Welcome + How Arabic Really Works

Welcome to Arabic!

You are about to read your first Arabic in minutes. Before the letters, here are the four things that make Arabic click:

• Arabic reads right to left. Your eyes start on the right side of the line and move left.
• There are 28 letters. Master these and you can read anything.
• Letters join up. Most letters connect to the next one, like cursive handwriting, so their shape changes a little depending on position.
• Short vowels are little marks. Sounds like “a”, “u”, “i” are shown by small symbols above or below the letters (we cover these in Lesson 3).

That is the whole system. No grammar to memorise yet — in this free course we just get you reading. Ready? Open the next lesson.