"Learn Me English, I Learn You Arabic". A Dummy's Guide To The Arabic Language.

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"Guys, English please!"

... was what my boss would usually tell us whenever the Filipino gang in our office huddled together in the office somewhere within his earshot. There were lots of Filipinos in our office, hence talking in Tagalog cannot really be avoided.

Whenever he was not around, we Press 2. LOL

For him, English shouted professionalism. Fair enough. As a multicultural office, we needed to speak a common language that would be understood by all.

This is perhaps one of the reasons why, despite spending many years here in the UAE, my Arabic speaking skills are still very poor.

Nowadays, in my new office, I want to shout "English Please" too!

Surrounded by Arabs, I feel like I am in Jordan whenever they are all in the office. Most of them are not good English speakers. I myself is not a native English speaker, but I can say at least that I can communicate the language well, both written and spoken.

I am really poor at learning new languages. However, sometimes in their conversation, I can catch some words that I can understand or at least have an idea what they are talking about.

Learn what?!

Oh, he meant, "Teach me English, I will teach you Arabic."

DEAL.

But guess what. Arabic is not easy to understand, let alone read.

_{Numbers and Number Names in Arabic. Image Source}

I am proud to say that I can count in Arabic up to 5 (five)! LOL. Round of applause for me because I can read the Arabic digits too! (I used to cheat with the Arabic number keypad on my keyboard! hehe)

And you know what more? The Arabic Alphabet is very different to the English Alphabet. Hence, when you listen to them speak in English, there are words that they pronounce differently.

_{The Arabic Alphabet. Image}

Example, they do not have the letter "P" in the Arabic Alphabet. So some of them, would sound like saying "big" for pig, "banic" for panic or "bas" for pass, for example.

Oh, it does not end there.

They read from right to left. Numbers, though, are written and read from left to right.

Here are some of the basic Arabic words/phrases that I learned that can get me going for a 1 minute conversation.

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_{Disclaimer: Some of the above may contain Arabic slang, as they were learned only by interaction. Some words may be translated differently in other Arab countries and should not be considered as a formal tutorial.}

Tips in Learning Arabic

Arabic language may seem pretty overwhelming, considering all those curly characters and dots. The accent is different too. However, just because I did poorly means you would too.

I have met a lot of non-Arab expatriates here in the UAE who fluently speak in Arabic. Some of them can read as well.

Here are some tips on learning Arabic, or any other languages, for that matter:

1. Enroll in a formal curriculum. If you have some extra time and money to spend, why not enrol with a professional language instructor? Learn the basics, grammar and graduate into a fluent Arabic speaker! There are also CD's or even online courses where you can learn.

2. Engagement. Interact with the Arabic speakers. Listen well, study their gestures and movements while they speak. Be wary though, some naughty friends may start to teach you words or sentences that translate to "foul words" in English (our your native language).

3. Keep Practicing. If possible, write down each new word you learn and practice speaking it everyday. You may learn 2 to 3 words a day and be surprised that you can speak the language like a local in no time!

How about you? Do you know any other languages apart from English and your mother tongue?

Share your tips how you learn new languages, or even teach us here! We would appreciate the free tutorial! wink!

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