I feel so bad that Usama's english is just about perfect, except for the spelling, and I know very very little Arabic.

I bought that colloquial Egyptian book but that really didn't motivate me and the way it was laid out wasn't real condusive to my learning anything.

I'm looking for a course that has cd's that will teach me how to write and read and speak the language. Anyone have any good recommendations? The University I work at does offer a course in the summer that I could take but it's offered only during the weekdays from 9am to 11:30am and that just won't work.

Berlitz has Arabic language courses. They have locations all over the US...there's a location in the building next to ours at work. I may look into it myself.

I swear by the rosetta stone language series!

Moody and Mybackpages are both right. I actually have the Rosetta Stone series for arabic as well as other languages... but the best way to learn is of living amoung native speakers.

I bought the Rosetta Stone series tolearn Chinese. I returned it. I did not find it useful. The library offers tape series in most languages you want to learn. Plus it is free.

I have only heard great things about the Rosetta Stone language programs. I wanted the Arabic set for christmas, but I didn't get it yet. I think I will buy it for myself.

When I was in Highschool I wanted to learn German because my family is part Austrian. I tried and tried to get it. My teacher seeing how hard I tried told me, "Wendy, if you promice not to take german 2. I will pass you! " LOL!!! My daughters picked up on the arabic when we lived in Jordan. I on the other hand.... get things confused, I call my sister in law Allah, her name sounds like it I cant hear the differernce. They are super sweet and just laugh....

What would be good for me to learn the language as I said I am HORRIBLE!!! I do wish to try however!!!



Wendy

Is her name Ala'a ?? (Some people might write it Ala2a.) I have a family member with that name -- it's pretty.

My fiance's sister's name is Alyaa. Or that's how he spells it anyways. I still mispronouce it every now and then. Though I've never called her Allah. I'm not exactly sure how to spell her name so that you could pronounce it right.

Not sure how to say it or spell it I guess.....lol when DH says it to me it sounds like allah-ah my girls can say it and try to get me to say it over and over and over till I am blue in the face.

I've tried finding classes in my area, but the only classes I could find were in classic arabic, which Egyptians do not speak. I tried learning arabic while in Egypt, but my tongue and throat just cannot do it! My husband laughs at me because when I have a bad headcold he says I pronounce arabic words much better! I so glad he'll be able to teach our kids arabic.

LOL Geo says the same thing about me when im sick with a cold!!! other then that i cant pronounce a lot of the sounds. some i got down but others i cantttttt do no matter how hard i try. when im in lebanon i feel crappy cause even the phillipenas that work for the family can speak and understand all of it.....................maybe some day!

Yes !! That's the same name -- the one in my family spells it "Ala'a" when writing in these letters.

That "glottal stop" can take some practice if you're not used to it -- but English Cockneys use them the time. Don't give up.... I'm sure you'll get it....



-MK

I swear by Pimsleur audio series. It won't help you read, but it will help you speak. Unfortunately it's aimed towards business people, so some of the stuff they teach isn't quite what you might like. You ought to be able to get it from your library.

Is Rosetta Stone really worth the money??? I am skeptical....

Sharon

I've given up on learning Arabic. I doubt we will ever live in Jordan and Mohammed is fluent in English.

Jackie

I try to learn new words, but 9/10 times I acutally end up saying something else other than what I was supposed to be saying. Khallid laughs at me. There are times Khallid will say "say this!" and when I do, he just laughs at me because he knows I can't pronounce it.

I can't do the 'gh' sound for the life of me!

J

I was attending an Arabic class where the teacher would be good at offering up the Egyptian version when asked . . . many ppl taking the arabic classes were planning on trips to Egypt, LOL!

I went to an Arabic meetup for quite awhile and did private lessons with the leader until he moved to Korea to teach English last April . . . that is a great way to make progress. The owners of a local ME restaurant told me that I should come hang out with them (I wasn't looking for a job as a waitress), but they said the woman that worked with them before she went off to college learned a lot. They also have Arabic TV playing so I could go eat there every day and pick up something . . .but I was afraid it would be a bad cough due to all the shishas getting smoked there.

I know I learn a lot when I am with my husband . . . and I can get down some of those trouble making sounds since I studied french (I think it helps when you know how to roll your rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr's). But I have a long way to go and not much time to study since my work takes up so much time.

I did order an Egyptian Arabic course that I could load on my computer . . . the idea was that I would have it while traveling . . . lol, that doesn't work out as well as I would like.

Anyhoooooo, keep plugging away no matter what you decide to do . . .

CB2

I'd love to find a Moroccan Arabic tutor or class in NYC.......any ideas on where to look besides craigslist?

Try the meetups. I know there is a big one in NYC and the organizers might be able to point you to a tutor/class. Here's a link for the NYC Arabic Language and Culture Club: NYC Arabic Language and Culture Club

How do you find them?? Are there any meet ups in Michigan?

Wendy

I don't know about meet-ups, but we have a few Jordanian friends in Michigan.

Jackie

Look at this link by cities in Michigan . Arabic Meetup search by city in Michigan . . here is one in Detroit Detroit Arabic Meetup.

There are message boards on each meetup so you could probably post a message asking about classes or tutors . . . just to get a start on the search.

LOL! I can't even pronounce my husbands name correctly!

The most important thing about learning any language is to use it. Its useless to learn another language if you don't start using it in daily life. "Use it or lose it"

I think living among it definitly is a plus, nine months in jordan did me well, not to mention, 5 of the 7 people i work with at the bank are jordanian/palestinian arab, i understand 99% of conversations spoken around me, and that one word i dont know, i ask, and well here i am, speaking, i get around....i can hold a lenghty conversation with my mother in law, i can find out what she wants to eat, drink, if she is cold, hot, hungry, etc, well to be honest, i can say just about anything, but 99% of the time, my grammar would probably be off...

dont worry amerlu, according to hassan i dont say his name right either.

I pronounce my husband's name "usaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah".

rofl

Although I have no problem pronouncing my fiance's name, I rarely call him by his name. If I do call him by his name it's usually an indication that I am pissed off about something and vice-versa. We both have a nice collection of really cute pet names for each other.

same here JP, if i say Sofyan, he knows im pissed....

Well..... just as long as it's not "My Jordanian."

why is it that about my moroccan makes me think of the song "My Sharona"

I know i dont say AHMED correctly either to me he is saying AKKK med to me im saying Awww med he doesnt seem to mind . He knows english very well but he teaches me few words here and there and more when here im sure. I need to learn either that or the French so i can talk to the rest of the family

omg hubby's sisters name is ghada... i usually just call her the older of the 2 sisters

Ahmeds neice is named Kholoud sometimes i hear them saying K loude and then i think they are saying HEY loude when i have to say i think i just hit somewhere in the middle or just say the baby

sofyans niece is ghada....and it took me soooo long to master that....i use to say, the second oldest of mohammeds daughters...lol

now that was a mouth full easier to learn name ha

I have met some women who live in neighboring states but... Michigan? Any near Lansing???

Wendy