Arabic classes are offered year-round from
Level 1 to Conversational, both in a group setting as well as on a private
basis.
Arabic Language Program Objective
A F International offers Arabic language courses to individuals and companies.
Our Arabic courses have been designed to
build fluency in both the spoken and the written language. Communication
in a warm and relaxed environment is an important feature of our programs,
as is homework, which includes exercises for review and practice of the
material taught in class.
Beginning Arabic Level 1
Introduces both spoken and written Modern Standard Arabic, the language
of education, business and the media throughout the Arabic speaking world.
Upon completion of this course, students can expect to be able to discuss
their families and jobs. They should also be able to identify spoken words
by part of speech and distinguish between nominal and verbal sentence structures.
Students learn to read and write the complete Arabic alphabet. Proper pronunciation
and the development of conversational proficiency are strongly emphasized
as a foundation for further learning.
(Mastering Arabic, Chapters 1-10).
Beginning Arabic Level 2
Upon completion of this course, students can expect to be able to introduce
themselves, as well as to engage in simple conversation on a range of everyday
topics. Building upon the basic foundation provided in Level 1, topics introduced
include the definite article, the nisba adjective, interrogatives, pronouns,
the present tense, and plural forms. Proper pronunciation and listening
skills continue to be emphasized.
(Mastering Arabic, Chapters 11-20)
Beginning Arabic Level 3
Building upon the proficiency of Level 2, students acquire additional vocabulary
with which to discuss daily activities, and grow able to both speak and
comprehend more complex sentences. Topics include adverbs, numbers, noun-adjective
phrases, interrogatives, and conditional sentences. Conversational proficiency
continues to be emphasized, but students at this level also begin to improve
their reading skills.
(Al-Kitaab, Units 1-4)
Intermediate Arabic Level 4
In this level, students learn to predict the meaning of unfamiliar words
based on their context and continue to improve their speaking and listening
skills. Building upon the skills already acquired, students are introduced
to the past and future tenses, subject-verb agreement, object pronouns,
quantifiers, prepositions with pronouns, the superlative, and negation words
that shift verb tense. Information about Arabic culture is introduced to
enhance student understanding and use of the language.
(Al-Kitaab, Units 5-8)
Intermediate Arabic Level 5
Having completed Level 5, students can expect to be able to participate
comfortably in brief conversations on a wide range of topics as well as
to read and understand short paragraphs. Students at this level learn complex-structure
adjectives, conditional sentences, definite and indefinite noun endings,
and comparative constructions. Special topics are introduced to provide
students with additional vocabulary.
(Al-Kitaab, Units 9-12)
Conversational Arabic
This program is designed for students who are already proficient in the
skills taught in Levels 1-5 and who want to increase their conversational
ability. Conducted entirely in Arabic, this course provides students with
an opportunity to markedly improve their speaking and listening skills.
Magazines, video and audio tapes, and other resources designed to provide
practical opportunities for vocabulary development are selected to match
student interests. Grammatical lessons are integrated in response to student
needs and objectives.
(Al-Kitaab, Units 13-16)
Text and Supplementary Materials
Since communication in a foreign language requires an understanding of the
cultural context, our aim is to teach you the living language through carefully
selected textbooks, newspaper and magazine articles and other relevant materials,
rather than have you repeat and memorize tourist phrases.
We have selected Mastering Arabic (Hippocrene
Press) and Al-Kitaab (Georgetown University Press) as the ones that
best fulfill the objectives of our students in beginning and intermediate
levels. | 
