Within any language or language group there may be significant changes in speech, vocabulary, and pronunciation. The term used to describe these changes is called a dialect. Some words or phrases that exist in one dialect may exist or be absent from different dialect. The common dialect in Arabic language is called Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). This dialect is understood or spoken as a second dialect by more than 206 million Arabic-speaking people. MSA is spoken in most formal situations, such as radio broadcasts, lectures and sermons, since it’s one of the most commonly understood Arabic dialects.
Arabic Dialects Map
Map of the different Arabic Language Dialects
Arabic Dialects List
Sudanese Arabic – Mostly spoken in the Sudan
Levantine Arabic – This dialect is often heard in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and western Jordan
Gulf Arabic – Mostly heard throughout the Gulf Coast from Kuwait to Oman
Najdi Arabic – This dialect is most often heard in the desert and oasis areas of central Saudi Arabia
Yemeni Arabic – This dialect is most common to Yemen
Iraqi Arabic – The dialect most commonly spoken in Iraq
Hijazi Arabic – This dialect is spoken in the area west of present-day Saudi Arabia, which is referred to as the Hejaz region.
Egyptian Arabic – This is considered the most widely spoken and understood “second dialect.” It’s mostly heard in Egypt
Maghreb Arabic – Spoken mostly in Algeria, Tunis, Morocco, and western Libya
Hassaniiya Arabic – Most often spoken in Mauritania
Andalusi Arabic – This dialect of the Arabic language is now extinct, but it still holds an important place in literary history.
Maltese Arabic – This form of Arabic dialect is most often found in Malta.
Different Arabic dialects of the Arabic language are spoken in many different nations and regions around northern Africa and the Middle Eastern nations. However, in many areas, the differences in regional dialects may make one Arabic speaker nearly incomprehensible to another. In most cases, the different dialects don’t have a specific written form of the language, but there’s usually a certain amount of literature that accompanies each dialect, including poetry and plays. This is especially true for the dialects spoken in Egypt and Lebanon.
Interested in further study into Arabic or confused on where to start? I recommend reading our Arabic Beginners Guide
Learn Arabic Alphabet is very important when it comes to learning to write and read the Arabic Language. So make sure to practice pronouncing and writing the Arabic Alphabet whenever you can. As many times as you can.
Arabic Alphabet Table
Arabic alphabet letters are written horizontally from right to left.
Arabic numbers are written the opposite way, left to right. The Arabic alphabet contains Arabic letters in which most of them are constants. Learn Arabic Alphabet has no capital or lower case letters but does changes slightly depending on the position of the letter in the word. Vowel diacritics and other symbols mark if Arabic vowels are either long or short or pronounced differently.
Arabic vowel diacritics
Learn Arabic Alphabet is written like cursive writing where the Arabic letters are linked together. As mentioned above each Arabic Alphabet letter has four forms depending on where it is located within the word. Theses four forms are called: Isolated, Initial, Medial, and Final. Refer to the chart below for further explanation of what each one means and what each letter looks like when in that form.
Six Arabic alphabet letters (a(??)? d(??) d(??) z(??) r(?) w(??)) only have two forms.(Isolated and Final). Example Arabic word below to demonstrate this.
Arabic Alphabet Written Table
In the example “Marhaba” or Hello in Arabic. Since the Arabic letters for “a” and “r” have no medial forms causes the “r” to be in it’s final form causing the break in the word. So don’t stress out if there is a break within the word your trying to pronounce. Complete chart to Learn Arabic Alphabet letter when written in each of the four forms.
Arabic is spoken by an estimated 280 million people around the world and is the official language of 20+ Countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa. You probably already have your own reasons on whether or not you want to begin learning Arabic or not. You may have doubts or simply lack the necessary motivation to learn. Many people have various reasons for learning any language. So I humbly submit 5 reasons on why you should consider learning Arabic as a second or possibly third language.
Why Learn the Arabic Language?
The high demand and low supply of English Arabic-speakers. Relatively few Americans attempt to learn Arabic. With the increasing influence of the Middle East in international affairs, there is an extreme shortage of workers in the United States that know the Arabic language and culture. People who study Arabic can find careers in various fields such as: Journalism, Business, Financial, Translation, Consulting, and various other career opportunities to name a few. As little as 1% of 12,000 FBI agents have very little knowledge of Arabic, and this includes those agents that can only read or write a few words of Arabic.
Arabic is the 5th largest spoken language in the world. Arabic is the official language of over 20 countries and there are well over 300 million native speakers of the language. These speakers are largely concentrated in the Middle East, but there are minority groups of native speakers throughout the world. It is also an official language of the United Nations, the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Conference, and the African Union.
Arabic is essential in understanding the Qu’ran and Islam Arabic language is an important part of Islamic religion, in fact an inseparable part. It is the language of the Holy Qur’an. Millions of Muslims and native speakers around the world learn Arabic just to study and understand the Qu’ran.
Europe / America has an increasing Arab-American minority. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2002 census, there are 1.2 million people of Arab heritage residing in the United States. Though a relatively small population, their numbers are quickly growing; people of Arab ancestry in the U.S. increased by about 40% during the 1990s. Intercultural understanding begins at home. Even just a basic knowledge of the Arabic language and culture can improve understanding and acceptance of this often misunderstood and misrepresented group of Americans.
Arabic influence on products from around the world. The export of concepts, products, and cultural practices from Arabic-speaking peoples is evident in the vocabulary that Arabic has lent other languages. Algebra was invented by Arab mathematicians in medieval times. Such staple products as coffee and cotton came from the Arab world, as well as jasmine, lemon, and lime. Other Arabic loanwords appearing in English denote such diverse things as henna, macrame, lute, mattress, gerbil, sorbet, safari and muslin. The influence of Arabic culture is even apparent in the English language.
