Hi there! This is a quick list of resources and tips to help you start learning Arabic before going to Oman. I’ll be cleaning this resource list up, perhaps splitting it into multiple posts, and adding more to it over time. I wanted to go ahead and share it with you so that you can start learning right away.
I don’t know how much time you have to practice or what your level of interest is, so this is what I recommend if someone is starting from scratch:
- Learn some basic polite phrases, yes/no, and how to ask where the bathroom is. Don’t worry about grammar much yet, but do try to learn both the masculine and the feminine forms of phrases. Start listening to music, news, movies, etc. in Arabic as well even if you are doing unrelated tasks at the same time. This will help your ears adjust.
- Learn to read and write. This will help you with pronunciation and reading signs! I really encourage you to do this.
- Learn more beginner phrases and vocabulary. This can include topics such as shopping. I also recommend that you at least learn numbers 1 – 10. You only need a little more grammar for this.
- Learn more numbers and continue as you please now that you have a foundation.
This is a site that goes over some basic phrases and includes audio. You don’t need to know how to read Arabic to use it, although the sixth lesson will discuss that as well: http://i-cias.com/babel/arabic/index.htm
A more comprehensive free Arabic course (click free course) : http://www.madinaharabic.com/
A site that focuses on dialects (select Saudi if you want one that is similar to Omani) : http://www.talkinarabic.com/
Survival Phrases Arabic is one that I found helpful because I liked listening and talking along with it while I did whatever around the house. It contains some MSA and some Moroccan dialect, but in the 10 or 15 episodes I’ve listened to they usually say which is which. The site has some episodes, but it is easier if you just download the free episodes from iTunes because you can get more episodes without having to enter your email or sign up for anything that way. The site is: http://survivalphrases.com/arabic/guest.php
Please take a look at some of the YouTube channels and other links below as well, some will have more phrases and vocabulary included.
Arabic Alphabet
This might seem intimidating to some, but just try watching some videos and practicing a little each day and over time it will make sense. It may seem hard because you aren’t used to it, but with practice you can learn it just as you learned our alphabet. The letters connect in a way that is kind of like our cursive, so practice writing each one alone in every position, then try connecting them to form simple words. You should also practice reading anything in Arabic and trying to sound it out, even if you don’t understand the meaning yet.
Maha makes my favorite alphabet videos because she does a good job of explaining it in a funny, memorable way. That is the first link below, but she has many other good videos as well. The next two are are alphabet songs. After you have watched the alphabet videos, please watch the vowel videos. Vowels work differently in Arabic, so they deserve their own discussion.
Learn Arabic with Maha (first alphabet video, the others can be found easily from her channel) https://youtu.be/2RcgfyuBlz8
Children singing alphabet song https://youtu.be/TyX-ZXfyJv8
Another alphabet song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIHRk3Zp_5o
Vowels, part 1: https://youtu.be/7uCDeRSy-Zg
Vowels, part 2: https://youtu.be/0f0hoR-t7zg
I’d like to note that there are three H sounds in Arabic and each has its own letter. The trick to these (and other letters) is to focus on where you make the sound in your mouth or throat. Your ears will also need to adjust to listening to the difference in the letters when others speak, but this will come to you over time the more you listen to Arabic.
This link has an interactive chart that shows you where to produce the sound of each letter: http://transliteration.org/quran/Pronunciation/Letters/TashP.htm
Arabic Alphabet by Hamduchi Interactive is an app for practicing the alphabet. It is nice because it allows you to hear each letter in a word. I think it is only available for Apple devices, but if you search there may be a similar app for other devices.
This site that goes over the alphabet and vowels in a nicely organized manner: http://web.uvic.ca/hrd/hist455/index.htm
This one is about connecting letters: http://www.languageguide.org/im/alpha/ar/
Grammar and more
I’m saving this for last because I don’t want you to worry about these details too much unless you feel more comfortable with the previous sections. If you are just now starting to learn the alphabet, don’t worry about learning it before the trip because it is not as important for you to know yet (although I recommend saving the link for later on). If you are interested in learning about this topic, Saqib Hussain has excellent videos about it: https://www.youtube.com/user/arabicdashstudio
The Foreign Service Instituite is also a good resource, but you might find their texts more dense: http://fsi-languages.yojik.eu/languages/written-arabic.html
I’ll also make a post about Arabic music and movies soon if anyone is interested!