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Why is Arabic
Complete so cheap?
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Subscription cost is minimal for everyone to have easy access and join in. Please
refer to our
mission statement.
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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 in the
Arab world because it is widely understood. Egypt is
thought of as the cultural, academic, and political hub of
the Arab region.
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How is each chapter organized? [click here]
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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 sometimes used to reinforce drills.
Podcasts reflect reoccurring grammar themes.
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How
useful are the audios?
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Arabic has
many sounds that might not be familiar to you. Reading a book does not
come close to listening to isolated words, phrases, and sentences as we
encounter them.
Arabic Complete provides all grammar and 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 better.
Arabic Complete frequently combines pictures with audios to reinforce
the 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 to easily see the main
stem and the add-ons.
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Why use
transliteration when 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 read Arabic script.
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Are there
answers given to all the drills? [click here]
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Yes,
answers are provided to all drills in Arabic Complete.
Many language learning materials do not offer answers to drills
resulting in a dependency on language learning programs and
instructors.
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Why should I
study Arabic?
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There are
many reasons. You might have an interest in the region
regarding 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 an
alternative perspective reflected in the Arts and
Literature.
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Should I
study Colloquial or Classical Arabic (MSA) or both? [click here]
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The
decision rests on how you intend to use the language. Don't waste time
learning a part of the language that you do not intend to practice.
If your aim is to interact with Arabs as Arabs interact in their
homes, on the streets, and in the offices then learn
Colloquial Arabic.
However, if you intend to write, read newspapers and novels, and
interact with Academics then you should embark on 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 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
written English.
Arabic Complete is for both classical and colloquial Arabic students.
Students who wish to compare the two have that option.
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Is Colloquial Arabic totally different than 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 some vocabulary.
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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 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 and 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 who take 1.5 hour sessions, daily for 1-2 months, can also
benefit and see results.
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Can I learn Arabic on my own?
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Yes, but
only 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 own.
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What makes learning Arabic easy?
[click here]
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Many factors. There are no silent letters, gender is
recognizable, and learning new words is intuitive because of the root
system. A trio of consonants in a word can fall under general meanings
-- such as "to understand f-q-h" or "to protect h-f-z."
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What makes learning Arabic hard?
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If you decided to learn Arabic you will.
Nonetheless the more challenging aspect of learning Arabic has little to do with the language and more to do with
your study habits. Language students
need 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 the extra attention it becomes a little
easier.
Chapters in Arabic Complete highlight the exceptions and challenges.
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What's up
with all those dialects?
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There are many Arabic dialects but no reason to panic. Native speakers
don't panic.
Arabic
native speakers do not know all of the dialects but
still interact with one another. 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 frequently 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.
