How to Learn the Arabic Language and Where to Begin

Are you hoping to join the millions of people who speak Arabic as a foreign language? If so, you’re probably wondering where to start. We’re going to look at all the reasons why you should learn and techniques for how to learn the 5th most studied language in the world.

What are the best ways to learn Arabic?

Arabic is currently an official language in over 20 countries, so it’s unsurprising that new dialects and sub-languages have developed. Often, native speakers will learn two kinds from a young age: the Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and a colloquial or dialectal version in their local area, which is often a blend of Arabic and other Maghreb or Middle Eastern languages. It varies from one country to another, for example, the Egyptian dialect is not the same as the variation spoken in Syria.

These are the four main vernaculars of present-day Arabic:

• Maghreb Arabic
• Egyptian Arabic
• Levantine Arabic
• Iraqi/Gulf Arabic

If you are going to move to or spend time in one specific country, you could try to focus your efforts on the specific language spoken there. However, the base language remains modern standard Arabic, which is why it’s the most commonly taught version of Arabic nowadays. Knowing MSA will allow you to communicate easily in far more areas, no matter what the local dialect is.

Do I need to learn classical Arabic?

Classical Arabic is also known as Quranic Arabic, as it is the language you need to be able to read if you want to study the Quran. Outside of Islam, there is no use for it as it is no longer a spoken language. We will take a closer look at who should learn Arabic for religious reasons later on.

How to start learning Arabic

Start with the Arabic alphabet to read letters 🔤

As children, we learn to read and write, starting with the alphabet and phonics. The same rule applies to learning Arabic: we must learn to read Arabic letters before all else. The 28-letter Arabic alphabet is an abjad, which is composed of only consonants. In stark contrast to the English alphabet, the letters are written in a cursive style from right to left and are not capitalized.

Once you’ve learned the alphabet, you can put letters together to form words and, later—sentences. Trying to memorize words instead of starting with the alphabet is like learning a piece of music by heart on the piano; you will be able to play the same tune many times, but if you can’t read the notes, you won’t be able to play any other song. Instead, start with the basics, and then you will have the foundations to build upon.

The best way to learn the Arabic alphabet is by seeking help from an online tutor who can guide you through the learning process. On LiveXP, you can track your progress, take notes during lessons, and seek the help of as many tutors as you like.

What is the best way to learn Arabic at home?

If you want to know how to learn Arabic fast, then you’re going to need to use an Arabic dictionary. A dictionary is a vital tool for studying a language; you can look up the definition and etymology of almost every word in a given language. You simply find the word you’re looking for based on the letters in alphabetical order. So why must you learn to use an Arabic dictionary? Arabic dictionaries don’t work similarly; entries are arranged according to the traditional Arabic root order. To look up a word in an Arabic dictionary, you must first know the root and the letter that the root starts with, which may not be the first letter in the word.

Although it sounds confusing, once you get to grips with it, it will simplify your studies, and you will see that it’s an essential resource for linguistics enthusiasts.

The best way to learn the basics of Arabic, being a beginner, such as the alphabet and word roots, is one-on-one lessons with a tutor, for example, on LiveXP. A tutor can teach you everything from the very beginning, whatever your level and wherever you are.

The importance of learning Arabic

The importance for Muslims

The Quran is written in classical Arabic. That’s why it is paramount that all Muslims learn the language. They must understand it enough to know the declaration of faith, the first chapter of the Quran (Al-Fatiha), and some more verses. This enables Muslims to fulfill their religious obligations and have access to knowledge of the Quran and the teachings of Prophet Muhammed.

The importance for Western governments

Governments in the West are in constant need of employees who speak fluent Arabic. This includes many government positions as well as interpreting jobs. Speaking Arabic opens doors to positions in trade, national security, and humanitarian projects.

Arabic for employment

Arabic proficiency can lead to career prospects in various job markets, notably business and economics. The Middle East is a major player in international trade, and yet very few Westerners know Arabic. As a result, the demand for Arabic speakers in the global employment market is increasing sharply.

This demand is also rising in the finance sector. Banks that trade internationally are looking for Arabic-speaking financial managers to manage business relations in the Middle East and Africa alike.

Being fluent in any language leads to the ability to both teach and translate. Consequently, once you are proficient in Arabic, you can help others to learn or become an interpreter, another highly in-demand profession.

Learn Arabic for humanitarian projects

Volunteers and humanitarian workers around the world can benefit from knowing Arabic. Not only are there many projects that send volunteers to the Middle East, but there are also refugee centers, local NGOs, and other services for asylum seekers and migrants in Europe, America, and Asia, where speaking Arabic would be a huge advantage.

Intercultural communication and understanding

The sheer number of speakers alone should motivate you to want to learn the lingo. There are upwards of 300 million native speakers of Arabic globally. That means that by improving your skills, you will be able to chat with an enormous number of people. This can help you to travel and learn about individuals and cultures in a way that can only be done through conversing with real people, visiting local communities, and experiencing their culture firsthand.

Top tips for learning Arabic 💡

How to speak Arabic fluently: total immersion

Arguably, one of the most effective ways to learn any foreign language is through immersing yourself in it. This educational approach involves surrounding a student in their target language either in an educational capacity, for example, attending an Arabic school, or in a personal capacity, living in total immersion in everyday life. This could mean moving to a foreign country and thus using the language on a daily basis without reliance on English to get by.

Not everybody can pack up and move their life abroad, hence why partial immersion is a more feasible alternative. This means incorporating Arabic into certain aspects of your life, such as turning your TV to Arabic, only listening to songs and watching videos in Arabic, and even changing your phone and computer settings so that Arabic is the primary language. Also, practice speaking with an Arabic native speaker is an integral part of this process. Only through communication with a native speaker you will be able to learn not only basics but also colloquial expressions, idioms, and informal language.

