Syllabus for Learning Arabic at Al-Madrasah

Learning Arabic at Al-Madrasah includes classes that are spiced with laughter

Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) Courses

We develop both verbal (Speaking and Comprehension) communication Arabic skills, as well as written (reading and writing) through exercises and practice via hands-on work by students. Our method is to give students as much exposure to Arabic, in all forms, as possible so that they develop their skills with Arabic language patterns. Students are encouraged to use what they have learned in both their written and spoken Arabic to activate their new vocabulary and help their eyes and ears to capture the pattern of the language structure. Also, a student’s ability to converse using the words and patterns that he or she already knows cultivates enlightenment to see more of the language’s pattern. With this background, students are motivated to enrich their vocabulary in keeping with their personal interests.

Our classes are spiced with exercises, conversation, supplemental materials, stories, and humor.

In addition to our innovative ways of explaining Arabic grammar rules, we incorporate movie clips and other supplemental materials. Classes use one or more of the following textbooks: Arabic for English-Speaking Students (by Muhammad Abdul-Rauf), Al-Kitaab (Georgetown Univ. Press, Washington, DC), and Mastering Arabic (Hippocrene Books, New York).

Course materials have been selected to expose students to Arabic culture. The culture is the setting which provides the context for the meanings and conventions of modern Arabic. Thus, information about culture is introduced in order to enhance our students' understanding and use of the language.

Click here to learn more about the Director's philosophy regarding teaching and learning Arabic.

Placement will be determined by an interview with the instructor.

Flexible customized lessons are available and can be taught onsite or virtually online.

The following provides information about the subjects covered in each Arabic course Level at Al-Madrasah.

Level 1

Learning Arabic at Al-Madrasah includes classes that are spiced with laughterThis class starts at the very beginning. You will learn the alphabet with rules for vowels and script formation. You will be introduced to the rules of grammar and start to build your vocabulary. Our method enables you to recognize the structure of Arabic, so that you can use your innate ability to learn a foreign language as well as utilize your own style of learning.

Level 2

This class fosters your ability to engage in simple Arabic conversation on a range of everyday subjects. In addition to readings and exposure to the culture, you will be introduced to the following:

  1. masculine and feminine forms
  2. the definite article
  3. forming a question
  4. introduction to adjectives
  5. Arabic proper names
  6. pronouns
  7. plural forms
  8. possessive pronouns
  9. present tense verb conjugation

Level 3

This class develops your understanding of the structure and the pattern of words and sentences. These rules enable you to make the most of your Arabic vocabulary; whether rich or poor. We continue to practice conversation and reading skills. In addition to readings and exposure to the culture, Level 3 students study the following:

  1. interrogative pronouns
  2. prepositions
  3. fronted predicates
  4. the past tense
  5. negation of the past tense
  6. roots and patterns
  7. translating text with a dictionary

Level 4

This class continues to develop your Arabic reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. You learn to make an intelligent guess of the meaning of unfamiliar words based on language patterns and roots that you learned previously. You, will also, be introduced to some styles of written Arabic (i.e. styles of discourse), analyzing paragraphs and full articles.

In addition to readings and exposure to more language related details of the Arab culture, Level 4 students study the following:

  1. non-human plural agreement
  2. time
  3. object pronouns
  4. verb conjugation review
  5. quantifiers
  6. the superlative
  7. the future tense
  8.  negation of the future tense
  9. subject-verb agreement

Level 5

This class is designed to increase your mastery of Arabic. We examine methods of metaphor, comparison, double entendre, sarcasm, and poetry. Here you experience the beauty of Arabic. You also gain additional practice with language patterns. And you are introduced to large-scale construction of paragraphs and essays. You will be introduced to the Egyptian dialect and its major differences with the Standard Arabic.

At the end of this class, you should be able to, comfortably, participate in familiar topics conversations.

In addition to readings and exposure to the culture, Level 5 students study the following:

  1. synonyms and antonyms
  2. complex structure adjectives
  3. nominal sentences
  4. verb patterns
  5. definite and indefinite forms
  6. conditional sentences
  7. additional work with verbs
  8. comparative constructions
  9. case markings

Level 6

This class provides additional opportunities to solidify your Arabic conversation skills. We practice everything you have learned previously to increase your mastery of Arabic language skills.

In addition to readings and exposure to the culture, you study the following:

  1. genitive, nominative, and accusative nouns
  2. more prepositions
  3. dual forms
  4. feminine plurals
  5. the five names
  6. reading dates
  7. the infinitive