Expats here have a great opportunity to embrace the culture of the UAE. And what better way to discover another land than through its language. Abu Dhabi Week learned more about learning Arabic
A class act
For newbies who want to learn Arabic, and fast, Eton Institute may have the solution – their three-week intensive programme.
The Institute offers intensive Arabic lessons for all ability levels, from beginner to advanced. The 30-hour intensive course involves two hours of interactive classes daily from Sunday to Thursday. Classes run in the mornings and afternoons.
“The intensive courses are perfect for university students, young adults, mothers and professionals who have the passion for learning a new language or improving their existing language skills,” said Stoyana Raycheva marketing executive at Eton Institute.
Their next course is scheduled for 6th October; it’s advised to register early. Eton Institute is located in twofour54, Park Rotana Complex. For more information visit: www.eton.ac, email: [email protected] or call: 800 3866.
Get hooked
Maria Menezes tells us about her Arabic language learning app – Something Fishy About Arabic.
Why should expats in Abu Dhabi learn Arabic?
Learning Arabic in the GCC is compulsory for all schoolchildren. Learning a new language particularly when it’s the local language of your country of residence can only prove to be advantageous. It will definitely bridge gaps between the local community and expats.
What is Something Fishy About Arabic?
It’s an IOS-based application that can be downloaded on an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. In a nutshell, this app makes Arabic look and feel easy, interesting and fun to learn. There are three modules; Talking Fish teaches correct pronunciation; Lets Fish reviews and consolidates prior learning; Prep the Bait tests knowledge via a fun, interactive game.
Why did you launch it?
Arabic, being a foreign language for most expats presents a great challenge; often parents are at a loose end wondering how to help their children learn a language that they themselves are unfamiliar with. Having examined the market, I found that most of the resources that existed were either targeted entirely at Arabic speakers or were not child-friendly. That’s when I decided to create a game of my own.
For more information visit: www.somethingfishyaboutarabic.com
Hit the books
Just how easy is it to learn Arabic? We talked to teacher Ahmed Al-Rasheed Al-Wali.
How did you start teaching Arabic?
One day I was on a train journey from Alexandria to Cairo. I met an African person who was holding a copy of the Holy Qur’an and reciting, despite being unable to read a word of Arabic. I helped him to read during the three-hour journey; that was the starting point.
Why is it important to learn Arabic?
Living in an Arabic community it’s important to know at least some simple phrases to be able to deal with Arab people and understand their culture. It really helps to get into the hearts of others.
What’s a common misconception about learning Arabic?
People think that Arabic is difficult because they do not know where to start. Once they know the right way to begin, Arabic is really easy to learn.
Describe the way you teach.
My teaching methodology is completely different to many other approaches as I teach Arabic phonetically. I guarantee that my students will be able to read and write after four to five hours of lessons. In a month my students study the grammar that helps them to speak and understand Arabic. They also learn how to construct sentences using the past, present and future tense. My methods are outlined in my book ‘Arabic Made Easy’.
How long should it take a beginner to learn basic conversational Arabic?
A complete beginner in Arabic needs around four to five hours in total to learn how to read and write, and a month to study all the grammar in order to be able to speak and understand Arabic (25 hours in total). After two months the student should be able to communicate very well.
For more information email: [email protected] or call: 050 570 5703 or 050 622 7885
Useful words and phrases
| English | Arabic translation (phonetically) |
| Hello / welcome | Ahan wa sahlan |
| Good morning | Sabah el khair |
| Good morning (reply) | Sabah el noor |
| Good evening | Masaa el khair |
| Good evening (reply) | Masaa el noor |
| Thanks | Shukran |
| You’re welcome | Afwan |
| Sure | Akeed |
|
Peace be upon you
(a common greeting) |
Al salamu alaikum |
Catriona Doherty
