Georgia Said:

How hard would it be for an american teen to learn Arabic?

We Answered:

Hi
Marhaba!!
Arabic language will be much easier for you if you learn it..

I'm Ibrahim El Shafey

I've learned Arabic and Islamic Sciences: (philosophy - history - language - rhetoric - ... etc.)
Also, I learned a little in other sciences: (human development - NLP - communication skils - direct marketing - ... etc.)
Now: I am prepare my master in the grammer of the Arabic language (El Nahw)

I'm now:
Arabic language teacher online
Adviser to the Arabic language in the
"www.alukah.com"
Lecturer in the direct marketing company

You will learn "the basic book in Arabic language" with other programmes..
I am working on the programme prepared by the Arab Organization for Education, Culture and siences- Tunisia

Thanks!!

Megan Said:

How to learn arabic for free online or in a class setting?

We Answered:

As I know, this site has top listing of such college courses online - edu.2kool4u.net

Emily Said:

When it comes to learning Arabic, Should I learn Modern Standard Arabic of a dialect first?

We Answered:

It depends how serious you are about learning the language, and why you want to learn it.

If you learn MSA, you will easily be able to pick up any dialect you want to. You will have the basics of the grammar there, and be able to understand how the language works. Dialects incorporate sloppy language (well, don't all dialects in all languages cut corners?) and so are a lot easier than MSA.

But think about it. If you learn the Egyptian dialect, then you want to learn another dialect too - where is your understanding of how it works?

If you're only going to visit Egypt and you have no literary interest, then go for it.

Salvador Said:

How long does it take to learn Arabic?

We Answered:

I have an Arabic degree, and I studied it for 4 years at university. But really, that is just the beginning - the important thing is to travel in the Middle East, listen to Arabic speakers and talk to them. The year that you spend abroad will be invaluable (I assume your degree will include that as most do these days), but you will need even more than that. You'll get to be pretty good though - you just can't say exactly how long it will take as it depends on you and what course you are doing.

Just work hard and get as much exposure to the language as you can.

Edit:
Comment on Joanna - that is very negative to say that. These days, you don't just study Classical Arabic, they generally teach you a dialect too. I learned Lebanese, but there are many options depending where you take your degree.

Bradley Said:

How can I learn Arabic, the basics, quite quickly, just the basics but also form a conversation?

We Answered:

You can't learn it quickly. I'd ask them to teach you some and I'd recommend finding books and computer programs to aide you. Try Rosetta Stone for vocab.