BurtuQal Culture · Learning programmeBURTUQAL LEARN
Courses in language, movement and craft, led by artists, teachers and practitioners connected to the Arab world and the Mediterranean.
Conversation-first Levantine Arabic for complete beginners. Live online, small group, taught with familiar Latin letters — no Arabic alphabet required.
Your first exchange
You'll read it, say it, and use it. No Arabic script needed to start.
Two cohorts · August 2026
Beginner Levantine Arabic — live, in a group of ten
Eight live classes of 75 minutes. The first class is free and is the real first lesson — you decide afterwards whether to continue. Classes 2 to 8 cost €120, paid once.
Evening
Beginner Levantine Arabic — Evening Cohort
19:00–20:15 Lisbon · 75 minutes per class · max 10 students
First class free · €120 for the remaining seven classes
All eight dates (Lisbon time)
- · Wed 12 Aug, 19:00(free first class)
- · Fri 14 Aug, 19:00
- · Mon 17 Aug, 19:00
- · Wed 19 Aug, 19:00
- · Fri 21 Aug, 19:00
- · Mon 24 Aug, 19:00
- · Wed 26 Aug, 19:00
- · Fri 28 Aug, 19:00
Payment deadline to continue: Thursday 13 August, 23:59 Lisbon time
Daytime
Beginner Levantine Arabic — Daytime Cohort
12:00–13:15 Lisbon · 75 minutes per class · max 10 students
First class free · €120 for the remaining seven classes
All eight dates (Lisbon time)
- · Thu 13 Aug, 12:00(free first class)
- · Sat 15 Aug, 12:00
- · Tue 18 Aug, 12:00
- · Thu 20 Aug, 12:00
- · Sat 22 Aug, 12:00
- · Tue 25 Aug, 12:00
- · Thu 27 Aug, 12:00
- · Sat 29 Aug, 12:00
Payment deadline to continue: Friday 14 August, 23:59 Lisbon time
What you'll learn
- Greet, introduce yourself and hold a first real exchange in Levantine Arabic
- Order food, ask directions, shop and get around with confidence
- Key everyday phrases you'll actually use — not textbook Arabic
- How Levantine sounds, feels and differs from Modern Standard Arabic
- A cultural feel for Palestine, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon
No Arabic alphabet required — We focus on speaking and listening, using familiar Latin (English) letters (e.g. Mar7aba! Kifak? Shu ismak?) to show pronunciation. This course does not teach the Arabic alphabet or reading and writing — you start speaking from lesson one.
Who it's for
- Travellers heading to the Levant
- Partners, family and friends of Arabic speakers
- Culturally curious learners and lifelong students
- People working with refugee and migrant communities
- NGO, humanitarian and psychosocial-support professionals
- Anyone who wants to start — no prior Arabic needed
Why Levantine Arabic
Levantine Arabic (shami) is the spoken language of Palestine, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, and one of the most widely understood spoken varieties across the Arab world. It's warm, expressive and immediately useful in real conversations — the Arabic people actually speak at home, in the street and in the market.
About the instructor
I'm Hilal — a native Levantine Arabic speaker and a mental-health and psychosocial-support (MHPSS) professional with years of humanitarian work alongside refugees and migrant communities. I've also worked in cultural production and, most recently, in Arabic-language standup comedy — an ongoing lesson in how language, timing and cultural context shape communication.
BurtuQal Learn is BurtuQal Culture's learning programme—bringing people together through practical, live courses. Levantine Arabic is the first offering, with more teachers, formats and languages to come.
What's next
We're building BurtuQal Learn as a home for language and cultural learning connecting the Mediterranean and Portugal. Additional courses and city-based activities are planned — write to us if you'd like to be kept informed or suggest a course.
Frequently asked
Fully online, live over Google Meet. Your link is emailed after payment is confirmed.