How to learn Arabic on your own from scratch. How I learned Arabic. Secrets of self-learning a language

Which is gaining popularity every year. Learning Arabic has its own characteristics, which are related to the structure of the language itself, as well as pronunciation and writing. This must be taken into account when choosing a training program.

Prevalence

Arabic belongs to the Semitic group. In terms of the number of native speakers, Arabic ranks second in the world after Chinese.

Arabic is spoken by about 350 million people in 23 countries where the language is considered an official language. These countries include Egypt, Algeria, Iraq, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Palestine and many others. Also, the language is one of the official ones in Israel. Taking this factor into account, learning Arabic involves a preliminary selection of the dialect that will be used in a particular country, since, despite many similar elements, in different countries language has its own distinctive features.

Dialects

Modern Arabic can be divided into 5 large groups of dialects, which from a linguistic point of view can practically be called different languages. The fact is that the lexical and grammatical differences in languages ​​are so great that people speaking different dialects and not knowing the literary language practically cannot understand each other. The following groups of dialects are distinguished:

  • Maghreb.
  • Egyptian-Sudanese.
  • Syro-Mesopotamian.
  • Arabian.
  • Central Asian.

A separate niche is occupied by modern standard Arabic, which, however, is practically not used in colloquial speech.

Features of the study

Learning Arabic from scratch is not an easy task, since after Chinese it is considered one of the most difficult in the world. Mastering Arabic takes much longer than learning any European language. This applies to both classes with teachers.

Studying Arabic on your own is a difficult path, which is best avoided at first. This is due to several factors. Firstly, the letter is very complex, which is not similar to either the Latin or Cyrillic alphabet, which is written from right to left, and also does not involve the use of vowels. Secondly, the structure of language itself, in particular morphology and grammar, is complex.

What should you pay attention to before you start studying?

A program for learning Arabic should be built taking into account the following factors:

  • Having enough time. Learning a language takes several times longer than learning other languages.
  • Opportunities for both independent work, and for classes in a group or with a private teacher. Studying Arabic in Moscow gives you the opportunity to combine different options.
  • Inclusion in the learning process different aspects: writing, reading, listening and, of course, speaking.

We must not forget that you need to decide on the choice of a specific dialect. Learning Arabic varies depending on this factor. In particular, the dialects in Egypt and Iraq are so different that their speakers cannot always understand each other. A way out of the situation may be to study Arabic literary language, which has a more complex structure, but is understandable in all countries of the Arab world, since dialects traditionally have a more simplified form. Despite this, this option has its own negative sides. Although the literary language is understood by all countries, it is practically not spoken. A situation may arise that a person who speaks a literary language will not be able to understand people who speak a certain dialect. In this case, the choice depends on the purposes of the study. If you want to use a language in different countries, then the choice should be made towards the literary version. If a language is studied for work in a specific Arab country, preference should be given to the corresponding dialect.

Vocabulary of the language

Learning Arabic is impossible without using words and phrases that in this case have characteristic differences in comparison with European languages. This is due to the fact that in Europe languages ​​intertwined and strongly influenced each other, due to which they have many common lexical units. Almost all the vocabulary of the Arabic language has its original origin, which practically cannot be associated with others. The number of borrowings from other languages ​​is present, but it takes up no more than one percent of the dictionary.

The difficulty of learning also lies in the fact that the Arabic language is characterized by the presence of synonyms, homonyms and polysemantic words, which can seriously confuse people who are starting to learn the language. In Arabic, both newer words and very old ones are intertwined, which do not have specific connections with each other, but denote almost identical objects and phenomena.

Phonetics and pronunciation

Literary Arabic and its numerous dialects are characterized by the presence of a very developed phonetic system, in particular with regard to consonants: glottal, interdental and emphatic. Difficulty in learning is also represented by all sorts of combinatorial possibilities of pronunciation.

Many Arab countries are trying to bring the spoken pronunciation of words closer to the literary language. This is primarily due to the religious context, in particular to the correct reading of the Koran. Despite this, at the moment there is no single point of view on how to correctly read certain endings, since ancient texts do not have vowels - signs to indicate vowel sounds, which does not allow us to correctly state how exactly this or that word should be pronounced.

