Arabic

Step into the fascinating world of the Arabic language and culture. With attention to the Arab world’s social, historical and political richness, you’ll learn Modern Standard Arabic and explore regional dialects through authentic cultural contexts. 

  View course offer


Course formats and levels

Our Arabic beginner courses are group courses that are held on location. Our intermediate courses are one-on-one courses that take place online.

Group courses (A1 - A2)

You learn Modern Standard Arabic (the formal language used in newspapers, books, and official settings). You will get exposed to the dialects through the cultural context during each class. The course not only focuses on speaking and listening skills. Additional work on grammar, as well as reading and writing skills, will support you in the language-learning process. Your teacher is a native speaker and the group lesson will be conducted in Arabic as much as possible. Instructions will only be given in Dutch or English if it’s absolutely necessary. 

Online one-on-one courses (B1minus - B2)

This program spans 8 dynamic modules, blending interactive sessions with your dedicated teacher and independent study, in which you enhance your skills with effective online tools at your own tempo. 

Click here to review the CEFR levels.

Fast facts

  • From beginner to intermediate level
  • English CEFR level B1 is a requirement
  • Start in February and September
  • Certificate upon successful completion of course
Group courses
  • levels A1 and A2
  • 14 sessions of 2 hours on campus
  • Group size: 12-14 students
  • 4 hours of independent study preparation per lesson
One-on-one online courses
  • levels B1minus, B1plus and B2
  • 8 sessions, 30 minutes each
  • One-on-one: practice speaking directly with your teacher
  • Entirely online: web-based and interactive
  • Focus on speaking and listening skills for real-world communication
  • 10 hours of independent study per session


I expected to feel a bit uncomfortable at first, especially with the online education and it being a language I have no previous experience with. My teacher made me feel very comfortable right away and encouraged everybody to get the most out of ourselves. This made the classes very enjoyable.

Yorick Zuidema • Student Global Studies

Pricing 

  • UM students: €475
  • UM employees, UM alumni & MUMC+ employees: €475
  • All other participants: €605

The course materials are not included in the course fee. 

​ View course offer

Course level check

If you have no prior knowledge of Arabic, you can simply register for Arabic A1. 

If you would like to take any of the other levels, you must first successfully complete the previous level or demonstrate a comparable level of Arabic. Otherwise, you can make an appointment for a course level check.

Course level checks take place by appointment on Monday and Wednesday afternoon. Please send an email to Mohammad Khalaf and indicate which course level you wish to follow, your current level and propose several available dates and times. He will get in touch to advise the correct course. If needed an online meeting will be scheduled. The outcome of the course level check is final (cannot be discussed). If necessary, we will change your registration accordingly. 

Learn more

During these wonderful courses we were introduced to all the beautiful and mystical facets of the Arabic language and culture. The Arabic courses were an enriching journey into the Arabic world. I warmly recommend participating in these courses accompanied and guided by the teacher's infinite optimism and sense of humor.

Marie-Louise Jansen • Master student at the faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience

Certificate and ECTS credits

After successfully completing a course, you will receive a digital certificate by email. To be eligible for a certificate, you must attend at least 12 of the 14 lessons, be present at the final exam and have satisfactory results. One course is worth 3 ECTS credits. Whether these credits are acknowledged depends on your faculty. Please consult with your faculty or home university if these credits will be accepted as part of your programme. 

Our Arabic courses

NB As this course starts in February and September, registration opens in respectively December and July. For more info on our annual course schedule, click here.


This is a group course that takes place on campus.

Arabic A1

Arabic A1 is for people with no prior knowledge of Arabic. 


Once you have completed this module, you will be able to:

  • greet people as well as introduce yourself and others;
  • ask for and provide personal details;
  • learn to read and write in Arabic;
  • talk about your family;
  • talk about professions and places;
  • ask for and give directions;
  • describe objects and positions;
  • describe your home, your room and your city.

 

Course material: 

  • Wightwick, J. en Mahmoud Gaafar, Mastering Arabic 1, (third edition, with audio and video ‘free-to-access’ online) ISBN 9781137380449
  • Wightwick, J. en Mahmoud Gaafar, Mastering Arabic 1 Activity Book, Second Edition. ISBN 9780781813396 or ISBN 9781137372260. 

The course material is not included in the course fee

Your Dynamic Snippet will be displayed here... This message is displayed because you did not provided both a filter and a template to use.

This is a group course that takes place on campus.

Arabic A2

Arabic A2 is for people with basic knowledge of Arabic and for people who have completed Arabic A1. An intake is necessary when you have not followed course 1. In this course, you will increase your vocabulary and broaden your understanding of Arabic grammar. Once you have completed this module, you will be able to:

  • conduct simple discussions in the past and present about daily activities such as work, study, pastime, shopping, travel and health;
  • talk about nationalities and geography;
  • express what you have and miss;
  • indicate your favourite food and construct preferences in general;
  • use numbers and talk about quantities;
  • place orders in shops and talk about food and drink items;
  • use plural forms and colours;
  • Arabic expressions.

