Frequently asked questions(FAQ)
We are often asked how ‘Manarat’ should be pronounced. The correct pronunciation is:
“منارة”
The name Manarat Alofoq originates from Levantine Arabic and means ‘Lighthouse.’
The quality is largely determined by our language trainers. As a result, we only employ trainers who are capable of delivering training of a very high standard. All of our trainers are native speakers, well-educated and speak one or more foreign languages. Furthermore, they have extremely diverse backgrounds with knowledge of numerous professional areas and sectors so they can be effective conversation partners for our course members. When they start work here, they receive four weeks of internal training; after that we provide them with ongoing training.
Yes, Manarat Alofoq is situated in a modern building with fully up-to-date conveniences. The right atmosphere and environment was a special point of attention when the building was designed. It is spacious and peaceful so you can fully focus on your course. The building is located in the same spot.
The way to best learn Arabic language can vary from person to person. Still, two things are equally important to everyone:
- Actively learning the language
- Staying motivated
Actively learning the language
Be sure to surround yourself with the language as much as possible while you’re learning it. Communicate with native speakers, listen to podcasts in the language, watch films or cook using a recipe written in the language. That way, all your senses are engaged, and you’ll learn the language in a more intuitive way.
When you learned arabic language in school, the emphasis was often on memorising words and learning grammar from books. The disadvantage of this is that you have to think long and hard about how to use all those rules. By working with the language a lot, you subconsciously learn the grammar, the same way children learn their mother tongue.
First, learn to communicate in the language—perfection can follow later if you really need it. And remember this one crucial thing: It’s completely okay to make mistakes!
Individual training is the most effective way to learn a language. In this way, a trainer can shape everything entirely to your skill levels, goals and interests.
Staying motivated
Learning a language is a complex task for your brain. As with many new, complicated things you want to learn, it can be difficult to push on and achieve your goal.
If you’re looking to learn a language, the following tips will help keep you motivated:
- Think about your reason for learning the language in advance. Maybe you think it’s better to learn business German, but in fact, you find it even more important to build a good relationship with some of your German colleagues. If you’re aware of this, it’s easier to hang in there.
- Know what you want to be able to do in the new language and break it up into several smaller goals. That way, you’ll know when you’ll be satisfied with the results. You can go on learning a language endlessly. If your final goal is a very distant dot way out on the horizon, you’re more likely to quit somewhere along the way.
- Learn a language that you find interesting, and fits into your world, daily work and situation.
- Learn from others. They can help you, correct you and, above all, compliment you.
In theory, there is no difference. In both cases, we create a personalised programme for you, and you have private lessons with a number of trainers.
In practice, however, our students do notice some subtle differences:
- The institute is quieter at weekends, so students get to know each other a bit more easily between lessons.
- On working days, students are still distracted by things such as calls related to work, while at weekends, they are able to focus even more on learning.
- On Friday and Saturday evenings, every student has a language table with a trainer. On working days, this varies per language.
You can see whether you have properly completed the assessment and whether we have correctly received your personal information by viewing your personal profile on My Manarat Alofoq
The language trainer will discuss the results of the assessment with you at your personal intake appointment. The trainer will also carry out the intake in the language you wish to learn in order to get a good impression of your speaking skills.
How long it takes to speak a foreign language depends on several factors:
- The desired level
- Your starting situation
- The language you want to learn
- The number of hours you put into it
- The effectiveness of the method
The level you want to reach
If you want to be able to speak fluently about all kinds of subjects so that no one can distinguish you from a native speaker, it takes loads of time. Years. It’s different when you mainly want to be able to do everyday things in a foreign language such as shopping, talking to your neighbours and reading the newspaper. You learn that faster.
As a beginner, you learn new things fairly quickly and soon notice that you can have short conversations in the new language. The more advanced you become, the more time it takes to reach a higher level, simply because your language skills are becoming richer and richer.
Ask yourself what you want to be able to do and in what kinds of situations, and then you can work towards your goals.
Your starting situation
How much experience you have with language learning also determines how quickly you can pick up a language. If you’ve learned a foreign language before, you know how to tackle things. In addition, your current skill levels in a language play a role in how big a step you have to take to get to the level you want to reach. For example, suppose you want to be able to give a good presentation in German. In that case, you’ll have the right level faster if you can already participate in a simple German conversation than if you don’t speak a word of German yet.