Arabic is one of the most widely spoken and also one of the most difficult languages ​​to learn in the world. The difficulty lies in the special letter without vowels, multi-level morphology and grammar, as well as special pronunciation. An important factor When learning a language, choosing a dialect is also important, since Arabic sounds very differently in different countries.

The Arabic language has historically begun to flourish in the world thanks to the development and spread of Islam as one of the world's largest religions. It is known that Arabic is the language of the Koran - the Holy Book of Islam. This is the main language of Muslims.

What is interesting to know for everyone who is going to learn Arabic for beginners

1. Where is Arabic spoken?

Arabic - official language 22 countries and is the mother tongue of more than 200 million people, spread geographically from southeast Asia to northwest Africa, better known as the Arab World.

"Classical" Arabic, known as the language of the Qur'an, is the language in which the Qur'an is written and is the base language for the syntactic and grammatical norms of modern Arabic. It is this classical Arabic language that is taught in religious schools and in all Arabic schools around the world.

"Modern Standard" Arabic is similar to the classical language, but easier and simpler. It is understood by most Arabs and is used on television, spoken by politicians, and studied by foreigners. Most Arabic newspapers and modern literature use Modern Standard Arabic.
Arabic spoken language has many different dialects. For example, a native resident of Iraq will have difficulty understanding a local resident of Algeria and vice versa, since they speak completely different dialects. But both of them will be able to communicate with each other if they use Modern Standard Arabic.

2. What any of us already knows about the Arabic language

  • A lot of words came to us from Arabic, and we all know them, for example:

قطن, koton
سكر, sugar
غزال, gazelle
قيثارة, guitar
الكحول, alcohol
صحراء , Sahara
قيراط, carat
ليمون, lemon

  • Arabic uses the same punctuation as any other foreign language, such as English, but Arabic has slightly different punctuation marks, such as the reversed comma (،) or the reversed question mark (؟).

3. How difficult is it to learn Arabic?

  • Pronunciation difficulties

Many sounds in Arabic are pronounced in a guttural manner, as if they are formed deep inside the throat - so it takes practice to learn how to pronounce them correctly.

  • Order of words in a sentence

Any sentence in Arabic begins with a verb, so to say “the boy is eating an apple”, you need to say “the boy is eating an apple”:
اكل الولد التفاحة .

  • Adjectives are placed after the noun:

السيارة الحمراء - red car

  • Sentences are written from right to left, so the first page of the book, for us Europeans, will be considered the last.

4. How can Arabic help in the future for beginners?

  • Arabic belongs to the Semitic group of languages, therefore it has much in common with languages ​​such as Amharic and Hebrew. Therefore, those who can learn Arabic will understand other languages ​​of the Semitic group more clearly.
  • Languages ​​such as Persian/Farsi, Urdu, Kurdish and others use the Arabic alphabet which is used to write their own languages. Therefore, those who learn Arabic from scratch will be able to read the written words and sentences of any of these languages, but not understand the meaning.

1. Define precisely the goals for which you need to learn Arabic for beginners.

As we wrote above, there are several types of Arabic: Modern Standard, Classical and Colloquial Arabic. Each type is responsible for its own goals.


2. Master the Arabic alphabet

At first glance, for those who decide to take up the Arabic language, the alphabet seems the most difficult and incomprehensible moment. Some even try to avoid studying it and only memorize the pronunciation or transliteration of Arabic words. This method will bring many problems in the future. It would be much more useful, on the contrary, to ignore the transcription and learn the spelling of words. So to learn Arabic quickly for beginners, learn the alphabet.

3. Learn to use an Arabic dictionary.

Using an Arabic dictionary is very difficult at first, but after clarifying the basic points and some practice, it will not be difficult.
Firstly, it is necessary to take into account that all words in the dictionary are used in their original forms, while in the texts they appear in derived forms
Secondly, the structure of the dictionary itself has root system, that is, the root of the word is considered as the search word. The roots in the dictionary are arranged in alphabetical order. That is, to find the word istiqbaal (recorder), you need to know the three-letter root of this word - q-b-l, that is given word will be in the dictionary under the letter q.

4. We study Arabic constantly.

In order to quickly learn Arabic, you need to study it constantly. If you have internet, you can learn Arabic online. There are many resources online for self-study Arabic. You can buy textbooks with audio recordings, listening to which you will become immersed in the language and absorb pronunciation. Many tutorials like learning Arabic from scratch offer interesting mnemonics for memorizing Arabic words.

