One of the most powerful ways we learn is by reading and listening to stories. Stories engage our emotions and help us connect to ideas. We learn the history and values of other cultures. While immersed in a good story, we create pictures in our minds that make it easier to remember the main concepts. Reading Arabic short stories can help you master the language when you decide to learn Arabic online.

How Stories Help You Learn a Language

One of the barriers to learning a new language, such as Arabic is finding the repetitive practice of grammar quite dull. Boredom and anxiety interfere with our ability to learn, literally blocking the new information from being stored in our memory banks. When we are experiencing positive emotion, the information is easily retained. In the brain, it is strengthened by matching with related knowledge. Stories are fun and entertaining. Storytelling is used as an educational tool in many teaching and training environments.

Understanding the Culture Helps Us Learn Arabic

Learning Arabic online effectively goes beyond the memorization of words and grammar. You will learn faster by understanding the culture and traditions. It gives you a context for getting the correct meaning for each new word you learn. Getting involved in the human side of the language is motivating because we can personally relate to it. You may not have the opportunity to travel to places where Arabic is the main language spoken, but you can read and listen to stories. This helps you understand cultural expressions and how people who speak Arabic natively truly communicate. You will also see how the author of the story has created new phrases and applied meanings to those words. Stories give you a richer depth of understanding the language.

Learning Arabic Vocabulary

Why does reading Arabic stories help us memorize the new vocabulary? It is simple – we easily remember something when we can associate it with an experience. For example, khubz is an Arabic word for bread. Pocket (pita) bread is popular in Arab countries. Think about eating your favorite sandwich made with pita bread, how appetizing and fresh it tasted, and how good you felt. Now replace pita bread with khubz. Do this every time you think about eating a delicious sandwich and the Arabic word will become firmly impressed upon your mind. In a story, each word is surrounded by other words that give it context. By creating certain associations with a word, it becomes worthy of remembering.

Arabic Grammar and Syntax

As a child, when you were learning to speak your native language, you did not begin with learning the rules of grammar. You learned to communicate in your language by listening to how others conversed. Through repetition and constant exposure to the language, you were able to repeat it. Arabic grammar and syntax can be learned in the same way through reading stories. This is called learning intuitively. 

Learn Arabic Online With LanguageBird

Connecting language to the arts and culture of a region helps students to develop a deeper understanding and ultimately perform better in their studies. Our Arabic language instructors are fluent speakers with a rich knowledge of the culture and traditions. Download our free ebook below to learn more about how LanguageBird can help students learn Arabic online.