Arabic

At a Glance
- Beginners
- Classroom courses only
- 20 weeks: October to March
- Fees from £252 to £470
Arabic is one of the world's great languages, spoken world-wide as a first language by around 300 million people, and as a second language by up to two billion people!
As well as being the language of government and trade for much of the Middle East and north Africa, it is also a language imbued with concepts from science, the arts and religion. And while we cannot guarantee, as Umar ibn Al-Khattab suggests, that learning Arabic will sharpen your wisdom, it will open the door to a fascinating global culture, the roots of which stretch back at least one and a half millennia.
Whether you are a beginner or you have some experience of speaking Arabic, the classes we offer at Imperial College are designed to help you develop your language skills quickly and effectively, in a friendly and supportive environment led by expert tutors.
Classroom Courses
These courses will be taught face-to-face in the classrooms at our South Kensington Campus in London. To take part in a course you will need to be able to attend our South Kensington Campus each week on the weekday and time shown below.
Arabic Classes 2022-2023
MONDAYS | TUESDAYS | WEDNESDAYS | THURSDAYS |
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18.00-20.00 | -- | -- | -- |
Arabic Beginners Souad Baameur CLASSROOM COURSE |
Arabic course descriptions
Beginners
Beginners Arabic is for people with no prior knowledge of Arabic and it provides an introduction to the Arabic script, everyday vocabulary, the basic grammar structures of the language and the Arab culture.
During the first few weeks of the course the Arabic script is introduced. The emphasis of the course is on developing your communicative ability in a range of situations, and reading and writing skills are then practised and extended throughout the course.
From the beginning emphasis is placed on enhancing your oral as well as the reading skills..
By the end of the course, you should be able to read the Arabic script, have some writing skills and be able to:
- greet people; introduce yourself and others, provide some basic information about yourself and the members of your family;
- read numbers and be able to count in Arabic, know the days of the week and the months of the year;
- ask and give directions;
- order a meal in a restaurant and read a basic menu;
- know the basic geography of the Middle East, aspects of the culture, the names of Arab countries, their main cities and locations;
- describe things and people
Where applicable, textbook details will be provided by the tutor. Course textbooks need not be purchased before the first course session.
Lower Intermediate [not running]
Lower Intermediate Arabic is for those who have some basic knowledge of Arabic that is equivalent to level A1 of the Common European Framework for Languages. Applicants who have completed our Beginners Arabic course or who have a GCSE (or equivalent learning experience) in Arabic will find this course suitable.
The course aims to further develop your skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing in a range of common everyday situations. It will also familiarise you with some simple grammar structures.
The course will also broaden your understanding of the culture and daily life in the countries where Arabic is spoken, and the focus of the class will be on improving the communicative skills through role-plays, discussions and practical tasks.
By the end of the course, you will be able to communicate on a variety of topics in a range of situations, such as:
- family, relations and friends;
- talking about your self and others;
- the weather and seasons;
- expressing likes and dislikes;
- travel and entertainment;
- work and daily routine;
- past and present activities;
- hobbies and interests;
- education, study and work;
- career choices;
- current affairs;
- advertisements;
- city life and the environment
Where applicable, textbook details will be provided by the tutor. Course textbooks need not be purchased before the first course session.
Class Recordings
These classes are not recorded
Attendance Certificate
Successful completion of this course leads to the award of an Imperial College attendance certificate
Terms and conditions apply to all enrolments to this course. Please read them before enrolment
Course Information
What language level should I choose?
Choosing the right language level
It is very important to book onto a course which is a good match for your level of ability, and we aim to make the process of deciding which is the right course level for you as simple as possible.
If you are a complete beginner you should, of course, enrol on a Beginner's course.
If you have some experience in the language you wish to study please first review our course descriptions to try to identify the course level which should be most suitable for you. Especially if you are out of practice in a language, or have been out of formal education for a while, please be reasonably sure and realistic about your level of proficiency prior to proceeding with enrolment.