Each region has it’s own regional Arabic dialect, although the standard dialect is Modern Standard Arabic which is understood by many but can be considered too formal.
How difficult is Arabic to Learn?
Depending on your approach to learning Arabic can be a moderately hard language to learn if you don’t have the right mindset. You should always try to maximize your resources and time for the best learning experience possible.
All languages evolve over time and Arabic is no exception. To indisputably understand the importance of the Arabic language you have to learn the actual language yourself to help to receive the full benefit of this amazing language later
Learn Arabic Fast
Five Easy techniques to Learn Arabic Rapidly
Learning to speak Arabic can be quick and easy with our Arabic language courses and learning aids. Whether you are looking for an Interactive Arabic course like Rocket Arabic or other computer-based Arabic language courses like Rosetta Stone, we have what’s right for you. Before you know it, you’ll be on your way to learning Arabic fast.
Learn Arabic fast on the Go Having a busy life shouldn’t keep you from trying to learn Arabic fast. We offer several Arabic language courses that will allow you to learn to speak Arabic while driving, exercising, doing housework, etc. This means you can learn Arabic anywhere, anytime. The ease with which you’ll learn Arabic is amazing.
Can I Really Learn Arabic Fast? The answer is YES! Learning Arabic is easier than ever with our full line of Arabic language courses and learning aids. Learning Arabic is not as hard as you might think. With all the available Arabic resources, you can learn while commuting, while watching TV or while sitting in front of the computer. If you want to learn to speak Arabic, there is no excuse to not. The world is at our fingertips and learning Arabic will help you better communicate with everyone.
Here are 5 tips to Learn Arabic Fast:
Keep setting Objectives Decide how many minutes each day you are going to set aside for your Arabic studies. Stick to this no matter what comes about. Setting a goal to study each day will help you more quickly achieve your goal to learn Arabic fast.
Set a Daily Routine Know what time you are going to study Arabic each day. This is part of your goal setting but of equal importance to your success. Your time might be first thing in the morning. Or it might be on your evening commute home. Whatever the time is, stick to it.
Write Down Arabic Words and Phrases Buy yourself a notebook to use for your Arabic studies. In your notebook take notes of the words or phrases that may be difficult for you to remember. Spell them out. Write their definition. You’ll be surprised with how much this will help you in your goal to learn Arabic fast.
Collect Arabic Articles and Pictures Keep a folder and collect Arabic articles and pictures about the language and country you are learning about. You might find an article about Egypt or Iraq. Add those to your folder. The internet is full of Arabic language newspapers. Print off some articles to look over and see how many words you recognize.
Have Fun Learning Arabic! There is no sense setting a goal to learn Arabic if you don’t have fun. Use your new language skills to practice with native Arabic speakers. And before you know it, you’ll be on your way to learning Arabic. Good luck and have fun!
Arabic Alphabet
Arabic Alphabet Guide
Learning to read the Arabic Alphabet should be the first stop for Arabic beginners.
The first thing that sticks out is that Arabic is written right to left.
Arabic has 28 characters and most of them are consonants with no capitals and small letters.
Unlike the Arabic alphabet, Arabic numbers are written left to right like English.
Arabic Number System
arabic numbers 1-100
Understanding how to write the Arabic number system takes very little time and effort to learn.
When you write Arabic numbers, they go from left to right, like English words and numbers, but the opposite for the Arabic language. Here are some examples of how to write Arabic Numbers.
It’s actually pretty straightforward when it comes to learning how to use the Arabic number system. Pronouncing Arabic numbers on the other hands get a little bit tricky. Arabic numbers 1 to 10 should be your primary focus when you begin.
Arabic Vocabulary for Numbers
Zero
Sifr
One
Wahid
Two
Itnan
Three
Talatah
Four
Arab’ah
Five
Homsoh
Six
Sittah
Seven
Sab ‘ah
Eight
Tomanlyyah
Nine
Tis’ah
Ten
Asarah
Arabic numbers after gain a suffix added to the base number. To illustrate what I mean, here are Arabic numbers 1 to 100.
Arabic Numbers beginning at ten through nineteen gain the suffix “tashar” added to the base number. Arabic numbers from 13-19 work like this. However the number twenty adds wa- to the mix. So it goes base number + wa- + the appropriate suffix. Example of how to write the pronunciation of Arabic numbers below.
Arabic Vocabulary and Phrases
The logical next step for Arabic beginners after learning the Arabic Alphabet would be to start developing your Arabic vocabulary with Arabic words and phrases. Pronouncing Arabic words can be challenging at first because some sounds in Arabic are pronounced deep in the throat and may not be familiar for Arabic beginners at first. I put together two posts of Arabic vocabulary and one post of Arabic phrases for Arabic beginners to start building their knowledge of Arabic Words and Phrases.
How to Introduce Yourself in Arabic
My name is Esmee…
What’s our name? Ma esmouk?
Nice to meet you! Motasharefon bema ‘refatek
I have to go Yajebu an athhaba al aan
I will be right back! Sa arje’o halan
Common Arabic Phrases: Arabic Phrases
common arabic phases
Consider an Online Arabic Language Course
If you’re really serious about learning Arabic and want to maximize your time then you should consider using an Arabic language course to further aid you in your quest to learn Arabic. There are several great programs out there that deliver a great language learning experience.
The advantages of a language learning program are the organization and having the next step already lined up. Most break down the lessons into 30-minute intervals that can fit into any type of schedule. Flexible to retry a lesson to make sure you understand what you are learning and give you confidence in succeeding.
From Carnegie Mellon, a mini-course for individuals with no proficiency or extremely limited knowledge of Arabic language and culture who are about to begin study or work in an Arabic-speaking context.
