Start · 3 Sept 2026 · 7 min
Moving to Dubai if you do not speak Arabic
English runs the office, Hindi and Malayalam run a lot of the street, Arabic is the state. You can arrive without it. You should still learn some.
You can land, get a SIM, ride the metro, sign Ejari, and start a job in English. That is not a myth. It is also not the whole city. Government counters, some clinics, and the older neighbourhoods run on Arabic plus whatever the clerk’s other language is.
Where English is enough
DIFC, most free zones, hospitals that treat expats, malls, RTA apps, the metro announcements. A British or Indian or Filipino office will not test your fus’ha. A mainland trade licence still files in the authority’s language — your PRO or specialist is there for that.
Ten words that change a week
- Shukran — thank you. Use it.
- Afwan — you’re welcome / sorry, depending on the tone.
- Haramia — no. You want ‘la, shukran’.
- Yalla — let’s go. You will hear it more than you say it.
- Inshallah — maybe. Do not treat it as a contract.
The other languages
If you speak Hindi, Urdu, Malayalam, Tagalog or French you already have a neighbourhood. Karama, Bur Dubai, Al Nahda, International City. That is a feature of this city, not a footnote.