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What is Falooka?
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A fast-track to Arabic language
learning. Falooka uses the most frequently used 1000 words in
everyday speech. Use the one-line
audios and games to listen and apply.
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Why learn Arabic?
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Arabic is deemed a critical
language by the U.S. state department and ranks 5th after
English for total number of native speakers.
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Should I study the Egyptian dialect?
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The Egyptian dialect is the dialect of
choice because it is widely understood in
the Middle East region. Egypt is viewed as the cultural, academic,
and political hub of the Arab region.
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Should I study Egyptian Colloquial OR Modern
Standard Arabic (MSA) OR both?
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The decision rests on how you intend to
use the language.
If your aim is to interact with Arabs as
Arabs interact in their homes, streets, schools, and offices then learn
Egyptian Colloquial.
However, if you intend to write, read
newspapers and novels, and interact with Academics then you should
embark on MSA/Classical.
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What would happen if I used my MSA/Classical
Arabic to interact everyday?
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MSA in a non-formal setting is
like speaking formal written English.
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Is Egyptian Colloquial totally different
than MSA/Classical Arabic?
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No, Egyptian Colloquial Arabic is not totally
different from MSA because of the overlap in syntax and semantics.
Similarities include vocabulary, the Idaafa construction, and noun-adjective phrase.
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How is each lesson in Falooka organized?
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Each lecture contains a brief grammar snap shot, tricky points, and
games.
Situational drills are practical with
real life scenarios. Audios and videos are provided to reinforce drills.
Each podcast uses one or two grammar
themes.
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How will the audios
help me?
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Arabic has sounds that might not be
familiar to you. Review both the difficult and easier sounds.
Falooka provides all podcasts in
MP3 format.
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Why are videos useful in the language learning
process?
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Learning a language is as much auditory
as is visual. The more senses we use in the learning process the quicker
we retain.
Falooka combines videos, games, podcasts,
and summaries.
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Why does Falooka color-code the words?
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Arabic attaches
prefixes and suffixes to the main stem. These add-ons are color coded.
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Why use transliteration
while learning Arabic speech?
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Transliteration significantly
speeds up the learning process if you wish to only speak and
not learn to read Arabic.
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Are answers to all drills provided on Falooka?
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Yes, answers are provided to all drills
in both written and audio form.
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Is learning to
read Arabic challenging?

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Learning to recognize the 28 letters in
Arabic is often completed after only two sessions. Learning to read,
however, takes longer.
Falooka breaks words into syllables and uses diacritics to help with
your reading
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Is learning to pronounce Arabic
challenging?
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Arabic has unique guttural
sounds (from the throat) that are not familiar to English
speakers. The vowels also alter the sounds of the
consonants.
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How long does it take to learn a new language?
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Try to dedicate two long sessions per week. Expect to use the language within 2-3 years.
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How can I learn fast?
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Focus on repetition and active recall.
Spend half your time repeating short sentences (repetition) and the
other half creating your won sentences (active recall).
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What makes learning Arabic easy?
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Many factors. There are no silent
letters, gender is easy to recognize, and learning new words can become
intuitive because of the root system. A trio of consonants in a word can
all fall under one related set of meanings -- such as "d-r-s can mean school,
teacher, and to learn."
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What makes learning Arabic hard?
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The more challenging aspects of learning
Arabic have little to do with the language and more to do with your study
habits. Effective language students tend to be creatures of habit.
Challenging facets within the Arabic
language include: the
unique Arabic script, "heavy" sounds, long versus short vowels; a
broader usage of possession (the idaafa construction); and the common
use of active participles in place of verbs (for spoken Arabic).
All lessons in Falooka highlight exceptions and challenges to make the learning process easier.
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What's up with all those dialects?
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There are many Arabic dialects but don't
panic.
The Egyptian dialect is usually the
dialect of choice for academics and travelers.
There are four dialect groups in the
Arab world:
1- Egypt and Libya
2- The Maghrib (Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, an Mauritania)
3- The Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, and portions of Iraq)
4- The Gulf region (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, UAE, and
Yemen)
Speakers of the Egyptian dialect will
easily understand the Libyan, the Levant, and the Gulf dialects. However, the
Maghrib dialect is arguably challenging for the Egyptian speaker.