Sahamamama Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Some friends of ours have had to leave Egypt and are now in the US. While the husband and children speak passable English, the wife has not had the same opportunities to learn English in Egypt. Now she would like to learn, since they hope to be able to stay in the US. Any ideas for learning English as speaker of Egyptian Arabic? Would RS work for her perhaps? :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bayt ul-Hikmah Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 Pimsleur has an English program for Arabic speakers. You can try a sample lesson here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 http://www.amazon.com/Basic-English-Grammar-Student-Answer/dp/0131849379/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1353428118&sr=1-2&keywords=azar+english+grammar Azar's texts are standard for learning english. Community colleges use it in ESL classes. As a mom, she might actually like that structure of getting out and making new friends. I tutored a friend using Azar, and it's a terrific text. However when you're working with a ESL mom, the issue is that she's sitting at home, not USING the english. All the texts in the world won't solve that. She can, and should, get passive language skills by putting on audiobooks, listening to the news, etc. However she really needs ways to get out and use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Also, check in your community for resources for learning English. The local masjid/mosque or Coptic church might have free classes. Community centers also often have free ESL classes. Personally, I'm not a fan of Rosetta Stone. I think it is overpriced and can be difficult to learn from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 If she is in the US, it would be much better for her to learn it "live" in a class or with a tutor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted December 29, 2012 Author Share Posted December 29, 2012 If she is in the US, it would be much better for her to learn it "live" in a class or with a tutor. Hi, Jean -- Yes, she is in the US, about 2 hours away from us. If she lived closer, I would gladly teach her English, in exchange for Middle Eastern food. LOL! :) She called and left a message on the answering machine last week -- partly in Arabic, partly in English, then she laughed at her English. But we could understand what she said, so... We're going up soon to celebrate Coptic Christmas with them, so I'll ask her if she's found anything local that's "live," like you suggest. I agree, tutoring or in-class instruction with a native speaker is better than CDs or books. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 Community colleges around here have classes for new immigrants. Maybe she could check to see if there is something like that in her area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 I second the community college recommendation. TV was an enormous help for me as well. It's best to start with soap operas. They tend to have simple conversational language and those conversations repeat over and over again :) You will be amazed what a year of Days of Our Lives can accomplish for English. Nothing will replace live practice though. I wasn't an Arabic speaker though, but that shouldn't matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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