5. Ask a tutor for help.

Gives you the opportunity to get acquainted and learn one of the ancient and most widespread languages ​​of the world - Arabic.

Arabic is considered the official language in the following countries of the world: Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Western Sahara, Jordan, Iraq, Yemen, Qatar, Comoros, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, Chad, Eritrea. Arabic is spoken by about 290 million people (240 - native language and 50 - second language).

The Arabic language played a big role in the history of world culture: in the Middle Ages, extensive fiction and scientific literature was created in it. A huge number of Arabic words have entered the languages ​​of many Asian and African peoples. Even in European languages, including Russian, there are words borrowed from Arabic (algebra, azimuth, zenith, alcohol, genie, store, treasury, coffee, safari, tariff, etc.).

Currently, the Arabic language exists in two significantly different forms: on the one hand, there is the Arabic literary language - a common language for all Arab countries in education, the press, radio, science, literature, oratory; on the other hand, there are Arabic colloquial languages ​​or dialects used by the population in everyday communication. Each spoken language Arab country differs both from the common Arabic literary language and from spoken languages other Arab countries.

Like all language learners from scratch, we will talk about literary Arabic. As a basis online lessons The website contains a tutorial by V. S. Segal (). Its peculiarity is that it allows you to get acquainted with the language gradually, without immediately bombarding you with a stream of incomprehensible and complex Arabic letters. Errors were also corrected, letter animation was added, and answers were added that can be viewed by moving the mouse over the key: . Plus, audio has been added! You will not only learn to read and write Arabic, but also begin to understand the language by ear. Lessons free.

Go to -› list of lessons ‹- (Click)

If the opportunity to communicate with 290 million people is not your big motivation for learning Arabic, then it might be, for example, the desire to stand out from the crowd. Few people know Arabic. And if now you just seem very smart, then in the future you will be able to build a successful career. The Middle East has a very large economic potential, so knowledge of the language and culture is beneficial and promising.

IN modern conditions growing hostility between the Arab world and the West, the understanding of the Islamic religion is key information to overcome the crisis. People who know Arabic can bridge cultural and linguistic barriers between countries, help resolve or avoid international conflict, and help businesses successfully conduct international trade. In addition, knowledge of Arabic opens the door to other languages. For example, 50% of Farsi words are made up of Arabic words. The situation is similar with Urdu and Turkish. Hebrew is also linguistically related to Arabic, making it easier to understand grammatical and semantic concepts in the languages.

Arabs are hospitable. As soon as you speak a few words in Arabic in the presence of a native speaker, they will be delighted and will want to help you in any way possible way. But try to do the same thing, for example, in German in front of the Germans - it is unlikely that it will greatly surprise them. Arabs are proud of their language and will be happy to see someone making an effort to learn it.

Arabic is the 5th most widely spoken language in the world, and migration patterns recent years only increase its spread. More recently, Arabic has become the second most common language in Sweden, but Finnish has always been so. And before Arabic takes over the whole world, you still have time to study it!

Surely you found something interesting on this page. Recommend it to a friend! Better yet, place a link to this page on the Internet, VKontakte, blog, forum, etc. For example:
Learning Arabic

Modern technologies simplify our life in all its aspects; now there is no need to sit for hours in libraries or look for the right textbook in bookstores. For anyone who is interested Arabic language learning, we offer a selection of interesting helper sites.

English-language sites

  1. alison.com. An introductory online course to learning Arabic.
  2. oli.cmu.edu. Arabic for Global Exchange. Online course of 10 lessons to obtain basic knowledge in Arabic language and culture.
  3. online copybooks. Learn how to write Arabic letters and compounds.
  4. copybook They are posted in PDF format, are easy to print and can be used for offline training.
  5. copybook Arabic alphabet. Except for a brief training course According to the letter, it has many sections devoted to Arab culture and the life of Arab countries.
  6. mylanguageexchange. International service. On the site you are looking for a native speaker who will help you learn his language, and you, in turn, help him learn your native language. Navigation of the site is simple, the interface is made in the most popular languages ​​of the world, but there is no Russian version. Conditions and methodological base are available: a library of materials, a block for notes, a text chat and a chat for pronunciation training, vocabulary games, etc.
  7. interpals.net. A social network that helps people from all over the world find friends and learn a language through communication. Easy navigation, quick registration service, short questionnaire, forum and chat.
  8. arabicPod. Arabic podcast from scratch to English language, 30 lessons lasting 10 minutes, presenters use modern themes for consideration.
  9. survival Phrases Arabic(IoS). The audio course contains useful phrases for communicating in real situations.
  10. Arabic from scratch. video lessons. English-language course from the University of Dalarna (Sweden), 15 lessons (6-14 min).

