How Do You Really Make Friends in Jordan?
In this episode of Tips for Learning Levantine Arabic, Jennifer sits down in Amman with Adriana to talk honestly about one of the most common—and intimidating—questions language learners ask: How do you actually build real relationships with local people in Arabic?

Adriana shares her personal journey of forming deep friendships in Jordan, even in the early stages of learning Arabic. As a self-described introvert and perfectionist, she explains how intentionality, humility, listening, and overcoming fear mattered far more than fluency or extroversion. From volunteering and language exchange to long home visits, shared meals, and spontaneous encounters in parks, Adriana offers concrete, lived experience on how relationships can be formed between expats and locals in Jordanian.

This episode explores:

• Making friends before you “speak well”

• Why fear—not grammar—is the biggest obstacle

• Introversion, self-care, and emotional health in cross-cultural life

• Cultural expectations around hospitality, visits, and time

• The values of presence, humility, and genuine listening

• How relationships accelerate language learning in powerful ways

Whether you’re newly arrived in Jordan, stuck in an expat bubble, or preparing to live in the Arab world, this conversation will challenge your assumptions and encourage you to approach Arabic—and people—with patience, courage, and love.

If you want to move beyond textbooks and into real community, Adriana has some helpful advice for you.

For more on our approach to learning the spoken Levantine Arabic dialect, check out our site here: http://shababeekcenter.com

In this episode, we bust one of the most persistent myths in Arabic learning: that memorizing vocabulary lists leads to fluency. Spoiler alert—it doesn’t.

Building on the previous episode, Stop Translating: Learn Arabic in Arabic, we explore why memorization often derails even the most motivated learners and how it leads to exhaustion, discouragement, and burnout long before reaching meaningful proficiency.

Drawing on decades of coaching experience—and supported by language-acquisition research—we unpack:

• Why memorizing vocabulary is far slower and less effective than you think

• The staggering number of words fluent speakers actually recognize

• How your brain really acquires language through repeated, meaningful encounters

• The difference between input, interaction, and output—and why all three matter

• What to focus on instead of memorizing so you can build long-term understanding

• Why creating a growing library of comprehensible audio accelerates fluency

• How natural repetition, real-life encounters, and guided practice outperform any word list

Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate learner, or supporting others along their Arabic journey, this episode offers a clear and research-grounded path forward—one that is far more enjoyable and sustainable than memorization ever could be.

If you’re ready to let go of unhelpful habits and build your fluency through meaningful exposure, guided practice, and natural acquisition, this episode is for you.

Don’t forget to follow the podcast and leave a review to support more Arabic learners around the world!

To learn more about our approach to learning Arabic, visit our page here.

Here's the link to the comedian mentioned in the episode: Ismo on Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

In this episode of Tips for Learning Levantine Arabic, host Jennifer Kilpack broadcasts from Amman, Jordan, sharing one of the most important lessons for Arabic learners: stop translating from your first language and start thinking directly in Arabic.

Many language learners hit a plateau because they rely too heavily on translation. Jennifer explains why this habit slows your fluency, blocks your cultural understanding, and keeps you from speaking Arabic naturally. Instead, she offers practical, research-based methods for building real Arabic thinking habits and forming authentic connections between words, ideas, and culture.

You’ll learn:

• Why translation is like wearing the wrong glasses—and how Arabic meanings are deeply rooted in culture, not equivalents.

• How to recognize word partnerships and learn Arabic in meaningful chunks rather than isolated vocabulary.

• Why exact equivalents are a myth, and how understanding Arabic through its own worldview enriches both language and empathy.

• The subtle colonial danger of forcing Arabic into English frameworks—and how immersive, culture-respectful learning preserves the dignity and beauty of the Arabic language.

• How to train your mind to think in Arabic through simple daily habits, from self-talk at the grocery store to conscious listening.

Jennifer also highlights how Arabic expressions are inseparable from religion and daily life—and why avoiding religious language actually limits your understanding of Arab communication.

By the end of this episode, you’ll understand why real fluency means learning to think with Arabic, not about Arabic. You’ll gain strategies to move past mental translation, build confidence in conversation, and open yourself to the depth of Levantine Arabic culture and worldview.

Whether you’re a beginner memorizing flashcards or an intermediate learner trying to sound more natural, this episode will help you:

• Break free from direct translation.

• Build a deeper connection between language and culture.

• Shift your internal thoughts into Arabic for faster fluency.

• Learn to express ideas the way native Arabic speakers do.

🌍 Key themes:
Levantine Arabic • Arabic fluency • Arabic immersion • Stop translating • Think in Arabic • Cultural language learning • Arabic vocabulary • Arabic grammar • Language and culture • Learn Arabic naturally • Arabic learning tips • Immersive language learning • Decolonizing language learning

🎙️ About the podcast:
Tips for Learning Levantine Arabic is hosted by Jennifer Kilpack, an Arabic language coach based in Amman, Jordan. Each episode blends practical language techniques with cultural insights, helping learners connect more deeply with Arab society, thought, and daily life.

If you’ve ever struggled with Arabic grammar, vocabulary retention, or cultural understanding, this episode will show you why your brain doesn’t need a translator—it needs immersion.

👉 Listen now, stop translating and start thinking in Arabic.

For an edited transcript of this episode, visit our page here: https://shababeekcenter.com/podcast/stop-translating-learn-arabic-in-arabic/

To learn more about Shababeek's approach to learning Arabic in Arabic, check out our website here: https://shababeekcenter.com