One of the best ways to learn a language is by studying the media that native speakers themselves listen to and read, and popular songs can also reveal much about the culture and traditions of a country where the language is spoken. Egypt, as one of the great cultural production centers of the Arab world, enjoys a particularly rich musical scene, with songs in many styles in both Modern Standard Arabic and Egyptian Colloquial Arabic.
Here, Cairo-based Arabic teacher Bahaa Ed-Din Ossama presents twenty songs in Egyptian Arabic performed by popular singers from Umm Kulthoum to Mohamed Mounir...