أ ب ت

Children learn languages through a beautiful blend of reality and fantasy.

On one hand, they learn to attach words to things and ideas through their senses of sight, and hearing.

On the other hand, they learn language through reading and listening to stories.

The same process can apply to us grown-ups while learning a new foreign language, especially Arabic. We learn to make simple attachments between the photo of the table we see in a flashcard and the word itself: “table.” With repetition, both children and adults begin to make those connections faster and more naturally.

After that, we employ our language skills to fly off on imaginative adventures through films, television shows, and books. We imagine ourselves interacting with natives abroad, we close our eyes and practice speaking fluently to nobody.

While most adults get that first part of learning down right away—with textbooks, classes, flashcards and hard work—they often skip out on the second part, the one that relies on imagination and stories. If you start reading easy Arabic short stories, you can get yourself farther with the Arabic language faster than ever.