Russian-language sites

  1. ar-ru. Dedicated to the comprehensive study of the Arabic language: the alphabet, writing letters, pronunciation of sounds, grammar, reading, training exercises. Except educational material the site has articles on various topics: Arab scientists and politicians, Islamic holidays, useful tips And entertainment programs and audio recordings.
  2. busuu.com. The largest social network, teaches reading, writing, understanding and speaking. The courses are developed by professional linguists. The work is based on the principle of mutual learning. Registration is free, but some services are paid. Eat mobile version and application for iOS, GooglePlay.
  3. italki.com. An online service that will help you find a professional native teacher by curriculum vitae, reviews and price. Russian-language navigation. You need to register, registration is free, choose a language, select a teacher from the list, evaluate the reviews and agree on a schedule for Skype lessons.
  4. lang-8.com. Modern interface, simple and convenient. Registration is free, after which you are asked to write a post in the foreign language that you want to learn, it is checked by a native speaker, then checked by a native speaker. Convenient for spell checking and semantic analysis.
  5. lingq. Self-paced language learning service, there are exercises on vocabulary, reading, pronunciation, grammar and oral speech. The program corrects errors. There is paid content - the service of a curator-carrier.
  6. livemocha.com. Virtual online community, which is organized on the principle of mutual assistance in learning foreign languages, there is a free and paid version. User-friendly interface, quick registration.
  7. hosgeldi. Designed to perform training exercises for learning vocabulary. Simple and easy to use.

