Reddit reviews A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic (Reference Grammars)

https://www.amazon.com/Reference-Grammar-Modern-Standard-Grammars/dp/0521777712

You can't do much better than this. It can be found if you search. Also look for "All the Arabic you didn't learn the first time around"

Hi. I took some Arabic in college. This is what I would suggest:

1. Learn the alphabet. Practice 1-2 letters a day. Say them out loud. There are numerous apps and various books for this. Pick the one that makes the most sense to you.
   
   
2. Once you recognize the alphabet, start reading. I would suggest using WordBrewery because you only have to worry about one sentence at a time.
   
   
3. Use Anki or Memrise to practice written vocabulary.
   
   
4. Try writing what you hear when you talk to your parents. Then check the spelling. You can also do this with any audio you have a transcript for - including movies and music. Dictation helps with spelling, which will help you write more confidently.
   
   
5. Try to learn 1 grammar rule at a time. This will help you with understanding what you read. Karin Ryding's MSA Arabic Grammar is comprehensive, full of examples, and clear.
   
   I wish you luck!

https://www.amazon.com/Lughatuna-al-Fusha-Course-Modern-Standard/dp/9774163524

https://www.amazon.com/Reference-Grammar-Modern-Standard-Grammars/dp/0521777712

Like I said, filling the gaps is really going to come down to what other resources you have, but from what I've heard and what I've found in my experience you're going to need these resources regardless of which book/course you choose.

Mastering Arabic will take you through the Intermediate level of MSA, roughly. The difference in vocabulary between it and a book like Al Kitaab is significant, but that would be the case with most books compared with Al Kitaab. So you'll probably want to supplement your vocabulary from real world readings, from a dictionary, or from other types of work books. Not that Mastering Arabic leaves out a lot of vocabulary, but each book is roughly 200 pages so there just isn't going to be as much vocab covered as in a college textbook.

The rest of it is really grammar and verbs, for which you'll want to use things most any other Arabic student will use. A good grammar book like the ones I pointed out before, either 501 Arabic Verbs or ACON for verbs, and then anything else you can get your hands on. If you're self-learning, you have to understand that no one resource is going to take you all the way there. I think Mastering Arabic is the clearest book out there, especially for a self-learner, but you're going to need more than the page and 8-10 examples they provide on grammar points.

I think the activity books help solidify vocabulary and some grammar points for me, plus it's just extra practice because you can't learn a language without a decent amount of practice. It's not a bad idea to go without them, but I've found them helpful for the most part.

Here's one of the grammar books I mentioned, and it's one that's highly recommended. The other one I rely on is here. You'll also get a lot of use likely out of the websites arabic.desert-sky.net, GLOSS, and Youtube channels like this one and this one. And that's just scratching the surface. /r/learn_arabic has a lot of great threads and resources available (I saw you posted this there as well), and google is your friend. And after a number of years and a couple of attempts at becoming fluent, the best advice I can give you is to be patient and to practice as much as possible and use what you have available to you.

Once you crack the Intermediate stage, take a look at books like Media Arabic and websites like Foreigncy. But at that point your learning will be mostly done with your dictionary, a grammar book, and things to read/listen to from the real world.

Good luck! Arabic is a beautiful and amazing language that continues to surprise me.