Learn Arabic at home, at work, or online
Arabic is one of the most popular languages people are trying to learn and for good reason: it opens up new job opportunities in numerous countries while helping you socialise with so many people from different parts of the world. If you’re planning to move to Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, or any other Arabic-speaking country, then speaking the language will be a huge advantage.
Learn Arabic today and access millenary cultures on a whole new level: read books and poems, listen to music, find out what is going on by reading or listening to the news, all without resorting to translations! And while it’s true that learning Arabic is challenging for English speakers, if you sign up for Arabic lessons with an expert tutor, your journey will be much easier and more enjoyable! So, keep on reading and discover the best tips and resources to start learning Arabic from the comfort of your home.
How Many People Speak Arabic in the World?
Did you know that Arabic is spoken in over 30 countries? This means that there are also over 30 different varieties and dialects, and many times they are not mutually intelligible. As a result, you may learn the type of Arabic spoken in Sudan and not be able to communicate with someone living in Qatar (even if you’re speaking the same language!). These are the countries that use Arabic as their official language:
Algeria
Bahrain
Chad
Comoros
Djibouti
Egypt
Iraq
Israel
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Libya
Mauritania
Morocco
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Somalia
Sudan
Syria
Tunisia
United Arab Emirates
Yemen
Palestine
Somaliland
Western Sahara(Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic)
Zanzibar(Tanzania)
And what about Modern Standard Arabic (MSA)? Well, this is a language that is not actually spoken by people anywhere (except in very formal settings), as it’s a standardized version of Arabic only used for reading and writing.
Learn How to Write in Arabic
When learning Arabic, one of the most challenging aspects to acquire is their writing system. As you probably know already, Arabic does not use the Latin alphabet but has its own set of symbols. To make matters worse, they write from right to left instead of from left to write. But don’t feel intimidated by this: with the help of an expert tutor (and a lot of patience), soon you’ll master the Arabic writing system without problems!
Some things you should know about the Arabic alphabet include:
- There are 28 different letters
- Each letter changes depending on their position within a word (initial, middle, or final)
- Only long vowels are written; short vowels are usually omitted though you still need to pronounce them. This omission can be hard to master at first, but soon you’ll get the hang of what vowels you should write and which ones you should ignore.
- There are no uppercase letters, but still you can find 4 different types of forms: initial, medial, final and isolated, which are meant to make it easier to connect letters.
alif
baa
taa
thaa
Jiim
haa
kha
daal
thaal
raa
zaay
siin
shiin
saad
daad
taa
thaa
ayn
ghayn
faa
qaaf
kaaf
laam
miim
nuun
ha
waw
yaa
Learn Arabic Grammar
Now that you’ve been through the hardest part of learning Arabic, you’ll find that the grammar system is quite straightforward. Unlike other languages, Arabic has no neuter gender, no variations of the definite article, just one prefix for negation and possession, and few irregular verbs. Sounds great, right? Take a look at some of the main features of the Arabic grammar system below!
Word Order
Word order in Arabic is also the polar opposite of the structure we use in English. For example, a common sentence like “My mom buys coffee”, in Arabic it would be “Buys my mom a coffee”, as they use a Verb-Subject-Object type of syntax.
Arabic Nouns
The noun system differs widely depending on the Arabic dialect you choose. Let’s focus on Modern Standard Arabic, for example, where nouns have three numbers (singular, plural, and dual), two genders (masculine and feminine), and three states (indefinite, definite, and construct), features that make the noun system very complex to learn, particularly if you’re learning on your own.
Obviously, the dual form refers to two people or elements, so when you try to say “I picked up my children from school yesterday” and you mean two kids, then you need to use a particle to show the dual number. If you don’t, then you’re saying the kids are three or more.
I picked my children from school yesterday
Dual
I picked my children from school yesterday
Plural
Arabic Verbs
Arabic verbs can also make your head hurt if you don’t have a defined method to study and memorise them. Most of the time, they are made up of 3-4 consonants that denote meaning (for instance, k-t-b means “to write”) while vowels are inserted to show the grammatical function of the word. In terms of declensions, verbs have person, gender, number and tense marked by defined prefixes and suffixes. For example, if you want to show that a verb is in the future tense, you need to add a prefix like سَـ /sa)- or سَوْفَ (sawfa).
Most Common Verbs in Arabic
As you can imagine, Arabic has thousands of verbs to remember, but if you are just a beginner, some verbs are more essential to learn to start communicating with others. Here are some of them:
| English | Arabic |
|---|---|
| to know | يعرف (yerf) |
| to think | يفكر (yufakir) |
| to come | يأتي (yati) |
| to put | يضع (yadae) |
| to take | يأخذ (yakhudh) |
| to find | يجد (yajid) |
| to listen | يستمع (yastamie) |
| to work | يعمل (yaemal) |
| to talk | يتحدث (yatahadath) |
| to give | يعطي (yueti) |
| to like | يعجب (yuejib) |
Useful Arabic Phrases
Are you starting your Arabic journey but need to travel to an Arabic-speaking place very soon? Then, these phrases will help you get by and manage on your own! Find below the Modern Standard Arabic version of the phrase, its transliteration to Latin characters and the English translation:
| Transliteration | Arabic version | English version |
|---|---|---|
| Naäam. | نعم | Yes |
| Laa. | لا | No |
| Min faDlik. | من فضلك | Please |
| Shukran. | شكراً | Thank you |
| äafwan. | على الرحب والسعة | You’re welcome |
| Ana asif | أنا آسف | I’m sorry |
| SabaaH alkhayr. | صباح الخير | Good morning |
| Hal tatakalam bil injilizia | هل تتكلم بالإنجليزية | Do you speak English? |
| Ismy Marrie. | اسمى مارى | My name is Mary. |
| kayf halikm? | كيف حالكم؟ | How are you? |
| Hal yumkinuk attaHadduth bibuT'. | هل تستطيع ان تتكلم ببطء اكثر | Can you speak more slowly? |
| anaa laa afham. | أنا لا أفهم | I don't understand. |
Certainly, learning a second language (and especially Arabic!) is not a quick or simple experience. You’ll need to put in time and effort while looking for effective studying techniques to truly remember what you are trying to learn. And these efforts will certainly pay off, as you’ll sharpen your mind, get to know new friends, and expand your professional horizons at the same time. Are you ready to start learning Arabic? Contact us today and we will start preparing personalised lessons so you learn Arabic in a completely personalised way.
And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram and take a look at our blog, where we publish interesting articles for language students every week!