how to learn Arabic, All you need to know
in
any new language, there are keys to success:
1) Make sure you have a solid foundation in the alphabet.
2) Study the language's grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary before trying to learn it.
3) Start at the very beginning.
Most Arabic speakers will start with Arabic's phonetics of one or two letters (like wāw or ḥħīn). You can start with these letters and then get more detailed phonetic instruction later on. In order to master a new language - like Arabic - there are some key steps that everyone should take:
1) Make sure you have a solid foundation in the alphabet.
2) Study the language's grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary before trying to learn it.
3) Start at the very beginning. Most Arabic speakers will start with Arabic's phonetics of one or two letters (like wāw or ḥħīn). You can start with these letters and then get more detailed phonetic instruction later on.
2. Learn the alphabet's letter structure
Every letter in the Arab-American alphabet has a structure to it: notes, dots, and lines. Not every letter has every element so learn them as you learn each letter (wāw and ḥā):
Wāw: There are also other ways to write wāw. One way is to have a dot below it like this: ا . This is the same as a wāw with a dot above it (a wāw with two dots): ال . Also, there are different ways to write the letter ḥā which follows the pattern of everything before it. It can be written with a dot in the middle (ء) و any other way.
3. Learn the alphabet's pronunciation:
There are five basic sounds that make up Arabic's alphabet: /ħ/ , /ʕ/ , /ḥ/ , /ḳ/ , and /tˤ/ . Learn the sounds by starting with the letter /ħ/ (or /h/), which is usually pronounced as an "A" sound like in "father". Every letter in the alphabet has a way to sound out and many letters belong to more than one group of sounds.
4. Learn to make words with those letters:
Knowing the alphabet's structure and sounds starts to form words, but you need further instruction to know how those words should seem when spoken.
5. Learn the rules:
Some letters can be added or deleted based on how long that letter is or how hard it's said. Each letter says a sound and there are rules to what sounds can be said together or after one another. Different letters make up different words that can be made based on their context.
5. Learn grammar:
Grammar helps letters and words work together like pieces to a puzzle. There are basic rules to the language that you should learn first to understand how the language works before trying to say it all at once in long sentences. Grammar, also, is needed in order for you to understand Arabic's vocabulary and pronunciation better.
6. Practice, practice, practice:
Like any language, Arabic takes work. In order to master Arabic in its short months or years of study (all depending on your effort), you'll have to put time into it. The best way to learn a language is through listening and reading.
7. Study vocabulary:
After learning the language's alphabet and grammar structures, the next step is learning vocabulary. Ask questions to an Arabic speaker sitting next to you or listen to an Arabic speaker talking and write down what you hear then look it up. Learn the meaning in both English and Arabic for each word before moving on to new words that are similar or related to the one you just learned.
8. Take care of yourself:
Learning a new language can be mentally strenuous and emotionally exhausting. Keep in mind that it's a lot to take in and that it's normal to feel overwhelmed.
9. Learn their culture:
A language is part of its culture, so get to know more about Arab-American culture as you learn their words and speakers' language styles.
10. Learn outside the classroom:
After learning Arabic in school, you should continue with outside studies (like through books and the internet) in order to keep up with your learning progress and make sure that you are always practicing while still remaining interested in what you're doing.
11. Learn Arabic through movies and music:
Learning a language is an art that involves your eyes, ears, brain, and hands. By listening to Arabic (in music or in movies), you improve your listening skills while learning cultural aspects of the language and its speakers.
12. Study Arabic with others:
While some people believe that it is impossible to learn Arabic without speaking the language or having one-on-one conversations or lessons, it's actually easier for a lot of people if they have someone sitting next to them who can correct their mistakes as they go along by listening out for correct patterns in what they say.
13. Learn pronunciation:
There are ways to improve your pronunciation by speaking the language using a recording or by speaking with others who are fluent in the language (in the classroom or outside it, if that's possible).
14. Simplify:
Don't try to learn a language completely in one piece. Start at the beginning and work forward instead of trying to memorize all of Arabic's vocabulary at once or go into any deep levels of grammar without first knowing a few basics such as its alphabet and pronunciation.
15. Write as you learn:
A lot of people find it easier to learn new words, phrases, and grammar through writing them down rather than listening to them spoken in their head. As you learn from a native speaker, write what they say in your notebook and look up the words or phrases you don't know in order to make the writing process more interesting.
14. Join an Arabic club:
Join an Arabic club where you can interact with other students who are also trying to learn the language. This helps to keep you motivated and interested in learning more about the language as well as its culture since there are people around who are interested in hearing what you have to say and how you say it.
15. Find an Arabic speaking friend:
Find an Arabic speaker who is willing to help you learn the language. These people can teach you the correct way to pronounce and say words as well as correct your mistakes.
16. Memorize new words:
There are many ways to memorize new words, such as writing them down in a journal, writing essays about them, or making flash cards that you write on and quiz yourself with later or discuss with others at a later time if you mistyped something on it.
17. Make it fun:
Enjoying learning Arabic is a lot easier when you find it interesting. Try to find any connection you have with the culture and use that a way to learn the language.
18. Study Arabic culture:
There is a lot to learn about the Arab-American culture in addition to learning their language, so try to pick up books or articles and read them.
