Arabic Lessons in Dunedin

“آه ونص” (Yeah and a Half)

“Yeah and a Half” is a song that follows the story of Nancy, a girl who tries to convince her lover to visit her. Put your Arabic into practice by listening to this song and see how the language is used in a real-life context. For example, the song features a lot of pronouns, such as ده (this—masculine), دي (this—feminine), and كده (like that), which are essential elements when communicating in Arabic. You’ll also become familiar with different Arabic varieties and pronunciations: one of the singers is Lebanese and the other one is Egyptian. Listen to this catchy tune here.

“نور العين” (The Light of the Eye)

Want to fine-tune your listening skills and increase your understanding of the Egyptian dialect? Then, listen to ”The Light of the Eye”. This is a religious piece that praises God and His endless love, so you can acquire religious vocabulary, such as pray (salaa), the Qur’an (al-quran) or faith (al'iiman). Also, the tune is very catchy and the lyrics are easy to follow, so you’ll soon find yourself not only remembering the song but singing along to it using your new Arabic skills! Listen to this catchy tune here.

“The Sea Creatures Song”

If you’re just starting out with your Arabic course, it’s a great idea to listen to children’s songs to improve your vocabulary, comprehension and understanding of different accents. “The Sea Creatures Song”, for example, is meant for kids and helps them acquire simple vocabulary, like colours, letters and animals. This way, you’ll become familiar with terms like shark (qarash), blue (azraq) or octopus (akhtubut). Furthermore, as this piece is sung in formal Arabic instead of a particular dialect, you’ll be sure to recognise terms and expressions you learn in your lessons with Listen & Learn. Listen to this catchy tune here.

Al-Kitaab

This is one of the most well-known textbook series to teach Arabic in the USA. While some of the vocabulary items selected by the writers seem a bit arbitrary, they don’t exclusively rely on rote memorization. Instead, the book includes a variety of tasks and activities based around real-life materials, like recipes, newspaper articles, or famous TV shows, to teach grammar and vocabulary. At the end of each unit, you will also find a “featured” section, where you will learn strategies to communicate with native speakers in different situations, such as holding a debate or writing a business email. Click here to know more.

Media Arabic

This is a great textbook for intermediate-level students looking for a challenge to improve their skills. The book follows an integral and communicative approach, using real-life resources and materials to help you learn Arabic. For example, reading comprehension activities usually revolve around short stories and newspaper articles, which are useful not only to learn formal aspects of the language but also cultural ones. Plus, you will find plenty of advice about grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation, with clear explanations and even English translations, as well as fun activities, such as crosswords or word searches. Buy the book here!

Alif Baa

Beginner students will benefit greatly from Arabic textbooks, such as Alif Baa. This introductory book that focuses mostly on how to read and write the Arabic alphabet. For example, you will find an array of dictation exercises for you to start associating pronunciation with each letter, including those characters and sounds that do not have an English counterpart. One reason this book is unique is that it does not only teach Modern Standard Arabic, but also some dialects, like Egyptian and Shami, so you can expose yourself to different varieties of the language from the very beginning. Click here and purchase the book.