We offer two course levels in Arabic, beginner and lower intermediate.

We teach Modern Standard Arabic on both courses, but some references are made to the differences between Arab dialects.

If you are interested in the colloquial language spoken in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Israel, come and join one of our Arabic courses where emphasis is placed on the learner’s ability to speak and listen.

Find out why Arabic is a great language to learn in this blog: 5 great reasons to learn Arabic.

Post Beginner

This level is suitable for those who have completed the complete beginner course with us, or if you can:

• give directions and instructions
• use various forms of greetings
• introduce yourself and talk about where you live
• ask what people do for a living
• describe objects
• order things politely

Lower Intermediate Part 2

Enrol on this course if you have some previous knowledge of Arabic (completed the lower intermediate part 1 with us and/or have a GCSE or similar qualification), or if you can:

• say what your favourite colour is
• order food and drink at a restaurant and ask about prices
• express likes and dislikes
• use the addition structure in Arabic correctly
• describe and ask questions about the past (in the past tense)

Spoken Arabic 1

This lunchtime course is for beginners and aims to help learners to communicate in spoken Levantine Arabic within a limited range of everyday situations.

The course introduces students gradually to the Arabic writing system and enables them to read and write basic words and sentences. Emphasis is placed on the learner’s ability to speak and listen.

Levantine Spoken Arabic is a general term that covers a continuum of spoken dialects along the Eastern Mediterranean Coast of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, and Israel. The worldwide population of speakers of Levantine Arabic is estimated at around 20 million people, many of whom are expatriates from countries where it is spoken.

On completion of the course, students should be able to:

• recognise and pronounce all Arabic sounds correctly
• ask for basic information and communicate in simple, routine situations
• talk about themselves, their education, and their family
• understand basic cultural aspects of social interaction in the Arab world
• understand short, simple messages and announcements
• use different forms of greetings and pleasantries correctly and confidently

Student experience

Khalil is an engaging and invested teacher, who makes learning Arabic fun and, dare I say, easy. I took his Spoken Arabic and Written Arabic classes and was very satisfied with how much I could read, write and understand by the end of the year. His method for teaching the Arabic alphabet is highly effective. I went from knowing none of the letters to reading paragraphs in one single term. I would strongly recommend the classes to anyone trying to learn the Levantine dialect, the Arabic alphabet, or anyone who wishes to familiarise themselves with Arab culture. (Leyla Boulakovski, MA Interpreting and Translation)

In addition to our courses, there are opportunities to develop your language and intercultural skills informally with other students through Peer Assisted Learning and Virtual Exchange.

Outside the classroom, we also share cultural events organised by Arabic language associations in the UK such as the British Council's Arabic Language and Culture Programme and Qatar Foundation International with our students. These events offer additional opportunities for you to develop your knowledge of Arabic language and culture.

Enrolment for the Semester 2 2022/23 language courses is now closed.