Immersive experiences enable us to absorb a language in a natural way, as we are constantly exposed to it. This approach is ideal for second language acquisition and is popular in bilingual education settings.

Take private lessons 🧑🏽‍💻

Do not underestimate the importance of one-to-one tutoring. An experienced teacher sharing their knowledge with you can not only teach you far more than any app or workbook, but it can also boost your knowledge better than watching movies and reading books combined. A native speaker can impart their knowledge to you, from cultural differences to traditions and festivities, not to mention help you improve your pronunciation and accent. Private tutors, in person or online, can answer your questions better than any search engine or AI and can tailor lessons to your individual needs, from grammar exercises and pronunciation practice to specific vocabulary or slang. Whatever your needs, a personal tutor can fulfill them. There are many tutors to choose from on LiveXP, a platform dedicated to finding the perfect tutor for individuals and businesses alike.

Practice speaking 🗣️

One of the scariest parts of starting a new language is speaking out loud. The problem is usually not a person’s proficiency but rather their confidence levels. Somebody who only has basic knowledge but with the confidence to go out and speak to people not worrying about making a fool of themselves, will improve leaps and bounds. On the other hand, somebody with a great grasp of the language but who is too shy to spark up a conversation will stagnate due to this confidence barrier. The only way to combat this is by practicing!

Frequently engaging in conversation with native speakers, or anyone for that matter, will drastically improve your spoken Arabic and boost your confidence. Don’t be scared, and don’t focus on what other people think of you. People always appreciate the effort of foreigners speaking the local tongue, no matter how good or bad their accent is.

Find a pen pal ✉️

If you don’t live in an Arab country and do not know a local Arab community, then you will struggle to find natives to chat with. That’s where pen pals or “language exchange partners” come in handy. You can find a pen pal via your local language school or on a dedicated pen pal app. Alternatively, you can make friends on social media or online forums, which we will look at later. Use your pen pal to chat and improve your conversational skills. Exchange programs are a two-way street, so you will probably have to speak English to help your partner improve, too, and don’t be surprised if you have to correct your partner’s grammar mistakes or pronunciation just as they do for you.

However, the disadvantage of this method is that neither you nor your partner are teachers who can teach and explain complex things. That’s why it’s better to learn Arabic with a tutor on LiveXP. Tutors have expertise in teaching foreigners and explaining rules, confusions, and differences students usually face.

Join language communities 👥

One issue with not being in a target language country is the lack of community. You’ll, therefore, need to join online forums, language groups, and social media communities dedicated to studying Arabic for guidance, support and to find additional resources. If you prefer face-to-face communication, you can build your own community by putting out advertisements for Arabic-speaking groups and creating meet-ups on social media. This way, you will find a group of like-minded people with whom to chat and exchange knowledge and tips.

How to choose an Arabic tutor

Native speaker

Somebody who has studied Arabic with a textbook cannot help you achieve your full learning potential. That’s why you should opt for a native speaker or, alternatively, someone who has lived in an Arabic-speaking country for a significant amount of time. The LiveXP platform is here for you. There is a variety of native-speaking Arabic tutors (who can also speak English for better understanding) available for private online lessons. Be sure your Arabic conversational skills will spark!

Qualifications

If you wish to or are required to sit an exam for higher education or work, then you should favor qualified teachers with formal teaching experience, such as high school Arabic teachers or university professors. Alternatively, you could seek the help of a retired professional with specific knowledge of your area of study, for example, hire an Arabic-speaking retired doctor if you need to take a medical exam in Arabic.

If you plan to sit the CIMA international proficiency test for MSA, you should find a tutor with a diploma in an Arabic-related subject, such as a Bachelor of Arts in Arabic or international letters and cultures degree with a concentration in Arabic studies.

Learn Arabic grammar and vocabulary: The challenges

Latin origin words we use in English are often transparent in Romance languages, such as “film” or “radio,” which are the same in English, French, and Spanish. This shared vocabulary can give English speakers a head start. Unfortunately, there is very little shared vocabulary between Arabic and other languages. This means that you must learn every word from scratch.

The importance of inflection

The intonation of your voice can completely change the subject, tense, or even mood when speaking Arabic because it is a highly inflectional language. Disambiguating a word’s grammatical role by modifying its ending is called inflection or declension or  إعراب in Arabic.

Maybe Arabic isn’t so hard

Now that we’ve looked at the main challenges of learning Arabic, let’s look at the other side of the coin: why it’s not that hard to learn after all.

• The pronunciation rules are more consistent than in many other languages. Once you learn the sounds, they tend to be applied consistently.
• Arabic has a structured and regular grammar system. Its verb conjugation, for instance, follows predictable patterns.
• Arabic words are often derived from a three-consonant root, which can make vocabulary expansion more systematic. Once you understand the root system, it is easier to understand the meanings of related words.

How long does it take to learn Arabic?

As with any field of study, the more time you dedicate to the project, the faster you learn. Just as you cannot become a rocket scientist overnight, you cannot become fluent in a foreign language either. It takes time and commitment to learn the basics, study the grammar, practice pronunciation, and be able to engage in a fluid conversation fully.

At first glance, with its right-to-left script and unique alphabet, various dialects, and complex inflections, Arabic seems to be extremely difficult to learn. The key to success is to commit to it and not give up. Once you’ve overcome these first hurdles and your brain has started to compute the new alphabet and words, then things will start to get easier. If you are consistent, there’s no reason you shouldn’t become fluent in Arabic and open doors to opportunities and communication worldwide. And your LiveXP tutor will do their best for you to succeed!