"You’re learning Arabic? Wow, I could never do that!" You’ve probably heard that sentiment, or something like it, dozens of times. Or perhaps you’ve become intimidated hearing it said to other people.  For English-speakers, Arabic has a reputation for being an incredibly tough language to learn. Nobody offers Arabic classes in middle school, and nobody talks about picking up Arabic from watching cartoons. But does Arabic deserve such a reputation? Is Arabic hard to learn? Could it be that there’s more to a language than its perceived difficulty? Let’s find out! Table of Contents Is Arabic Really the Hardest Language? Why Arabic is Hard to Learn Why Arabic is Easier Than You Think What Every New Arabic Learner... Show more

Wouldn’t it be fantastic to speak flawless Arabic? It’s a language that flummoxes students around the world daily. Even in Arabic-speaking countries, people are divided on what’s really "correct" and "proper" Arabic. The truth is, you really don’t have to speak Arabic by the book in order to show your respect for the cultures and languages of Arab people. A little really does go a long way! In this article, you’ll see some of the most common mistakes Arabic speakers make when learning the language, as well as the best ways to overcome them. Table of Contents Pronunciation Vocabulary Mistakes Word Order Mistakes Arabic Grammar Mistakes Uniquely Arabic Mistakes The Biggest Mistake Conclusion 1.... Show more

You can learn quite a bit of a language through questions. Whether you’re traveling or hanging out in your hometown, any conversation you have with a native speaker in Arabic is going to involve a little bit of Q-and-A. In fact, this is especially true for Arabic, since it’s a language not as commonly learned by foreigners. People are going to be rather curious about you as, in all likelihood, you’re going to be the first Arabic-speaking foreigner they’ve ever met. Check out these common Arabic questions and answers, so that you have a leg up when the conversation starts! Table of Contents What’s your name? Where are you from? Do you speak Arabic? How long have you been studying Arabic? Have you been to ___? ... Show more

Did you know that language is really just patterns? Even the most complex languages, like Arabic, can be described with a long, long list of rules and patterns. Of course, we’re talking about multiple research teams working for decades to really tease out all the patterns of a natural language. There are always some unusual things that crop up and extend the research by a couple of years. Fortunately, the inconsistencies and the exceptions don’t detract from one simple ground truth: to speak Arabic well, you need to master key Arabic sentences and sentence patterns. That’s one of the best ways to start speaking Arabic quickly, too. Once you have a deep knowledge of a single sentence pattern, you can use that understanding to... Show more

Arabic grammar has an unfair reputation of being needlessly complex and riddled with inconsistencies. A better word might be intricate. There's a lot to memorize, but also a lot of patterns that reveal themselves when examined. One such pattern is within Arabic verb conjugation. Conjugation is the umbrella term for correctly using the different forms of Arabic verbs—which is not something you can just waltz in to. How many other languages can you think of that have different verb forms for talking to women and men? This article is designed for people who are just starting out with Arabic grammar, and who want to know what makes Arabic verbs so intricate. Table of Contents Verb Roots in Arabic Arabic Verbs Love Arabic... Show more

Verbs are the meat and potatoes of language. They're in every sentence, and pretty much every fragment too. If you're putting together a dinner plate of communication, the verb is the main course. For that reason, we've put together a massive list of 100 Arabic verbs that cover pretty much anything anyone could ask for, including some examples that show how Arabic verbs work. Read this list through and watch as you slowly absorb verbs in Arabic and their structures without even having to work at it!  Let’s go! Table of Contents The Basic Tourist Set—The 20 Most Important Verbs Abstract Yet Important Interacting with Others Move Your Body Follow That Car! Hobbies and Pastimes Using Your Words ... Show more

Did anybody ever tell you that grammar is beautiful? Not the sounds of a language, nor the calligraphy on a page, but the grammar itself? Then clearly nobody has told you about Arabic grammar. In this lesson, we're going to show you the ins and outs of Arabic pronouns—the words for saying "I," "you," "this," "that," "he," "she," and so on. English only takes it a little bit beyond there. Arabic, by contrast, takes it significantly further. There are subtle distinctions and possibilities in Arabic that go well beyond what English is capable of. Did you know, for instance, that in Arabic there's a special pronoun for talking to just two people? It's called the dual pronoun, and it's just one of the surprises waiting for you. ... Show more

Imagine a profile in a world-class international journal. The subject? You. "Speaks near-perfect Arabic," reads the article. "Listeners remark not only on the rich word choice, but also the extremely accurate pronunciation." "The only flaw is that the actual order of words is incomprehensible, requiring all listeners to rack their brains in order to understand the intended meaning." Would that be very flattering? No. And that's why you absolutely must study Arabic word order if you want to be remembered for your Arabic. As in every question about learning Arabic, the differences between Modern Standard Arabic and colloquial varieties do pop up here. Word order is yet another one of the distinctions, with some pretty hefty... Show more

Are you planning a trip to an Arabic-speaking country? When do you leave? And how do you say that in Arabic? Yup, you’ll need to know about telling time in Arabic to get around very well and be on time.  You wouldn't believe how many tourists get confused and frustrated at bus stations, taxi stands, airports, and train terminals all over the world simply because they don't understand how to talk about time in the local language. That's pretty surprising, to be honest, because you'd think that time words would be one of the things you would prioritize in a new language.  But it still always just seems like something to learn later—until your taxi driver is laughing at you because you misheard what time the bus leaves, and... Show more

Did you ever just kinda…skip over the directions chapter in a language book? Sitting at home or in your classroom, it’s hard to imagine yourself in the position of actually needing to know how to say these phrases. But I actually just went traveling to a new country where I barely spoke the language, and I noticed right away that I needed to talk about directions if I wanted to find out where anything was. Now, just for you, we’ve arranged the most critical directions in Arabic: right to left, the cardinal directions, and handy phrases you’ll be glad you know! We’ve also included some ways you can expand your knowledge and end up speaking more Arabic than you thought possible! Table of Contents Basic Cultural Notes and... Show more