The best one of the common ways to learn Arabic is to learn MSA first – to master the alphabet and grammar – and then to learn Arabic dialect.

This approach is taken by most universities in all over the world. It leads to a good understanding of Arabic grammar and a wide vocabulary.

One other method to learn Arabic is to learn a dialect first and then move to MSA. This approach is a preferred method for a lot of people as it is a more natural way of learning – Arab children learn to speak their parent’s dialect from birth. Then they learn to read and write MSA at school, through the medium of their regional dialect. Also the priority of most language students is to speak and communicate, and as colloquial Arabic grammar is not fixed as MSA grammar the student can progress quickly and communicate as well. But in my opinion after several years of teaching Arabic for non Arabic speakers, first method is more effective for such non-Arabic speaker learner.

Arabic is a Semitic language and is the formal and official language of 22 Arab countries. It is also the spoken language of almost 420 million people living in Arabic and non Arabic countries. Our book “Let’s Talk Arabic” will teach you the basics of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), which is the modernization of the Classical Arabic structures, as well as additions from the main dialects spoken all over the Arab world.