Arabic is a language spoken in countries from Iraq to Morocco and south to Ethiopia, as well as by groups in other countries around the world. Arabic is generally considered to have several forms - Classical or Qur’anical, standard and colloquial.

This page provides access to online courses, information about the Arabic alphabet [print & video], Arabic/English/Arabic and other dictionaries, vocabulary activities, grammar, podcasts, Free and Fee-based software and general information.

If you are aware of other quality resources - courses or specific language aspects, let the webmasters know, so they can be considered for inclusion.

Arabic Language Courses

• Arab Academy
  ‘Arab Academy provides a comprehensive Arabic language education through interactive activities, taskbased learning, and expert teachers. We make it easy to learn Arabic online and to immediately apply your lessons to real-life situations’. Fee-based.
• Arabic
  A Wikibook of Arabic lessons on specific language aspects. Links to other sites.
• Arabic4fun
  ‘35 Free Arabic lessons using a multimedia format. We take a visual approach to learning the language by focusing on vocabulary building. Try new lessons as they are added and continue practising lessons you have mastered’.
• Arabic Complete - Learn to Speak and Read Arabic
  ‘Uses a highly visual approach to learn the Arabic language. Experience colour-coded text, up to 6 000 audio clips, videos and podcasts’. Both Free and Fee-based material. This page opens to the free resources.
• Arab Gateway
  Part of a bigger site. Learning the alphabet, learning at home, online tutorials, language classes, using a dictionary.
• Arabic Language Course
  ‘A small Arabic Language Tutorial that I made. It’s not perfect, but it will give you some skills in one of the oldest living languages in the world’.
• Arabic Studio
  ‘Arabic-Studio.com aims to provide you with a complete online Arabic syllabus. Simply download the video lessons and Arabic textbooks to begin !’
• ArEg Learn Arabic
  Small number of language lessons, several quizzes available on this site.
• Babel : Arabic
  Free. You need RealPlayer for the audio. Introduction, writing Arabic, translation tools, a section With Issam to helps with conversations.
• Foreign Services Institute - Arabic
  PDF documents, mp3 tapes for audio presentations. Covers Levantine and Saudi Arabic as an emphasis.
• Gulf Arabic
  Emphasising the Arabic dialect spoken in the Gulf area. Pronunciation [audio files included], vocabulary, grammar, links to other books.
• LAFLWSP [Learning Arabic as a Foreign Language With a Studied Plan]
  ‘This site offers a series of eighteen main lessons and unlimited complementary lessons teaching Arabic language for Free. It’s dedicated to non-native Arabic speaker with a new, easy and well-organised style’. Created by an Arabic speaker.
• Learn Arabic
  Learn Arabic online. Audio help. Previously called Ajeeb.
• Learn Arabic [Advanced Vega Society]
  Vocabulary, grammar, more from phrases to calligraphy.
• Learn Arabic Online
  ‘Multimedia course based on a step by step approach to reading and writing Arabic by Mohi e-Din Saleh. It assumes the reader knows nothing about the Arabic language. Ten lessons. Every lesson should take no longer than an hour’.
• Learn Demystified Arabic
  ‘Uses an auditory and visual approach to learn the Arabic language. Experience colour-coded text, up to 7 000 audio clips of high frequency phrases, videos, and podcasts’.
• Lessons : Arabic - English
  At time of inclusion there were 44 lessons. ‘To play a free online Arabic - English language game, select one or more checkboxes next to lesson names, select the type of game and press the Play button’.
• Lessons in Arabic Language - Book 1
  Select items from the Table of Contents on the Home Page.
• Madinah Arabic
  A Reading Course [18 lessons] and a Language Course [presently 23 lessons]. Bookstore. All Lessons are Free.
• Madinah Arabic Language Course
  Downloadable DVDs in AVI format and from YouTube. Vast listing.
• Marhaba : Welcome To The World Of Arabic
  University of Pennsylvania. 61 lessons, topics on culture, history, links to resources.
• Muttaqun OnLine Learn to Speak Arabic
  Basic words, numbers, the alphabet, Arabic dictionary from this Islamic site.
• Rocket Arabic
  ‘Free 6-day Arabic course. Find out whether Rocket Languages is for you and check out their free 6-day Arabic trial’. Check out their Fee-based courses.
• Salim’s Learn Arabic [Speak7]
  ‘Free. Our lessons are available to anyone who wants to speak Arabic, from grammar, vocabulary, expressions, phrases, more’.

