Type of course

The course can be taught in-person or online. At 'timetable & registration' you find an overview of our courses.

In a classroom course, the teacher and all students are present in the classroom. To be able to participate online, you are advised to use a headset with microphone.To check that everything is working properly, please use: Quick Tech Check.

It is not possible to switch between courses once the course has started.

Course description

The Arabic 7 course is intended for those who have completed the Arabic 6 course or have a comparable level (B1.2) of Arabic. In this course you will learn Modern Standard Arabic . This is the variant of Arabic that is used in newspapers and books and on radio and television. In this course the topics covered include: talking about sport, expressing your preferences, verbal nouns and participles, talking about free time, months of the year, talking about your plans, talking about travel and tourism, talking about food and cooking, describing quantity and measures, what to say at the shops?, how to reserve a table at a restaurant describing your diet. All skills are covered: speaking, writing, reading and listening. Attention is also paid to the cultural context of the countries in which the language is spoken

After completing this course, participants will be able to create and interpret brief messages or postcards using past and present tenses; describe the directions in writing; pose questions and provide answers about past experiences, daily routines; writing a message of complaint, compare objects; and apply weak verbs in past and present tenses. You'll also be able to deliver a concise presentation about your study or work covering past and present tenses.

The course makes use of the digital learning environment BrightSpace. Within this learning environment you will find the homework and additional learning materials. Course participants are expected to prepare the lessons at home (approximately three hours per lesson).

The course is concluded with a test. A certificate is awarded if the test is completed successfully and the participant has attended 80% of the lessons.

Course material

• Wightwick, J. en Mahmoud Gaafar, Mastering Arabic 2 (second edition, with audio and video ‘free-to-access’ online), unit 4 - 6. ISBN  9781352008500.
• Wightwick, J. en Mahmoud Gaafar, Mastering Arabic 2 Activity Book, second edition, Unit 4 - 6.
   ISBN  9781352008845.

The course book Mastering Arabic 2 consists of 14 chapters and corresponds to a complete level of the CEFR/ERK. The aim of this book is to guide you from level A2 to level B1. The content is divided into multiple courses.

Students continuing from Arabic 6 will continue to use the same book.

The course material is not included in the registration fee. Course participants are required to purchase course materials themselves; well in advance.

Target group and admission requirements

The course is intended for adults with a higher education diploma, including both students and staff members of Leiden University, as well as interested parties who have no connection to Leiden University. The course is open to any person aged 17 or older with a completed secondary school education. Participants who have successfully completed the Arabic 6 course of the Academic Language Centre, or who can prove in some other way that they possess the required entry level can sign up.

Other information

• The maximum number of participants for an online course is 16 and a classroom course is 18.
• The course load is 56 hours. On request a Course load declaration form can be issued. The student should enquire with their department whether course participation can be converted into credits.
• The holiday periods can be found in the Academic Language Centre's academic calendar.
• If classes are cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances, they will be added on to the end of the course. Please take into account courses may end later than scheduled.
• The course level is indicated with the help of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.