Becoming Fluent in Arabic without Travelling Overseas?

[Abu julaybeeb]

Most people who go egypt and study all bayna books then ajrumia then qatrun nada and alfia ibn malik take like 3 or more years and thats full time studies 5 days a week

alfia is what ulama recommend for tullab after that you have a sufficient knowledge of grammar for talab al ilm

any higher its going for mastery in the uloom of lugha

[AmantuBillahi]

Learn to read quran first if you dont know how to then focus on arabic language

private teaches are expensive and diff ones have diff methods

better to just study online flexible and easy

if you can go abroad even better as less distractions and youl have more practise as speaking arabic egypt is best for arabic studies

after all 3 medina books youl be able to read basic arabic books not complex ones like ie ibn qayyim books and probably be able to conversate abit

those 3 books arent enough to gain fluency in speaking or reading or grammar/morphology

you have to study arabic for probably couple years if you studied like 5 or 6 hrs a day or maybe 5 to 10 years id you did 2 hours a day to gain fluency and high skill

The goal of this would ultimately be to access the scholarly literature in Arabic. If reading these books and enrolling in an Arabic program won't enable me to read Ibn al-Qayyim, Ibn Taymiyyah, etc, then I don't see what the use is other than gaining a superficial grasp of the language.

[Abu julaybeeb]

The goal of this would ultimately be to access the scholarly literature in Arabic. If reading these books and enrolling in an Arabic program won't enable me to read Ibn al-Qayyim, Ibn Taymiyyah, etc, then I don't see what the use is other than gaining a superficial grasp of the language.

yh i recommend just going abroad and studying arabic schools are set up to teach you foundatiom then you can find teachers to teacb you advanced nahu books and sarf

easier than studying from the west
its possible if you already jave the foundations then find a teach to teach you nahu sarf online just harder longer more distractions

i studied in the west at home for 2 years made some progress but i did 10 times that when i went abroad

[AmantuBillahi]

yh i recommend just going abroad and studying arabic schools are set up to teach you foundatiom then you can find teachers to teacb you advanced nahu books and sarf

easier than studying from the west
its possible if you already jave the foundations then find a teach to teach you nahu sarf online just harder longer more distractions

i studied in the west at home for 2 years made some progress but i did 10 times that when i went abroad

That's what I figured myself. Allthough some people in this thread mentioned that they knew people who are currently accessing the scholarly literature without having travelled abroad. The only benefit I could really think of in studying Arabic on a superficial level would be to help lay the foundations for you children like sister Layla has.

I previously asked BintFulaan who is living in Egypt about the Arabic institutions over there and this is what she said:

I think an Arabic institute is more professional with probably a workout plan for all students, whereas our Markaz offers you lessons but it's really up to the individual to study and make themselves a beneficial schedule. They don't necessarily go over your homework here and the exams offered are very little. Basically, an Arabic institute is probably more structured like a school. Whereas our Markaz is not. Difference is also that those institutes are for quite a bit of money and our Markaz offers all lessons for free. Mind you, these are lessons multiple times a day and you won't pay a single penny.

Depending on how strong your Arabic is after one year, you may or may not be able to read classical works by yourself. I do think that quite a few are able to at least understand the works to some extent, albeit not perfectly. While others might already understand them pretty well, again depending on how serious of a student they are. When I say student I mean someone spending hours a day studying, not just someone merely attending.

I think going to study for even one year is better than not. Why wouldn't it be practical? Is it not the first step to access these type of sources

[AmantuBillahi]

That's what I figured myself. Allthough some people in this thread mentioned that they knew people who are currently accessing the scholarly literature without having travelled abroad. The only benefit I could really think of in studying Arabic on a superficial level would be to help lay the foundations for you children like sister Layla has.

Layla_

I should probably just ask you directly instead of assuming things. What exactly is the motive behind teaching your children basic Arabic? Are you laying the foundations for them incase they plan to travel abroad, or do you think that they could carry on learning Arabic in the West using our resources? Do you intend for them to become fluent or just giving them a feel for the language?

[AmantuBillahi]

.

[Abu julaybeeb]

That's what I figured myself. Allthough some people in this thread mentioned that they knew people who are currently accessing the scholarly literature without having travelled abroad. The only benefit I could really think of in studying Arabic on a superficial level would be to help lay the foundations for you children like sister Layla has.

I previously asked BintFulaan who is living in Egypt about the Arabic institutions over there and this is what she said:

You can learn without travelling abroad its just harder and longer

its easier abroad

[Layla_]

Layla_

I should probably just ask you directly instead of assuming things. What exactly is the motive behind teaching your children basic Arabic? Are you laying the foundations for them incase they plan to travel abroad, or do you think that they could carry on learning Arabic in the West using our resources? Do you intend for them to become fluent or just giving them a feel for the language?

