For non-Arabic speakers, building up Arabic vocabulary with our children is something which may feel unnatural to begin with as new words and phrases are introduced. But with practice and use, they will soon roll off our tongues without any thought inshaAllah.
It simply takes time, practice, patience and the belief that growing our language skills will one day pay off and will become second nature bi'ithnillah.
People learn second languages all the time. The difficulty we have in the West when learning Arabic, is we are not often in situations where we are forced to speak it, so we don't. We're learning to understand and speak Arabic in a non-Arabic speaking country so its too easy to stay within our comfort zones and not try...even when we meet an Arabic speaking sister at the masjid.
I've visited Syria a couple of times to stay with family (my paternal side are native speakers Alhamdulillah....growing up in a small Yorkshire town in England, I sadly am not) and I remember everyone I met, embraced the opportunity to practice their English skills with me.
Here in the UK, we don't do that when we meet an native Arab speaker. Instead we habitually shy away retreating into our comfort zones, hiding our inexperience instead of growing it. And thats why so many of us are stuck and stay stuck.
We sit afraid, telling ourselves Arabic is a difficult language to learn. Yet it is the language our Creator has given us, and without it we can't truly understand Islam. We hold onto this underlying (false) belief in our minds that Arabic is difficult.
We have to stop listening to that negative self talk and waswas from the shaytaan.
We have to stop listening to that negative self talk and waswas from the shaytaan.
Dawud Adib said that Sheikh Uthaymeen said:
"Studying the Arabic language is like a house, the door is made of iron, but the interior of the house is made of sugar cane"He (Dawud Adib) further explained:
"He says, its difficult to get into the house in the beginning, but once you get into the house, the house is made of sugar cane, it becomes real easy."
So what can we do to develop our Arabic language skills with our family?
Simple, use it.
Learn words, and use the words.
Stop making Arabic a theoretical language and instead apply it.
How many of us have spent years learning grammar, and we still go back to those same beginner classes each time a new rollcall is announced?
We have to stop learning without application, and instead start actively using what we learn in real world situations.
Start small.
Begin swapping English words for the Arabic words we know.
If you know to say "I" is أَنَا, then say to your child أَنَا very hungry. Yes its a mash of English and Arabic, but you are applying what you know and encouraging your children to do the same.
Later when you learn hungry is جَوْعان, then say أَنَا جَوْعان .
Later you learn to describe the level of your hunger to say I'm very hungry, add that in أَنَا جَوْعانُ جِدَّاً .
If you know to say "I" is أَنَا, then say to your child أَنَا very hungry. Yes its a mash of English and Arabic, but you are applying what you know and encouraging your children to do the same.
Later when you learn hungry is جَوْعان, then say أَنَا جَوْعان .
Later you learn to describe the level of your hunger to say I'm very hungry, add that in أَنَا جَوْعانُ جِدَّاً .
Gradually as time passes, our list of Arabic vocabulary will build up, and build up and build up allowing us to use it more and more on a natural daily basis inshaAllah.
If we want it, we can absolutely get it inshaAllah, it just takes time, effort, work, patience and practice.
I laid out in this previous post (click into highlighted text>>>) 15 tips to learn Arabic with our family from my perspective as a learner which you may find benefit in inshaAllah.
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Arabic learning resources online
Here's a brief list of some online resources that can help aid us all still on this journey, for both you my fellow adult learner and your children inshaAllah.
Arabic Alphabet and early reading
Learn to read Arabic (self guided lessons with audio to listen to the letters)
Arabic alphabet lapbooks
Arabic alphabet tracing worksheets.
Omar and Maryam. (an online early reading series with audio function.)
Sun and moon letters printable activity folder.
Sun and Moon letters printable poster.
Sun and moon letters worksheet
Madina Arabic resources
Madina Arabic online.
Madina Arabic vocabulary (memorising vocab tool uploaded with the Madina Arabic 1 vocabulary)
Madina Arabic worksheets.
Madina Arabic activity pack
Madina Arabic side books (these are extras to accompany the main text books)
Madina Arabic 1 vocabulary bank.
Madina Arabic book 1 class notes.
Madina Arabic book 2 class notes.
Madina Arabic book 3 class notes.
General Arabic resources
All the Arabic you never learned the first time around.
TJ Arabic
Arabic First.
Arabic detached pronouns poster.
Arabic attached pronouns printable matching game.
Arabic verb conjugations printable matching game.
Attached pronouns poster book / flashcard printable.
Arabic colours printable posters.
Arabic colours printable activity learning pack.
Arabic word bank printable.
Paid subscription / online classes for learning Arabic
Learn Arabic. (read a review here)
Taalib.com online Arabic courses (sisters only online classes taught by an American Student of knowledge. Contact Taalib.com for information on their current Arabic classes as I think their website has old dates currently showing)
Taalib.com online one-to-one Arabic tutoring (sisters only)
Arabic Seeds.
Advice in learning the Arabic language
Ten reasons to learn Arabic from Moosa Richardson
Means to learning Arabic from Dawud Adib
Speech of the Scholars on the importance of studying the Arabic language.
The Status of the Arabic language in Islam translated from Shiekh Ibn Taymiyyah.
You have to learn the Arabic language - advice from Abu Hakeem Bilal Davis.
They rushed to learn the Arabic language - translated from Shiekh Uthaymeen.
Amazing post! Maa shaa Allah sister. Jazakillahu khairan for your effort and time!
ReplyDeleteMaasyaaaLlah.. this is the answer of all my waswas.. JazakumuLlah ahsanal jazaa'..
ReplyDeleteMaasyaaaLlah.. this is the answer of all my waswas.. JazakumuLlah ahsanal jazaa'..
ReplyDeleteMasyaAllah....jazakumullah... Thanks a kota
ReplyDeleteجزاكم الله خيرا for sharing. Everything you said is spot on! I am also an arab, mother tongue was arabic but lost it because of growing up in the UK and had to work hard to regain it. Like yourself, I substituted all english words for arabic, made sure all my duas were said in arabic, insisted on listening to talks in arabic (even though I couldn't understand most of the talks), attended any arabic course I could, made sure only arab channels are on tv. Alhamdullilah, by the grace of Allah, I have regained my arabic and hence ensured my kids mother tongue is only arabic. In fact they learnt english a few years before sitting their IGCSE exams. So yes, leave the grammar and focus more on using whatever arabic you know.
ReplyDelete