Arabic Language and Dialects

Standard Arabic is the origin of every word used in the various Arabic dialects. We don’t use the standard in our daily life, instead, we speak to each other in our own dialects. 

Standard Arabic is used in books and some TV programs, and you can find some movies and series that use it, too. Its most important use is in the Qur’an, because the Qur’an must be read in Arabic. For example, Muslims who don’t speak Arabic should read the Qur’an in Arabic, and use the translation to understand the verses. Alternatively, they can learn a small amount of Arabic, because it’s not necessary to learn grammar to understand the Qur’an.

 In addition, learning Arabic means learning everything about the language, like its grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary. Knowing Standard Arabic can help you to understand other dialects, because we usually pronounce words differently according to our dialects. If you don’t understand Standard Arabic, this can be confusing. Starting with Standard Arabic is a good choice for beginners learning Arabic.

The Dialects 

Arabic has many dialects. In every Arab place, you’ll find a certain accent or dialect that people use in their daily life. The real question for Arabic learners is, “Should I start by learning an Arabic dialect, or is that the wrong way to start?”

In my view, I think it’s possible to start learning Arabic by learning a dialect, especially if you live somewhere predominantly Arab or meet someone who speaks that dialect. After all, learning a dialect is like learning vocabulary in a particular dictionary; there are some people who start by learning an Arabic dialect and can communicate with native speakers with no difficulties, then when they begin studying standard Arabic, they find it very easy to learn. Since they have a wide vocabulary, all they need to do is focus on grammar.

Arabic for Beginners: Tips and Advice for Learning Arabic 

Never start by learning grammar rules. When you begin, you don’t have a big enough vocabulary for the grammar to be useful. 

You have to know how to read Arabic letters because Latin letters don’t make the real sound of the Arabic letters. Additionally, Latin letters can make you confused about the words in Arabic. can be romanized written out using Latin letters of the alphabet as both kitaabun and kitaab. If you use the Latin alphabet, you’ll think both words are different, but if you use the Arabic letters, you’ll understand they’re the same.

Learn words by using pictures or anything else except for the translation, because there are many Arabic words that have no direct translation in other languages.

Learn Arabic for fun, not because you have to! If you’re not enjoying Arabic, you’ll never continue learning. 

Choose a good person who is honest and serious about helping you to help you learn Arabic. 

Make a plan. Don’t say, “Well, when I am free, I’ll learn something new,” because doing it like that makes it very easy to stop after a short time. Instead, make a learning schedule. You can plan one hour for every Sunday, for example.

Contact someone who teaches, because learning Arabic by yourself is really hard, specially for beginners. Even if you do understand what you’ve learned, after a short time, you’ll lose that understanding. There are many qualified Arabic teachers on  Multibhashi.

Learn basic Arabic phrases 

If you want to learn Arabic quickly, then it’s good to study the phrases in the lesson above first. These are expressions that you’re going to hear all the time, so it’s easy to become familiar with them.

Then, as you continue to learn Arabic and develop your skills, you’ll be able to break down these phrases and understand what native speakers of the language are saying.

naäam. Yes.

laa. No.

min faDlik. Please.

shukran. Thank you.

äafwan. You’re welcome.

aläafw. Excuse me.

arjuu almaädhira. I am sorry.

sabaaH alkhayr. Good morning.