15 Essential Skills of an Arabic Learner

by Andrew Dempsey

What makes some people who try to learn Arabic succeed, while others fail?
What will help you become fluent, where others have not been able to?

Over the past 25 years I have lived in the Arab world and have observed many
successful Arabic learners. I have also seen even more people live here a long
time and yet find themselves unable to interact in Arabic on any practical level.

In the past few years, interest in learning the Arabic language has increased
exponentially around the world. This led me to begin to ask myself what
successful Arabic learners have in common with each other. What are the
essential skills that lead to their success?

In the summer of 2015, I was able to conduct a series of interviews with some
highly accomplished leaders in the field of Arabic language teaching, and to ask
them these questions. What are the traits that are common to successful Arabic
learners? What are the skills they demonstrate that make them successful?

Each person I interviewed is a thought-leader in some aspect of Arabic language

teaching. All are internationally recognized for their contribution to helping
Arabic learners from many different backgrounds and countries to become
proficient in the language. They are a small but representative cross-sample of
highly experienced experts in their field. Together they have over 150 years of
combined experience in Arabic language teaching. Their books have been used
by tens of thousands of Arabic learners. They hold leadership positions in some
of the most highly recognized universities that teach Arabic to non-Arabic
speakers in the world. They have together authored more than 100 articles in
research journals.

What came out of these interviews was a clear set of factors that should be
taken into consideration in order to become a successful Arabic learner. As
I sifted through the many valuable insights shared by each person, I began to
see specific skills, mindsets, and approaches that were mentioned by most or
all of them, even if the names and terminologies differed slightly from person
to person.

As you launch your journey of learning Arabic, or continue to press forward in

it, these skills will prove essential to you being able to successfully become
fluent in the Arabic language.

© 2016, Andrew Dempsey thearabiclearner.com/15skills 2

The Interviews
The people I interviewed included (in alphabetical order):

• Laila Al-Sawi (American University in Cairo)

• Abbas Al-Tonsi (Georgetown University)

• Kirk Belnap (Brigham Young University)

• Kristen Brustad (University of Texas at Austin)

• Aiyub Palmer (University of Kentucky)

• David Wilmsen (American University in Beirut)

I would like to offer a sincere word of appreciation to each of these language

teaching professionals for helping me compile this collection of essential
Arabic language learning skills. Each of the interviews was thought-
provoking and highly instructional for me. Each person I spoke with was very
generous with their time and their willingness to share their experience,
gained over decades of teaching Arabic.

The 15 Essential Skills of an Arabic Learner is a compilation and synthesis of

what was shared with me. Any mistakes or oversights should be attributed to
me, and not to those whom I interviewed.

© 2016, Andrew Dempsey thearabiclearner.com/15skills 3

A. Mindset
Having a correct mindset is foundational to all of the other skills. Learners who
approach Arabic with these intentional mindsets learn Arabic more quickly and
more effectively than learners who do not. Your mindset has the power to
accelerate your learning, but also the potential to hold it back. Here are 5 key
mindsets that are essential to learning Arabic.

1. Clear Goals

Set fluency as your aim. Many people approach Arabic with a mindset that they
will tinker in the language and learn the alphabet and possibly a few helpful
words. Often, for religious or cultural reasons, their goal is to be able to read or
recite Arabic without understanding it. This approach will not result in you
effectively learning the language and being able to use it. By setting your goal
to becoming fluent, you will activate all of your thinking, motivation, and
energy to launch you and sustain you on your journey to becoming competent
in Arabic.

“You can learn Arabic…not only does the teacher need to believe,
but the student as well.” (Kirk Belnap)

2. Interaction
Commit to interact. Communication is your primary means of learning Arabic. It
is not a mystical goal that is only achieved at the end of the journey. You will
learn Arabic as you use it to interact in real life situations, and so at every step
along the way, be sure to use each new thing you learn in a conversation with
someone. Using your imperfect Arabic for partial interaction will activate and
solidify what you have learned, and position you to learn even more.

"...interaction with the people to reinforce what is taught in the

formal classes…" (Laila Al-Sawi)

3. Enthusiasm

Be enthusiastic. Choose a positive, energetic approach to learning Arabic. This

will bring about a genuine change in how you experience the process of
acquiring the language. It will heighten your ability to receive and process
Arabic input, it will accelerate your ability to grasp and learn new things, and it

© 2016, Andrew Dempsey thearabiclearner.com/15skills 4

will give you resilience and persistence when the journey seems long. It will also
make the process much more enjoyable and fascinating.

