Talk to the Locals:
My advice to students studying Arabic in Jordan is to interact with the people as much as possible. It is natural to tend to stay with your classmates and fellow English-speakers, but it's also limiting.
Always Speak Arabic First:
Many Jordanians speak English to one degree or another. This makes it tempting to start conversations off right away speaking English. In order to push yourself, I recommend always trying to communicate in Arabic first. If the person you are speaking with doesn't understand you, then switch to English. You might not feel confident, but you will learn a lot more this way.
In my experience, native Arabic-speakers always appreciated my efforts to communicate even if I wasn't successful. The worst thing that ever happened to me was that someone would laugh at me or maybe give me a strange look and answer in English. The risk is definitely worth the reward you receive in terms of language experience.
My advice to students studying Arabic in Jordan is to interact with the people as much as possible. It is natural to tend to stay with your classmates and fellow English-speakers, but it's also limiting.
This is a picture of an adorable boy in Petra. Many of the children speak broken or not-so-broken English, but they will love to hear you speak Arabic. They will also probably laugh at you.
Always Speak Arabic First:
Many Jordanians speak English to one degree or another. This makes it tempting to start conversations off right away speaking English. In order to push yourself, I recommend always trying to communicate in Arabic first. If the person you are speaking with doesn't understand you, then switch to English. You might not feel confident, but you will learn a lot more this way.
In my experience, native Arabic-speakers always appreciated my efforts to communicate even if I wasn't successful. The worst thing that ever happened to me was that someone would laugh at me or maybe give me a strange look and answer in English. The risk is definitely worth the reward you receive in terms of language experience.
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