Arabic Lessons

Many people considering our courses ask us how they can take our Arabic courses without having an Arabic keyboard on which to type. We provide an on-screen Arabic keyboard for our students to select the letters with their mouse if they don't have a keyboard and if Arabic is not enabled in their operating system. This on-screen Arabic keyboard is actually more detailed than some of the real Arabic keyboards used in Arabic-speaking countries, which sometimes lack the short vowels and other diacritic characters.

An Arabic keyboard nonetheless makes typing in Arabic easier. While keyboards in Arabic speaking countries already have the letters printed in Arabic (and English) on them, finding an Arabic keyboard is next to impossible in countries where Arabic is not the predominant language. The best thing to do is to buy Arabic stickers for the keyboard.

However, just having the Arabic letters on your keyboard will not automatically allow you to type in Arabic. Arabic must be added as a supported language to your operating system. You need to follow the steps below to enable Arabic support in your computer first:

The first step in learning the Arabic language is mastering the alphabet. This presentation teaches you how to write the basic forms of the 28 letters of the Arabic alphabet:

In most cases, Arabic letters are attached to one another (as in cursive writing in English). These letters take a slightly different form when they appear at the beginning, end or in the middle of a word. Students who complete our introductory Arabic course are capable of writing, reading and pronouncing the entire Arabic alphabet in all its forms before learning to read, write and speak the Arabic language. You can learn Arabic online with Arab Academy or study Arabic in Cairo for a month or more.

When learning Arabic, many Westerners are surprised to learn that the numerals used in Arabic are not the same as the Western numbers. This astonishment is due to the fact that in Western languages, the numerals used are known as "Arabic numberals" and so it is natural to assume that they are also used by Arabs, but that is not the case.

So why do Western languages refer to these numbers as "Arabic numbers" when most Arabs don't even use them and they don't call their own numbers "Arabic"? This is because the numbers used in Europe actually are the form of numbers used in the western part of North Africa over 1000 years ago, from which they were transferred to Europe via Spain.

The most commonly used numbers used in the Arabic-speaking world today are known in Arabic as the "Hindi (هندي) numbers." This is because they originated in India, although the form used in most Arabic speaking countries is different from the original form of numbers used in India.

Today, most Arabic-speaking countries officially use the "Hindi numerals" but "Arabic numerals" are widely used and recognized as well, especially on things like electronics, appliances and printed price tags.

Many people ask us why Arabic-speakers sometimes write in Engilsh letters mixed with numbers like 3 and 7. This is a system of Arabic transcription that developed before most computers had an Arabic keyboard or Arabic support. Its use is quite common among educated Arabs, even if they now have computers with Arabic keyboards, especially when typing Arabic in an otherwise English-dominant Web site such as Facebook and when using instant messaging software.

It is also popular for phone text messages because sending a message in English characters is often cheaper than sending one in Arabic.

The table below gives you the English letters used and their Arabic equivalent.

Like belly dancing, Arabic calligraphy (الخط العربي , sometimes known as  Islamic calligraphy), is one of the Egyptian arts that today is neglected by Egyptians but is enjoying great popularity among foreigners, as Egypt Today reports.

It doesn't help that Arabic word processing is now the norm for writing Arabic. It is not even necessary anymore to remember the different forms of the letters when typing them, as computers automatically produce the shape of the letter required by its position in the word.

However, learning Arabic calligraphy is still a good way to help learn and retain one's knowledge of the Arabic script. To this end, one of Arab Academy's teachers, Ahmed al-Sha'er, teaches study abroad students Arabic calligraphy. His lessons consist of the different styles of calligraphy and its rules. With his helpful guidance, students learn how to write each letter and simple sentences.

Egyptian Arabic is the most widely understood Arabic dialect due to its widespread use in Arabic movies, music and television. But did you know that many words in Egyptian Arabic come from the ancient Egyptian language? The latest stage of the ancient Egyptian language, Coptic, was still spoken in Egypt at the time of the Islamic conquest and therefore many words from ancient Egyptian survived in Egyptian Arabic.

Every Sunday starting next week, we will be featuring one of these words on our Twitter feed. Follow us on Twitter to get started learning about the origins of these Egyptian Arabic words. You can study Egyptian Arabic online and in Cairo with Arab Academy.

Many Arab Academy students are non-Arabic speaking Muslims who want to be able to understand the language of their Holy Book and understand the verses they recite when they pray their five daily prayers. They are attracted to Arab Academy courses because we recognize the special needs and difficulties of learners of Quranic Arabic who do not already have the background in Arabic language that native speakers do.

The Arabic of the Quran, the Muslim holy book, is considered the purest and most correct form of Arabic because it is the words of God. It is sometimes also called classical Arabic. Quranic Arabic differs from Modern Standard Arabic in that it has some different vocabulary terms and in that all the vowels are written out.

Our Quranic Arabic courses are great for those who are interested in learning and understanding the language and meaning of the Quran. They can click on any word and hear it pronounced and read a translation. The courses also provide essential background information on each surah (سورة) in English that gives a historical perspective and hence enables students to understand the surah fully. It also stresses the tafsir (تفسير), or explanation of the meaning of the Quran. Interactive activities ensure that they have learnt, understood and retained the meanings of the surah.

Egypt introduced a new system of license plate numbers recently. Previously, all license plates consisted of numbers only but the new system combines numbers with letters, either two or three letters. Since many words in Arabic consist of only two or three letters, this means license plates sometimes spell out words. In the picture to the right, you see a license plate that spells out the word for "country" بلد. In this case, the letters are also spelled out in English but in many cases they are only in Arabic, making license plate watching a good way to practice the Arabic alphabet.

Students enrolling at Arab Academy often ask about the difference between the various forms of Arabic that our courses cover and which they should choose to learn.

1. What is classical Arabic?

Arabic has been in usage in the Arabian Peninsula for at least 2000 years. Classical Arabic is the formal version that was used in the Al-Hijaz region 1500 years ago. Written records of the language include poetry that was composed in pre-Islamic times (ca. 600 AD). The Quran was revealed in Classical Arabic, which is the main reason why the language has preserved its purity throughout the centuries. Arabs consider Classical Arabic an important part of their culture. Throughout Islamic history, Classical Arabic has been the language of royal and princely courts, the bureaucracy and the learned. Literary expression was conducted mainly in Classical Arabic. Mastery of Classical Arabic and the exhibition of this mastery, using both written and oral mediums, has always led to respect and awe.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, there are 900 words in the English language that are derived from the Arabic language. Every Saturday starting next week, we will be featuring one of these words on our Twitter feed. Follow us on Twitter to get started learning about the origins of these words.