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Squiggles, Dots, and Dialects: Why is Arabic so ****ing hard?

Published July 19th, 2016 - 12:13 GMT

Arabic is hard.

No – Arabic is really ****ing hard, and everyone from university students to linguists to Arabs themselves agree that it’s exceptionally difficult to learn Arabic. According to the American Foreign Service, Arabic is ranked as a “Category V language” – requiring a minimum of 2,200 hours of continuous study to become proficient (i.e., not fluent, but able to handle yourself with the language). Compare that with Spanish, French, Norwegian, and other “Category I languages” which require a relatively tame 575 hours of study to reach similar proficiencies. Why on earth does Arabic take over four times as much study to reach the same level?

You’ve heard it from friends who tried to pick up useful phrases before a trip to the Middle East, or one of the thousands of university students who have taken up the task – Arabic is a beast of a language to undertake. From its challenging sounds and its inverted script to its multitude of dialects and registers that make it challenging for even native speakers to navigate, here’s a breakdown of why Arabic is among the world’s most challenging languages to learn.

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confused man arabic letters

For starters, let’s face it: Arabic has some sounds not meant for most voiceboxes. Let’s forget the infamous “kh” in Khaled and the harsh, throaty “’a” sound in “assalamu ‘alaykum” - it gets even worse. The “h” in Ahmed is different then the “h” in Hadi – as is the “t” in Tareq from the “t” in Teta.

Fart spin sign

Arabic is filled with nuances that are unnoticeable to non-native speakers but crucial in meaning. For example, the difference between “دارت" (darat) and “ضرط" (DarT) is the difference between “it rotated” and “farting”. Not a mistake you want to make when discussing planets, as the author of this slideshow laments!

arabic writing english

A convenience of learning European languages is that most use the same alphabet. With Arabic, not only must you grapple with a new script, but also must learn to read right to left. Though Arabic has 28 characters, it is a cursive alphabet and each letter comes with up to 4 forms depending on surrounding letters.

arabic letters dots

Arabic has a notoriously tiny script when written electronically, and is a nightmare for anyone who struggles with dyslexia or sight issues. ٍSomtimes it’s just tiny dots that change the sound, making characters like these hard to tell apart: ف ق / ه ة / ت ث/ ح خ ج / ض ص / ط ظ / ي ئ ى / ع غ / ز ر /ؤ و / ذ د

Egypt cafe men

On writing: Arabic is a diglossic language – which means that writing and speaking are different from one another. As per a famous example, speaking written Arabic in downtown Cairo is a bit like speaking in Shakespearean English in downtown Chicago. Sure, you might be understood, but people will laugh at you and you won’t make many friends.

Arabic books library

As the saying goes: “Speaking Arabic is closer to basketball than it is to reading Arabic”. If you want to speak to Arabs, listen to the news, and read a book comfortably you’ll need to dedicate time to learning both the written and spoken registers. Some even say it’s close to learning two languages at the same time!

Arab male female

Arabic has some of the most strict grammatical rules of any world language. There is not just singular and plural, but a special form for duals! With verbs, for example, there are 13 present tense verb forms for singular, dual, plural and both genders that vary in irregularity… compared with English that’s a hefty sum to wrap your head around.

middle east map flags

A great fuss is made about dialects. Even Arabs visiting neighboring countries sometimes struggle with mutually unintelligible phrases and vocabulary. When traveling long distances (e.g. Morocco to Yemen), the Arabic becomes so vastly different that it's nearly impossible to communicate without the use of Standard Arabic or a second language.

arabic coffee

Don’t believe us? Have some examples how different “Do you want coffee?” is between dialects. Written Arabic: Hal turiid Qahwa? Egyptian: ‘Aayaz ahwa? Lebanon: Baddak ahwa? Jordan: Biddak Gahwa? Saudi: Tabgha Gahwa? Morocco: Bghati Qahwa?

miryam klink Lebanese woman

Even from neighborhood to neighborhood the language changes. For example, you might hear someone ask “Kifak, ca va?” while in Beirut, mixing French and Arabic to ask how you’re doing. In Lebanon’s villages, you’ll likely hear “Shlunak?”. Though it means the same thing, it's Arabic for “What color are you?”.

syria war

The political reality of the Middle East does little to help the Arabic learner. Cairo, Damascus, and Sanaa’ were once the heart of Arabic study abroad. With unrest in Egypt and civil war in both Syria and Yemen, conflict and war have made many of the Middle East’s cultural treasure chests largely impossible to visit, let alone study in.

