Find an Arabic tutor near me in Liverpool

Finding the Perfect Arabic Tutor

Arabic isn't a single language but rather a macro language or language of languages on account of just how diverse and rich the variants can be. The Arabic language is spoken by around 310 million people natively and is most commonly spoken in the Arab world which includes several countries in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

As most regions use different variants of Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic and Classical Arabic are commonly taught and used to introduce students to the language. Modern Standard Arabic is also considered the official language of most of the countries in the Arab World and the Quran and Hadith are also commonly available in Modern Standard Arabic or Classical Arabic.

The Arabic language is full of history and culture and a gateway to speaking and communicating with millions of people and better understanding the Islam faith, which treats it as its de facto official language.

There are a lot of benefits to studying Arabic but there are also a fair few challenges you'll face so you might want to see what they are, how students study the language in school, and how you can find private Arabic language tuition in Liverpool before you start looking for lessons.

Why Studying Arabic is Important

There are so many places in the world where Arabic is spoken natively or as an official language so there's your first reason to learn the language. When you speak someone's mother tongue, you have a better understanding of them, their culture, and their history so if you study Arabic, you'll better understand the Arab world and the Islam faith, too.

Learning a language like Arabic also comes with several cognitive benefits. Learning a foreign language has been shown to improve memory, focus, and reasoning skills and also lead to greater grey matter density in certain parts of your brain! It's also been shown to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's in later life.

Studying a foreign language is a great way to learn more about your mother tongue. While you mightn't think that English and Arabic have too much in common, you'd be surprised at how many things languages have in common and by studying another one in-depth, you'll greatly improve your understanding of English and, in some cases, your vocabulary. With every Arabic lesson you take, your level in English will also improve a bit.

Challenges Faced when Learning Arabic

There are plenty of foreign languages that are more similar to English and, therefore, easier to learn. The closer a language is to your native language, the easier it tends to be to learn. Arabic, sadly, doesn't even belong to the same language family as English. While a language like French (which is commonly taught at school and university in the UK) has a lot of words similar to English ones, you're far less likely to find any familiar vocabulary or structures in your Arabic classes.

While English shares its roots with many other European languages, there are very few things it has in common with Arabic. For one, unlike most European languages, Arabic does not make use of the Latin alphabet and instead uses the Arabic abjad, a writing system that reads from right to left, is almost always written in cursive (joined up), and doesn't have characters for vowels but rather uses diacritic marks above and below consonants to indicate them.

Even though you'll look at this in some of your first Arabic lessons, it can still take years of classes to get the hang of this writing system. One of the first challenges faced by any student learning Arabic is to wrap their head around a new writing system and this is one of the first things that might put you off the whole idea.

Arabic also suffers from a lack of learning resources that are readily available to English-speaking students. That's not to say there aren't any books or websites on learning Arabic, it's just that you'd be able to find resources on French, Spanish, or German, for example, much more easily.

Arabic Studies at School

Before you leave compulsory schooling, you'll have the option to study the Arabic language at GCSE. Of course, this isn't one of the most common subjects offered by schools, but if you're driven and attend a school where it's offered, here's what you can learn about and what you'll study.

Like with other languages at GCSE, Arabic has students prove their skills in the four main core competencies for any language: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

With most Arabic GCSEs, the four skills are tested in four separate exams and while the weighting might change slightly according to the exam board, each core skill holds a similar weight (around 25% of the final grade).

There are several themes covered in an Arabic GCSE and much like with other language GCSEs, themes include things like you and your family, daily life, culture, holidays and travel, school, work, studies, and global issues.

Arabic Private Tuition

As one of the less common languages taught in schools, you may want to consider learning to speak Arabic with a private teacher or tutor. Students can learn exactly what they want and how they want to.

You can discuss your level, experience, and preferred teaching approaches with potential tutors. Don't worry if you're not sure about any of this as a tutor can go through this all with you. As the only student in the class, everything will be tailored to you.

Learning a language can take several years and a lot of practise and experience so make sure that you regularly use your new language and make the most of every minute in your private Arabic tutorials.

Private Arabic Tutors in Liverpool

If you live in or around Liverpool and are looking for Arabic language tutors, just search for them on Superprof. After all, London isn't the only place where a student can get help via a private language course.

Remember that many tutors offer free tuition for the first hour so you can discuss why you're learning Arabic, any previous experience you have with the language, how you like to learn, whether you prefer to study at home, in a public place like a café or library, or are happy to study at the tutor's house.

Try out several different tutors before deciding on who is right for you and your private classes. If for any reason, you can't find the right Arabic tutor in Liverpool, you can always look for online tutors who'll teach you how to speak your new language via the internet. You just need a webcam and a stable internet connection.

Remember, it can take a long time to learn a foreign language, even with private tutoring, so carefully choose your teacher. Take the time to view each potential tutor, read the reviews left by their previous students, and check how much they charge for their courses.