TipsTips

ByBy

Dr. Mamdouh N. MohamedDr. Mamdouh N. Mohamed

Educational ConsultantEducational Consultant

At At

American Open UniversityAmerican Open University

For Learners of ArabicFor Learners of Arabic

1 Learn the Whole Before the Part

* Learn the word before isolated letters.

* Learn the word before isolated sounds.

2 Focus on meaning not form.

Pay no attention to slight changes in words.

Do not pay attention to vowel changes in the beginning or at the end.

3 Look for key words in sentences.

When you know the key word, you understand the meaning.

Look for key sentences in paragraphs.

Look for the key paragraph in pages.

4 Practice is the mother of learning languages.

Listen to the word 2-3 times.

Repeat it immediately.

Repeat it whenever you have a chance.

6 Learn a word in a context.

It is easier to remember a word in a context than in isolation.

7 Change the context of the word.

One context is not enough. You need to learn a word in various contexts as your vocabulary grows.

8 Learn the word with its opposite.

Instead of just learning a word at a time, you can learn 2 at a time.

It is better to learn the opposite in early days then learn synonyms later.

9 Learn words in Qur’anic contexts

Instead of learning a word in a daily life situation, it is much better to learn it in a Qur’anic context.

Why waste your time.

10 Review verb conjugations every day.Most verbs are irregular. They require a lot

of practice until they become part of your daily practice..

Review verb conjugations every day.

�وج ر� خ� ج� ر� ي$خ" ج ر$ خ$

Most importantly is to know :

How to use them.

12 Insist on listening more than once before speaking.

You need to tune your ears, so listen first.

You can also use Arabian SOAP to lubricate your ears.

11 Develop your flash cards as soon as you learn writing.

Increase them every day.

Review them more than twice a day.

ك(تاب� # الك(تاب� �ك�ت�ب

( يه( ف( ي"ب$ ر$ ال الك(تاب� (ذ$ل(ك$

13 Delay writing to later days.

Why should you write in early days?

Writing is just an artistic issue.

14 Learn one structure at a time.

Make changes in words within the same pattern.

أي"ت� ر$ر$ م$ الل;ي"ل( الق$ ف(ي .

أي"ت� م$ر$ الل;ي"ل( الن@;ج" ف(ي .

أي"ت� الل;ي"ل( اله(الل$ر$ ف(ي .

15 It is too early to know grammar.

Grammar is knowing about the language not learning the language.

16 Learn functional grammar not direct grammar.

Learn from examples and guess the rule.

Apply the rule. (Do not memorize it)

23 Add adjectives to nouns.

Go back to your flash cards and add some adjectives after nouns.

Practice would change your mind-set.

17 Listen to news and stories.

In addition to listening to Qur’an listen to daily news and stories.

Always focus on meaning.

18 Start focusing on differences.

Why verbs start with different letters?

Why the endings change?

19 Pay attention to question words.

They are very essential in early days of learning a language..

20 Learn about the connects.

Learn how to connect 2 simple sentences.

One connector at a time.

21 Adjectives precede nouns.

Go back to your flash cards and add some adjectives before nouns.

Practice would change your mind-set.

22 Notice the difference between nominal sentences and verbal sentences.

Learn each one at a time.

Practice it as much as you can.

23 Use Arabic words while you speak your native language.

It is important to use Arabic words in the correct contexts.

Pronounce them correctly.

24 Insist on speaking standard Arabic not the dialect.

Even if people speak dialects insist on standard Arabic.

25 Read loudly to let others hear you.

Lock yourself in a room and raise your voice until people think that you might be crazy.

You are training your ears and your tongue.

You ears will correct your mispronunciation.

26 It is time to focus on prepositions.

Prepositions get their meaning from accompanied verbs.

Prepositions change from one language into another.

Don’t translate from your language.

27 Focus on vowel change from past to present verbs.

There are some categories but they are not systematic.

27 Get involved in any conversation.

Shy people do not learn.

28 Focus on easy chapters from the Qur’an not necessarily the last part (JUZ’)Prepositions get their meaning from accompanied verbs.

Look for verses with repeated sentences.

Look for verses with short sentences.

29 Read every sentence 3-4 times.

This enhances your pronunciation and help train your muscles.

Pay attention to the ending vowel as it helps you connect with words.

Pay attention the droppable letters.

30 Take notes in Arabic.

Write a word or two that might remind you even if the spelling is incorrect.

Pay attention to meaning.

31 Read long passages / stories.

Skim and focus on general meaning.

Don’t get into specifics.

33 Identify fact or opinion.

Develop this as a habit.

34 Talk to people on the phone.

Insist on standard Arabic.

Make it a short talk.

35 Explain a process.

Use the command (imperative forms)

Make it simple.

36 When you learn the alphabet,

Learn similar letters in groups not necessarily in order.

37 When you learn the alphabet,

Learn similar letters in groups not necessarily in order.

38 Learn words with their plurals.

39 Start learning guided composition gradually:

Fill in the blanks

Sentence completion

Matching

Etc.

51 Listen to improve your reading

Use (www.recitor.org)

You can repeat the verse as much as you want.

Begin with verses that you frequently use in your daily prayers.

42 Focus on listening comprehension

Use Qur’anic tapes.