You're probably here because you're wondering how to get started learning Arabic as a non Arabic speaker. And if you're like many of the other beginners of the Arabic language, you're wondering how to go from zero to speaking like a native! Well! That's a fantastic goal to have.
Be it you learning the language to understand and comprehend the Qur'an, or converse in the Arab world, or you've just fallen in love with the Arabic culture, this is a beautiful language to learn. And an easy language to learn, whether you were born and bred in an Arab country, or a total stranger who can't decipher a single letter of the alphabet.
How do you get started?
There are a number of ways to learn the Arabic language for non Arabic speakers. And one of the best ways to learn Arabic, is to live and work in an Arabic country. That's not for just Arabic! This rule applies to every language!
When you live in a culture and city that speaks Arabic, and you have no choice, you begin to comprehend bits of the language. However, if you land in a city that hosts a large number of expatriates, it's likely trying to learn the Arabic language in such a setting can be sometimes challenging, unless you move with the Arabic speakers themselves.
This is because huge modern cities, take Dubai for example, are host to various people of different lands and communities, that speak within their communities in their own mother-tongues. And this leads to mini-communities of people who don't learn the Arabic language because they fallback to the comfort of their own native language.
So when you move and live in a city as such, and want to learn the Arabic language, then strive to move amongst Arabic speakers. - However! This is perhaps something you'll want to do after you learn to grasp basic Arabic sentence structure, and form intelligent Arabic sentences. Rather than going all in with no knowledge of the language at all.
Side point: "Going all in" to living and moving in an Arabic country without a foundational grounding in Arabic (not being able to grasp Arabic sentence structure and form basic intelligent sentences), could make you feel like you're trying to touch a 10 foot high ceiling without the use of a ladder.
That is, the ceiling (goal) is too high, and you're feeling like you'd rather just give up. - But that is just in the beginning. And then you would probably find yourself grasping phrases inshaAllah. And not really speaking, but using phrases thrown around in day to day dealings.
What do you do to grasp sentence structure and form intelligent sentences?
Something very simple. You learn.
- Learn the Arabic alphabet
- Learn basic cornerstone Arabic grammar and this is essentially a pillar to comprehending and forming intelligent sentences
- Memorise and grow your vocabulary
- Practice. Practice. Practice. Take loads of exercises and practice speaking, listening, reading, and comprehending
How do you get started learning?
There are number of free and paid resources to self-learn, or to be coached with a tutor.
- Follow the lessons on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfZi-r_ckkk&list=PL6yio5bdKg5QbclBgvkPyUcoAHRMOZSLP - This is an excellent resource for self-learning the Arabic language for non-native Arabic speakers.
- Get coached live (online) by tutors who understand what it takes for non-native Arabic speakers to grasp the language - https://learnarabicforwork.com/
- Use the LearnArabic.com platform for learning the Arabic alphabet, and advancing from there to speaking the Arabic language. This site features so many reviews that suggest a very positive experience.
Advancing Arabic learning for non-Arabic speaking self-learners
One thing that is very very important is practice. And we can't stress on this enough. Practice is just important.
And how we suggest self-learners (once they understand cornerstone Arabic grammar and know to form sentences, etc) and want to advance their Arabic speaking skills, is to attend Arabic lectures, read a ton of Arabic articles, and move amongst Arabic communities only speaking the Arabic language. Or struggling to speak it with what little you know.
When you attend the Arabic lectures, you want to have a pen and paper in hand, and every word that you hear, and you know, you want to record it down on that piece of paper. This you want to do for about 2 weeks every day.
Next, you want to attend the Arabic lectures again, but note down every word that you do not know, and then look their meanings up later. And translate them. These are just some of the ways to push your mental capacity of learning.
And we would compare it to perhaps going to the gym for a workout. Pushing your body to the next level to heavier weights every few days can feel pretty uncomfortable sometimes. But once you pass that level, you can look back and perhaps appreciate the hard work you put in.
So practice practice practice. And push your limits.
As you advance, you will want to take Arabic books, and start circling every word you know. And before you know it, you'd inshaAllah be at a level where your eyes are able to skim the words with so much ease. You could be flying down a road in a car, and recognise the Arabic boards that zip past you.
And then remember to look back at your Arabic learning journey then. And look back at the effort and dedication you put in. And then, tell the world how they could perhaps do like as well.