Learning Modern Standard Arabic? (MSA) How and Why
Is Learning Arabic Hard?
It is often said that learning Arabic is hard. In order to deal with the challenge of learning Arabic, it’s important not to jump straight into the first Arabic course you see in a Google search.
So it’s wise to think things through before you start learning Arabic and really consider if you’re willing to spend hours, weeks and months on a new language goal.
Why Modern Standard Arabic
I remain convinced that learning the spoken dialect is the best first step for those who want to connect with Arabic speakers in the Middle East and truly experience its culture and traditions. But that doesn’t mean I’m against learning Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). In fact, learning Modern Standard Arabic will open a whole new door to deepen & widen your understanding of Arabic and enable you to communicate on more complex topics such as politics, and business, as well as understand Arabic news.
Reasons Why Learning Modern Standard Arabic (“MSA”) is Important
There are many reasons why learning Modern Standard Arabic (“MSA”) is highly beneficial and, in my opinion, the best second step after learning Levantine Arabic.
Studying MSA Arabic has many benefits, and we are going to review them.
BBC Arabic and Aljazeera
First, If you know MSA, you will be able to understand Arabic news like BBC Arabic and Aljazeera. Imagine, every morning, when you wake up, you can buy the al3arabian newspapers and sit in a cafe reading the news in Arabic. Mumtaz wallah! This gives you a convenient and unlimited way to maintain your practice.
Britsh Dimlopamts & Business Onwers
Second, If you are a diplomat in the Middle East or want to start a business in Dubai or even relocate your office there to pay less taxes and attract more clients, knowing the MSA will come in handy when meeting with officials and senior government figures as you will stand out among other foreign diplomats and business owners. Arabs tend to trust more those who speak Arabic than those who do not speak Arabic. that’s a fact too, my friend.
Arabic Scripts and Street Advertisements
Third, If you understand Modern Standard Arabic, you will be able to read and understand what is written on the food menu, as well as read Arabic scripts and street advertisements. For example, Syria salutes you which in would be ” سوريا تُرحِب بِكم
Arabic Novels
Fourth, if you enjoy the writings of Najib Mafuz (نجيب محفوظ), Learning MSA will allow you to read his Arabic novels and short stories besides other famous Arabic writers.
How Long Does it Take to Learn Arabic?
The answer to the question “How long does it take to learn Arabic?” It really depends on you, your hard work, your level of motivation and your approach to the Arabic Language.
I’ll be honest with you my friend, learning Modern Standard Arabic is hard and will require a lot of hard work, focus and most importantly persistence. If you want to learn Arabic quickly, you’d better learn Levantine Arabic.
You must fully immerse yourself in the study of the MSA, which requires a commitment of at least 2 hours per day. Can you do that?
Achieving MSA fluency for a non-Arabic speaker would require at least 2,200 hours of Arabic lessons over 80 weeks, to be exact, a year and a half of continuous language study.
Should I Learn Modern Standard Arabic or Levantine Arabic?
To answer the question “Should I Learn Modern Standard Arabic or Levantine Arabic?”, it depends entirely on your goals.
If your goals are short-term, you should learn Levantine Arabic, if your goals are long-term and you can dedicate yourself to learning Arabic for at least 18 months then Modern Standard Arabic is perfect for you.
Note that Levantine Arabic is a simplified version of Modern Standard Arabic. this was created to facilitate communication between Arabs.
The two languages are very close to each other, for example, when you start learning Levantine Arabic and in order to reach an advanced level, you will need to borrow all the extended vocabulary from Modern Standard Arabic. It is a fact, my friend.
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