 

Course materials:

  • Wightwick, J. en Mahmoud Gaafar, Mastering Arabic 1 (third edition, with audio and video ‘free-to-access’ online), ISBN  9781137380449.
  • Wightwick, J. en Mahmoud Gaafar, Mastering Arabic 1 Activity Book, Second Edition, ISBN 9780781813396 or ISBN 9781137372260.  

The course material is not included in the course fee

Your Dynamic Snippet will be displayed here... This message is displayed because you did not provided both a filter and a template to use.

This is an online one-on-one course.

Arabic B1minus

Arabic B1minus is for people who have completed at least two Arabic courses and who are able to express themselves in most common, everyday situations. An intake is necessary when you have not followed Arabic A2. Once you have completed this module, you will be able to:

  • deal with most of the situations that may arise during conversations with native speakers
  • produce text on topics of familiar or personal interest
  • describe experiences and events, dreams, expectations, and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans
  • describe places and situations; talk about the weather
  • talk about future events and projects and give advice
  • express yourself in all kinds of areas, for example when it comes to taste, preferences, colours, shapes, sizes, clothing, art (objects), different media, and the educational system
  • apply various forms of negations to generate conversations easily
  • Arabic expression
  • one-on-one, so a lot of personal attention

 

Course material:

  • Wightwick, J. en Mahmoud Gaafar, Mastering Arabic 1 (third edition, with audio and video ‘free-to-access’ online), ISBN  9781137380449.
  • Wightwick, J. en Mahmoud Gaafar, Mastering Arabic 1 Activity Book, Second Edition, ISBN 9780781813396 or ISBN 9781137372260.  

The course material is not included in the course fee

Your Dynamic Snippet will be displayed here... This message is displayed because you did not provided both a filter and a template to use.

This is an online one-on-one course.

Arabic B1plus

Arabic B1plus is for people who have completed at least three Arabic courses and who are able to express themselves in most common, everyday situations. An intake is necessary when you have not followed Arabic B1minus. Once you have completed this module, you will be able to:

  • Understand and discuss the important points in familiar topics
  • Understand the main ideas of texts such as Aljazeera and BBC Arabic, whether they deal with tangible or abstract topics, including discussions on the subject
  • Communicate with a degree of spontaneity and fluency that makes the interaction with native speakers mutually beneficial
  • Produce detailed texts on a wide range of topics, explaining your point of view and discussing the pros and cons of the topic under discussion
  • Generate conversations about different experiences, education, travel and tourism
  • Ask for and give advice
  • Argue, give reasons, and defend your opinions
  • one-on-one, so a lot of personal attention


Course material:

  • Wightwick, J. en Mahmoud Gaafar, Mastering Arabic 2 (second edition, with audio and video ‘free-to-access’ online), ISBN  9781352008500
  • Wightwick, J. en Mahmoud Gaafar, Mastering Arabic 2 Activity Book, Second Edition,  ISBN  9781352008845. The course material is not included in the course fee

Your Dynamic Snippet will be displayed here... This message is displayed because you did not provided both a filter and a template to use.

This is an online one-on-one course.

Arabic B2

This course is for people with a fairly high level of Arabic. Meaning you are able to make yourself understood in common everyday situations even though you might not have all the necessary vocabulary. 


In this module, you will improve your ability to debate and present certain topics and you will learn to:

  • improve your speaking skills and practice real-life Arabic
  • summarise and paraphrase information
  • report what others have said
  • understand the main ideas behind a complex text, TV programs (articulated at normal speed), and newspaper articles
  • produce and explain the viewpoint about the advantages and disadvantages of different topical issues
  • communicate and interact with a great extent of spontaneity with native speakers
  • apply a wide range and variety of linguistic resources to develop debatable and argumentative conversations
  • one-on-one, so a lot of personal attention


The course material is compiled by the teacher, and it contains excerpts from novels, literary texts, TV films & programs, and real newspaper articles. Moreover, there will be more audio transcripts and recordings available to help the students.

Your Dynamic Snippet will be displayed here... This message is displayed because you did not provided both a filter and a template to use.

This is a one-on-one course that takes place online.

Russian A2plus is suitable for people with basic knowledge of Russian (A2-level). Registering for this course is only possible when you have passed the previous course or had an intake with the teacher. This program spans 8 dynamic modules, blending interactive sessions with your dedicated teacher and independent study.

 

After completing the third module, you will be able to:

  • engage in conversations about daily activities and interests;
  • talk about holidays and traditions in different countries;
  • talk about clothes and get around in the shops;
  • discuss the weather;
  • talk about families and relationships;
  • ask the way and give directions;
  • tell how you spent holidays, discuss travel plans;
  • talk about the future, short- and long-term plans;
  • engage in a discussion, express your point of view, agree or disagree with others.

 

Course material

Your Dynamic Snippet will be displayed here... This message is displayed because you did not provided both a filter and a template to use.

This is a one-on-one course that takes place online.

