MOOC ‘Arabic Language Communication Kit’: enrolment is now open!

23 October 2025
  • Distance learning

  • Digital education

  • Near East, Middle East and Maghreb

  • Menu Education

Are you a curious tourist? A language enthusiast? A professional preparing for a stay in an Arab country? Are you keen to start learning Arabic on a solid foundation? This MOOC offers you an introduction to both the spoken and written forms of the language common to the entire Arab world – Standard Arabic – and to a dialect spoken in the Middle East and understood throughout the Arab world: the Syro-Lebanese dialect.
À l'intérieur de la Madrasa Bou Inania, Médina de Fès, Maroc
Madrasa Bou Inania, Médina de Fès, Maroc © Ojitos / Freepik‎
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The “Eastern Languages Communication Kit”: Arabic

The course is structured around simple tasks corresponding to Level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). 

By the end of the course, you will be able to greet people in a simple way, introduce yourself (name, address and telephone number, occupation, country of origin, activity), and understand and ask for similar information from the people you are speaking to; to fill in a simple form with your name, address, nationality and personal details; to ask for directions and how to get around, and to use basic polite phrases appropriately; to book a room and place an order in a café or restaurant; and to make a purchase.

The MOOC also emphasises the cultural dimension knowledge of which is essential when establishing contact with a speaker, whilst respecting and understanding their social norms and values.

MOOC teaser

Presentation of the MOOC by the teaching team: Luc Deheuvels, Hanin Albarazi, Abdennour Boutahyri and Marcella Rubino.

Course schedule

  • from 7 September 2026 to 30 November 2026: registration opens for the MOOC on the France Université Numérique platform
  • 5 October 2026 : MOOC content goes live
  • 7 December 2026: end of the MOOC

What you’ll learn

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:

  • introduce yourself;
  • get around;
  • find somewhere to stay;
  • eat out;
  • make a purchase.

You will also learn to read and write Arabic through the training provided on the writing system.

Format

The MOOC lasts ten weeks, comprising one introductory week and five weeks of training, plus an additional four weeks to allow for a more flexible approach, with a daily work programme divided into three parts (Modern Arabic, Syro-Lebanese Arabic, learning the alphabet).

The videos include real-life dialogues and oral and written exercises, whilst quizzes will allow you to check your progress. The forum is always open to you. The support resources provide socio-cultural information, explanations of the linguistic system, and a glossary which you can refer to at any time, containing common terms and expressions.

Assessment and certification

Self-marking exercises are included in the videos. Tests throughout the week allow you to assess your progress and prepare for the final certification exam, should you decide to register for and sit it. This certification can be obtained by successfully passing the assessments in a distance-learning exam. It is recognised by universities (4 European ECTS credits).