Is it possibile to learn Arabic quickly and well ?

Given the limited choices of proposed foreign (living) languages in secondary schools, a sector largely dominated by English, Spanish, and German, students arriving to University are happy to discover other langauges such as Arabic (1). The question is thus proposed : How does one make up for lost time in studying ? Is it necesssary to minor/major (licence en France) in Arabic in addition to the principle discipline? Is it absolutely neccessary to spend time in an Arabic country? What is the most effective method and how long will it take?

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