intermediate level of MSA before starting it. There are a lot of dialogues to listen to, and that is actually what the bulk of the course is based around. The nouns and verbs are not used in exactly the same way as MSA, but there are used in a very similar way. It then uses function words that are common across the Arab word, but it defaults to Levantine when they are different, so it represents a sort of mix between MSA and dialects. It is categorized in Badawi's (1985) continuum as level 3 by Ryding:

Level one: fusha al-turath Classical Arabic

Level two: fusha al-asr Modern Standard Arabic

Level three: ammiyyat al-muthaqqafin Educated Spoken Arabic/Formal Spoken Arabic

Level four: ammiyat al-mutanawwirin Semi-literature Spoken Arabic

Level five: ammiyat al-ummiyyin Illiterate Spoken Arabic

I am not sure that it is necessary to break Arabic into five categories, and I think that it is enough to use 3: Classical Arabic, MSA, and Colloquial Arabic. However, it is clear that this course represents a cross between MSA and Colloquial Arabic in an attempt to make it easier for students who can speak in MSA to build on their MSA knowledge and communicate with native speakers.

Michel Thomas Arabic course is useless.

I would not go so far as to say that it is useless. I think that it has a lot of shortcomings. That is for sure, but it is easy enough for beginners, which I think is good because it helps beginning students to gain more confidence before tackling other courses. Arabic is not easy, and I think that easy courses can be used even if they have shortcomings. However, it would be hard for me to recommend another book for self study in the Egyptian dialect. The main book that I used to study Egyptian Arabic is the Kallimni 'Arabi series. It is good, but I can't recommend it to beginners for self study because the entire book is written in Arabic and the glossary does not contain all of the meanings. It can be recommended for studying with a tutor though. I studied the second book and half of the third book with a tutor, and I found that to be beneficial.

As for the dictionary, well here perhaps we differ as well. I have two very thick French dictionaries sitting beside me - one French only, the other FR-EN-FR. Why? Well, I just like paper sometimes, and I feel our reliance on technology is a little unhealthy.

The most useful paper dictionary in Arabic and English is Hans Wehr. The only issue with it for beginners is that the words are arranged by root letters and the verbs are categorized by ten forms, which makes it difficult to use until learning some Arabic morphology. That is why I think that it is enough for beginners to rely on using the glossaries in textbooks and using online sources until enough Arabic morphology is learned to use dictionaries properly. Another dictionary that is useful for advanced studies in Classical Arabic is Lane's Lexicon, but you would not need that for quite a while unless you are just interested in collecting dictionaries.