How to speak Arabic - For Beginners

[Sayyid09]

Asalam alaykum, wara waba.

Inshallah you are doing well. I just wanted to ask if anyone knew how to/where to learn the arabic language to the extent that one may understand and speak it?

(I am based in London - UK). Also, I do not wish to look into University courses as I cannot attend them currently.

Perhaps any useful online resources, or Husayniyahs you may know of within London which teach Arabic?

Ja3zakallah.

[TheGreenWanderer]

Wa Alaikum Salaam Sayyid,

Now the question which I was asked when I wanted to begin learning also, which Arabic do you want to learn?

There is essentially Classical Arabic (Quranic) and then Dialect. Dialect is regionally influenced and differs, but is what is spoken through the Middle East & Africa. Classical Arabic is more so used for classical literature and things like newspaper cartoons. You can read about the dialects here http://www.myeasyarabic.com/site/what_is_spoken_arabic.htm

You should check out this brother on youtube, he's quite a genius with some of his techniques for learning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwdyx9kAPlU

[Intellectual Resistance]

On 17/02/2018 at 4:57 AM, Sayyid09 said:

Asalam alaykum, wara waba.

Inshallah you are doing well. I just wanted to ask if anyone knew how to/where to learn the arabic language to the extent that one may understand and speak it?

(I am based in London - UK). Also, I do not wish to look into University courses as I cannot attend them currently.

Perhaps any useful online resources, or Husayniyahs you may know of within London which teach Arabic?

Ja3zakallah.

Walaykum Salaam Wa Rahmatullahi Wabarakatu,

 

So how do i learn it?:

There are many courses out there, but the one i completed and i feel is best for English speaking people are the Medina Series. Not only are all the books  for this course free and online, you have people who have produced far more summarised and to the point tutorials and lectures which save an incredible amount of time. 

The Medina books come in three volumes, and you can download them for free on the official website here: http://www.lqtoronto.com/madinaarabic.html

The best lectures i have ever seen teaching these have got to be the summarised, yet comprehensive ones on this youtube channel;

Medina Book1: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHHCQMGIzlJtaKFzl7dzvuPdlAktclJUledin

Medina Book2: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe-aPVZYx1lH4CSVh_WkZEUrfsUF-japn

Medina Book3:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLl7FSzR4VMXnK9lAZNs3KaX_fLhTHuU4D

Furthermore, there is a website with even shorter videos that can be used as a revision guide or to help introduce concepts in a clearer way that should be use to supplement the above:

Year 1 summarised Arabic grammar: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBv6B6E0IuHgw7symFQKGdqaWgS5yYP31

Year 2 summarised Arabic grammar: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBv6B6E0IuHhF7Z0CZiq222KUj0aUnDMv

All Medina series resources, handouts, grammar books: http://www.lqtoronto.com/downloads.html

Medina Arabic conversational drills: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLS4jnMwZk3wopoTkXo689FwbpiDYJ0W4B

 

Building vocabulary

 

It is essential the language is more to you than abstract words on a page, and that you do not only learn grammar , but you greatly build your vocabulary too.  I would use this first, and I also highly recommend to anyone with an Android Phone, or with a Laptop or device, to download the free Anki Software here: https://apps.ankiweb.net/

Once you have done so, download a deck of vocabulary by searching for 'Arabic words MSA' as well as 'Medina book 1 vocabulary' and 'Medina book 2 vocabulary' and 'Medina book 3' vocabulary. Anki uses spaced repetition, which is highly effective in learning vocabulary and you are shown a certain number of new words per day, as well as repeats of words you've been through. If you do this over a long period of time it can help you accumulate more vocabulary.

 Just as a warning, before embarking on this book try to get to at least half way through book 3, because you  may not understand why a certain word has five forms in the table, if you do not understand how Arabic can use the same three letter root in order to change the meaning of the word. Here are some of the best resources to do that: 

The following PDF contains 83% of Quranic words by use. If you learn this small document you know 83% of the words used in the Quran by use: https://ia600406.us.archive.org/18/items/80Percent/80_percent.pdf

Feel the language is real

In order to make the language feel real, rather than just abstract words on a text you have no connection to, i highly recommend watching subtitled, quality Arabic cartoons. The following are some of the very best:

1. Tales of Women in the Quran:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLG7hgjybLl7pVItspz0nvtJTN2xkpUn1E

2. Tales of humans in the Quran: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLG7hgjybLl7oGrRjriW4H6R-LaJwmDFnV

3 Tales of animals in the Quran: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLG7hgjybLl7rzH2ClknLpzbPHR5yLWC32 

4. Muslim scientists: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLG7hgjybLl7rjuFulohTxs0zq7RYl0AJN

 

Dictionaries:

I don't recommend using one until you finish the Medina series, however, once you understand roots of words, different verb forms, and are good with morphology, the following dictionaries are great, and all free online and the most recommended:

1. al-Mawrid:  http://kalamullah.com/Books/alMawrid.pdf

2. Hans Wehr searchable dictionary:  https://giftsofknowledge.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/hans-wehr-searchable-pdf.pdf

Dictionaries like this can be confusing for English speakers, and so this is a great video as to how to use the Hans Wehr: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcQw_yMkm3I

 

Useful resources to supplement the above:

1. Fundamentals of classical Arabic: http://kalamullah.com/arabic.html

2. Learning the Arabic of the Quran: http://kalamullah.com/arabic-language-of-the-quran.html

3. Word-for-word Quran translation (one of the best!): Volume 1: Volume 2: Volume 3

4. Essentials of Arabic verbs: http://kalamullah.com/Books/Arabic Verbs and Essentials of Grammar 2nd Ed.pdf

5. 101 rules of Arabic grammar:  https://www.scribd.com/document/362303444/101-Rules-of-Arabic-Grammar-pdf

6. Umar series [Biography of the Prophet and the early conquests , and while we Shias differ on details, a lot of it is neutral and in classical Arabic subtitled into English]: https://archive.org/details/MBC-Omar-Series

7. Modern standard Arabic picture book: http://www.shiplife.com.br/downloads/arabic.pdf

8. Basic Arabic vocabulary picture book: https://www.scribd.com/document/241062227/Arabic-Vocab-for-Basic

 

Further advanced books:

Once you have completed the Medina Series, the same author of those books has written some excellent further books to strengthen ones Arabic:

1. Selections from the glorious Quran:   http://www.lqtoronto.com/sfgq.html

2. Surat al-Hujurat: http://www.lqtoronto.com/hujurat.html

3. Nur al Nur: http://www.lqtoronto.com/nurunalanur.html

4. From Esfahan to Medina: drvaniya.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/From-Esfahan-to-Madinah-With-Lexical-and-Grammatical-Notes.pdf

5. Salawayh story book 1: https://www.scribd.com/document/61410066/Sahlawayhi1

6. Salawayh story book 2: https://www.scribd.com/document/61203309/Sahlawayhi-2

7. Salawayh story book 3: https://www.scribd.com/document/61203325/Sahlawayhi3