“We’re not child learners, we're adult learners, but you have to
approach it with that same kind of fascination. Don't look at it as
a chore… find it fascinating.” (David Wilmsen)

4. Ambiguity

Accept ambiguity in your conversations and interactions in Arabic. Being able to

accept and be comfortable with situations in which you do not understand
everything that is being said to you (or written) is essential to learning Arabic.
Having the flexibility to be able to adapt to input that is slightly beyond your
ability to fully grasp will stretch you and cause you to apply internal learning
strategies that advance your language skills.

“Students need to be alright with ambiguity…if the student is of

the type that has to know or understand everything before they
feel comfortable or safe, they will be extremely slow in
progressing, if they progress at all.” (Aiyub Palmer)

5. Mistakes
In order to grow as an Arabic learner, you need to make mistakes. Lots of
mistakes. The more that you experiment and get things wrong as you use
Arabic, the more feedback and growth you will experience. The fear of failure
can prevent you from attempting to speak or listen in Arabic (or write and
read), and can set up anxiety filters that make it difficult to process and learn.
Usually, our fear of failure is based on a false feel that we are incapable of
learning, or on a false perception of what others will think of us as we begin to
use our imperfect Arabic. Overcoming your fear of failure in Arabic means
believing in yourself, laughing at your own mistakes (knowing they are helping
you in your journey, not hindering you), and choosing to show off your growing
skills to the world rather than hiding “imperfect” skills.

“… students notice errors, their own and other students', and

learn from them.” (Laila Al-Sawi)

© 2016, Andrew Dempsey thearabiclearner.com/15skills 5

The Habits-Systems-Interactions Cycle
The following three areas all contribute toward your growing fluency in Arabic.
These skills are not necessarily sequential. You can implement them in the
order that works best for you, but you will be growing in your Arabic at the
most optimal rate when you are are successfully taking all of them into account.

B. Habits
The daily habits that you cultivate can greatly assist you in your Arabic learning
journey. Establishing these habits means that you are taking control of your
time and focus in a way that maximizes your ability to understand, acquire, and
produce Arabic.

6. Activate

Use what you have already learned in Arabic immediately. One of the dangers
that some people fall into is growing in their knowledge of vocabulary,
grammar, or pronunciation, but never taking initiative to actually use it in real
life. If you make a daily habit of using your Arabic in some small way, you will
have broken the inertia of passive learning and will be actively increasing your
Arabic level.

“To keep [Arabic] in your head, you have to use it.” (David
Wilmsen)

7. Vocabulary
Build your vocabulary daily by adding at least one new word or expression to
your repertoire each day. There will be days where you will learn much more
than one item, but by setting a minimum of one term per day, you will ensure
that your mind stays freshly focused on expanding your active vocabulary at all
times. Over time, this will lead to a significant increase in your ability to
understand and express yourself in Arabic.

"They personalize vocabulary, they own it, a word becomes part

of their world. They use it to think or write about their own
lives…" (Kirk Belnap)

© 2016, Andrew Dempsey thearabiclearner.com/15skills 6

8. Read

Read Arabic daily, and push yourself to complete reading something in Arabic
every day. Reading is foundational to enriching your vocabulary and engraining
Arabic structures and styles of discourse into your thinking. It is not difficult to
find materials to read in Arabic, whether news, commentary, religious, social
media, or many other forms. Try to read things through to their end even when
you don’t understand every word. The discipline of reading to the end (whether
a chapter, blog entry, tweet, or article) overcomes our tendency to drop focus
when we don’t understand everything.

"... we help them to get really good at reading...the proficiency

that they develop and the confidence that they develop doing that
spills over…" (Kirk Belnap)

9. Listen
Listen to Arabic being used – spoken, sung, or recited – every day. This is
foundational to building understanding, pronunciation, and a sense of the
rhythm of how the language is spoken. By listening every day, you will develop
an ear that can comprehend verbal Arabic effectively. This listening can be
include some periods of active listening, but also longer periods of having
Arabic playing in the background as you do other tasks. Daily listening builds
your confidence and level of comfort when it comes to engaging in
conversations in Arabic.

"It is very difficult to reach a high level of proficiency in speaking

without being almost native in listening...the listening builds up
vocabulary, and when you are listening the grammar and
pronunciation become correct.” (Abbas Al-Tonsi)

© 2016, Andrew Dempsey thearabiclearner.com/15skills 7

C. Systems
Having organized systems in place that set a framework to your Arabic learning
enables you to systematically progress through a planned curriculum of Arabic
content, and receive corrective feedback. The structure and evaluation built into
these systems provide you with a step by step plan for progress, as well as
correcting errors that would otherwise become engrained in your Arabic.

