Learning Arabic can be hard for some people, and it can be even harder if you don’t go about it in the right way. Knowing the common mistakes you may make throughout the process will make it easier for you to avoid.

The fastest way to learn Arabic is to know some tips and tricks that can help you get the best of the experience and avoid making common mistakes. In this article from Alif Arabic, you get to know the tips for learning Arabic as well as common mistakes in learning Arabic.

10 Mistakes You Make When Learning Arabic

1. Not Knowing Enough About Arabic Forms

Before you start learning, you must be familiar with the forms of Arabic; Classical Arabic, and colloquial.

Classical Arabic is what is used in writing and literature as well as formal settings. Classical Arabic further breaks down into 2 categories; Quranic Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic.  Colloquial Arabic, on the other hand, is used in communication in 33 different dialects based on the region. 

People who wish to learn Quranic Arabic are those who want to learn how to read the Quran and understand its meanings, whereas people who want to learn modern standard Arabic are concerned with the casual yet formal usage of Arabic in media and literature.

Before you start learning, you must decide which one you’re going to pursue first. Learning one form of Arabic easily leads to the other form, but picking a starting point is essential not to get lost during the process.

1. Not Picking What Interests You

This is especially apparent in learning Modern Standard Arabic. Students pick heavy boring content they’re not interested in learning from, then end up being uninterested to go further. These things can include dull textbooks, audio materials with dry conversations, and complicated articles about the language.

The solution to this is picking a subject that you’re interested in, read and listen about it in Arabic and you’ll see excellent results. Films, books, series, podcasts about interesting things can help you feel encouraged to go on.

1. Using One Type Of Learning Methods

Arabic is far too complex a language to master only from textbooks. Arabic is not a language that can be learned on your own. Students who desire to understand Arabic use a number of study resources, such as speaking courses with native speakers, audiotapes, films, and engaging textbooks.

Using different types of material helps you improve your writing and speaking skills, as well as how to read Arabic fluently.

1. Judging The Process Too Soon

To be honest, Arabic is not a language that you can learn in a couple of months. Most students make the common mistake of judging the process as useless way too soon. Learning Arabic requires patience and dedication and giving up too soon is not recommended.

Instead, know that every minute you spend learning Arabic will eventually pay off, if not now then in weeks and months later. Feeling like you achieved nothing because you can’t read this or that is just going to slow you down. Trust the process and keep going.

1. You Don’t Dedicate Enough Time To Learning

To learn Arabic, you need to make enough time for it. This can be done by making a special schedule for Arabic learning that fits your other schedules. This way you guarantee that you’re dedicated and walking the right way.

You can make a reminder ‘‘15-minute Arabic practice” session every day and make sure to do it every single day. Is 15-minute practice enough? You decide that. According to your progress, you get to choose whether to make more time or not.

1. Looking For Shortcuts

That’s a very common mistake. In an era where everyone believes that there must be a ‘hack’ for everything, people are always seeking a quick answer that eliminates the need to put in the hours.

Many students simply search “what is the best way to learn the Arabic subject” and fall for the tricks of the website claiming that they have shortcuts that can teach Arabic in a month or so.

Knowing that Arabic takes time is the only way to avoid illogical shortcuts. There are definitely some tips that can make the progress faster, but skipping steps and ignoring important phases to learn faster will eventually backfire.

1. Focusing On One Aspect

Arabic students may pick an aspect in the Arabic language and stick to it in order to ‘develop’ it. That’s wrong, especially in Arabic. You can do that in any other language, but in Arabic, vocabulary is inseparable from grammar and speaking is inseparable from context.

Make sure to pay attention to all Arabic skills equally in order to be able to speak Arabic fluently and use it in your interactions.

1. You Don’t Listen Enough

Listening to Arabic is as important as reading. When you listen to native speakers speaking different accents of Arabic, you get a proper understanding of how to use some words and how to form a sentence that makes sense.

1. You Don’t Practice Enough

Practicing is way different than learning. You can dedicate half an hour per day to learn Arabic and you still unsatisfied with the progress. This could be because you don’t practice enough.

Practicing Arabic includes talking with a native speaker in Arabic, speaking Arabic out loud in front of a mirror, keeping a journal in Arabic, and reading short stories written in Arabic.

1. Not Signing Up For An Arabic Tutor

Having an Arabic tutor will make your process 10 times easier. Arabic can be tricky when learned alone. You’ll need constant mentoring and explaining phrases and grammar. Luckily, you can find Arabic tutors online and learn Arabic from the comfort of your home.

 

What Is The Best Way To Learn Arabic Subject? 7 Tips For Learning Arabic

It doesn’t matter if you’re starting Arabic learning from scratch or you have a good foundation but want to pass an Arabic subject in school, these tips will be a great help for you:

1. Use visual materials. Search for visual Arabic content that explains the words with pictures in order to get a better understanding of what you learn.
2. Keep a vocabulary journal. This will be beneficial every time you learn a new word or want to revise what you learned.
3. Translate everything. To make faster progress, translate every word you see from your mother language to Arabic and vice versa.
4. Write with spelling and grammatical check. This way you detect your mistakes and learn from them.
5. Make a daily schedule. Learning Arabic every day even for 15 minutes will help you make the progress you want.
6. Watch Arabic documentaries. Arabic documentaries use classical Arabic in an easy way that can be understandable for you. Make sure to pick a documentary that provides subtitles and about something you’re interested in.
7. Get closer to the Arabic culture. Immersing yourself in the Arabic culture via movies, songs, articles, and novels will help you learn Arabic faster.

Related Questions

How Long Does It Take To Learn Arabic?

Because Arabic is one of the most difficult languages to learn, many people ask how long it takes to master the language. To achieve speaking and reading competency in Arabic, it takes an average of 1.69 years (88 weeks) or 2,200 hours of Arabic language training.

Can I Learn Arabic On My Own?

Learning Arabic on your own is harder and slower than learning with a professional Arabic tutor. The tutor will help you understand what method is best for you, therefore, increasing your progress in language learning.