At the GAP school, we believe that learning Arabic is a life-long process, which requires a solid foundation in the basics to achieve high levels of fluency later. Our program is designed with serious students of Gulf Arabic in mind, those who are able to commit to 4-5 hours of study a day, plus regular interactions with Arabic speaking friends.
This means that the program starts slowly, and our full-time students spend 2.5 months building foundations before they begin to use verbs. While Semester 1 students may feel frustrated for several weeks in the beginning, our Semester 4 graduates are confident, conversational speakers of Gulf Arabic when they leave our program. They persevered and built their learning on a solid foundation. Because of them, we are confident that our approach works!
Our full-time group classes are the most effective, efficient, affordable way to learn Arabic through to conversational fluency.
Part-Time Options
If full-time study just isn’t possible, we can also work with students to develop a part-time learning option. This could look like enrolling in one or two group classes and taking private lessons on the side. Private lessons are best suited to students who already have some Arabic, or beginners who have 10 hours or more to dedicate to study (3 hours class time, 6 hours on Moodle, plus time to review vocabulary and visit with native speakers). We do not recommend beginners to start our program if they have less than 10 hours a week to give to study, as they will potentially progress at a frustratingly slow pace since there is so much foundational material that must be mastered before real communication is possible. If you are a complete beginner, you could consider taking our Full-time Summer Intensive Program to give you the intensive start you need before switching to private lessons throughout the year.
Can I study with you if I don’t live in the Gulf?
Yes. It is possible to participate in our program from anywhere in the world. However, our program is most effective when students take what they’ve learned in class and practice with their native speaker friends. If you have access to Arabic speakers, in your community or online, you have an ideal environment for Arabic learning. If you don’t, talk to us about your situation and we’ll brainstorm ways to help you have the best chance at language success.