Best Way to Learn Arabic for Beginners

Arabic is spoken by over 400 million people (native and non-native), making it the fifth most spoken language in the world. Learning the language, however, is far from trivial because of its unique alphabet, rich vocabulary, complex grammar, and other reasons. 

To succeed, you need to know what the best way to learn Arabic is, and this article is here to help, providing multiple tips and explaining how to learn this language quickly and efficiently with Encore!!!, the best app to learn Arabic. 

What Makes Arabic Difficult to Learn?

Arabic is widely considered to be one of the most difficult languages to learn for English speakers, but does it really deserve its reputation? Yes and no. 

The thing is that the language actually doesn’t have just one form. In addition to Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), there are around 30 regional varieties in the Arabic-speaking world. These varieties are classified into five groups (Maghrebi, Egyptic, Mesopotamian, Levantine, and Peninsular Arabic), and the differences between them and MSA can be huge. 

For example, Egyptian, Lebanese, and Syrian dialects are generally considered to be the easiest form of Arabic to learn, while Moroccan, Algerian, and Tunisian are the hardest. 

That said, there are certain hurdles to overcome regardless of which Arabic variety you decide to learn, and they include: 

• Alphabet: The Arabic alphabet is written from right to left in a cursive style and includes 28 letters. It looks nothing like the English alphabet, so it can seem very intimidating. 
• Vocabulary: Many of the world’s greatest thinkers, scientists, and artists spoke the Arabic language, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that its vocabulary is rich not only in quantity but also in variety (synonyms and hyponyms).
• Grammar: The grammar is complex and full of intricacies that can easily confuse its learners. Some grammatical rules that can change the meaning of a whole sentence are expressed by just one letter, and meaning can also change depending on diacritics. 

Sounds pretty challenging, doesn’t it? The truth is that learning Arabic is far from easy, but it’s certainly not impossible. In fact, the best way to learn Arabic described in the next section of this article can help you study the language quickly regardless of which of its many variations you decide to focus on. 

Here’s the Best Way to Learn Arabic Online or at Home  

To learn this language quickly, you need the right approach. In reality, there are multiple best ways to learn Arabic, and they all share certain common characteristics.

Basics First

You need to learn how to walk before you can learn how to run. That’s why you should focus on building a strong foundation by first learning the basic vocabulary and grammar necessary to gain the ability to carry out simple conversations on most topics one encounters in daily life. 

At this stage, it’s best to take advantage of the language you already know instead of studying only in Arabic. That’s because it’s much faster to associate the word سيارة (sayara) with the English word car than it is to figure out its meaning from a picture and other audiovisual aids. 

Speak the Language 

Many guides that teach how to learn Arabic fast omit one of the most important keys to learning any language: speaking. Even if you want to study this language only to read the Quran, you should still practice speaking on a regular basis to improve retention by fully engaging all major brain regions.  

You can effortlessly include speaking into your daily practice by using a learn Arabic app like Encore!!!, whose large content library includes vocabulary, greetings and useful phrases, verb conjugations, sentences with related vocabulary, and conversations spoken by native speakers (more about it later in this article).

Immerse Yourself 

There’s a good reason why people who move to an Arabic-speaking country typically learn the language much faster than those who learn Arabic online, in class, or at home, and that reason is called immersion. The good news is that you can immerse yourself in a foreign language anywhere thanks to the internet and language learning apps. 

For example, you can start your day by listening to a podcast on your way to work, use the best app to learn Arabic during your work breaks to practice vocabulary and commonly used phrases, and relax after work by watching Arabic TV or listening to music. 

Using Encore!!!, one of the best apps for learning Arabic, will also help you with immersion with its useful tools including the ability to record audio and turn it into a lesson.

Don’t Stop Learning 

Even the best way to learn Arabic online or at home won’t help you approach fluency unless you never stop learning. Some language learning apps, such as Encore!!!, make it possible for users to create their own lessons that reflect their needs and interests. Apps like this remain useful even after years and years of learning, which can’t be said about traditional courses and textbooks.

The more fluent you become, the more you should use the language in your day to day life. If you don’t plan on moving to an Arabic-speaking country, then at least join your local Arab community and find like-minded people to spend some quality time with. 

Be Consistent and Set A Schedule 

When it comes to learning any subject, consistency is the key to success. Learning Arabic for beginners is no different, as the more consistent your studies the more you will learn and retain. Before you start your Arabic language learning plan, you need to sit down and make a schedule of when you are going to do your studies each day.

Once you have a schedule planned out, stick to it as best you can. The more time you are able to schedule yourself to study each week, and actually study during those times, the more success you will have in your efforts in learning Arabic language.

Set Goals For Your Learning 

Goal setting is another one of those tips that works for learning Arabic for beginners as successfully as it does for every other subject. Setting goals gives you something to work towards, which can help you get through slumps and keep you from losing interests. Don’t just set a vague and distant goal like “I want to learn Arabic” though, you need to set specific and achievable goals.

Setting small goals that lead to bigger goals that lead to your overall goal is the best way to go about this. You need a series of goalposts that let you know that you are progressing. Don’t forget to reward yourself too, it is hard to learn Arabic for beginners and you deserve to enjoy each success along the way.

Best App to Learn Arabic 

The best apps for learning Arabic will offer you a robust set of tools that will enhance your learning and help you devote the needed time to your studies. In our opinion, the best app for learning Arabic is Encore!!!

We’ve mentioned Encore!!! several times as a highly effective app for learning the Arabic language, and for a good reason. This easy to use app combines the “Comprehensive Learning Approach” with the “Need-Based Learning Approach” to provide learners the best way to learn Arabic on their own.

By completing just one lesson per week, learners can reach intermediate fluency in just 38 weeks, but there’s no reason to stop there. The Encore!!! content library contains about 25,000 words in English and the corresponding 25,000 words in Arabic, and the app also lets users add their own content and create customized lesson plans.

We consider these reasons to be why Encore!!! is the best app for learning Arabic. It has all the tools you may need to get you on the path to fluency. Learning Arabic for beginners can be difficult, but having an app like Encore!!! on your side can help you overcome the struggles successfully. 

Conclusion

There’s no denying that Arabic is one of the most difficult languages in the world, but Arabic learning for beginners isn’t impossible as long as you choose the right approach. We recommend the language learning app Encore!!! because it was designed to overcome the limitations of traditional learning methods, making it the best Arabic learning app to quickly learn just about any Arabic variety.

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