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Sekhmet · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 329 Location: Alexandria, Egypt

Does anyone have any good suggestions of books for learning Arabic? Ok, so I'm immersed in the language, but I want to do more learning on my own time without having to ask my friends for translations...
I've got a couple of phrasebooks, but they're none too helpful!!!

eslandflteacher · Joined: 05 Feb 2004 Posts: 41

Hi,

Here are some suggestions:

Elementary Modern Standard Arabic by Abboud et al [Cambridge publishing].

al kitab fi taCallum all allCarabiyyah by al Batal and Brustad.

Works by Mounther Younis (Yale publishing)

Ahlan wa Sahlan by Mehdi Alosh (Ohio State Uni publishing)

Good luck.

Sekhmet · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 329 Location: Alexandria, Egypt

Thanks for that!!! Shukran awi... Very Happy

I'm not doing too bad picking it up on my own, but I want to start doing some work on my own!!! Do you know about the Talk Now CD-ROM series? Are they worth having?
Thanks.

eslandflteacher · Joined: 05 Feb 2004 Posts: 41

Ahlan biik,

I would recommend any of the accompanying audio-visual materials of the books/series I suggested. Al-kitab in particular offers an Egyptian flavor of Arabic that might be of interest to you, given your location.

Salaamaat.

Bindair Dundat · Joined: 04 Feb 2003 Posts: 1123

Sekhmet · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 329 Location: Alexandria, Egypt

Are these things available to buy in Egypt? I'm kinda on a budget, and I'm not convinced I could afford to have anything shipped!!! Also, I'd quite like Egyptian colloquial arabic... Is that possible, or does everything concentrate on classical?
Thanks for your help so far!!! Very Happy

Sekhmet

eslandflteacher · Joined: 05 Feb 2004 Posts: 41

Hi,

Alif Baa is part of the al-Kitab series, which is a good start. I am sure you might be able to find these books via the AUC bookstore system in Cairo.

Also, please understand that there is a difference between classical, modern standard and colloquial Arabic. I think what you are calling "classical" is MSA.

If one wants to REALLY learn Arabic, one has invest in a total package approach! Would we consider someone to really "know" English (if one can only speak it--without being able to access any of its cultural treasures, historical and contemporary in the written and modern standard format of English?) The same applies to Arabic.

If you learn "spoken Egyptian", (ultimately, whatever the heck that means), you only access a small part of Egyptian culture, let alone Arab culture. my advice is to invest in total learning.

Good luck.

Cleopatra · Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2004 3:38 pm Post subject:

I bought an Arabic language course in SAudi Arabia called "Transparent Language". It consists of a CD rom with lots of dialogues, from basic to upper-intermediate (in Arabic script), basic phrases (in Latin script), a fairly detailed grammar introduction and the alphabet. You can read and listen to the dialogues at the same time, and, if you're feeling up to it, record your voice and cringe as you listen back to it!

Probably about as good an intro as you're going to get in one package: cost the equivalent of about 50 Euro a few years ago. You can buy them online too, I think.

Sekhmet · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 329 Location: Alexandria, Egypt

Thanks guys....
One more question - how good are online courses? I've checked a few out, but the free "sneak previews" really don't seem too great... Do you have any suggestions of better ones before I end up wasting my money on the wrong thing??
Cheers!!!!!! Very Happy

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bigfoot786 · Joined: 16 Jul 2004 Posts: 2

There is a program called Pimsleur Language. They have an Eastern Arabic and and Egyptian Arabic language course. Sorry I dont know how much it costs but there should be info on the Pimsleur website.

I've heard from someone that it was quited helpful as a starter course. I dont think they have an advanced Arabic course.

Hope thats the type of info you looking for.

Bigfoot.

Boy Wonder · Joined: 29 Mar 2004 Posts: 453 Location: Clacton on sea

Get yourself an Arabic girlfriend (or boyfriend if that's your persuasion)....learn Arabic from them!!
Better to have Arabic taught by a dry and repetitive girlfriend than a dry and repetitive phrasebook!!

Sekhmet · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 329 Location: Alexandria, Egypt

Hey, now thats an idea Boy Wonder.... But I'm afraid I would have to go for the boyfriend (me being female and all...)!!!! Wink

But I like the plan.
Actually, I've learned a whole load more from my friends out here than I have from any books. Ok, so it helps that most of my friends are teachers, but thats beside the point!!!
Anyway, thanks for all the ideas - very constructive. I think I'm going to look into the Pimsleur course for now, as one of my friends did (I think for Polish) and said it was very good.
I might have to try force my boss into a few extra Arabic lessons a week. Twisted Evil

Bless him, he's meant to be an English teacher!!!
Cheers guys!!!

Maura · Joined: 09 Aug 2004 Posts: 1 Location: USA

I'm having fun, at least, with the "arabic boyfriend" method of learning arabic combined with the Pimsleur Approach. I have completed 13 (of 30) Pimsleur Eastern Arabic lessons and he says I speak more and better than other Americans who have taken a semester or two of classroom arabic. Pimsleur's approach is very sound-based includes a lot of mindful repetition. Each 30 min audio lesson temporarily brings you into a little arabic world in which I find myself thinking in arabic for that brief focused time.

I found about Pimsleur because a short (10 lesson) course was sold at barnes and noble for $20 (US). If you like it, you can buy the whole (30 lesson) course. I got it for $186 including shipping by searching online. I'm really enjoying my Pimsleur learning and would recommend it.

I also tried out the Rosetta Stone software for Arabic. (If you go to to their webpage, you can get a trial version of it.) It was really cool, but it is very expensive and teaches standard arabic instead of a dialect.

Ma Salaame
Maura

Sekhmet · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 329 Location: Alexandria, Egypt

Yeah, you're right about the Arabic boyfriend thing - it really does work!!! I'm surprised at how much I've managed to learn in the last 2 weeks from mine...
Unfortunately, I can't afford $186 dollars at the moment, but I'm hoping I can save enough over the next few months to get something!!! I've also checked out the bookstore at the AUC - found one book that's published by them and seems very good, but it does need an interpreter (my Arabic boyfriend again!!! Wink

).
Thanks for your help, guys...

GabeKessel · Joined: 27 Sep 2004 Posts: 150

Just buy lots and lots of Arabic study books in Roman alphabet. I did that and studied some 2 hours every day. After some 6-8 months I could get around with no problem. I also got a dictionary - romanized, that is, and copied the most essential words. It was not easy but I can speak it now moderately well- upper beginner/lower intermediate.