I was wondering how many MENA spouses have been successful at learning their spouse's native tounge or any other language? How did you go about learning it? College courses? Language programs? If so, which ones did you use?

I'm trying to learn arabic but I haven't been successful yet, I think total emersion is the best way. I pretty much learned English that way. The basics in high school and then talking to Americans and eventually moving here. I think it's a plus to take some college courses so you can learn the basics and then build on that.

Michaela

i learned, and understand 99.9% of spoken arabic. i can speak, and get by, but my grammar definitly needs work...and i picked it all up living in jordan for 9 months

my second lang is spanish. I learned by starting with my ABCs, then learning objects.
then my verbs.
I would say how about getting some children books and DVDs

if you don't have much extra money and you SO is here already.. a really good way to learn is to eaves drop on his conversations... no, i don't mean in secret ... he knows I'm listening... I will catch words he says all the time and then when I am sure of how to say the word, I ask him what it means. I have learned most of my arabic that way. It has been just over a year and I am now slowly learning to put all the words together to create proper sentences. Its a slow way to do it but it works.

i want to learn...but with him coming here i know we'll need an "english only" policy so it will be hard to balance him learning english fast and me wanting to learn arabic. so the english will have to come first.

Being around native speakers is best. But courses with alot practice also works... Some reccommded programs Rosetta Stone and the Berlitz programs.

speaking english with each other is a MUST in the beginning.... but if you listen while he is on the phone with family and/or friends, you will pick up certain words and it will make him happy when you ask the meanings. It will make him feel better about practicing english if he knows you're trying to learn his language. That is just my guess from hearing noors friend tell us that he wished his wife would try to learn arabic..even if she just asked him what a word meant...that would have made him happy......

when i was in israel i picked up a ton of hebrew. when i spent time with his family i picked up more... and now im in a conversational hebrew class. even though its over my head a lot, its so nice to be back in it, and talking with people, and having the israeli mentality.

the easiest way is to throw yourself into it. i know that my SO gets frustrated we dont speak more hebrew, but his english is perfect, and my hebrew isnt. simple as that. i hope to get to the point where we can converse fluently in both... but ive got a while to go on that. i also want to learn because as of now my conversations with his family, whom i love, are short and simple... because they dont speak english!

My fiance and I usually have nightly arabic lessons...I can have a very basic convo but other than that no way! But it is fun learning and he does appreciate my efforts...

It's fun to watch movies, listen to music, etc. in a new language. I am lucky a cool new Nepali video store just opened up not too far from me - the nice thing about Bollywood/Kollywood movies is there is so much action that even if you only understand one word out of 10 you understand what's going on... I bought a DVD about 'Buddha Boy' and it was great hearing Nepali again. I also listen to 'dohori' music on the subway, lots of repetition there so it helps me learn. I have been so lazy though, K's English is so good but I wish he would teach me more Nepali- he promises when we are together he will teach me everything...

I just got a Pimsleur CD for French so I am going to see how that method works out. I am taking French in college but having a lot of trouble with it.

Thanks for all the advice

I have a notepad and I started writing down simple arabic words. Like saying hello and goodbye and simple everyday words. Even at night time when i was there my honey would give me a ''test''. Also the families LOVE that you try so hard to speak arabic with them and makes them so so happy. So any effort I think is appreciated by them.