The Arabic language is spoken by more than 220 million people. It is used widely across the Middle East and some countries in Africa. Learning the advanced written and spoken forms of this language can be difficult, requiring years of schooling. But if you are planning travel to an Arabic region, you can learn the fundamentals for conversation and simple reading by utilizing a few basic resources.

Learn the basics of Arabic letters and word forms by looking at online alphabet keys like the one found at SearchTruth.com (see Resources below). This will be useful for reading street signs, store signs and important printed phrases.

Study basic spoken Arabic using free website tutorials like the one at Arabion.net (see Resources). The site's introduction teaches basic phrases; it also provides continuing lessons found by clicking on the "Start the Arabic Tutorial Now" link at the bottom of the page.

Read the first few chapters or lessons in an Arabic language textbook to augment your basic skills. Free Arabic textbooks underwritten by the Madinah Islamic University with an associated English key can be found at Kalamullah.com (see Resources). The site also features free streaming videos to complement the books.

Consider interactive learning software if you find it hard to learn with the traditional textual resources mentioned in Steps 1 through 3. Rosetta Stone offers comprehensive software, with the first course package designed to help you learn "fundamental Arabic vocabulary and essential language structure," useful for "greetings and introductions, simple questions and answers, shopping and much more."