Please contact our Arabic Coordinator with any questions about your level: Dr Mashail Ali, mashail.ali@imperial.ac.uk
Course Fees and Discounts
Hours | Weeks | Standard Rate | Internal Rate | Associate Rate | |
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40 | 20 | Early Bird: £423 (£10.58 p/h) Full price: £470 (£11.75 p/h) |
Early Bird: £252 (£6.30 p/h) Full price: £280 (£7 p/h) |
Early Bird: £333 (£8.33 p/h) Full price: £370 (£9.25 p/h) |
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All fee rates quoted are for the whole 2-term course. Early Bird rates available 1 August to 30 September 2022 only. Part-payments are not possible. Equivalent to hourly rate is shown for comparison guidance only, it is not possible to pay pro-rata hourly rates. |
Rate Categories and Discounts
Standard Rate
- Available to all except those who fall under the Internal Rate or Associate Rate category, respectively.
Internal Rate
- Current Imperial College students and staff (incl. Imperial NHS Trust, Imperial Innovations, ancillary & service staff employed on long-term contracts at Imperial College by third-party contractors)
- Individuals enrolling under our Friends & Family scheme
- Staff of the English Chamber Orchestra
- Students, staff and Governors of Woodhouse College and the IC Mathematics School
- Current Centre for Languages, Culture and Communication (CLCC) staff, current CLCC PhD students, Science Communication (Sci Comm) postgraduate students, and students enrolled on an Imperial College 'Language for Science' degree programme should contact eveningclass@imperial.ac.uk before completing the online enrolment form
Associate Rate
- Alumni of Imperial College and predecessor colleges and institutes
- Austrian Cultural Forum staff
- City & Guilds College Association members
- Co-operative College members
- Francis Crick Institute staff, researchers and students
- Friends and Patrons of the English Chamber Orchestra
- Friends of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens
- Friends of Leighton House/ Sambourne House
- Friends of the Royal College of Music
- Harrods staff
- Historic Royal Palaces staff
- Lycee Charles de Gaulle staff
- Members of the Friends of Imperial College
- Members of the Kennel Club
- Members of the London Zoological Society
- Members of the South London Botanical Institute (SLBI)
- Members of the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)
- National Health Service (NHS) employees
- Natural History Museum staff
- Residents of postcodes SW3, SW5, SW7, SW10 and W8
- Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council staff
- Royal College of Art and Royal College of Music tutors and other staff
- Royal Geographical Society staff
- Science Museum staff
- Staff of Exhibition Road Cultural Group (Discover South Kensington) organisations
- Students (non-Imperial College)
- Teachers and other staff of UK schools
- Tutors and other staff of institution members of the Association of Colleges
- Tutors and other staff of other universities and higher education institutions
- Victoria and Albert Museum staff
Late enrolment
It is possible to enrol on many of our adult education courses after the course has already started. For non-language courses this is subject entirely to agreement by the tutor. For language courses it is subject to agreement by the language coordinator conducting level assessment. If you want to join a course late do bear in mind there might be work you will need to catch up on, particularly in language courses.
Friends and Family Scheme
This course is eligible for the Friends and Family scheme, allowing Imperial College students and staff to share their discount with their friends and family.
Term Dates 2022-2023
Hours | Weeks | Autumn term | Spring term | Summer term |
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40 | 20 | Week commencing 17 October to week ending 17 December 2022 (9 weeks) | Week commencing 9 January to week ending 25 March 2023 (11 weeks) | n/a |
Term 1 and 2 are separated by the Christmas break |
Enrolment Process
Web enrolment starts 1 August 2022. Early bird discounts are available from 1 August to 30 September 2022.
Enrolment and payment run through the Imperial College eStore. When enrolling:
- Do check on the drop down menu above called "Course Fees and Rate Categories" to see if you are eligible for a discounted rate and also do make sure you select that rate when enrolling on the eStore
- If you are a first-time eStore user you will need to create an account before enrolling. You can do this by entering an email address and password. This account can then be used for any future enrolments via the eStore.
When you have enrolled you will be sent the following email notifications:
What is sent | When is it sent | What does it contain | |
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1. Payment confirmation | Is sent straight away following submission of your online application |
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2. Enrolment confirmation | Is usually sent within 10 working days. Please treat your payment confirmation as confirmation that your applicant details and payment have been received |
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3. Programme information | Is usually sent on Friday late afternoon the week before term starts |
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Any Questions?
If you have any questions about the academic content or teaching of these courses please contact our Arabic Language Coordinator, Dr Mashail Ali, mashail.ali@imperial.ac.uk
If you have any questions about your enrolment or payment processes please contact the Programme Administrator, Christian Jacobi, eveningclass@imperial.ac.uk