England

Please tell us where you live so that we can provide you with the most relevant information as you use this website.
If you are at a BFPO address please choose the country or region in which you would ordinarily be resident.
Accessibility statement
An image to illustrate Beginners' Arabic language and culture short course
In this online Arabic course, you’ll learn the essentials of reading, writing, speaking, and listening in a language of profound global importance. Spoken by millions worldwide, Arabic opens doors to exciting career opportunities and deepens understanding of rich cultural heritage. Through engaging activities and native speaker recordings, you'll learn to communicate about daily life, work, and travel while gaining insights into the vibrant history of the Arab world. On completion, you’ll receive a digital badge, which can be shared on social media and added to email signatures.
This five-unit course builds on the short course Introduction to Arabic language and culture (LGXA001) to take your learning further.
You’ll continue to learn basic Arabic in terms of grammar, the writing system, pronunciation and how to use common set phrases appropriately to enable you to speak and write about everyday topics. Each unit consists of a variety of online activities and audio recordings by native Arabic speakers, as well as a dedicated culture session to further deepen your understanding and insight into the history, traditions and way of life in the Arab world.
This online Arabic short course covers a range of topics, including:
After completing this Arabic language course, you will be able to:
This course will help you achieve a language proficiency equivalent to level A1 of the Council of Europe Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
Expert, confidential learner support is available from a learning adviser who will respond to you directly. Other support is available via the course forum, dedicated website, and computing helpdesk.
The course comprises five units, each expected to take about four to five hours to study a week to complete. In total, you’ll need around 25 hours to complete the course.
You can begin at any time during the life of the course and study at your own pace. The course will be open to you for a period of between 6 and 18 months, depending on your course registration date, and you will be advised of the specific time limitations upon enrolment.
All learning materials, exercises, study support and activity are delivered entirely online.
You will need to download an Arabic text font for some of the activities and quizzes.
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations, which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
There are no entry requirements; however, it is advised to complete Introduction to Arabic language and culture (LGXA001) to better understand Arabic before starting this course.
The free OpenLearn course Introduction to Arabic also provides a technical introduction to the Arabic alphabet and writing system.
The course is delivered online and uses a variety of online resources. If you use specialist hardware or software to assist you in using a computer or the internet, you are advised to contact us about the support that can be provided to meet your needs.
The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying LGXA002 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.
StartEngland fee
At anytime before 31/07/2026£99
We accept American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Visa Electron.
If this course is geared towards your job or developing your career, you could ask your employer to sponsor you by paying some or all of the fees. Your sponsor just needs to complete a simple form to confirm how much they will be paying and we will invoice them.
The fee information provided here is valid for short courses starting in the 2026/27 academic year. Fees typically increase annually. For further information about the University's fee policy, visit our Fee Rules.
You can start this course anytime.
You can start this course anytime.
Level info