Al-Kitaab Fii Ta Allum Al- Arabiyya: Pt. 1: A Textbook for Beginning Arabic: A Textbook for Beginning ArabicPart One Paperback – 2 Sept. 2004

I'm doing an intermediate Arabic module for my second year at University. Before I say anything about the book, I would mention that this is coming from the point of view of someone who is in no way fluent, but can read and write Arabic with little problems (I can't speak except very basically).When I first opened the book, it baffled me because there was relatively little in the way of English (compared to other Arabic textbooks (and trust me- I have seen more than my fair share of those)). That's not to say there's no English- all of the instructions are in English, and there are vocab translations (as well as a Eng-Arabic AND Arabic-Eng mini dictionary at the back). From lesson one you have to make use of the provided DVD's. Instead of translating every word, they use the word in context of a sentence (which you may or may not understand). I found this amazingly helpful because it taught me HOW to use the word, and trained my ear to the language. I've never come across this approach in other textbooks or DVD's, but it is definitely more helpful toward actually learning how to speak the language. The enunciation is easy to understand, and the format of the book is approachable and easy to use.Having had many textbooks forced on me when I was younger, I think I've finally found one that at once challenges and guides at exactly the right level. If you are familiar with the alphabet and very basic word/sentence formation, this book is ideal for continuing your studies. If, like me, you are ahead of this level, but with extremely gappy knowledge (and little in the way of vocab), this is perfect for keeping you interested, whilst actually being informative. I would definitely recommend it.

After buying Alif Baa in order to get started in learning Arabic, I felt this book was the logical next step to take... no disappointment whatsoever! :)Of course, you can't expect to learn Arabic perfectly by only relying on books, but this gives a strong base to any motivated learner (no wonder many university courses choose this text in particular), even if you're on your own. Egyptian Arabic may not be the dialect of your choice, but it's well understood throughout the Arabic world... and then again you've got to start somewhere :)

I'm actually using this textbook in class, and I think the way it's structured is excellent. The book gradually adds vocabulary and grammer rules which makes learning so much easier! There are all sorts of exercises from listening, reading, writing, speaking and Egyptian colloquial. The DVD is also helpful. Overall, I think that with the aid of a teacher (mine is particulary good) then anyone can learn the foundations of the language very easily..

The content of the textbook is a great supplement to learning Arabic at university. The vocab is not everyday vocabulary, such as 'excuse me, where is the toilet?' but then we are learning Modern Standard Arabic and that kind of phras is probably better to learn in the dialect of the countryI initially could not access the accompanying files on the DVD/CD as it was formatted CDFS. However, selected 'show hidden folders' in my Windows 10 settings then meant I could view the content. The videos are quite dated, however, the content and progression are delivered at a good pace. I strongly recommend the end of chapter listening and gap-filling exercises to help form connections between spoken and written Arabic for people new to the language.

THE BEST MSA RESOURCE AVAILABLE!!!I have been searching desperately for a self-learning book/website for MSA/Fusha for a while now. Everything I have tried up until now has had very serious flaws.But this book is absolutely perfect. It might need to be used in conjunction with google translate or a dictionary to check certain words, but other wise it is perfect.Be warned that it does jump in straight away, but thankfully I can speak Egyptian Arabic pretty well, so it wasn't a great strain.Can't recommend it enough. Just wish I hadn't wasted my money on its competition.

It is a good book to start learning Arabic. This book consists of 20 units and you start from the easiest part and it gradually becomes harder. You can learn tenses, prepositions, pronouns, adjectives, in short, all the basics that you need for a new language with this book. It has English explanations of the subjects and there is also a DVD within the book which helps you with pronunciation.

Bought this for my brothers course. Cheaper then the shops. Was a 'used' item, but in near perfect condition. Had disc included. he is finding ti really useful and very happy with it.

I'm giving it 1 star because no where does it tell you that you need system requirements for the accompanying DVD. Once opened the inside cover of the book states that the DVD is designed to be played in a computer and not on a DVD player connected to a television. And that the computer should have, at minimum:Windows XP or Mac OSX operating systemDVD driveAudio - headphones or speakers.This should have been stated clearly. As my laptop doesn't have a DVD drive I'm buggered.This book is definitely not for absolute beginners as assumes knowledge of Arabic script and the basics.