The Arabic language is the sixth most used language in the world. It is the language spoken in all of the Arab countries and since many of these countries are open to visitors from other parts of the world, you definitely need to speak the language if you intend to travel or do business in these countries. Most people have the idea that they have to travel to one of these counties when they want to know how to learn Arabic, but this is not the case. There are many online sites that offer instruction in the Arabic language, but like learning any new language, learning to speak Arabic does take time and practice.
The root system of Arabic is one that you need to master first when learning the language. Since there are so many regional dialects of the language, the best way to start is by learning the standard Arabic. Although native speakers will think that you are speaking rather formally, at least they will understand you. Once you become more knowledgeable about standard Arabic, when you spend time in a particular country or with a speaker from one of the Arab countries, you will be able to adapt to that dialect.
The Arabic language consists of 28 consonants and three vowels. Just as in English, the vowels can be long or short. Even though some of the sounds of these letters are very difficult to learn to pronounce correctly, you will still be able to say the words properly enough so that you can be understood. In sentences, the normal sequence of words is noun, verb and object. Nouns are either feminine or masculine just as they are in other languages, such as French and Spanish. English speakers who do not know another language have to get their heads around this concept.
When making nouns plural in Arabic, feminine nouns have added to them, but masculine nouns change how the word is spelled. Therefore it is important to learn how to spell the words in Arabic so that you don't make any mistakes when you want to form the plural and say something completely different from what you mean.
There are very few irregular verbs in the Arabic language and there is no word for the present tense. If you translate sentences from Arabic to English, you may think that there are words missing in the sentence. Whereas in English you would say the food is good in Arabic you would say the food good.
Once you start learning Arabic you will also realize that many of the words you use in English are actually Arabic in origin. These include such words as mecca, safari, alcove, arsenic, spinach, massage and many, many more. There are many types of software you can purchase so that you learn on your own by using your computer. Through these programs you can learn to read and write Arabic script, listen to the pronunciation of words and play games to help you learn vocabulary.
If you plan to travel to a country where the national language is Arabic, you should know some of the common Arabic greetings. They are sometimes referred to as survival phrases because no matter where you are in an Arab country, you will undoubtedly need to know some of the language. What happens if you get lost or if you are introduced to someone who cannot speak your native language? It could be an important business contact and when this person sees you are making an effort to speak the language, it could mean the difference between sealing and losing the deal you want to make.
Every Arabic language learning course will start off with the basic words and phrases, such as:
- Naaam ?yes
- Laa - no
- Min faDlik - Please
The most common greetings in the Arabic language that you will learn when you start taking a course in the language include:
- How are you? - kaifa Haluk? This can change if you are speaking specifically to a man or a woman. For example Kaifa haloka is the masculine form while Kaifa haloki is the feminine form.
- I am fine, thank you. - anaa bikhayr shokran
- What is your name? - maa ismuk?
- My name is... ?ismii...
- I don't understand. - anaa laa afham Learning to say good morning and good night is also an essential part in learning how to greet others ion Arabic. Some of these phrases that would be beneficial to know include:
- Good Morning ?Sabah el kheer
- Good Night ?Tosbeho khair (if you are speaking to a male) and Tosbeheena khair (if you are speaking to a female)
- Good-bye salama
- Hi ?Salam
- Thank You ?Shokran
- Can you help me? Hal beemkanek mosa dati?
- How much is this? - Kam howa thamanoh?
- Do you speak English? - Hal tatakallamu alloghah alenjleziah?
- I sorry (not understanding) ?fwan
- I sorry (made a mistake) ?Aasef
The spelling and the pronunciation of the various words used in common greetings can also be different depending on the dialect of Arabic that you learn. This will also make a difference in being able to understand those speaking to you. The best choice in an Arabic course is to learn to speak and write in standard Arabic. Just about all Arab speakers can understand this form of the language, even though they may consider it a formal type of speech. Once you do have knowledge of the language, you will easily pick up the dialect of those with whom you speak most often and will gradually make the adaptations to your speech.
You can learn many of the Arabic words and phrases you need from a book but if you rely on this resource alone, you will not learn how to pronounce the words. You will speak with the accent of your own language and some of the sounds used in the Arabic language are not used in other language. Just as in English, the way you pronounce the word conveys a meaning, so if you do not know how to say the word you could be conveying a message completely different from what you intend.