10. Classes

Take organized lessons given by a skilled instructor, in order to be able to

follow a learning curriculum that has been set by someone who has experience
in facilitating Arabic language learning. Classes provide a framework that can
dramatically accelerate your progress in all areas of Arabic. They also provide
feedback and evaluation, which are essential to prevent the recurring mistakes
we make from becoming a permanent part of our language (a process known as
“fossilization”). These classes can be in person or online.

"In class they are going to show you why it works this way, or
why it shouldn't work this way but perhaps does…" (David
Wilmsen)

11. Apps
Take advantage of the increasing number of computer-assisted language
learning tools that are available for Arabic learners, to work specific language
skills. These apps, whether websites or software that runs on your computer or
mobile device, can be used to provide the time-intensive drilling and practice
that is usually not feasible in class. They can provide excellent exposure and
practice in comprehension, pronunciation, and structure.

"Any technology that allows students to do more and better

mechanical work on their own, outside the classroom, is
something that we need to be thinking about how best we can use
it.” (Kristen Brustad)

© 2016, Andrew Dempsey thearabiclearner.com/15skills 8

12. Self-Led

Take charge of your own Arabic language learning by directing your own
program of acquisition. Many times, you may not have access to classes or
programs that provide you with the kind of instruction that you would like to
have, and will need to customize your own approach. Even when you are
actively engaged in class work, take control of your learning by building your
own self-led framework of Arabic instruction that combines multiple learning
strategies into an overall plan.

"...those learners that are self-directed and highly motivated will

jump on these opportunities…" (Aiyub Palmer)

© 2016, Andrew Dempsey thearabiclearner.com/15skills 9

D. Interactions
For most people, the reason that you are learning Arabic is to be able to
interact with people and situations in Arabic. Having regular interactions in the
language is a key to your success. Interacting requires you to bring together all
of your language skills and use them in real life.

13. Conversations

Have real conversations, whether spoken or written, with Arabic speakers. True
conversations, where there is a give and take of information and interaction,
will bring into play all of your receptive and productive skills in Arabic – the
skills that are required to understand (receive) and produce language in a way
that allows actual communication. The satisfaction of having understood
someone and having been understood, even on a small level, will motivate you
like very few other things. And the frustration of communication breakdown,
where you are not able to communicate as you would like, will also sharpen
your focus on areas in which you can improve.

"...Talk with Arabic speakers. It must be verbal communication to

keep the Arabic at the desired level of proficiency. “ (Abbas Al-
Tonsi)

14. Authentic Input

Interact with “authentic input” – content that is produced by native Arabic
speakers, for a native Arabic speaking audience. When you are actively engaged
in learning Arabic, you may find yourself exposed mostly to instructional
materials. While these materials have the advantage of having been designed to
teach specific skills or structures, they lack many features of Arabic materials
that were produced for native Arabic speakers. Constant interaction with
authentic input will, over time, enable you to more effectively understand and
produce native-like Arabic, whether spoken or written.

"Arabic websites with videos and newspapers help keep Arabic

fresh. There are a lot of sources on the Internet that can provide
the desired authentic input, whether reading or listening.” (Abbas
Al-Tonsi)

© 2016, Andrew Dempsey thearabiclearner.com/15skills 10

E. Results

15. Fluency

The ultimate result of building each skill over time is that you will become
fluent in Arabic. Fluency becomes a skill in and of itself, because as you grow in
fluency, each of the other areas accelerates further, creating a positive, self-
sustaining cycle of language growth. With the foundation of a proper mindset,
the development of daily habits, the use of appropriate language learning
systems, and consistent interaction in Arabic, attaining fluency is not just
possible, it is a natural outcome. Functional fluency means that you can
effectively use Arabic to accomplish the specific needs that you have, in a way
that approaches native-speaker effectiveness. Knowing what your goals are will
enable you to achieve the level of fluency that you need.

