I was looking to trial a number of options to find the best way to learn Arabic, and found the Rocket Arabic Language Course to be the superior course. What is it about this course that puts it ahead of all others as a beginner's course?
I was looking for a good beginner's Arabic learning course that would allow me to "listen, read and speak" a bit of Arabic because I wanted to be able to use it if I was away with work, or on holiday. Rocket Arabic met this requirement, and compared to many other options on the market, its downloadable learning software was one of the best value options on the market.
Rocket Arabic provides the opportunity to listen to a native Arabic speaker, but the real advantage for me is that it uses a gradual immersion style, rather than total immersion style. It introduces each segment largely in English (believe it or not, but not all courses do this!). When the speakers use an Arabic word during the introduction segment, the word has either been previously mentioned in other sections (sometimes you do have to be quite alert to pick up on that), or it is explained as it is used. But don't worry, Rocket Arabic doesn't expect you to learn how to say the word, and remember it after hearing it once. I think one of the strengths of Rocket Arabic is that it is targeted at a beginner's level, and therefore has a relatively slow pace. (Conversely, if you have an intermediate or advanced ability in speaking Arabic, then this course probably isn't going to be the one for you).
This course understands that you will need to listen to the word several times before you become familiar with it. The audio files are obviously easy to rewind if you feel like you need to hear it a few more times as well- which is one of the advantages of any software language course. On the matter of time, one, rather minor drawback, that I have found with the majority of audio and software learning styles, and Rocket Arabic was no exception, is that there is no estimation of how long each lesson will take. Now, I know that this is relatively easy for the user to do- they simply have to click near the end of the audio file. But it would be nice if the time taken for each section of the course was easy to identify.
If you have been looking at learning Arabic you will have noticed that, as with any language, there can be different accents and different words depending on the locality of the language. You have probably noticed the differences between American English, and British English for example. Rocket Arabic teaches Egyptian Arabic which you can consider an advantage (as the Rocket Arabic course explains) as Egypt is the capital of Arab television and movie making. Therefore, Egyptian Arabic is widely understood through out the region. So if you're thinking of holidaying in Egypt, then the Egyptian Arabic taught here will meet the bill.
Rocket Arabic teaches you about everyday dialogue. The conversation is not stilted, or old fashioned, or too formal for you to use it- like some of the text book audio/listening options (you probably remember this style when trying to learn a language at school!). The dialogue tends to use vocabulary that you genuinely want to learn, that will be useful and that will help you to converse fluently and easily in an Arabic speaking country, or with Arabic speakers.
Rocket Arabic's learning course is made up of a number of sections- too many to detail here. But as a brief highlight, rather usefully, the first section (introduced in English), is 'Meeting, Greeting, Food and Drink'. This section develops your knowledge of the language at a rather sensible speed. As the course progresses, a more advanced section taught later in the course is 'Take a Tour'(that might also be useful if you're thinking about a holiday). After each section is introduced in English, the speakers converse in Arabic. As you listen to the conversation in Arabic you can choose whether you read the Arabic script, Arabic in English letters or the English translation.
One item that I particularly like about Rocket Arabic is that as you learn the language, it also teaches you a bit about the culture...these gems are interwoven throughout the lesson but I don't want to say too much here and give them away as I found these some of the interesting bits of the course.
Rocket Arabic teaches you how to speak Arabic using a good range of tools. You will need to be prepared to give it a go, and to try to speak Arabic following prompts from the speakers on the audio files. Rocket Arabic emphasizes the need to practice saying words, phrases and sentences out loud. Briefly, (and rather roughly) describing the overall style of the course, the speakers say the word twice in Arabic, then the English translation. You are prompted to say the word in Arabic, and then the Arabic is repeated by the speakers on the audio file, slowly at first, then the second time a bit faster.
One item that I think could be improved in Rocket Arabic is the way that they use numbers in the "Arabic in English letters". To the beginner, this looks like a typo, which is rather an annoying thought to be faced with in the first lesson having bought the course. But, what I can say is be patient, and it will be explained in subsequent lessons. If you want to know why there are numbers in the "Arabic in English letters" translation of the dialogue it is because it has been deliberately written in this way.
There are some Arabic letters that do not have an equivalent in English. Using numbers in this way in Arabic has actually been used for quite some time, and numbers such as 2, 3, and 7 have been chosen as they resemble the Arabic script. So it is completely acceptable that Rocket Arabic has opted to use this sort of notation- on the basis that it is relatively comment. But I think simply explaining this at an earlier stage in the course would be both helpful and reassuring, and also avoid the learner being distracted by these numbers. So, don't be alarmed to see the odd number scattered into 'Arabic in English letters', before long, you will recognize the sound that the number represents.
Weighing up the various options trailed, if you are looking for a language course to help you learn Arabic, I would recommend Rocket Arabic for its interesting content, learning pace and style offered at a value for money price.
If you're interested in trying a free 6-day trial of the rocket Arabic course then visit [http://speakinarabic.com/learn-arabic-free/].
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