A course for beginners. Dr. Bulbul’s first Arabic course is intended for beginners who cannot yet read simple words and sentences written in Arabic. The textbook used is Dr. Bulbul’s own Bite-Size Arabic and the companion handwriting workbook. By the end of the course, you will have learned the entire Arabic writing system, including the numerals, and enough vocabulary and grammar to read and write simple sentences. The course can serve as an excellent foundation for a more general course in any variety of Arabic, be that formal or informal Modern Standard Arabic, Qur’anic Arabic, or a modern spoken dialect.

Vocabulary, grammar, and speaking. The course is designed to present a limited vocabulary of about 130 items so you can focus on acquiring the writing system. The key grammatical concepts you will learn and practise include verbs in the present tense, expressing ‘to have’, and the possessive construction. You will also acquire some very basic speaking skills, including greetings and conducting a simple conversation with a new acquaintance. Throughout the course, Dr. Bulbul will provide you with gentle personalised guidance for you to improve your pronunciation.

Course structure. This online course consists of 12 weekly two-hour Zoom sessions. Each week you will read a unit in Bite-Size Arabic. Then in class you will receive thorough explanations and work through the exercises together with your classmates. Additional activities will be assigned for you to complete as homework, to reinforce what you learned during the session. At the end of the course, you will receive a certificate.

Methodology. The course follows the methodology of the textbook: in each lesson you will be introduced to a few new letters and symbols, ten or so words using them, and a little bit of grammar allowing you to put your new knowledge into practice. The vocabulary introduced is minimal, allowing you to focus on mastering the writing system and on learning to use the vocabulary. The type of Arabic taught is an informal variety Modern Standard Arabic (fuṣḥā), similar that presented in many popular textbooks.