The language you want to learn
You learn languages related to your mother tongue faster than those that are quite different from your mother tongue. For Westerners, it’s easier to learn Germanic or Romanesque languages such as German, French and Spanish. The more similarities between the languages there are, the faster the learning process goes. For example, Germans generally learn Dutch more easily than Americans do, and Italians speak Spanish faster than Germans.
Languages like Russian, Arabic and Chinese are a bit more complicated, but with the right guidance, you can get off to a flying start.
The number of hours you put into it
Some institutes have calculated how many hours you need to learn a language before you can speak it. It’s too simplistic to attribute it entirely to the number of hours spent studying, but it is logical to assume that with one hour of study a day, you will speak a language faster than with a half an hour of study a day.
The effectiveness of the method
The way you learn can be very decisive when it comes to making significant steps forward or not at all. We know from experience that the most effective way to learn a language has the following characteristics:
- Individually
- Focused on your situation
- Focused on your levels
- Focused on your goals
- With the right intensity: make sure you get into a flow that keeps you learning
B1 is one of the levels listed in the Common Middle-East Framework of Reference for Languages. This level means you can use the language independently.
You have a B1 level if you recognize yourself in the ‘I can’ statements below:
- I can have conversations on everyday topics.
- I can be clearly understood.
- In general, I can understand my interlocutor well. He or she does not need to adjust his or her natural speaking tempo.
- When I come across words I don’t know, I can often understand from the context what the meaning of the word is.
- When I can’t come up with a word, I can describe it so the other person can understand me anyhow.
- I am aware of the most important cultural differences.
- I can write simple, understandable texts.
If you would like to follow a presentation training course, a job interview training course or a training course in writing skills at Manarat Alofoq, you need at least a B1 level.
If you do not yet have a B1 level and would like to prepare for a presentation or a job interview, we would, of course, also be happy to help you. We would be pleased to advise you on a more in-depth training course in which you work across the board to improve your language skills and zoom in on presenting or interviewing in the language. Please contact us >
You can learn a foreign language at any age. As an adult, you can learn foreign languages even faster than you learned your mother tongue as a child!
You learn foreign languages in a different way than you did your mother tongue:
- You already understand the meaning of words and only need to learn new words for them. Think of the difference between explaining to a 4-year-old what a mortgage is and just needing to know that the Dutch word for ‘mortgage’ is ‘hypotheek’.
- As an adult, you can easily make connections and associations, which makes it easier to remember new words.
- You already understand how your own grammar works, which will help you understand another language’s grammar.
- Children have a simple vocabulary. For adults, the starting point is much further ahead.
We can learn two things from children in this area:
- It’s okay to make mistakes. The most important thing is to speak.
- It’s best to learn intuitively and derive the rules from using the language instead of memorising rules and words by heart.
There are several advantages to learning a foreign language as an adult:
- It’s great for your brain! When you learn something new, you keep your brain active. Because language is stored all over the brain, it’s extra healthy for you. Studies have shown that people who speak several languages are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s.
- Speaking multiple languages is a career-booster—it makes you more attractive to employers. Most companies have numerous international contacts and actively look for employees who can speak multiple languages.
- Speaking a language makes it easier to connect with people who speak that language. This is an advantage when it comes to things like going on holiday, especially if you like getting off the beaten path.
Adults of all ages at Manarat Alofoq
At Manarat Alofoq, we teach arabic language to adults of all ages. How easily someone learns a language depends not so much on age but more on other factors. If you have any doubts, we can give you sound advice on how best to learn arabic language. Feel free to contact us.
Enormous progress can be made in one week. When beginning to learn a language, a course member’s Common Middle-East Framework level generally increases one level after a week. The higher your level, the longer you would need to study to reach the next level. At your personal intake, the language trainer will give you as realistic as possible an idea of what to expect in terms of results.
Language Institute Manarat Alofoq provides you with a suitable programme based on your intake interview. You will receive a detailed proposal for your language training within a few of days of your intake interview. You can consult with the Administration alos.
An intensive individual language course is always a good start for your language journey.
If you want a solid advice, you can ask for an intake prior to your booking. During an intake the trainer estimates the number of training days you will need to achieve your aims.