General presentation

Learn Arabic in the DEAC !

Who are we?

With 40 years of experience in teaching Arabic as a living modern language, the DEAC has developed solid expertise recognized by all its partners. We offer linguistic and cultural training that allows non-native speakers learners of all levels to acquire and/or develop Arabic language skills, both written and spoken. Our content covers levels from beginner to advanced (A1-C1).

Who are our courses for ?

The DEAC has many partners in the academic world (l’Université de Paris IV Sorbonne, l’Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales, les Instituts d’Etudes Politiques (IEP), l’Ecole Normale Supérieure, Sao Paolo’s University,  etc).

In addition to French students, the DEAC welcomes students from France and around the world (for example this year 2021-2022 we taught American, Austrian, Belgian, Brazilian, Korean, Danish, Italian and Swiss students). French proficiency is not required.

Many of our students are working professionals who take a semester or a year to study Arabic for professional or personal reasons. These students are working in various fields (journalism, NGOs, academia, etc.).

Our strengths

• Cultural and linguistic immersion in a key country in the Arab world.
• An ambitious program both in terms of the number of contact hours and the diversity of the courses.
• A team of teachers who are native speakers and who have significant experience in teaching Arabic as a foreign language.
• A one-week immersion session in Upper Egypt in Luxor.
• Our courses are held in the French Institute of Cairo in Mounirah (near downtown Cairo) in newly renovated premises.
• Our classrooms are equipped with the digital equipment necessary for modern language instruction.
• Students receive free use of the French Institute library, which has a strong collection of books and media.

• An in-house cafe allows students to take their meals within the Institute.
• At the Institute, a French department offers language courses to Egyptians. The DEAC sets up language exchanges on request between DEAC students and French learners. This is a great opportunity to practice the language outside of class hours.
• The DEAC provides support in the process of extending a visa and obtaining a residence permit for students in yearlong or semester programs.
• Our course of study fully integrates the Egyptian dialect, the most widely understood dialect in the Arab world.
• Class sizes are restricted to five to 12 students per class.

Our approach

• Our courses are taught exclusively in Arabic.
• All of our courses include an oral and a written component. Each curriculum is designed to meet the standards set by the CECRL.
• An oral and written placement test at the beginning of the program allows us to assess the student’s level of proficiency. The student is then assigned to an appropriate level (semi-beginner, intermediate or advanced). Placement tests are not necessary for the beginner level.
• Our course materials are created by the teaching team: beginners and semi-beginners work with appropriate instructional materials. Intermediate and advanced levels exclusively study authentic texts and media.

• Although the culture and history of Egypt are central to our curricula, we take particular care to present to the students content that reflects the variety of literary and journalistic output of the Arab world. Students thus travel in space from Mauritania to the Gulf and travel in time from the pre-Islamic period to the present day.
• All course materials are available to students on a digital educational platform. This is a tool particularly appreciated by our students.