Why I built this

I grew up in London speaking Spanish, French, and English — but not Arabic. My mum is Venezuelan-Lebanese, my dad is Lebanese, and somehow the language never got passed down. I understood swearwords and food — that's it.

A few years ago, I decided to finally learn. I went to Lebanon and took lessons. I made progress fast, but kept getting stuck on vocabulary. I'd learn something on Tuesday, forget it by Thursday.

So I tried the apps. Duolingo? Only teaches Modern Standard Arabic — the formal written language that nobody actually speaks. Quizlet? Not built for Arabic — the text renders wrong and there's no transliteration. Other “Levantine Arabic” apps? Levantine isn't the same as Lebanese.

I wanted something that actually works: flashcards with spaced repetition — the scientifically proven best way to memorise vocabulary. Real Lebanese words and transliteration. The ability to add my own words from lessons. And AI to help with the annoying bits, like typing in Arabic or adding example sentences. It didn't exist, so I built it.

What makes this different

• —Real Lebanese Arabic, not Modern Standard Arabic or generic “Levantine.”
• —Spaced repetition that shows you words right before you'd forget them.
• —Add your own words from tutors, shows, or conversations.
• —Built for Arabic with proper right-to-left text and transliteration.

For the diaspora

If you're like me — Lebanese but didn't grow up speaking it — this is for you. There are millions of us scattered around the world: Brazil, Australia, France, the US, the UK. Some of us want to reconnect with family. Some want to understand what teta is saying. Some just feel like something's missing.

Learning a language as an adult is hard. But the right tools make it possible. I hope this helps.

— Alex