Languages · Modern Standard Arabic · beginners

Arabic A1 (Beginners)

A free course in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) for people who know no Arabic. Go at your own speed: 18 units, each with 5 short lessons, a quiz and extra practice. Part A teaches the alphabet and reading; Parts B and C follow with greetings, family, home, food and the city.

Start with Unit 1

Units, not weeksTake a unit in a day or in a month. A unit has 5 lessons, a quiz and extra practice.
Always with vowelsEvery Arabic word is written with its short vowel marks, and in Part A also with a transliteration, so you can always read it.
Listen and repeatPress the speaker buttons to hear words. They use your device’s own Arabic voice, so the sound depends on your device.
Spoken Egyptian ArabicA course in everyday Egyptian speech will follow after this one.

Reading marks used in the transliteration: ā ī ū = long vowels · ḥ ṣ ḍ ṭ ẓ = the letters with a dot below (deeper sounds) · ʿ = ayn · ʾ = hamza · th dh kh sh gh = one letter each.

Part AReading and writing

1

First letters and short vowels

  • Welcome to Arabic
  • Alif and baa with short vowels
  • Taa and thaa
  • Noon and yaa
  • Sukun and first words
2

Jeem, haa, khaa, dal, dhal

  • Jeem
  • Haa and khaa
  • Dal and dhal
  • Letters that do not join
  • Reading words and phrases
3

Raa, zay, seen, sheen, saad

  • Raa and zay
  • Seen
  • Sheen
  • Saad
  • A mixed reading set
4

The heavy letters and ayn

  • Daad
  • Taa and zaa (heavy)
  • Ayn
  • Ghayn
  • Reading with every sound
5

Faa, qaaf, kaaf, laam, meem

  • Faa and qaaf
  • Kaaf
  • Laam and lam-alif
  • Meem
  • Reading three-letter words
6

The last letters and reading signs · Checkpoint A

  • Haa and waw
  • Hamza and taa marbuta
  • Long vowels and diphthongs
  • Shadda and tanween
  • Reading full phrases

Part BMe and my world

7

Greetings and introductions

  • Greetings
  • How are you?
  • My name is…
  • Polite words
  • Saying goodbye
8

Pronouns, sentences without a verb, countries

  • I, you, he, she
  • Sentences without a verb
  • We, you, they
  • Countries and nationalities
  • Where are you from?
9

Numbers 0–10, family, “my / your”

  • Numbers 0 to 5
  • Numbers 6 to 10
  • Family words
  • My and your
  • Talking about my family
10

Masculine and feminine, the article

  • Masculine and feminine nouns
  • Taa marbuta in nouns
  • The word “the”
  • Sun letters and moon letters
  • Reading definite phrases
11

Adjectives and colours, this / that

  • Adjectives
  • Adjectives agree with nouns
  • Colours
  • This and that
  • Describing things
12

Questions and mini dialogues · Checkpoint B

  • Question words
  • Yes-no questions
  • How, how many, when, why
  • Mini dialogues
  • Review of Part B

Part CDaily life

13

Numbers 11–100, age, days, time

  • Numbers 11–20
  • Tens and numbers up to 100
  • Age: how old are you?
  • Days of the week
  • Clock hours and review of unit 13
14

At home

  • Rooms of the house
  • Furniture and things
  • There is and there is not
  • Where is it?
  • My home: review
15

Food and drink

  • Foods
  • Drinks and fruit
  • I like, I want
  • At the table and the shop
  • A meal: review
16

Daily routine: the present tense

  • I do: the verb with أَ
  • He and she do: the verb with يَ and تَ
  • We and you do
  • Every day, morning and evening
  • My day: review
17

Yesterday and work: the past tense

  • He and she did
  • I and you did
  • Jobs and workplaces
  • Yesterday and last week
  • Yesterday's story: review
18

In the city and shopping · Checkpoint C

  • Places in the city
  • Right, left, straight
  • Buses, cars and trains
  • Shopping and prices
  • Final review of Arabic A1

Free to use. This course is made by Darslab; it is not connected to any exam board or publisher.