86684 - Arabic Language and Culture I

Academic Year 2025/2026

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures

Learning outcomes

The course must lead the student to know the basic grammatical and lexical structures of the Arabic language and possess an elementary linguistic competence both oral and written that enables him to interact in a limited number of everyday communicative situations. 

Course contents

This course is designed for beginners and aims to provide the foundational elements of the language through a gradual and communicative approach. The content is organized into the following areas:

1. Phonetics and Writing
  • Introduction to the alphabet

  • Fundamental concepts of phonetics

  • Acquisition of correct pronunciation

  • Spelling rules and basic morphology

2. Basic Grammar
  • Definite and indefinite articles

  • Personal pronouns

  • Singular demonstratives

  • Nouns: gender and number

  • Basic interrogative particles

  • Construct state (Idhafa)

  • Adjectives and their use

  • Simple nominal sentence

  • Simple verbal sentence

  • Basic agreement between noun, adjective, and verb

  • Regular verbs in the first form 

  • Numbers from 1 to 10

3. Communication Skills
  • Introducing oneself and greetings

  • Asking and answering simple questions

  • Engaging in short conversations on everyday topics

Readings/Bibliography

Throughout the course, students will engage with texts drawn from basic communicative contexts, such as:

  • Introducing oneself and others

  • Short reports on daily activities

  • Common everyday situations

There is no required textbook. All instructions regarding learning materials will be provided at the beginning and throughout the course. Materials will be selected according to the learning objectives and tailored to the students’ level.

Recommended Reference Texts:
  1. A. al-Addous, Arabic Language Course (course packet provided by the instructor)

  2. Miftahul-Arabiyye – Starter; Miftah Al-Arabiyya, Beginner (Speaking & Listening 1) and (Reading and Writing 1)

    The digital edition is recommended. Details about how to access and use these materials will be explained during the first lesson.

  3. Claudia Maria Tresso, Modern Arabic Language

  4. Durand Olivieri, Contemporary Arabic Course. Standard Language. Levels A1–B2 of the CEFR

  5. E. Baldissera, Compact Arabic–Italian / Italian–Arabic Dictionary, Zanichelli, 1994

Teaching methods

The course adopts an integrated approach based on the communicative method, with the aim of developing all four language skills—listening, reading, speaking, and writing—in a balanced way.

Classes are structured around:

  • Lectures for the introduction of theoretical and grammatical content,

  • Practical exercises to reinforce language structures,

  • The use of multimedia resources to encourage interaction and enhance comprehension in various communicative contexts.

The goal of this method is to equip students with the tools needed to understand and use the language in real-life situations, progressively improving all core language skills.

Assessment methods

Course Requirements and Exam Format

  • Attendance is mandatory. Regular participation in class is essential to follow the course, engage in practical activities, and develop core language skills.

  • Completing assigned homework is strongly recommended and constitutes an important part of the learning process. Timely completion of exercises is crucial for passing the final exam.

Final Exam

The final exam consists of two parts:

  1. Written Test

    • Grammar exercises

    • Reading comprehension of a short text

  2. Oral Test

    • Questions related to the written test

    • Short speaking task to assess basic communication skills

Detailed information about the exam structure, evaluation criteria, and learning objectives will be provided during the course.

Teaching tools

Useful sites: Tutorials on [https://learning.aljazeera.net/en]; Conjugations on [https://qutrub.arabeyes.org/] /; Dictionary [http://www.almaany.com/], [http://www.wordreference.com/]; Conversation video [https://www.youtube.com/c/sabilymethod/videos]

Office hours

See the website of Hussein Al-Kazraji