Learn Arabic: Larousse Arabic-French dictionaries, Modern Standard Arabic courses, Assimil Algerian Arabic and Méthode 90. Progress a little every day.
To learn Arabic, start with the alphabet. It has 28 letters and is written from right to left. Most letters change shape depending on their position in the word: on their own, at the start, in the middle or at the end. Six letters, such as the alif and the waw, never join to the letter that follows them.
The short vowels are not written as letters: they are small marks placed above or below the consonants. Books for beginners always include them. Another mark, the shadda, placed above a consonant, shows that it is pronounced double. Newspapers and books for adults leave them out: the reader works them out from the meaning of the sentence.
Next, choose which Arabic to learn. Modern Standard Arabic is used in writing, on television news and in official speeches; it is understood throughout the Arab world. The dialects, such as Moroccan Arabic or Algerian Arabic, are spoken at home and in the street. They change from one country to another.
Our range includes Larousse dictionaries (Arabic-French), Modern Standard Arabic methods, the Méthode 90 and an Assimil title devoted to Algerian Arabic. If your aim is to read the Quran, our books on Islam offer editions with phonetics for your first steps.
Start from your goal. To speak with your family or travel in the Maghreb, a dialect method gets you speaking faster. To read, write and understand the media of all the Arab countries, a Modern Standard Arabic method is the right choice. Many learners begin with the standard form for writing, then add the dialect of their family.
Next, look at the audio recordings. Arabic contains sounds that do not exist in English, such as the “ayn”, produced deep in the throat. A method with audio files or a CD lets you hear the correct pronunciation from the first lesson. Recent editions often give access to listen to the audio online or download it.
Assimil methods are based on short dialogues, with the translation alongside and one lesson a day. You first listen and read, then from the middle of the book you translate yourself. This steady rhythm suits adults who have little time.
For a dictionary, choose according to use. A pocket dictionary is enough for everyday words and slips into a travel bag. A large bilingual dictionary, in both directions, helps students and readers of long texts. A dictionary that gives the pronunciation in Latin letters is helpful during the first few months.
In Arabic, most words are built from a three-letter root. The root k-t-b, for example, gives kitab (book), katib (writer), kataba (he wrote) and maktaba (library). Some dictionaries list words by root, others in alphabetical order: read the explanation page at the beginning.
To look up a word by root, first remove the added letters, such as the “ma” of maktaba. You are left with k-t-b: you open the dictionary at the letter kaf, then look for the rest. You then discover whole word families, listed under the same root.
Practise a little every day. Fifteen minutes a day make you progress more than one long session a week. Copy the letters into a writing workbook, read aloud with the audio, then note down the new words with their root. Flashcards, with the Arabic word on one side and the French on the other, help you remember vocabulary.
To get to know the countries where Arabic is spoken, our books on the history of the East tell their past, from the pharaohs to the sultans. Also discover all our oriental books, from tales to poems, for your first readings.