Russian A2plus is suitable for people with basic knowledge of Russian (A2-level). Registering for this course is only possible when you have passed the previous course or had an intake with the teacher. This program spans 8 dynamic modules, blending interactive sessions with your dedicated teacher and independent study.

 

After completing the third module, you will be able to:

  • engage in conversations about daily activities and interests;
  • talk about holidays and traditions in different countries;
  • talk about clothes and get around in the shops;
  • discuss the weather;
  • talk about families and relationships;
  • ask the way and give directions;
  • tell how you spent holidays, discuss travel plans;
  • talk about the future, short- and long-term plans;
  • engage in a discussion, express your point of view, agree or disagree with others.

 

Course material

Your Dynamic Snippet will be displayed here... This message is displayed because you did not provided both a filter and a template to use.

This is a one-on-one course that takes place online.

Russian A2plus is suitable for people with basic knowledge of Russian (A2-level). Registering for this course is only possible when you have passed the previous course or had an intake with the teacher. This program spans 8 dynamic modules, blending interactive sessions with your dedicated teacher and independent study.

 

After completing the third module, you will be able to:

  • engage in conversations about daily activities and interests;
  • talk about holidays and traditions in different countries;
  • talk about clothes and get around in the shops;
  • discuss the weather;
  • talk about families and relationships;
  • ask the way and give directions;
  • tell how you spent holidays, discuss travel plans;
  • talk about the future, short- and long-term plans;
  • engage in a discussion, express your point of view, agree or disagree with others.

 

Course material

Your Dynamic Snippet will be displayed here... This message is displayed because you did not provided both a filter and a template to use.

This is a one-on-one course that takes place online.

Russian A2plus is suitable for people with basic knowledge of Russian (A2-level). Registering for this course is only possible when you have passed the previous course or had an intake with the teacher. This program spans 8 dynamic modules, blending interactive sessions with your dedicated teacher and independent study.

 

After completing the third module, you will be able to:

  • engage in conversations about daily activities and interests;
  • talk about holidays and traditions in different countries;
  • talk about clothes and get around in the shops;
  • discuss the weather;
  • talk about families and relationships;
  • ask the way and give directions;
  • tell how you spent holidays, discuss travel plans;
  • talk about the future, short- and long-term plans;
  • engage in a discussion, express your point of view, agree or disagree with others.

 

Course material

Your Dynamic Snippet will be displayed here... This message is displayed because you did not provided both a filter and a template to use.

This is a one-on-one course that takes place online.

Russian A2plus is suitable for people with basic knowledge of Russian (A2-level). Registering for this course is only possible when you have passed the previous course or had an intake with the teacher. This program spans 8 dynamic modules, blending interactive sessions with your dedicated teacher and independent study.

 

After completing the third module, you will be able to:

  • engage in conversations about daily activities and interests;
  • talk about holidays and traditions in different countries;
  • talk about clothes and get around in the shops;
  • discuss the weather;
  • talk about families and relationships;
  • ask the way and give directions;
  • tell how you spent holidays, discuss travel plans;
  • talk about the future, short- and long-term plans;
  • engage in a discussion, express your point of view, agree or disagree with others.

 

Course material

Your Dynamic Snippet will be displayed here... This message is displayed because you did not provided both a filter and a template to use.

This is a one-on-one course that takes place online.

Russian A2plus is suitable for people with basic knowledge of Russian (A2-level). Registering for this course is only possible when you have passed the previous course or had an intake with the teacher. This program spans 8 dynamic modules, blending interactive sessions with your dedicated teacher and independent study.

 

After completing the third module, you will be able to:

  • engage in conversations about daily activities and interests;
  • talk about holidays and traditions in different countries;
  • talk about clothes and get around in the shops;
  • discuss the weather;
  • talk about families and relationships;
  • ask the way and give directions;
  • tell how you spent holidays, discuss travel plans;
  • talk about the future, short- and long-term plans;
  • engage in a discussion, express your point of view, agree or disagree with others.

 

Course material

Your Dynamic Snippet will be displayed here... This message is displayed because you did not provided both a filter and a template to use.

This is a one-on-one course that takes place online.

Russian A2plus is suitable for people with basic knowledge of Russian (A2-level). Registering for this course is only possible when you have passed the previous course or had an intake with the teacher. This program spans 8 dynamic modules, blending interactive sessions with your dedicated teacher and independent study.

 

After completing the third module, you will be able to:

  • engage in conversations about daily activities and interests;
  • talk about holidays and traditions in different countries;
  • talk about clothes and get around in the shops;
  • discuss the weather;
  • talk about families and relationships;
  • ask the way and give directions;
  • tell how you spent holidays, discuss travel plans;
  • talk about the future, short- and long-term plans;
  • engage in a discussion, express your point of view, agree or disagree with others.

 

Course material

Your Dynamic Snippet will be displayed here... This message is displayed because you did not provided both a filter and a template to use.

After this course you'll be able to:

  • ​

Course materials:

Our current course offer

Your Dynamic Snippet will be displayed here... This message is displayed because you did not provided both a filter and a template to use.