What are your goals for learning a foreign language, English or Arabic?

Answer 1

Regardless of the language, the goals should be the same: to increase your vocabulary to the point you can communicate easily and understand most of what you hear or read; to improve your pronunciation so that you are easily understood; and to command the unique grammatical structure of a foreign language.

To those ends, I advise that my students do the following religiously:

(1) Vocabulary. Learn new vocabulary every day. Write words on flashcards that you learn in your lessons, reading, or day-to-day life. Make sure you learn the spellings and pronunciation. Use these new words in your daily life.

(2) Grammar. Understand and learn grammar. It may not be the most fun aspect of learning a language, but grammar is essential. Using poor grammar will make it difficult for people to understand you, and people will inevitably look down on you if you mangle the grammar of their language.

(3) Reading Comprehension. If you are at an early stage, begin reading children's stories. Move on to information on a train ticket or advertisement. Later, read easy newspaper articles on simple subjects, like sports or entertainment. Finally, read articles in a learned paper. Read every day! The only way to learn a language is to read--and read regularly.

(4) Pronunciation. The best way to work on pronunciation is with a tutor. But also record yourself and listen. Even if working on your own, you will detect problems with your pronunciation. Work on practicing the correct pronunciation. Record and replay repeatedly to improve.

(5) Oral Understanding. You should watch the news, as well as television shows and movies in the foreign language. Try both with and without subtitles. As you spend more time studying, you should move away from using subtitles. Try to watch without looking at the subtitles, and only glance down if you do not understand a word or words. Make sure to write these new words down and add them to your vocabulary list.

Answer 2

Effective communication is always the goal for learning a language. To determine the specifics for meeting that goal, one needs to determine the specific context for language usage. Are you a traveller who needs the basics to be a happy and successful tourist? Memorize 15-20 phrases and be prepared to use sign language for anything not covered by your phrases. Moving to a new country? Learn the 200-300 words necessary for basic interpersonal communication, then grow over time. Taking a new job in a foreign country? you will need industry specific vocabulary from someone who understands both language acquisition and the target industry. The bottom line is to tailor your language program to meet your specific needs.