“…they keep adjusting their goals upward and upward and

upward. They keep seeing they can do more and they keep setting
their goals higher and higher for themselves.” (Kristen Brustad)

© 2016, Andrew Dempsey thearabiclearner.com/15skills 11

The Experts

Laila Al-Sawi

Senior Instructor II of Arabic as a foreign language,Arabic Language

Instruction Department (ALI) at the American University in Cairo.
Laila Al-Sawi has been teaching Modern Standard Arabic, reading, writing,
listening, speaking and media, in addition to Egyptian Colloquial Arabic, at
various levels since 1981. She has also served as the director of the Arabic
Language Intensive Summer Program: 2004-2006, in addition to academic
years: 2011-2015. Her areas of academic interest include AFL (Arabic as Foreign
Language) pragmatics, sociolinguistics and the use of CALL (computer assisted
language learning) to promote AFL teaching. Professor Al-Sawi co-authored
Kalaam Gamiil, An Intensive Course in Egyptian Colloquial Arabic, Vol. I & II, as
well as co-authoring Al-Murshid: A Guide to Modern Standard Arabic Grammar
for the Intermediate Level. She has presented a number of conference
presentations and workshops in the field of AFL inside and outside Egypt. In
2006, professor Al-Sawi received the CASA Award for Excellence in Teaching. In
2015 she was promoted to Senior Instructor II, the highest rank in instructor
track appointment, for excellence in teaching, professional development and
services to the ALI department and AUC at large.

Abbas Al-Tonsi

Senior lecturer, Georgetown University Qatar

Abbas Al-Tonsi is Senior Instructor at Georgetown University School of Foreign
Service in Qatar and a faculty member at the Arabic Language Institute (ALI) at
the American University in Cairo (AUC). He has authored or co-authored a
number of Arabic textbooks including Al-Kitaab fii Tacallum al-cArabiyya [The
Book on Learning Arabic] with Kristen Brustad and Mahmoud Al-Batal, Arabiyyat
Wasaa’il al-iclaam (Media Arabic) with Nariman Warraki, An Intensive Course in
Egyptian Colloquial Arabic with Layla Al-Sawi, Egyptian Colloquial: A Structure
Review, and An Advanced Reader in Egyptian Colloquial with Kristen Brustad. He
has written many articles in literary criticism, Arabic media, and politics.
(Source: Georgetown University Directory)

© 2016, Andrew Dempsey thearabiclearner.com/15skills 12

Dr. Kirk Belnap

Director, National Middle East Language Resource Center, Brigham

Young University

Kirk Belnap holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania and
is a professor of Arabic in the Department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages
at Brigham Young University, where he has been since 1988. Previous
professional service includes six years as executive director of the American
Association of Teachers of Arabic and then six years as editor of its
journal, Al-‘Arabiyya. His research interests include second language
acquisition, language policy and planning, the history of Arabic, and L1 and L2
literacy. He also heads up Project Perseverance, a comprehensive effort to
empower students to become effective self-regulating learners who proactively
work to accomplish their goals. This includes helping teachers and program
administrators gain the vision and skills to design learning experiences that
promote total engagement.

Dr. Kristen Brustad

Associate Professor, Department of Middle Eastern Studies, the

University of Texas at Austin
Kristen Brustad teaches and studies Arabic dialects, language ideology, and the
history of Arabic. She completed her Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and
Civilizations at Harvard University in 1991, and is currently an Associate
Professor of Arabic Studies in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies at the
University of Texas in Austin. She is a co-author of the well-known series Al-
Kitaab fii Tacallum al-cArabiyya [The Book on Learning Arabic] with Mahmoud
Al-Batal and Abbas Al-Tonsi, and has written dozens of academic publications
related to Arabic language and Arab culture, politics, and society, including
books, textbooks, and journal articles.

© 2016, Andrew Dempsey thearabiclearner.com/15skills 13

Dr. Aiyub Palmer

Assistant Professor of Arabic and Islam, University of Kentucky

Aiyub Palmer completed his master’s in teaching Arabic as a foreign language
in 2009 and his PhD in Islamic Studies in 2015 from the University of Michigan.
For the past eight years Aiyub has also been the primary curriculum designer
and content producer for Qasid’s online Arabic program (Qasid is currently the
home of CASA in Amman, Jordan), which debuted two years ago and has been
teaching university-level Arabic online to students from all over the world.
Aiyub is the primary author of the Arabic Anywhere series of educated spoken
Arabic courses offered through OpenLanguage. Currently Aiyub is an assistant
professor of Arabic and Islam at the University of Kentucky in Lexington,
Kentucky where he resides with his family.

Dr. David Wilmsen

Professor of Arabic; Chair, Department of Arabic and Near Eastern

Languages, The American University of Beirut
David Wilmsen has written and published extensive works during his time as a
professor, translator, linguist, and Arabic instructor at the American University
in Cairo, Georgetown University, and the American University in Beirut. His
book Arabic Indefinites, Interrogatives and Negators: A linguistic history
of western dialects was published by Oxford University Press in 2014, and he
has authored many journal articles, chapters in books, and translations in fields
related to Arabic language (see list here).

© 2016, Andrew Dempsey thearabiclearner.com/15skills 14