Arabic, in terms of the number of speakers, is the largest living member of the Semitic language family, and one of the most prevalent languages in the world, spoken by more than 325 million people. It is the official language of 22 countries and one of the six official languages of the United Nations.

Its history goes back to at least one thousand and five hundred years ago. During the Middle Ages, Arabic was a major vehicle of culture, especially in science, mathematics and philosophy, with the result that many European languages have borrowed numerous words from it.

There are many Arabic dialects. Classical Arabic – the language of the Qur'an – was originally the dialect of Mecca in what is now Saudi Arabia. An adapted form of this, known as Modern Standard Arabic, is used in books, newspapers, on television and radio, in the mosques, and in conversation between educated Arabs from different countries (for example at international conferences).

Local dialects, most of which have no written form, vary, and a Moroccan might have difficulty understanding an Iraqi, even though they speak the same language.