How to improve my Arabic as an English native speaker?

Arabic has influenced many other languages around the globe throughout its history. Some of the most influenced languages are Persian, Turkish, Hindustani (Hindi and Urdu), Kashmiri, Kurdish, Bosnian, Kazakh, Bengali, Malay (Indonesian and Malaysian), Maldivian, Pashto, Punjabi, Albanian, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Sicilian, Spanish, Greek, Bulgarian, Tagalog, Sindhi, Odia and Hausa and some languages in parts of Africa. Conversely, Arabic has borrowed words from other languages, including Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, and Persian in medieval times and languages such as English and French in modern times. It is a Semitic language that first emerged in the 1st to 4th centuries CE. Arabic is a Semitic language, like Hebrew and Aramaic. Around 292 million people speak it as their first language. Many more people can also understand it as a second language. The Arabic language has its own alphabet written from right to left, like Hebrew. Since it is so widely spoken throughout the world, the language is one of the six official languages of the United Nations, the others being English, French, Spanish, Russian and Chinese. Modern Standard Arabic is an official language of 26 states and 1 disputed territory, the third most after English and French. Arabic is widely taught in schools and universities and is used to varying degrees in workplaces, government and the media. Arabic, in its standard form, is the official language of 26 states, as well as the liturgical language of the religion of Islam, since the Quran and Hadith were written in Arabic.

Arabic is an extremely beautiful language and opens doors to a new and vibrant culture. At the same time, it’s notorious for being one of the toughest languages to master for non-native speakers. In fact, FSI [Foreign Service Institute of languages], lists Arabic in Category 5, which represents the languages that are by far the toughest for any English native speaker to master.

Why learn Arabic?

First of all, keep in mind that a tough language isn’t an impossible one to master, it’ll just require a lot more effort, time and dedication. Additionally, learning a tough language will help you sharpen your mind and increase your awareness. Apart from that, some of the most common languages that students learn these days include French or Spanish. This means Arabic is quite rare and that’s one factor you can use to your advantage to stand out. Next up, you’ll be part of the 300 million Arabic speakers and will be able to travel to over 25 countries with ease. I highly recommend reading Arabic poetry, as it is one of the most beautiful pieces of literature. 

What gives this language its tough reputation? 

• Writing: Arabic alphabet is one of the most challenging factors of learning the language. It’s both fascinating and taxing. For starters, the language is written from right to left. Secondly, the entire shape of a letter also depends on whether that letter is being applied in the beginning, middle, or end of a word. These factors make it rather difficult for students to learn the language. 

• Grammar: Arabic and English grammar have major discrepancies between the two.  In English, sentences depend on the change of verb. On the other hand, in Arabic, verbs definitely affect the sentence, but the gender of the noun also affects the verb itself, which can confuse learners. 

• Pronunciation: Finally, another factor that challenges most learners is the pronunciation of the language. For example, Shorter vowels aren’t even written as complete letters in a word. There is a general expectation for the reader to be aware of how to and when to pronounce those vowels without their mention. 

How can anyone improve their Arabic?

• Read and Write: The most important aspect of improving your Arabic is to focus on intense reading and practising your writing skills. It’s clear that writing and pronouncing are the two major factors which affect a learner and the difficulties they face. Therefore, it’s given that focusing on reading important and relevant literature is extremely vital and so is practising writing the same. 

• Watch and Listen: You can’t be expected to master a language purely through theory, you need that practical knowledge. The best method of improving your practical knowledge is through watching Arabic movies or videos with English subtitles or previously watched English movies or videos, dubbed in Arabic. Additionally, you can also listen to Arabic music and podcasts. 

• Tuition: Finally, Arabic is a rather challenging language and I don’t suggest mastering it simply on your own. Instead, I suggest you either get yourself a good Arabic tutor or enrol in to classes. With a teacher, you’re bound to receive expert guidance from the teachers, who can help identify your areas that need improvement and assist you in improving those. 

It is the liturgical language of 1.8 billion Muslims, and Arabic is one of six official languages of the United Nations. All varieties of Arabic combined are spoken by perhaps as many as 422 million speakers (native and non-native) in the Arab world, making it the fifth most spoken language in the world. The ISO assigns language codes to thirty varieties of Arabic, including its standard form, Modern Standard Arabic, also referred to as Literary Arabic, which is modernized Classical Arabic. This distinction exists primarily among Western linguists; Arabic speakers themselves generally do not distinguish between Modern Standard Arabic and Classical Arabic, but rather refer to both as al-ʿarabiyyatu l-fuṣḥā or simply al-fuṣḥā. It is now the lingua franca of the Arab world. It is named after the Arabs, a term initially used to describe peoples living in the Arabian Peninsula bounded by eastern Egypt in the west, Mesopotamia in the east, and the Anti-Lebanon mountains and Northern Syria in the north, as perceived by ancient Greek geographers.

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