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Language Tools

Alphabets

• About the Arabic Alphabet
  22 lessons cover every aspect. Well presented. Audio presentations included. This section of the site is Free.
• Arabic Alphabet
  ‘The animated Flash lessons that can be found on these pages are created in order to make the learning of the Arabic letters easy and fun and to teach you to read the Arabic texts fluently, especially the Qur’an and to provide a solid base for your further progress in learning the Arabic language’.
• Arabic Alphabet [2]
  Explanations, writing practice, quizzes.
• Arabic Alphabet [3]
  Information on each letter of the alphabet, how it is constructed, alphabet song, other information about the Arabic language. Part of the larger Fun With Arabic site, which also has grammar, resources, a quiz, more.
• Arabic Alphabet Applet
  ‘The objective is for you to learn or teach the letters of the Arabic Alphabet. Click on each letter, pronounce each letter that makes up the Arabic Alphabet’.
• Arabic Alphabets [Videos]
  ‘Musical/non-musical educational videos intended to teach the Arabic alphabet and its sounds’.
• Introduction to Written Arabic
  Consonants, vowels, listening, reading, dictation exercises.
• Learn Arabic Alphabet
  ‘Listen to how each Arabic letter sounds as well as looks like. This is why we’ve set up Learn Arabic Alphabet and the Online Interactive Arabic Letters Tool to help you. Click each letter and hear how it’s pronounced’.
• Learn Arabic Alphabet [YouTube]
  Arabic alphabet, numbers, colours, the calendar and other language videos.
• Phonology and Script of Literary Arabic
  MP3 audio files. Very extensive.
  Now archived.
• Stanford Arabic Alphabet Web Sites
  Two parts, covering Arabic letters in independent positions, also in initial, medial, and final positions.
• Ukindia Learn to Read Arabic
  ‘Basic learn to read the alphabet lessons. You may freely copy these lessons for non-commercial uses. Words are mostly in English so you can more easily recognise the shape of the letters’.

Dictionaries

• Almaany Dictionary
  English/Arabic Translations. Provides an extended list of translations for given words including variations.
• Dictionaries
  Collection of English/Arabic dictionaries from a general dictionary to Medical and Legal dictionaries.
• Dictionaries & Encyclopaedias
  Cornell University. Some already included on this page.
• Edward William Lane’s Arabic-English Lexicon
  ‘Regarded as the best Arabic-English lexicon in the world. Now available Free’. Can be downloaded but are big downloads [8 in all].
• English Arabic Dictionary Online
  Babylon. ‘Provides the user with clear definitions, synonyms, antonyms in both English and Arabic’.
• Glossary of Islamic Terms and Concepts
  Islamic Centre of Newcastle, Australia. A glossary of terms with brief explanations, some with examples. A second site covering the same information can be found here - Islamic Concepts & Definitions [Explanation of Some Important Islamic Terms].
• Lingo24 ContexTrans
  ‘Free Language and Translation Tools allow you to search for real-world translations of a word or phrase between two languages. Results derived from high-quality human translations and allow you to see the context in which the words are used in a foreign language, helping you choose the most appropriate translation. English/Arabic and Arabic/English’.

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General Sites

• 1WebsDirectory - Arabic
  Brief introduction. Links listing courses, resources. Check as some material is Free while others are Fee-based. A couple are not relevant to Australia.
• AATA
  Useful sections on materials [traditional and electronic], links relating to all aspects of Arabic language learning.
• Arabic Complete
  ‘Uses a visual approach to learn the Arabic language. Experience colour-coded text, up to 7 000 audio clips of high frequency phrases, videos, and podcasts. Compares Modern Standard Arabic with Egyptian Colloquial using a web-based auditory approach to learn Arabic’.
• Arabic Language Web Site
  ‘Useful resources to help you understand the Arabic Language better. For a quick start see our Arabic Words section. Just after, take your first steps into the grammar, but it’s just an overview. The Arabic literature is another interesting source of information, as well as Arabic slang, to know a little about how people speak in the streets. If you’re a teacher, visit our Arabic Teaching resources page’.
• Arabic Lessons
  Wikibooks. A series of lessons covering alphabet, pronunciation, grammatical areas including pronouns, articles, more.
• Arabic Letter Pronunciation
  See the letter, the sound, hear the pronunciation.
• Digital Dialects : Arabic
  ‘Features Free to use online games for learning languages. Language resources include games for learning phrases, numbers, useful words, spelling, verb conjugation and alphabets. Games use Macromedia Flash Player’.
• History of Arabic Language
  Short article giving background information on this language.
• Jim Becker’s Arabic Page
  Collection of links for Arabic. Culture, grammar, games, dictionaries, search engines, more.
• Learn Arabic with DILAP
  Scroll to Free Resources. Also listings of online courses, didactics, other links.
• Virtual Islamic School
  Great resources, games to play, software, more.
• Wikijunior : Languages - Arabic
  Writing system used, how many people speak the language, where it is spoken, the history of the language, some famous authors or poets using the language, basic words in the language, a song/poem/story to learn in this language, references.
• YouTube Arabic Video Lessons
  Select from the range available. Includes alphabet, lessons on a range of other topics.

