Basic Strategies for Learning Arabic

Before deciding on a best way to learn Arabic, it is important to think about why you want to learn Arabic. Whether you are interested in learning the language for work, religion, friendship, or a hobby, the reason will determine the best learning method and the appropriate version of the language to learn.

If you’re interested in a particular dialect spoken in one country, the safest option is to learn Modern Standard Arabic. This version is used in most written publications, as well as in television and radio programs. Although this version is a little too proper and formal for everyday conversational settings, you can be sure that you will be understood by Arabs almost all around the world. Of course, if your ears are accustomed to Modern Standard Arabic, you may find it difficult to understand the more colloquial Arabic that will be spoken to you. However, learning Modern Standard Arabic will allow you to quickly pick up the nuances and peculiarities of a local dialect.

Standard Arabic will also be most useful if you are interested in Islam, although you will probably want to learn Qur’anic Arabic, which will be the most appropriate.

In general, Arabic is a difficult language to learn, and most of the paid materials are quite expensive. If you are just looking to learn some basic Arabic for free at home, there are a couple of online resources you can use. The Foreign Service Institute contains some audio and text materials for free download here (http://fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Arabic). There are courses available in written Arabic, Levantine Arabic, Saudi Arabic, and comparative Arabic.

Learning the Arabic alphabet is a good first step to learning the Arabic language. Knowledge of the alphabet will allow you to recognize place names, signs, food items, and much more if you plan on traveling to the Middle East. You can find some resources for learning the symbols and pronunciation of the Arabic alphabet at Arabic2000. Some good books to invest in are Teach Yourself Beginner’s Arabic Script and Alif Baa: Introduction to Arabic Letters and Sounds. You can get used copies of these books for only a few dollars.

The alphabet can be difficult to learn since the symbols and pronunciation are so different from that of the American alphabet. However, learning a couple of symbols a day through memorization and practice can help you cover the entire alphabet in just one week. Practice writing each symbol and make flash cards to help you recognize what they look like and sound like. Create sample drills for yourself by grouping different letters together and testing yourself to see if you can correctly write the symbols and say the pronunciation. Learning the alphabet and remembering the order of the letters will come in handy when you want to use an Arabic dictionary later to further help your studies.

After you have a good command of the alphabet, you can start looking for other means to learn the Arabic language. Depending on your budget and time constraints, as well as learning interests, you may want to invest in online courses, university courses, language immersion opportunities, or books that will teach you grammar and vocabulary. If you want to do self-study at home, online courses are available if you just do a simple search on the internet. You may also look through your local bookstore for self-study books, although it may take a couple of tries before you find one that really suits your needs.

Here are some free resources for learning simple sentences and grammar in Arabic. LookLex contains several free lessons on greetings, counting, and handling hotel and restaurant scenarios in Arabic. Madinah Arabic is another free resource with many lessons, a discussion forum, and a vocabulary application section.