Teach Yourself Spoken Arabic

The aim of this book is to present a new method of learning colloquial Arabic which focuses on the grammatical structure of the language. I designed the book for students who can read and write using the Arabic script. It can be used for private study, with a tutor or in the classroom, and is an essential point of reference for any student of colloquial Arabic. Some teachers of Spoken Arabic claim it is an entirely different language from Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). However, Colloquial Arabic is in fact closely related to MSA. This book presents the similarities and differences between the two, allowing the student to adapt his or her knowledge of MSA in order to communicate with people in everyday situations.

The student will be amazed by how quickly the transition from MSA to Colloquial Arabic can be made. The book also includes useful expressions, over 150 fully conjugated verbs, relevant dialogues and essential vocabulary. After studying this book the student will be able to understand the spoken language of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and the Palestinian Territories, as the differences between these dialects are minimal. The Arabic spoken every day in the streets, homes and markets of the Levant is a rich, fascinating language. We recommend that every student of Arabic learn both MSA and Colloquial Arabic, as they represent two branches of the same language.