I intend for my children to become fluent beithnillah. Their dad speaks Arabic. I’m laying the foundation for them so that once they are older, they can focus on learning fusha and understand the Quran. It’s important to me that my children are raised with a love for the Arabic language / Quran as I intend to get them on hifdh once they are around 10. I hope that they can continue learning Arabic when they are older using the resources available.

[AmantuBillahi]

I intend for my children to become fluent beithnillah. Their dad speaks Arabic. I’m laying the foundation for them so that once they are older, they can focus on learning fusha and understand the Quran. It’s important to me that my children are raised with a love for the Arabic language / Quran as I intend to get them on hifdh once they are around 10. I hope that they can continue learning Arabic when they are older using the resources available.

Makes sense. I was about to follow up my previous post after it occurred to me that their father might have been Arab/Arabic-speaking.

JazakAllahu Khayran for the info. I wonder how much this route would make sense for someone without a fluently Arabic-speaking parent in the household. Although I'm sure it's still valuable to teach them what you can and push them towards the right direction.

[LaylaAb]

The best way to learn is to go overseas. My husband didn't know any Arabic except the basic alphabets and he was able to learn Arabic pretty well. When he returned he was translating and teaching classes in our local mosque. He studied Arabic in Egypt. I highly recommended if you're single to take advantage. There are a lot of brothers over there doing the same thing.

[AmantuBillahi]

The best way to learn is to go overseas. My husband didn't know any Arabic except the basic alphabets and he was able to learn Arabic pretty well. When he returned he was translating and teaching classes in our local mosque. He studied Arabic in Egypt. I highly recommended if you're single to take advantage. There are a lot of brothers over there doing the same thing.

How long did your husband stay in Egypt and did he study at an actual Arabic institute?

[LaylaAb]

How long did your husband stay in Egypt and did he study at an actual Arabic institute?

Yes, he did study in an Arabic institute. It was a one year program where they had in-class lessons, homework, quizzes, and tests. They were studying 5 hours a day. The classes were 5 days a week. Plus they were attending quran program after fajr and sometimes during the evenings. Some students had private tutors on the side as well.

He mentioned that he was able to fluently speak way before the one year mark. After the one year, he continued traveling around to different Arab speaking countries.His Arabic is really good. Even native Arabic speakers are very impressed. Many years later I can still see the benefits. He is able to understand the quran, read books in Arabic, listen to Arabic lectures, and assist anyone who is studying Arabic.

Recently some of his friends traveled over there too and are in some intensive programs and are really benefiting. They are much older now in their mid to late 40s with wives and children. So imagine if you're single how much easier it would be.

He said the school even offered intensive 5 months program and even a summer program. This was many years ago, I could only imagine how it is now.

I don't think learning Arabic is hard. It's all about determination. If you're in the right environment it is even easier and much quicker.

[Umm Uthmaan]

AmantuBillahi If you have the means and time go abroad and study Arabic.

[ahmed072]

Yes, he did study in an Arabic institute. It was a one year program where they had in-class lessons, homework, quizzes, and tests. They were studying 5 hours a day. The classes were 5 days a week. Plus they were attending quran program after fajr and sometimes during the evenings. Some students had private tutors on the side as well.

He mentioned that he was able to fluently speak way before the one year mark. After the one year, he continued traveling around to different Arab speaking countries.His Arabic is really good. Even native Arabic speakers are very impressed. Many years later I can still see the benefits. He is able to understand the quran, read books in Arabic, listen to Arabic lectures, and assist anyone who is studying Arabic.

Recently some of his friends traveled over there too and are in some intensive programs and are really benefiting. They are much older now in their mid to late 40s with wives and children. So imagine if you're single how much easier it would be.

He said the school even offered intensive 5 months program and even a summer program. This was many years ago, I could only imagine how it is now.

I don't think learning Arabic is hard. It's all about determination. If you're in the right environment it is even easier and much quicker.

I wish I could afford this

[Linkdeutscher]

So, I read the first lesson and found it pretty easy and straightforward. Although I was already familiar with the Arabic alphabet and what a Fatha was. How much Arabic do you gurantee will be understood after completing all 250 lessons? What level will the student be at and what could they do?

You'll know about 65% of Arabic grammar I'd say. This is being conservative.

You won't be able to crack open a classical book and just casually read it. However with a dictionary at hand (and proper knowledge of how to use one) and analyzing individual sentences slowly, you should be able to understand classical works, though at the start this will be a very slow and tiring process. Your biggest issue here will be your incredibly small vocabulary.