Al-kitaab Fii Ta Callum Al-carabiyya: A Textbook for Beginning Arabic: A Textbook for Beginning ArabicPart One

I really like this book, and there is a website for videos and more

Hierbei handelt es sich um das einzig brauchbare Arabischlehrwerk, welches sich derzeit auf dem Markt befindet. Sowohl früher als Lernende, als auch heute als Lehrende, habe ich sehr viele Lehrbücher- und werke kennengelernt und selbst die neue Ausgabe von Al-Kitaab kann dieser hier nicht das Wasser reichen. Es wird mit authentischen Materialien gearbeitet und es werden Themen behandelt, die auch für westliche Lernende attraktiv sind, es werden auch keine Klischees gedroschen, sondern vielfältive Aspekte des täglichen Lebens einer arabischen Familie in San Francisco beleuchtet. Der Grammatikteil ist logisch aufgebaut, sehr gut erklärt und beschrieben und es gibt sehr viele Übungen. Für Selbstlernende gibt es einen Schlüssel, der aber extra erworben werden muss. Die CD beinhaltet Hörtexte, Übungen, aber auch den Wortschatz, welcher in Sätzen eingebettet präsentiert wird. Ein weiterer positiver Aspekt dieses Buches ist, dass sofort mit arabischer Schrift gearbeitet wird, die Kenntnis dieser wird vorausgesetzt. Wer diese noch nicht kann, ist mit Alif Baa, dem ersten Part dieser Lehrwerkserie gut bedient. Dort wird am arabischen Schrifterwerb gearbeitet. Wer also ernsthaft die arabische Sprache erwerben will und nicht nur ein paar Sätzchen für Touristenzwecke lernen möchte, kommt an diesem Werk nicht vorbei. Es eignet sich besonders gut für den Unterricht (wobei die englische Sprache vorausgesetzt werden muss), aber auch für Selbstlernende, die bereits Alif Baa hinter sich haben.

This is the MSA book used in universities and language schools around the world. There's not much I can say that hasn't been said.

I'm doing an intermediate Arabic module for my second year at University. Before I say anything about the book, I would mention that this is coming from the point of view of someone who is in no way fluent, but can read and write Arabic with little problems (I can't speak except very basically). When I first opened the book, it baffled me because there was relatively little in the way of English (compared to other Arabic textbooks (and trust me- I have seen more than my fair share of those)). That's not to say there's no English- all of the instructions are in English, and there are vocab translations (as well as a Eng-Arabic AND Arabic-Eng mini dictionary at the back). From lesson one you have to make use of the provided DVD's. Instead of translating every word, they use the word in context of a sentence (which you may or may not understand). I found this amazingly helpful because it taught me HOW to use the word, and trained my ear to the language. I've never come across this approach in other textbooks or DVD's, but it is definitely more helpful toward actually learning how to speak the language. The enunciation is easy to understand, and the format of the book is approachable and easy to use. Having had many textbooks forced on me when I was younger, I think I've finally found one that at once challenges and guides at exactly the right level. If you are familiar with the alphabet and very basic word/sentence formation, this book is ideal for continuing your studies. If, like me, you are ahead of this level, but with extremely gappy knowledge (and little in the way of vocab), this is perfect for keeping you interested, whilst actually being informative. I would definitely recommend it.

I'm a little confused by some of the negative reviews of this book, particularly the one in which the reviewer complained that he couldn't tell someone his name in Arabic after reading several chapters, or the many people who have ridiculed the book for introducing the Arabic expression for "United Nations" in chapter 1. If you are thinking of purchasing this book, you should be very clear: This is NOT a casual phrase-book for travelers who are going to the Middle East for a week and need to know how to find the bathroom or order a plate of chicken. This is a serious university-level language textbook intended to accompany a two-year program of introductory and intermediate Arabic, and is designed to be used with the accompanying DVD as well as the introductory primer "Alif Baa," which introduces the reader to the alphabet as well as to basic phrases such as "My name is..." and "Where is the...?" It is NOT designed or intended to be used by the self-learner studying at home alone. We are using this textbook (along with Alif Baa) in my college class, and after only 8 weeks I am amazed at how much Arabic I can read, write, and understand. The textbook is well organized, the DVD materials are helpful, and when combined with regular classroom lectures (three times a week in my case), I think it does a great job of introducing this very unfamiliar language to English-speakers. It's as good, if not better, than any other language textbook I have ever used. My only reason not to recommend it is that the authors are supposedly coming out with a third edition sometime in 2011 that will have updated online resources, so if you don't need it right away, I would advise waiting for the next version.