In this article we will take a short look at the main moods of the Standard Arabic verb: indicative, subjunctive, jussive, and imperative. We won’t go into excessive detail, just the contexts that beginning and intermediate learners of Arabic are likely to encounter. This is also the reason we won’t discuss the short and long …
Author: Leston Chandler Buell
Duolingo Arabic is coming: What should we expect?
Duolingo is a wildly popular website and app for learning foreign foreign languages. English-speakers are currently able to learn over 25 languages on the platform, ranging from the tried-and-true French and Spanish to the more adventurous Ukrainian, Swahili, Vietnamese, and Esperanto. Spanish-speakers can even take a stab at Catalan or Guaraní. Although there has been …
Arabic 3 syllabus, January–March 2018
The following is the overall syllabus for UvA Talen Arabic 3, January–March 2018. The syllabus will be updated gradually with more details as the course progresses. A couple of useful links: Audio vocabulary flashcards on Memrise. Mastering Arabic official resources. Searcheable PDF of the Hans Wehr Dictionary. Lesson Material Covered Lesson 1 22/1 During class: …
Arabic 2 syllabus, January–March 2018
The following is the overall syllabus for UvA Talen Arabic 2, January–March 2018. The syllabus is still a work in progress and may be updated gradually with more details as the the course progresses. A couple of useful links: Audio vocabulary flashcards on Memrise. Mastering Arabic official resources. Lesson Material Covered Lesson 1 24/1 During …
Mastering Arabic 1: A review
In this review I will give my perspective on Mastering Arabic 1, a popular beginning textbook by Jane Wightwick and Mahmoud Gaafar. The book is available from two different publishers (Palgrave and Hippocrene), though I imagine there are few differences between the two editions beyond the book cover and the packaging. The book can be …
What to do while waiting for Arabic 2 to begin
After completing my Arabic 1 course at UvA Talen, it can sometimes be a long wait until the Arabic 2 course begins. So, pupils occasionally ask what they can do to keep working on their Arabic while they’re waiting for the next course. I provide a few ideas in this article. Review Bite-Size. You have …
Learn colors in Arabic with a children’s song
Would you like to learn or practice some basic words for colors in Arabic? In this post I’ll guide you through a very simple children’s song that presents the basic (masculine singular) form of eight different colors, plus words for 16 different basic objects that exemplify these colors. Here is the video: The most basic …
Complete Arabic: A review
In this article I will review the book Complete Arabic, which belongs to the famous Teach Yourself series. The book can either be purchased separately or in a pack that includes two CDs with audio material. I have used this book to teach a one-on-one course and would recommend it to the beginning learner who …
Want to improve your Arabic on location in Cairo?
I am sometimes contacted by former students who decide they would like to take a trip to Egypt to improve their Arabic. What they need is suggestions for courses and the like. This article provides some suggestions. Language Schools and Other Institutions Kalimāt. The first place I will mention is Kalimāt, an Arabic language school …
What about Rosetta Stone Arabic?
Rosetta Stone? Rosetta Stone is very well-known series of language-learning programs, available for more than a dozen languages. It is a program that can either be installed on your computer or accessed on all your Internet-connected devices if you opt for an online subscription (which also allows you a bit of personal instruction). In this …