good luck arabic

Learning Arabic is a difficult mountain to climb - but the view is beautiful from the top. Even for those making the trek and struggling through the grammar, the dialects, and even the politics, it can be one of the most rewarding challenges to undertake. To those brave enough to start learning: بالتوفيق إن شاء الله

confused man arabic letters
Fart spin sign
arabic writing english
arabic letters dots
Egypt cafe men
Arabic books library
Arab male female
middle east map flags
arabic coffee
miryam klink Lebanese woman
syria war
good luck arabic
confused man arabic letters
For starters, let’s face it: Arabic has some sounds not meant for most voiceboxes. Let’s forget the infamous “kh” in Khaled and the harsh, throaty “’a” sound in “assalamu ‘alaykum” - it gets even worse. The “h” in Ahmed is different then the “h” in Hadi – as is the “t” in Tareq from the “t” in Teta.
Fart spin sign
Arabic is filled with nuances that are unnoticeable to non-native speakers but crucial in meaning. For example, the difference between “دارت" (darat) and “ضرط" (DarT) is the difference between “it rotated” and “farting”. Not a mistake you want to make when discussing planets, as the author of this slideshow laments!
arabic writing english
A convenience of learning European languages is that most use the same alphabet. With Arabic, not only must you grapple with a new script, but also must learn to read right to left. Though Arabic has 28 characters, it is a cursive alphabet and each letter comes with up to 4 forms depending on surrounding letters.
arabic letters dots
Arabic has a notoriously tiny script when written electronically, and is a nightmare for anyone who struggles with dyslexia or sight issues. ٍSomtimes it’s just tiny dots that change the sound, making characters like these hard to tell apart: ف ق / ه ة / ت ث/ ح خ ج / ض ص / ط ظ / ي ئ ى / ع غ / ز ر /ؤ و / ذ د
Egypt cafe men
On writing: Arabic is a diglossic language – which means that writing and speaking are different from one another. As per a famous example, speaking written Arabic in downtown Cairo is a bit like speaking in Shakespearean English in downtown Chicago. Sure, you might be understood, but people will laugh at you and you won’t make many friends.
Arabic books library
As the saying goes: “Speaking Arabic is closer to basketball than it is to reading Arabic”. If you want to speak to Arabs, listen to the news, and read a book comfortably you’ll need to dedicate time to learning both the written and spoken registers. Some even say it’s close to learning two languages at the same time!
Arab male female
Arabic has some of the most strict grammatical rules of any world language. There is not just singular and plural, but a special form for duals! With verbs, for example, there are 13 present tense verb forms for singular, dual, plural and both genders that vary in irregularity… compared with English that’s a hefty sum to wrap your head around.
middle east map flags
A great fuss is made about dialects. Even Arabs visiting neighboring countries sometimes struggle with mutually unintelligible phrases and vocabulary. When traveling long distances (e.g. Morocco to Yemen), the Arabic becomes so vastly different that it's nearly impossible to communicate without the use of Standard Arabic or a second language.
arabic coffee
Don’t believe us? Have some examples how different “Do you want coffee?” is between dialects. Written Arabic: Hal turiid Qahwa? Egyptian: ‘Aayaz ahwa? Lebanon: Baddak ahwa? Jordan: Biddak Gahwa? Saudi: Tabgha Gahwa? Morocco: Bghati Qahwa?
miryam klink Lebanese woman
Even from neighborhood to neighborhood the language changes. For example, you might hear someone ask “Kifak, ca va?” while in Beirut, mixing French and Arabic to ask how you’re doing. In Lebanon’s villages, you’ll likely hear “Shlunak?”. Though it means the same thing, it's Arabic for “What color are you?”.
syria war
The political reality of the Middle East does little to help the Arabic learner. Cairo, Damascus, and Sanaa’ were once the heart of Arabic study abroad. With unrest in Egypt and civil war in both Syria and Yemen, conflict and war have made many of the Middle East’s cultural treasure chests largely impossible to visit, let alone study in.
good luck arabic
Learning Arabic is a difficult mountain to climb - but the view is beautiful from the top. Even for those making the trek and struggling through the grammar, the dialects, and even the politics, it can be one of the most rewarding challenges to undertake. To those brave enough to start learning: بالتوفيق إن شاء الله

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