Among the questions we get asked most frequently at Kaleela are questions like: “Is 1,000 words enough to speak a language?”. Also “How many foreign words can you learn in a day to speak fluently?”. If we gave you an answer, you’d probably ask surprisingly, “It takes how many vocabulary words to be fluent in Arabic?”. The truth is, however, because everybody has a different learning style and different reasons and end goals when it comes to learning Arabic, there is no real answer to the question of exactly how many words you personally need to know to use Arabic fluently. All we can do is offer you advice when answering these questions.


So, what does it take to learn Arabic fluently?


Our advice is to start in the order of learning a language – any language, including Arabic. That is by starting with both the basics and the core of Arabic. Many people might view both the basics and the core as the same, but they are, in fact, two very different components of language.


When you start learning Arabic, of course you will start with the basics, but will the basics be enough in order for you to know how to learn a language fluently? Well, here’s something awesome to think about: If you want to take a shortcut to fluency, don’t worry about the basics of Arabic – rather go straight to the core of the language. Here’s why:

The Arabic Basics


So what are the basics of Arabic? Colors, seasons, numbers, furniture and practically all the nouns, and the few hundred verbs that you learned in your first two years of studying Arabic pretty much give you the basics of Arabic. This means that you’ve probably learned thousands of words that you’ll never actually use in any of your everyday conversations. We mean, hey, it’s great that you know that the word for “igloo” in Arabic is المبني القبني / almabnii alqabniu, but we doubt that is ever going to come up in conversation while riding camelback on a tour of the desert outside of Marrakech.

The Arabic Core


On the other hand, it’s the everyday words that make up the core of the Arabic language. And these are words you can use in real situations including everything from simply asking for directions to knowing how to order some of the most delicious food you’ll ever eat at a fancy restaurant in Beirut.

The Arabic Basics vs. The Arabic Core


Instead of the questions mentioned at the beginning of this article, what you really should be asking is: “Do I want to spend years learning thousands of useless words or do I want to speak a foreign language in my first 45 minutes of learning?


If you start with the basics of Arabic, sure, you’ll be able to understand a lot of the words that you’re hearing, but unfortunately, you’re probably still not going to be able to put together useful phrases until you’ve been studying Arabic for a long time. However, the solution is to start learning the Arabic you need for the given situation you want to learn it. For example, if you’re learning Arabic for business, focus on learning useful words and phrases that are used in real life business situations in the Middle East. Do the same if you’re just learning Arabic to travel about the Arabic speaking countries of the Middle East. This applies not only to business and tourism, but also to dining, shopping, and anything else you might be doing in an Arabic speaking countries.


This is also time-saving as it takes more time to learn a bunch of words by heart, many of which you’ll never use, than the time it takes to learn how to speak Arabic using words and phrases in a real conversation. Some people have spent weeks or months the basics of Arabic and still cannot form a basic conversational sentence on their own. However, you can learn how to have a conversation in just 45 minutes by learning the core of the Arabic language.

Learn Arabic When It’s Convenient For You


With the Kaleela Arabic learning app, you can learn Arabic whenever and wherever you want. No hassle of trying to find time to fit an Arabic class into your busy schedule. Learn at home, during your lunch break, or on the bus ride back and forth to work. It’s up to you. And because the Kaleela app lets you learn at your own pace, teaching you the core of the Arabic language, it’s the best way to learn Arabic today. Find out how you can start learning Arabic right now for just a few minutes a day – from Google Play and kaleela.com.



Kaleela – Learn Arabic the Right Way!

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