Arabic is one of the world’s most beautiful and poetic languages, spoken by over 400 million people worldwide across 26 stunning and diverse countries. However, it’s also undeniably one of the most difficult languages to learn, particularly if you’re trying to learn Arabic at home or online without a structured course or a teacher. But like any other language, if you’re committed and open to trying different methods and techniques, mastery of Arabic is both possible and incredibly satisfying.

The following tips and hacks will help you to build an Arabic study habit into your daily routine. It’s up to you whether you want to try and apply all 10 or just pick the ones that work for you (this will depend on your goals, your level of ability and how much time you want to dedicate to your Arabic practice).

Before you do anything, make sure you get clear on WHY you want to learn Arabic. Maybe it’s because you have plans to travel the region and want to be able to converse with the locals; perhaps there’s a specific country in the Middle East that you want to visit; or maybe you need to learn for work. Everybody’s WHY is different – get clear on yours and write it down somewhere you’ll see it regularly. This will give you the sense of purpose you need to stay motivated and keep moving forward when things get tough.

There are many smartphone apps available to help you build an Arabic study habit and learn on the go, many of which offer a great service for free.

If you want to focus on your listening skills, try watching videos from mainstream Arabic media outlets like BBC Arabic, Al Jazeera and Sky News Arabia. If you’re interested in a specific region or dialect, use Google or social media to search for local news and media platforms. Short news videos are great if you only have a few minutes to spare.

We can’t understate the importance of reading for improving your Arabic! There are few things more effective for improving your Arabic than simply reading a little bit every day. Depending on your level, that could be a couple of lines of an article or a Tweet, or if you’re up to the challenge, you could try reading an article a day or even an Arabic book (if you can get your hands on any).

Listening to Arabic, whether spoken or sung, is a great way to immerse yourself in the language and passively absorb words and phrases – particularly colloquialisms that you may not learn in a book or formal course. And with a smartphone and a few basic apps like Spotify, TuneIn Radio and Podcasts, you literally have a whole world of Arabic music and broadcasts at your fingertips.