1. So, you have learned the alphabet and know how to write (albeit clumsily. I myself have terrible handwriting in Arabic, but this is not the main thing, you are not a secretary in an Arab company.) Now you start with this and only with this: First volume Medina course, videos by I. Sarbulatov:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3797F14762B55D79
2.Have you completed the first volume? Moved to the second:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8043CDAAAF80F433
● You need to start EXACTLY with these playlists and not take a step back. These 2 volumes with a clear and understandable explanation by I. Sarbulatov provide a serious starting base. You don’t even need a teacher, just sit down and turn on the video, listen carefully to what he says and write down.
3. With diligent training (3 videos a week, weekends - repeat), it should take you about 2-3 months, depending on your frequency. Don’t say now “ugh, that’s a long time”, this path is worth it and you will already be able to calmly make up children’s sentences like “who is this? This is a rooster.” (What did you want? This is a completely new, still unlearned language for us and we need to treat it normally. If you have seen “Arabic in 2 weeks” manuals in stores etc. and you think that Arabic can be mastered in so many days, then this is complete absurdity. Children begin to speak their native language only after 2-3 years. Don’t forget about it)
4. Repeat what you have learned, read more articles about motivation and don’t give up. We must try, try and try again, no matter what the circumstances. Many people start studying with some phrase books, learning some dialogues in Arabic, etc., thinking that they are thereby learning the language. This is the wrong approach. It’s just a waste of time, believe me. What I’m giving you now is I walked this path myself and Alhamdulillah I achieved more than those who are still learning Arabic proverbs, sayings and Baranov’s dictionary day and night in order. This will not work. We first need a basis, a base, a layout, a skeleton. I. Sarbulatov in the best possible way gives it on video. You don’t even need to hire any tutors.
● Print or buy Abu Adel's book for honey. course and go through/repeat it again. The effect will double, I assure you. I myself went through Abu Adel’s book 2 times.
5. Next comes Volume 3:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9067216426552628
Having reached this level, you will finally become familiar with the so-called “breeds”, and by this time you will understand how this or that word is constructed in Arabic. There is no need to separately learn the words “visitor, writer, player, written, visited, played, told”, etc. You will simply put one corresponding verb in the desired “frame” and get the desired word.
6.You are not required to sit down and sit for hours. Spectator attention - half an hour. During the day - half an hour, in the evening - a little more, and at night - run through the notebook with your eyes. Effect 100%
7. Motivation, strong support - on the site They write convincingly, the words are highly motivating.
8.Make dua. There is no other language that would be mastered as well and quickly as the Arabic language - if you put in niyat for the sake of Allah and with the goal of at least reading His Scripture well (placing correctly logical stresses in words and sentences) and even understanding some words, as well as hadiths . NOT EVERYTHING WILL COME TO US AT ONCE. Make more duas.
9.Motivate yourself as often as possible.
10.If the desire begins to disappear from time to time, see point 9.
11. In the first 3-4 months, do not try to construct serious sentences like “I looked back to see if she looked back, to see if she looked back,” or at least what you see in front of you, and if you fail to construct a sentence, get upset. Don’t even think about it, remember at how many months a child begins to construct sentences. We are absolutely the same children.
12. Ask Allah to make your matter easier for you and turn to experts in Arabic. At least on the Internet.
13. So, you have mastered the first 3 volumes of the medical course, enough time has passed, but you feel that you have really improved compared to what you knew 2-3 months ago. Imagine now WHAT you will know in another six months. Go towards the goal. Set small goals (learn 10 words, then 10 more words: kitaabun, daftarun, masjidun...). By the end of the 3rd volume, you will already have a stock of more than 500 high-frequency words approximately. Iron, iron, love, search, use, read, write, went out, came in, looked, cat, dog, grandmother, grandfather.
14. So. Now we have a small, but still sufficient base for today. How does a child begin to learn a language? That's right, he remembers the words. We will learn the words with you. Which ones? Let's take a dictionary and learn everything? Words that we can only encounter in 80-100 years? Or will we learn high-frequency words that cover 95% of word usage in everyday speech? (Less in written language.) What words will we learn? Nepotism, gestalt ,patrol? Or “student, teacher, wake up, read, laugh, talk,
understand, institute, sea, forest, face, hands”?...
15.I give you ONE OF THE BEST TEXTBOOKS IN THE ENTIRE POST-SOVIET SPACE. This is Bagautdin’s book “Arabic Language Textbook”. Words are given there, then there is a small text where these words are used. There are collected about 4000 words of the MOST USED. I still repeat these words, because in cartoons, in video lectures, these words are everywhere. There is a method of learning words that leads to excellent results. This method is “Words and text” gives amazing results. You first learn the words, and then when you read the text, you are glad that you understand the Arabic text, because you know all the words that are there. This book will take you about six months. This textbook is one of my favorites my textbooks. There is also an audio version on the Internet.
16. That's all for now. This article is for you for one year. Insha Allah, if we are healthy and alive, write to me in a year with the question “what’s next” and if by that time I am still learning Arabic, insha Allah, then I will tell you what to do. )
17. When you learn words, you don’t need to sit for an hour. 15 minutes is enough. We took a picture of the words on our phone, opened it at the university/institute, and repeated. Is it lunchtime at work? We ate, opened the phone, and repeated. The effect is stunning. The effect will be exactly 15 minutes every 4-6 hours.
18. Try. Try. No one promised you ease. Your actions = your result. A person who worked diligently according to the instructions written above, who taught, tried, repeated, cannot tell me after 4 months: “I remained the same as I was.” was there and achieved nothing.” No, you didn’t do anything simple at all. You only deceived yourself.
19. In the photo I wrote a quote from I. Khaibullin’s book, if you want to improve the result of your study, just multiply some point by 2.”Which one is up to you to choose, depending on your abilities.”
20. I advise you to start a notebook where you will write verbs and their prepositions with which they are used. Just as in English prepositions can change the meaning of words (for example: look out = look out, look at), so in Arabic one or another preposition can change the meaning of the verb. Let’s say: نظر الى - to look (at something), and if instead of the preposition الى we say في, then the verb will be translated as “to think about something.” And there are many such examples. Write down at least 200-300 verbs and with what preposition they are used. The verb “zahaba” with the preposition “ila”, “bahaSa” (search) with the preposition “gan”.

For now, this is the plan for you and me. I wrote it hastily, if I add anything, I think I wrote the main and most important things. May Allah reward the one who reposts and shares with his friends. Maybe they also need these tips.
May Allah help us in all our good endeavors!
Amen.
والحمد لله رب العالمين وصلى الله وسلم على نبينا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين

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