Generally we follow 9 week courses of 4 hours per week. Total 36 hours. Two hour lessons are our normal class time. Days and times vary considerably. Depending on our class requirements this can be done much more quickly - perhaps 6 weeks with 6 hours per week, or 4 weeks with 9 hours per week.
Our courses are a combination of the following areas. Each student has different needs, and each comes to us with a varying degree of Arabic knowledge. Accordingly the course you take can be any or all of the below modules.
Colloquial Arabic of Cairo
(In Arabic this is called Aameya)
This is the most widely understood dialect in the Arab world thanks to Egyptian TV dominating the airwaves and Satellite Channels. Taking these lessons would enable you to quickly communicate in Egyptian society. You would also be easily understood in all other Arabic speaking countries - unfortunately you might not understand the reply!
Modern Standard Arabic
(In Arabic this is called Fus-ha)
This is the language of education - the news and newspapers are in MSA. Schools and Universities use it during study. This course will help you develop quickly in Reading, Writing and Listening Skills. Unfortunately you won't be able to use it much in the street!
For a more detailed explanation of the MSA versus Colloquial problem see here.
Calligraphy
Learning to speak Arabic involves many new sounds - to learn then well it is important to recognise the different letters. You will learn to recognise and then read and write Arabic Calligraphy. Starting with basic letter formation and moving on to reading and writing sentences and paragraphs.
Cultural Studies
As part of our course we have a section devoted to understanding Egyptian and Arab culture. Especially in Intermediate and Advanced courses. Naturally this course takes place in Arabic!
