Print this page Beginner Arabic: Course 1

Begin your study of Arabic with practical language for meeting people and participating in simple classroom interactions. You will learn to greet others formally and politely, introduce yourself, ask and answer basic questions, and talk about where you are from and the languages you speak.

No prior knowledge of Arabic is required. You will also begin developing your awareness of the Arabic alphabet and sounds, including features that may be unfamiliar to English speakers, while recognising Arabic in signs, names, labels and countries.

DELIVERY MODE

Language courses are offered in two delivery modes:

• Face-to-Face: WEA Sydney
• Online: via Zoom or Microsoft Teams

Please check the delivery mode listed before enrolling, as some classes are face-to-face and others are online.

TEXTBOOK

• Tutor supplied material

COURSE OUTLINE

Communication

• Greeting others formally and politely
• Responding to greetings
• Introducing yourself by name
• Asking someone’s name
• Saying where you are from
• Asking where someone is from
• Saying basic nationality/language words
• Understanding common classroom instructions
• Using polite expressions: yes / no / thank you / please / sorry
• Recognising Arabic seen in signs, names, labels, countries

Grammar

• Arabic sentence structure awareness
• Personal pronouns: I, you (m/f), he, she
• Basic equational sentences (“I am”, “She is”)
• Demonstratives: this / that
• Gender concept: masculine vs feminine nouns
• Question words: what, who, where
• Definite article al-
• Intro to adjective placement

Phonetics

• Arabic alphabet names
• Sound families unfamiliar to English speakers
• Emphatic consonant awareness
• Throat sounds introduction
• Long vowels vs short vowels
• Listening discrimination drills
• Word stress awareness
• Sounding out short words slowly

Vocabulary

• Greetings
• Names / countries
• Nationalities
• Classroom objects
• Languages
• Numbers 0–10
• Days of the week (recognition)
• Courtesy phrases
• Basic family words

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Exchange basic greetings and introductions politely.
2. Give and ask for simple personal information such as names, origins and nationalities.
3. Recognise and produce basic Arabic sounds, letters and expressions.