Learning Moroccan Arabic

Learning Moroccan Arabic Even under the best conditions, learning a new language can be challenging. Add to this challenge the rigors of Peace Corps training, and you’re faced with what will be one of the most demanding—and rewarding—aspects of your Peace Corps experience: learning to communicate to Moroccans in their own language. But it can be done. And rest assured that you can do it. Here are a few reasons why:

• You are immersed in the language: Some people may need to hear a word three times to remember it; others may need thirty. Learning Moroccan Arabic while living and training with Moroccans gives you the chance to hear the language used again and again.

• You have daily language classes with Moroccan teachers: You’re not only immersed in
the language; you also have the opportunity to receive feedback from native speakers on the many questions that predictably crop up when one learns a new language.

• Peace Corps has over forty years of experience in Morocco: Your training, including
this manual, benefits from the collective experience gained by training thousands of Americans to live and work in Morocco. You will benefit from and contribute to that legacy.

Despite these advantages, at times you may still feel like the task of learning Moroccan Arabic is too much to handle. Remember that volunteers like you having been doing it for decades, however. One of the most rewarding aspects of your time will be communicating with Moroccans in Arabic, surprising them and yourself with how well you know the language. When that time arrives, your hard work will
have been worth it.