Voice of Arabic Network
Search

Programmes and resources for teaching Arabic

Textbooks for learning Arabic

Published textbook series and single textbooks for teaching Modern Standard Arabic to non-native speakers, from Saudi Arabia and beyond. Each entry gives the publisher, editions, levels, audience, language of instruction, components, and published evaluation studies.

A listing and description only, not a judgement of quality: we give the facts and do not rate the books; the studies cited are their authors' views. What we could not confirm is marked "not known".

Showing 13 of 53 Clear filters

Adults and universities11

Adults · 3 books of 23

Arabic Course for English-Speaking Students (the Madinah Books)

دروس اللغة العربيّة لغير الناطقين بها · Dr V. Abdur Rahim, Islamic University of Madinah · Saudi Arabia

  • Editions: Many printings, including a British edition since 2007
  • Levels: 3 books of 23, 31 and 34 lessons
  • Language of instruction: Arabic, with an English key
  • Components: The three books and a three-volume key with explanations and answers

Organised by grammar topics. No purchase link is given, as not all of its many printings are licensed.

Studies about it (1)
For sale Secondary source
Adults

Arabic: A Bridge to Islamic Culture

العربيّة جسرٌ للثقافة الإسلاميّة · Dr Mamdouh Nour al-Din Muhammad, Dar al-Andalus al-Khadra, Jeddah · Saudi Arabia

  • Editions: 2003
  • Levels: 4 books of 10 lessons each
  • Language of instruction: Arabic, with English vocabulary lists in the first two books
  • Components: Student books, teacher's guide and tapes

Its texts are Islamic; it belongs to Arabic for specific purposes.

Availability not known Secondary source
University students · 4 books

Al-Kitaab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya

الكتاب في تعلّم العربيّة · Georgetown University Press · United States

Built on Modern Standard Arabic, but the third edition's video dialogues also use Egyptian and Levantine Arabic.

  • Editions: From 1995; third edition 2011–2014
  • Levels: 4 books: Alif Baa, then parts 1–3, beginner to advanced
  • Language of instruction: English
  • Components: Student book, answer key, audio and video, and a paid online platform
Studies about it (2)
  • Awad, M. (2005), review of the second edition, LINGUIST List (review)
  • Coffin, E. (2006), review of Part One (2nd ed.), MESA Bulletin (review)
For sale From the publisher Publisher's page
University students · Two volumes

Ahlan wa Sahlan: Functional Modern Standard Arabic

أهلًا وسهلًا · Yale University Press · United States

  • Editions: Third edition 2021
  • Levels: Two volumes: beginners and intermediate
  • Language of instruction: English, then Arabic only from lesson ten
  • Components: Letters-and-sounds book, student book, audio and video, and a teacher's edition
For sale From the publisher Publisher's page
University students

Arabic for Life: A Textbook for Beginning Arabic

العربيّة للحياة (ييل) · Bassam Frangieh, Yale University Press · United States

  • Editions: 2011
  • Levels: One volume for beginners, reaching early intermediate
  • Language of instruction: English
  • Components: The book, with more than 80 videos and 100 audio files
For sale From the publisher Publisher's page
General · Two volumes

Mastering Arabic

إتقان العربيّة · Jane Wightwick and Mahmoud Gaafar, Bloomsbury · United Kingdom

  • Editions: Fourth edition 2024
  • Levels: Two volumes (beginner and intermediate), plus a grammar book and a workbook
  • Language of instruction: English
  • Components: A full-colour book with free online audio and video
For sale Secondary source
University students · Elementary

Elementary and Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic

العربيّة الفصحى المعاصرة (سلسلة ميشيغان) · Peter Abboud et al., University of Michigan, later Cambridge University Press · United States and United Kingdom

  • Editions: From 1971; an advanced volume in 2023
  • Levels: Elementary (two volumes), intermediate and advanced
  • Language of instruction: English
  • Components: Student books and audio recordings
For sale Secondary source Publisher's page
Adults · 6 books

Lughatuna al-Fusha: A New Course in Modern Standard Arabic

لغتنا الفصحى · Samia Louis, AUC Press · Egypt

  • Editions: 2010–2015
  • Levels: 6 books, beginner to advanced
  • Language of instruction: English
  • Components: Student book and interactive online exercises
For sale Secondary source
University students · Two parts

Lehrbuch des modernen Arabisch / Standard Arabic

كتاب العربيّة الحديثة (كرال ورويشل وشولتس) · Günther Krahl, Wolfgang Reuschel and Eckehard Schulz · Germany

  • Editions: From 1976; English edition by Cambridge, 2000
  • Levels: Two parts
  • Language of instruction: German, and English in the Cambridge edition
  • Components: Student book and keys
For sale Secondary source
Adults · 3 booklets

Speak Arabic

هيّا نتكلّم العربيّة · Mahmoud Ismail Saleh, Nasif Mustafa Abdulaziz and Mukhtar al-Tahir Hussein, Maktabat al-Tawbah, Riyadh · Saudi Arabia

  • Editions: First a radio series on Riyadh's English service, then booklets
  • Levels: 3 booklets, 48 lessons
  • Language of instruction: Arabic and English: each dialogue with its translation
  • Components: Dialogues and vocabulary lists

From the author's own guide to Arabic teaching series.

Availability not known From the publisher
University students · Two parts

Yallā: A Textbook of Modern Standard Arabic

يلّا (Yallā) · Shukri Gohar and David Nanskivell (McGill University), Cambridge University Press · Canada and United Kingdom

  • Editions: 2023
  • Levels: Two parts: beginner to upper intermediate
  • Language of instruction: English
For sale From the publisher Publisher's page

Children and teenagers2

Children · 13 stages in 52 books

Learn Arabic (Manahej)

تعلّم العربيّة · Manahej International, Riyadh · Saudi Arabia

  • Editions: 2007
  • Levels: 13 stages in 52 books
  • Language of instruction: English
  • Components: Pupil's, activity and teacher's books, audio CDs and stories

For English-speaking Muslim children and teenagers.

Availability not known Secondary source
Children · 7 graded books

Gateway to Arabic

بوّابة العربيّة · Imran Hamza Alawiye, Anglo-Arabic Graphics · United Kingdom

  • Editions: From about 2002
  • Levels: 7 graded books, extension books and a handwriting book
  • Language of instruction: English
  • Components: Student book, answer book and audio CDs

Mainly for children and teenagers and for Islamic schools in the West.

For sale Secondary source

A listing and description, not a judgement of quality. Inclusion rule: an identifiable publisher, a published series or single book, and Modern Standard Arabic. We link only to official pages; a book without one is listed without a link. Most details of the Saudi series come from the 2020 guide to Arabic teaching series published by the King Abdullah International Center for the Arabic Language.