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Why is Arabic Complete free?
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For everyone to have access to the
materials. Please refer to our mission
statement.
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Why should I study Arabic?
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There are many reasons. You might have an interest in the
people and culture; you might be considering to work for a
government or non-government agency; you might wish to
become a political science student or take international
studies.
Learning the Arabic language opens up a vast
world of alternative perspectives for the Arts and
Literature.
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Should I study the Egyptian dialect?
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The Egyptian dialect is the dialect of choice for academics and
travelers because it is widely understood in the Middle East region.
Egypt is thought of as the cultural, academic, and political hub of the
Arab region.
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Should I study Egyptian Colloquial OR Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) OR both?
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The decision rests on how you intend to use the language.
If your aim
is to interact with Arabs as Arabs interact in their homes, streets,
schools, and offices then learn Colloquial/spoken Arabic.
However, if you intend to write, read newspapers and novels, and
interact with Academics then you should embark on MSA/Classical.
Students who opt to study both Colloquial and Classical get the best
of both worlds. Students who solely study Colloquial are practical.
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What would happen if I used my MSA/Classical
Arabic to interact everyday?
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Speaking Classical Arabic with friends and colleagues makes you
standoffish. MSA in a non-formal setting is like speaking formal written
English.
Arabic Complete is for both classical and colloquial Arabic
students. Students who wish to compare the two have the option to do so.
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Is Spoken/Colloquial Arabic totally different than MSA/Classical Arabic?
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No, Colloquial Arabic is not totally different from MSA because of an
overlap in syntax and semantics. Similarities include the Idaafa
construction, the noun-adjective phrase, and vocabulary.
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How is each chapter in Arabic Complete
organized?
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The chapters are to the point with well defined topics for a quick sense
of knowledge gained.
Each lesson begins with a brief grammar snap
shot, followed by carefully selected examples, then a yellow street sign
highlighting tricky points.
Situational drills are practical with real life scenarios. Audio
pictures are provided to reinforce drills.
Podcasts reflect reoccurring grammar themes.
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How
useful are the audios in Arabic Complete?
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Arabic has a few sounds that might not be familiar to you. Reading a
book does not come close to listening to isolated words, phrases, and
sentences as you encounter them.
Arabic Complete provides all podcasts
in MP3 format.
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Why are pictures useful in the language learning process?
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Learning a language is as much auditory as is visual. The more senses we
use in the learning process the quicker we tend to retain.
Arabic Complete frequently combines pictures with audios to reinforce
the language learning process.
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Why does Arabic Complete color-code the words?
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Arabic frequently attaches prefixes and suffixes to the main
stem instead of appearing as separate words. These add-ons
are color coded.
Arabic Complete color-codes so you
can easily see the main stem and the add-ons.
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Why use transliteration while learning Arabic speech?
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Transliteration significantly speeds up the learning process
if you wish to just speak and not learn to read Arabic.
Arabic Complete provides easy to use transliteration if you
do not wish to learn to read Arabic script.
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Are answers to all drills provided on Arabic Complete?
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Yes, answers are provided to all drills in both written and audio form.
Many language learning materials do not offer answers to drills
resulting in a dependency on language learning programs and instructors.
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Is learning to
read Arabic challenging?
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Learning to recognize the 28 letters in Arabic is often completed after
only 2 sessions. but learning to read is another matter.
A useful tip
is to understand the syllables and to recognize the diacritics.
Students not comfortable with shaddas, sequoons,
doubled consonants, and short and long vowels, continue
to struggle with reading.
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Is learning to pronounce Arabic challenging?
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Arabic has unique guttural sounds (from the throat) that are
not familiar to English speakers. Vowels also alter by their
surrounding consonants.
Guttural consonants as well as
vowels take time to master. Listen carefully as you play the
audio clips on Arabic Complete.
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How long does it take to learn Arabic?
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Best to dedicate two
sessions a week to sense
progress. Generally, a study session should last for 1.5 hours. 30
minute daily sessions also are highly effective. Expect to use the
language within 2-3 years.
Tourists taking 1.5 hour sessions, daily
for 1-2 months, also benefit and see results.
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Can I learn Arabic on my own?
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Yes, but only for part of the distance.
Take time to grasp the grammar
fundamentals and then shift to interacting with Arabic speakers as you
continue revisiting the materials.
Arabic Complete is designed for easy reading and listening on your
free time.
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What makes learning Arabic easy?
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Many factors. There are no silent letters, gender is easy to recognize,
and learning new words is intuitive because of the root system. A trio
of consonants in a word can fall under common general meanings -- such
as "d-r-s can mean school, teacher, and to learn."
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What makes learning Arabic hard?
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If you decide to learn Arabic you will. It's that simple.
The more
challenging aspect of learning Arabic has little to do with the language
and more to do with your study habits. Language students tend to be
creatures of habit.
Other challenging facets include: the unique Arabic script, "heavy"
sounds, long versus short vowels, a broader usage of possession (the
idaafa construction), and the common use of active participles in place
of verbs (for spoken Arabic).
But it's all fun in the end. Once you are aware of what needs extra
attention it helps you to focus and rectify.
All modules in Arabic Complete highlight exceptions and challenges to
make the learning process easier.
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What's up
with all those dialects?
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There are many Arabic dialects but don't panic.
Arabic native speakers
are not familiar with all of the dialects but still interact amongst
each other effectively. Why? Because of the similarities.
Just learn the dialect you expect to use most depending on your
academic and personal goals.
The Egyptian dialect is usually the dialect of choice for academics
and travelers.
There are four dialect groups in the Arab world:
1- Egypt and Libya
2- The Maghrib (Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, an Mauritania)
3- The Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, and portions of Iraq)
4- The Gulf region (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, UAE, and
Yemen)
Speakers of the Egyptian dialect will understand the Libyan, the
Levant, and the Gulf dialects. However, the Maghreb dialect is arguably
more challenging for Egyptian speakers.
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