If you’re sitting at home right now and deciding what language to try, Arabic is a great place to start.
Don’t worry, there are tons of online language platforms today that have an Arabic program for language learners.
Here comes the fun part: You don’t have to always pay huge amounts of money for a language expert to teach you!
Start your learning journey with these steps before you learn languages like Arabic.
The complex language and world of Arabic
If you’re not aware, Arabic has one of the most native speakers in the world today.
On top of that, Arabic language learners must know that Arabic is considered one of the hardest languages to learn.
According to FSI, you’ll take at least 2,200 hours to fully master more than just Arabic phrases.
But, once you’ve dived into the learning process of Arabic, you’ll seam through the basic vocabulary until the more complex topics like accusative pronouns and how to construct real conversations.
Arabic also has dialects, one of the few characteristics in some countries today.
Today, many people consider Modern Standard Arabic as the most popular form of the Arabic language. It is more formal as it was the language that prophet Muhammad spoke.
However, Modern Standard Arabic is usually complicated and has many rules. It is also usually spoken by newscasters or on a more formal occasion.
The second most used official language for Arabic languages is the Egyptian Dialect. There are at least 30 Arabic dialects that you can find existing today.
Arabic dialects:
- Egyptian Arabic
- Morrocan Arabic
- Gulf Arabic
- Mesopotamian Arabic
- Syrian Arabic
- Lebanese Arabic
According to Arabic linguists, there are regional groups that even make Arabic more elaborate.
So it’s better to focus on only one dialect for your Arabic language class.
Steps before you need to learn Arabic
According to studies, language acquisition is easy if you are learning as a child.
But many adults still became fluent Arabic speakers through their methods of learning a language.
Do you want to become more efficient in your study methods?
Take note of these basic steps before you need to learn languages like Arabic.
Where you will use the language for
We have different reasons why we appreciate a certain language. Maybe, we grew up hearing it.
Or, we have friends that can’t speak our native language (or English for English speakers), and we want to show our appreciation by taking an Arabic class.
Language learners must be consistent with their goals, such as how to use Arabic for future purposes.
This is a motivating step that will keep your momentum in studying as a beginner to intermediate, then advanced to fluent.
If you’re learning Arabic for diverse career options, you’ll be surprised to know that learning Arabic lessons can also make you money in the future.
You can be an Arabic teacher or a translator. Who knows? You can even work in Arabic-speaking countries with better career opportunities.
The availability of resources and tools will you use
With modern technology that can help store one’s native language, Arabic language resources are not hard to find.
Even with the complexity of this language and the many Arabic dialects it has, you’ll find amazing websites and Arabic audio or podcasts that will teach you even as an absolute beginner.
If you’re going to study Arabic online, there are free resources while others are paid.
So, if you’re on a tight budget or want to get the most out of your money, find both resources and compare the plans to decide whether you’ll subscribe to a premium course right away.
Explore countries with Arabic as an official language
Since there are Arabic dialects, you should also identify which countries, cities, or regions have a different sentence structure or pronunciation.
Of course, the best way to do this is to talk to native speakers of that city or country.
Immersing yourself in the Arabic culture (arts, food, tourism, people, etc.), will help you become familiar with how your target Arabic is spoken.
Don’t focus too much on different Arabic forms with the formal and casual conversation you’ll make with other Arabic speakers.
Carefully plan your Arabic lessons
It is important for a student to maximize their time in learning a new skill. And such careful planning is required with languages.
Since languages will introduce you to a whole new experience, outline which area of Arabic you need to focus on.
Is it personal pronouns? Vocabulary? Verb tenses?
You’ll learn common phrases as you repeat many of the vocabularies you’ll encounter per lesson.
The Arabic alphabet has 28 letters and has different pronunciations or tonations depending on where it is placed or spelled.
If you’re familiar with other languages, this is a common scenario for tonal languages.
Given enough exposure, you’ll get the hang of Arabic grammar, Arabic verbs, the use of personal pronouns, and the way to speak that specific dialect.
Enhance your speaking skills first
As we’ve always focused on in our blogs, the most rewarding style of learning a new language is to think directly in it.
Or if you want total language immersion, find a conversational partner to speak that Arabic dialect.
A personal foreign language teacher is very effective if you can consistently have lessons where you can repeat and listen to interactive exercises via Skype or other chat apps.
But, it won’t be so much worth it if you’re only relying on phone apps or talking on forums or discussion threads online.
Even an average person who doesn’t have amazing language proficiency will reach the intermediate or advanced level of Arabic by practicing their speaking skills every day.