Grammar

• Acon Verb Conjugator
  Conjugate Arabic verbs. Manual provided. Several options available.
• Arabic Grammar Resources
  A really well presented resource with clearly defined instructions that allow you to target very specific aspects of grammar. Lessons are provided in PDF format while video tutorials are geared toward the IPod and are in MP4.
• Arabic Language Lesson 1
  ‘This basic Arabic grammar course, consisting of 4 Arabic lessons and accompanying course materials, follows on from the course Reading and Writing the Arabic script’. Links to other videos from the menu on the right.
• Arabic Online
  ‘Free website that aims to provide as much as possible comprehensive information on the Arabic language and its grammar’.

Vocabulary

• Arabic - English
  ‘Areas covered include food and drink, your home, garden, family, the human body, animals, birds and insects [including animal sounds], travel, holidays and sightseeing, cars and driving, tools and equipment, or school, office, sports and leisure, shopping, trees, countryside and general chit-chat. All in easy-to-manage blocks, each with about 10 new words or phrases’. Verb worksheets can also be accessed.
• Arabic Words & Phrases
  ‘Useful phrases, expressions, words that I learned from Arabic friends all over the Middle East and from very interesting books. Most of the sounds of Arabic are similar to sounds found in many European languages’. Common expressions to books.
• Let’s Learn Some Arabic
  Vocabulary in areas such as greetings, pronouns, questions, directions, basics, counting.
• Linguanaut
  This section has Arabic Phrases you may find useful. You can also find The Arabic Alphabet and Videos [select from the available list] in these sections.
• Useful Arabic
  Ten lessons that cover Arabic basics - alphabet, pronunciation, phrases, expressions.

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Other Resources

Podcasts

• ArabicPod
  ‘Learn Arabic with Free podcasts and transcripts. Download lessons to your pocket’. Archive of lessons.
• ArabicPod101
  ‘ArabicPod101.com is an innovative, fun, and easy to use language learning system that is designed to get you speaking Arabic from the very first lesson’.
• iTunes - Jordanian Arabic Language Lessons [Peace Corps]
  ‘A series of Arabic language lessons designed for Peace Corps Volunteers and students gives listeners the basics of the language. Peace Corps’ Coverdell World Wise Schools provides Free educational materials based on the Peace Corps Volunteer experience’.
• Let Us Learn Arabic
  ‘Especially designed to help my non-Arab students develop their Arabic Language skills’.
• SurvivalPhrases - Arabic Podcast
  ‘Whether you’re travelling, visiting, or sightseeing, SurvivalPhrases.com has all the essential travel phrases just for you’.
• The Arabic Podclass
  Multiple lessons, links to additional resources.

Software

• Al-Mutarjim Al-Arabey 2.00
  ‘Documents, articles, reports, or books can be translated easily using the powerful features on offer’. Has some special software requirements. Freeware.
• Al-Wafi 2.00
  ‘Designed for Arabic Windows, Al-Wafi 2.00 is designed to provide core English to Arabic text translation facilities. Software requirements. Freeware.
• Arabic Pad
  ‘Small and simple Portable text editor, focused to write Arabic text easily. You need the Unicode Fonts and [to] set your system to enable Arabic text. See the help manual inside [the program]’.
• Arabic School Software 1.0
  ‘Discover Arabic with our simple, yet fully interactive Arabic language software. Designed for people who want to learn Arabic fast and easy. Suitable for beginners and ideal for children. Animated characters are used throughout the lessons’. Fee-based. Also available at the home page.
• Arabic Virtual Keyboard
  Use the virtual keyboard to create emails, or cut and paste to other places.
• ArAlpha
  ‘Freeware designed to help English and French people learn Arabic characters and vocabulary. 11 lessons and 22 tests. It covers the whole Arabic alphabet and 500 words’.
• Declan Arabic Software Products
  Primary/Secondary.
• Effel’s Arabic Dictionary
  ‘Convenient tool for fast look-up of words while reading Arabic texts. Also features grammar help, including a verb conjugation engine’.
• eiktub™
  ‘Suite of programs by LinguArabica, LLC that enables the user to write in Arabic efficiently and accurately without using an Arabic keyboard. A standard English [Qwerty] keyboard is all that is required’. Freeware.
• Free Arabic Teacher
  ‘Learn how to speak Arabic by [using] voice and images. Listen to the dictation of the software and repeat after it. See the images and the translation’.
• Let’s Learn Arabic
  Excellent material but quite expensive.
• Magictyper - Type in Arabic
  ‘Click your mouse in the box and start typing. To use the words, highlight the text, choose Copy then choose Paste. Please note this is not a translator. It allows you to type in Arabic using the standard Arabic keyboard layout’.
• Maren
  From Microsoft. Free. ‘Microsoft Maren is a Windows extension that comes to the rescue, allowing you to type Arabic in Roman characters [Romanised Arabic, Arabizi, Arabish or Franco-Arabic] and have it converted on the fly to Arabic script’.
• VerbAce 2008 Arabic-English Dictionary
  ‘Translation software containing a concise Arabic-English-Arabic dictionary with about 60 000 entries. The easy-to-use one-click user interface allows a quick translation of any text word’. Renewed annually.

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