Arabic can be categorized as a notoriously hard language. The common belief is that it truly consists of a broad range of dialects in this one category. The fact that linguistic differences cannot be established between a language and a dialect makes “Arabic” a bit lost. Arabic also refers to the Modern Standard Arabic – in addition to the thousands of spoken dialects that are “official,” used in literature and formal speech.

Arabic is regarded as one of the most difficult and important languages to learn in the world. The Middle East and Africa are booming with business and travel opportunities, and learning Arabic is a must if you want to participate in smooth business transitions in these regions. Knowing Arabic will also help you get better job opportunities at home, as many government agencies are willing to pay top dollar for people who can communicate in the language these days.

There are many compelling reasons to learn Arabic, but maybe the challenge is what is preventing you from doing so. If that’s the case, it’s important to understand the big challenges you’ll face while learning Arabic, so keep reading to learn the top three most challenging aspects of the language and how to overcome them!

Script

Written Arabic is lovely and artistic and creative, but non-native speakers find it difficult to understand. Since written Arabic is so different to the Latin-based alphabets that English speakers are familiar with, many people give up soon after they begin.

Arabic has a 28-letter alphabet, unlike Chinese, which allows students to learn thousands of different characters. While this alphabet differs from the English alphabet, it is not as difficult as it has been made out to be. You’ll be one step closer to mastering the script if you spend some time memorizing the letters.

 

Pronunciation

One of the most critical and challenging aspects of studying Arabic is pronunciation. You can study grammar, vocabulary, and how to read the script all you want, but if no one understands what you’re saying, it’s not much use, is it? There are several sounds in Arabic that are not present in other languages. Most of them also call for a precise articulation at the back of the throat, which if you will not get right will make everything you say sounds meaningless.

Training is the best way to improve pronunciation.  Speak to yourself, whether in the car or in the shower, to get your tongue used to the language. Record yourself having a conversation and play it back to see what you might be paying attention to. Find a native speaker who can assist you by listening to and correcting your voice!

 

Grammar

Similarly, to how learners struggle with Turkish’s SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) word order, Arabic’s VSO (Verb-Subject-Object) order can make you miserable if you’re not careful. Even if you get used to the word order, other elements of grammar can be difficult to master. In Arabic, a present-tense verb can take 13 different forms, all must be answered according to gender, and even saying “thank you” is more difficult than in other languages.ṣ

It will take a lot of effort (and possibly sweat, and tears) to master Arabic grammar, but it is possible. Experts believe that reading a lot of Arabic scripts is the best way to help cement grammatical structures in a natural way. You’ll gradually become acquainted with Arabic grammar and even pick up some interesting vocabulary by digging deeper into short literature or reading articles in the newspaper.

The most important thing to note is that diligence is the most important factor in whether or not you will be able to learn any language successfully. You’ll succeed if you stick to the language. Multibhashi is an Online Learning Platform that provides structured courses to learn any language such as Arabic.

They have excellent language teachers as well as valuable online resources such as free placement tests to keep your skills up to date, making your Arabic studies less of a burden and more of a fun language adventure!