Easy Arabic Reader: A Three-Part Text for Beginning Students

Easy Arabic Reader has been designed to provide learners of Arabic with a bridge between textbooks and authentic material. Articles, blogs, stories, and novels written for native Arabic speakers can be challenging, except perhaps for more advanced students. On the other hand, material written for young Arab children learning to read is not always suitable for older learners of Arabic as a foreign or second language.

Easy Arabic Reader can be used by learners studying independently or in a group and is suitable for a wide range of abilities. Beginning students will need a basic knowledge of the Arabic language and script but will then find the material accessible if they follow the strategies recommended in this Introduction. Intermediate and advanced students can plot their own course through the book, concentrating on texts and language of particular interest.

Arabic has a long tradition of storytelling. Developing a feel for Arabic through stories will improve your understanding of the language, as well as help you appreciate the rhythm and style. Easy Arabic Reader will also help you to develop skills such as reading for gist or for specific information and guessing vocabulary in context or by connection to other familiar words.

Easy Arabic Reader provides every learner of Arabic with a wealth of lively material written in simplified Modern Standard Arabic, together with illuminating explanatory notes, comprehension exercises, and a variety of activities designed to aid understanding and vocabulary retention. Our aim is to help learners of Arabic develop their knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic, while at the same time reading stories that are genuinely enjoyable and original in their own right.

There are three parts to the text, and there is a basic progression in terms of language level through the parts. However, this progression is not as strict as in a more formal course, and it is not absolutely necessary to read the parts in the order they are presented. For a beginning student, however, we recommend reading the texts sequentially and completing the activities based on the texts. (It is also possible to read the English comprehension questions before the Arabic text for additional help in anticipating the content).

Author: Jane Wightwick and Mahmoud Gaafar
Binding: Paper Back