19. Learn other languages in addition:
Learning how other languages work will also help you to fully understand Arabic later on, so make sure that you familiarize yourself with as many other languages as possible in order to build a foundation for learning new ones easier down the road if needed.
20. Learn with patience:
Learning a language takes time and effort. Even if you're not patient when learning, it is still an important step in learning the language.
21. Take regular breaks:
Make sure that you don't stay too long on one language and that you take up Arabic for only a month or two at a time because of how intense it can be if you stay longer than that. This is extremely important because it will help to prevent burnout in your studies.
22. Travel to an Arabic speaking country:
After learning Arabic, travel to a country where this language is spoken. This will give you the opportunity to hear the language being spoken while actually being in the environment where it is used.
23. Learn from mistakes:
If you make a mistake when learning how to speak Arabic, admit it and learn from it instead of trying to hide it or pretend that you didn't really make any errors. This will help you improve your skills and learn what not to do in the future as well as showing that you are willing to tackle any challenges that come up when learning a new language.
24. Eliminate distractions:
When trying to learn a language, make sure to not have any distractions that will cause you to lose focus on your studies. These may be movies or music playing in the background, cell phones ringing, or other people talking that you can't hear clearly because of them being too loud.
25. Use Arabic with others:
Interacting with Arab-Americans and learning their language allows you to build a stronger connection and will help you become more proud of your new knowledge of the language, which is important in order for it to stick with you when speaking it later on.
26. Study Arabic in school:
There are many schools and colleges that offer Arabic courses. If this is possible for you, it is a good way to connect with other students who are also learning the language.
27. Learn from a native speaker:
While there are many great books and CD's available for you to learn from, nothing can compare to learning the language from a person who speaks it naturally and correctly. Native speakers love sharing their knowledge of the language with others, so if one happens to teach Arabic at your local university or community college, make sure you sign up!
28. Watch and listen to the news:
Learning about the news and how it is said in Arabic is a great way to practice how to properly speak that language. Watch the local news, listen to the talkshows, and even read articles online using Google Translate if needed.
29. Play an Arabic game:
If you have a video game that has in-depth conversations with characters that speak many varieties of foreign languages, try picking up other languages through playing these games!
30. Take notes:
Writing down notes while learning new vocabulary can help you remember them more easily by looking over them later on. This, in turn, will help you to learn new words and phrases faster by allowing you to stay focused on what the definition and pronunciation of certain words are.
31. Take a trip to Egypt:
After learning Arabic, take a trip to Egypt or another Arabic speaking region to see it in action firsthand. This is extremely helpful because you will be completely immersed in a new language, thus being able to remember what you learned while there as well as improving your understanding of the language based on hearing it being spoken on every street corner.
32. Read an Arabic book:
After learning some of the basics of the language, try reading a book in Arabic. This will help to reinforce the vocabulary that you have already learned and learn new language while doing something you enjoy.
33. Try watching the news in Arabic:
While Arab-Americans are usually fluent in English, they do watch or listen to what's going on in the world around them, so try watching or listening to this type of news as well as other programming offered by Arabs and Arab-Americans. This will be extremely helpful when trying to understand how their culture works and why they are behaving a certain way at times based on how they perceive things from their cultural view point.
34. Talk with a native speaker:
If you decide to take up an Arabic course or study the language in school, make sure that you talk with a native speaker or many natives of their culture as often as possible so that you can be able to pick up on any trends that they may be stuck with in their language and adapt to it instead of translating every single sentence out of English.
35. Be patient:
Learning how to speak Arabic is a process, not just a matter of memorizing vocabulary and grammar rules quickly. It is important that you remain patient when learning because it will take time before you are fully able to understand the words being said.
36. Practice:
Once you have reached a certain level of understanding in the language, it is important to practice it every day so that your new knowledge of the language is able to continue to grow and stay with you if you learn it again some time later.
37. Don't forget the lessons from before:
When trying to learn how to speak Arabic, remember what you have already learned about it in the past and try not to forget about these things after starting a new course or stepping into a new level of learning. While it is important to remember what you have learned before to help with the process of improving your understanding, it is also important not to forget about the other things you have learned as well so that you don't learn them again from scratch once you begin another session or class.
38. Find a community:
Joining a larger community of Arabic speakers, such as a group on Facebook or Meetup, will enable you to connect with others who are interested in learning Arabic and can help share their ideas and opinions with each other regarding how they learned Arabic.
39. Explore:
Try finding different forms of Arabic that you haven't already heard before. Do you know what noises the letters in the Arabic alphabet make? This is a great way to learn certain words and phrases that you have not yet heard. Have you ever tried talking in a dialect of Arabic? This can be an interesting way to connect with others as well, especially if it is personally meaningful or significant to your family, culture, or region.
40. Read some books:
There are many novels, books, and other literary forms being written in Arabic. This is a great thing for readers of all languages because it means that there are many new books coming out that may be challenging or entertaining to read in the original language. These can be used as resources for learning some new words or phrases by reading the definitions and translations in an English version of the book.
41. Start a blog:
Many people use blogs to connect with other people around the world who are trying to learn about them, their culture, and their language too. If you start a blog that is written in Arab, this will allow others who understand Arabic to write comments on your blog based on what you have written about earlier in your postings.
