Arabic Intermediate (full syllabus)

This 30-week online intermediate Arabic course is designed to help you communicate confidently in a range of business, leisure and social scenarios.

Building on your lower intermediate knowledge, you’ll cover vocabulary needed to rent an apartment, talk in detail about family relationships and navigate your way around.

You’ll also learn the correct forms of address and how to give and receive instruction. New grammar topics are introduced, such as permutative nouns.

You will gain a deeper insight into the cultures of Arab countries, including Arabic music and food, using newspapers, TV programmes, radio clips and advertisements for context.

Our class sizes are small and you’ll join a committed group of learners with a range with motivations. You’ll be working towards CEFR B1 of the Common European Framework Reference for language learning.

Who is it for?

You should already be able to communicate at CEFR A2 level (at least 120 hours of formal study). You may have a good or recent GCSE or have completed the lower intermediate syllabus. Find more information in the eligibility section below.

Timetable

The course includes 60 hours of learning and is taught across three terms, starting in October and finishing in July.

October – December (Part 1)

One evening per week (two-hour lessons) for 10 consecutive weeks.

Christmas Break

January – March (Part 2)

One evening per week (two-hour lessons) for 10 consecutive weeks.

Easter break

April/May – July (Part 3)

One evening per week (two-hour lessons) for 10 consecutive weeks.

Benefits

• Enrol on the full year- rather than each module separately - to get the best price
• Learn skills needed in real world scenarios
• Receive class material before the lesson and have more time to practice and prepare
• Flexible online teaching
• Awarded City, University of London certificate
• Small class sizes, with groupwork and one-to-one help from your tutor.

By the end of this course you will be able to

• search for and rent an apartment in Arab countries
• describe yourself and others, express your hobbies, likes and dislikes
• talk in more detail about family members and relations
• describe neighbourhood businesses, their locations and give specific directions
• use correct forms of address
• describe countries, populations and products and give detail on travel-related activities
• talk about events, television and radio programmes
• describe work and professions in depth
• understand Arabic media material including advertisements, billboards and signs
• follow written recipes and describe food
• give and receive instruction
• understand much more about Arabic culture and customs, pastimes and musical instruments.

Grammar structures

• expressing intention using verb I want + present verb (rule) أريد أن
• adverbs of time and verbs
• revisiting possessive إضافة
• learn and apply habitual and progressive past tense
• learn and apply comparative nouns
• revisiting weak verbs
• expressing exception, wishes, reason and obligation
• introduction to permutative nouns
• introduction to additional conjunction particles
• More to particle ENA
• Introduction to conditional sentences
• Revisiting Kana Sisters
• Learning about descriptive idafa الإضافة الغير حقيقية

You will be awarded an official City, University of London certificate on completion of the course. You must attend over 70 per cent of the classes to be eligible for the certificate.

There is no formal assessment, but you will be expected to complete weekly homework which will be marked. Your tutor will evaluate your progress throughout the course, via your performance during the lesson and the homework you complete.

Teaching

All our language courses are designed to develop your skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing the language. This course uses “active learning” where you get involved with role play and group work. You also participate in giving feedback to your fellow learners – this isn’t a course where you sit and wait to be lectured to.

We also use newspapers, recipes, audio and video clips to both support your language learning, but to also gain an insight into topical society and culture in Arab speaking countries.

The books used on this course are:

• Ahlan wa Sahlan: Functional Modern Standard Arabic for Beginners.
• Ahlan wa Sahlan: Functional Modern Standard Arabic for Intermediate Learners.

It is the right level if one of the following applies:

• you have completed our full lower intermediate syllabus, or equivalent course elsewhere
• you can communicate at CEFR A2 level
• you have at least 120 hours of formal study
• you have a good or recent GCSE.

You should already be able to:

• talk in more detail about family members and relationships
• describe geographical directions and signs
• describe professions and travel-related activities
• express uncertainty, possibility and frequency
• have some understanding of using comparative nouns.

English requirements

You will need a good level of spoken and written English to enrol on this course.