Arabic (Native Speakers) Intermediate Course

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Key information

Duration
1 term per sub-level; 10 weeks per term
Attendance mode
Part-time, online/blended learning

Course overview

Course aim

This Arabic Native Speakers Intermediate course is designed for students who have a good background in speaking Arabic as a mother tongue and wish to reinforce the skills they have and further develop their grammar and vocabulary in a guided and structured way.

It is aimed at students who are relatively fluent in speaking their home dialect of Arabic and have some familiarity with Modern Standard Arabic and its grammar however they wish to refresh, consolidate, and build their knowledge further. If neither of these apply to you but you think this may be your level, an online assessment can be conducted, please book an assessmentThis course is delivered by the Language Centre

Method

The course is taught in Arabic with little support in English and includes a greater exposure to Arabic grammar and vocabulary, while further developing the skills of comprehension in listening and reading, and the skills of expression in speaking and writing.

This will be achieved through 20 hours of blended learning. This is composed of 15 hours of online structured lessons with the teacher and supplemented by a minimum of 5 hours of guided independent learning with complementary material. The course objective will be achieved within the 10-week period.

Material

Our course materials page shows you what you need to buy for this course.

Entry requirements and progression route

This Arabic Native Speakers Intermediate course is designed for students who have a good background in speaking Arabic as a mother tongue are relatively fluent in speaking their home dialect of Arabic.

Students can enrol for this course continuously throughout the year. After completing this course, students can be assessed and then progress to either Arabic MSA Advanced, or Arabic MSA Proficiency.

Please note, that each term, courses are subject to quorum requirements.

For course dates and information, please see our timetables

Structure

Arabic Native Speaker Intermediate 1

In this course you will:

  • learn to use different tenses to narrate past events
  • explore how to describe the development of events and simultaneous events
  • understand a wider range of verb forms and patterns
  • learn about the life and literature of Naguib Mafouz
  • explore the conjugation of irregular ‘doubled’ verbs
  • understand the use and role of active and passive participles
  • use a wider range of idiomatic expressions
  • talk about Arab countries and their festivals
  • explore the travels of Ibn Battuta
  • understand more about Islamic civilisation
  • learn about the border formations of the Middle East
  • talk about the history of Arabic media
  • discuss the influence of women in Arabic media
  • learn to use the passive form
  • participate in a debate in Arabic
  • understand elements of the history of the Arabian Peninsula
  • access some Arabic literature texts
  • understand and use time condition verbs

Arabic Native Speakers Intermediate 2

In this course you will:

  • discuss aspects of the Ottoman Empire
  • learn about the education system in the Arab World
  • explore the history of the University of Al-Azhar
  • learn about the prominent figures who took part in the 1919 and 1936 Egyptian Revolutions
  • have conversations about feminism and female figures in the Arab world
  • access biographies of Arab writers
  • understand authentic newspaper adverts
  • explore the life and works of the playwright, Tawfiq al-Hakim
  • express affirmative sentences and justifications
  • expand on your knowledge of comparatives
  • familiarise yourself with irregular verbs
  • learn about Huda Sha’arawi and her work
  • further your knowledge of superlatives
  • use expressions of exclamation
  • gain a wider knowledge of more complex verb patterns
  • understand and use native Arabic expressions
  • understand and use the imperative
  • give instructions and commands
  • talk about past events using narrative language
  • learn to write a CV in Arabic

Arabic Native Speakers Intermediate 3

In this course you will:

  • listen with the aim of picking up factual information
  • use rhetorical questions
  • explore other Arabic dialects
  • read and comment on literary extracts
  • discuss and examine the tale of Alf Leila wa Leila
  • look at aspects of Arabic social history
  • explore Gamal al-Ghitani’s perspective on the art of literature
  • discuss the differences between colloquial and formal features of Arabic
  • look into the emergence of Arabic sciences
  • learn about Arab marriage traditions
  • further your exposure to authentic Arabic media
  • learn about Arab political systems and elections
  • understand the use of the accusative
  • learn to construct absolute negation
  • further your knowledge of irregular Arabic verbs
  • understand and use auxiliary verbs to explain the progress of events
  • learn about Berber people and their culture

The above is an indication of content that may be covered over the duration of the course but it could vary depending on the level and progress of students in the class.

Contact us

  • arabic@soas.ac.uk

Disclaimer

Important notice regarding changes to programmes and modules

Related information

See the full list of Language Centre short courses in Arabic on the Arabic language homepage

Back to the Language Centre