Learn Arabic Online using our simple Arabic for beginners course.
This site provides you with what you need to get started learning Arabic online free. If you are an absolute beginner then you have to learn the Arabic alphabet first, or else if you are already familiar with the Arabic script, which you can read (and write), then proceed directly to the Arabic for beginners section.
Learn Arabic grammar
This Arabic for beginners course is designed to help you learn Arabic grammar using simple, easy Arabic lessons. The focus is on functional grammar, and excessively detailed, complicated grammatical points are avoided.
About this Arabic course
This free Arabic course will help you learn Arabic using simple, easy-to-follow Arabic lessons in plain English. The Arabic lessons you will find here are designed so that you avoid common mistakes made by beginners when learning the Arabic language. They also focus on the essentials and avoid providing excessive, confusing details at the beginning; complexity is only added in later lessons.
In this course, you will learn Quranic Arabic (or Classical Arabic). Quranic Arabic is almost identical to Modern Standard Arabic, usually called MSA. Learn any of them and you can understand the other. However, this course does not deal with the different Arabic dialects spoken throughout the Arab world.
About the Arabic language
Arabic is the largest member of the Semitic language family. It is spoken by more than 280 million people as a first language and by 250 million more as a second language. Most native speakers live in the Middle East and North Africa. Different varieties of spoken Arabic exist and differ according to region. Standard Arabic, also called Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), is widely taught in schools, universities, and used in the office and the media.
Requirements
You are expected to be relatively familiar with the Arabic writing system to be able to make the best of this Arabic course. For example, if you can read the Quran (Koran) you are ready.
Otherwise, or for a quick recapitulation, go first to the "Arabic Alphabet" section.
Is Arabic hard to learn?
Is English difficult to the British-born? Is it to a Chinese kid?
Depends a lot on your mother tongue, the environment (are you exposed to it?), your level of motivation, and your age too! Keep in mind that regular practice is a must. You must keep in touch with the language. Find ways to use it in daily life. Revise your vocabulary very often, using words you have learnt in sentences of your own.
Read more on whether Arabic is hard to learn.
Spoken vs. Written
Which one should you learn, spoken Arabic or written Arabic (also called Modern Standard Arabic, or MSA)? While MSA is what you will read/hear in Arabic newspapers and other media, spoken (derivatives of) Arabic is what you will hear when you are on tour in an Arab country; you will hardly ever have to read it. It has a number of varying versions, each region having its own. For example, the Iraqi spoken Arabic widely differs from the Moroccan one to the point of being mutually incomprehensible.
Why learn Arabic?
If you are still undecided whether or not to get started learning Arabic, below are some reasons to get you motivated:
- It is one of the official languages of the United Nations
- It is the official language of more than 250 million people.
- It has stood the test of time as it is still widely used today in its initial form, with just a few minor changes here and there.