Arabic For Dummies®, 3rd Edition
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2018949880
ISBN 978-1-119-47539-2 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-47556-9 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-47548-4 (ebk)
Arabic, the official language of more than 27 countries, is the mother tongue of more than 420 million people. It’s spoken throughout the Middle East, from Morocco to Iraq. Additionally, because Arabic is the language of the Koran and Islam, more than 1.3 billion people across the world understand it.
Due to recent geopolitical events, Arabic has catapulted to the top of the list of important world languages. Even in countries where Arabic isn’t the official language, people are scrambling to master this important and vital global language.
For people in North America and Europe, at first glance Arabic seems like a difficult language to master; after all, it isn’t a Romance language and doesn’t use the Latin alphabet. However, like any other language, Arabic is governed by a set of rules, and when you master these rules, you’re able to speak Arabic like a native speaker!
Arabic For Dummies, 3rd Edition, is designed to identify and explain the rules that govern the Arabic language in the easiest and most interactive way possible. I organize each chapter in a straightforward and coherent manner and present the material in an interactive and engaging way.
Unlike most books on the Arabic language, I have written Arabic For Dummies, 3rd Edition, in a way that gives you the most accurate and in-depth information available to help you develop and improve your conversational skills. The book is modular in nature, which means every chapter is organized in such a way that you don’t have to read the whole book in order to understand the topic that’s discussed. Feel free to jump to chapters and sections to suit your specific needs. Also, I explain every grammatical and linguistic point in plain English so that you can incorporate the concept immediately. I take great care to explain every concept clearly and succinctly.
To provide the best foundation and the widest usage for students of Arabic, Arabic For Dummies, 3rd Edition, focuses on Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), which is the most widely used form of Arabic in the world. Arabic basically has three different types:
The regional dialects: They’re the most informal type of Arabic. They tend to fall into four geographical categories:
Even though the words are pronounced differently and some of the everyday expressions differ dramatically from region to region, speakers from different regions can understand each other. The common denominator for the regional dialects is that they’re all based on MSA.
Throughout the book, each new Arabic word appears in Arabic script and boldface, followed by the transliteration system used by the Library of Congress, which is how you properly pronounce it (with the stressed syllables italicized), and its English equivalent in parentheses.
Because this is a language book, I include some sections to help you master the linguistic concepts with greater ease. Here’s a description of the specialty sections you find in each chapter:
In writing Arabic For Dummies, 3rd Edition, I made the following assumptions about you:
In order to help you get in and get out of this book easily and efficiently, I use icons (little pictures) that identify important pieces of information by category. The following icons appear in this book:
This book is full of useful information, but you can find even more online! Check out this book’s Cheat Sheet, which contains useful questions, common greetings and expressions, days of the week, and a guide to numbers all in a handy portable format. Just go to www.dummies.com
and search for “Arabic For Dummies Cheat Sheet.”
You can also hear all the Talkin’ the Talk dialogues provided in the book to get a better handle on correct pronunciation. Just go to www.dummies.com/go/arabicfd
to access the online audio tracks.
This book is organized so that you can jump around from topic to topic. You don’t have to read the whole thing. Want to know how to ask for directions in Arabic? Jump to Chapter 8. Need to exchange money in an Arabic country? Check out Chapter 15. Want to figure out how to greet friends and family? Check out Chapter 4. Peruse the table of contents or index, find a topic that interests you, and start reading.
Part 1
IN THIS PART …
Get the lowdown on the basics of Arabic.
Familiarize yourself with Arabic script and the 28 letters of the Arabic alphabet.
Get an overview of Arabic grammatical and linguistic constructs and find out how nouns verbs, and adjectives interact with each other to create phrases and sentences.
Try out basic greetings and expressions.
Work on numbers, dates, and measurements.
Practice some useful Arabic at the office and around the house.
Chapter 1
IN THIS CHAPTER
Recognizing what you may already know
Introducing the Arabic alphabet
Talking Arabic like the locals
Getting acquainted with everyday Arabic
Let me مرحبا (mar.ḥah.ba) (welcome) you to the wonderful world of Arabic! Arabic is the official language of 27 countries and is spoken by more than 420 million people across the globe. It’s the language in which the Quran, the Holy Book in Islam, was revealed and written, and a large majority of the more than 1.3 billion Muslims across the world study Arabic in order to read the Quran and to fulfill their religious duties. By speaking Arabic, you get access to people and places from Morocco to Indonesia.
In this chapter, I ease you into Arabic by showing you some familiar English words that trace their roots to Arabic. You discover the Arabic alphabet and its beautiful letters, and I give you tips on how to pronounce those letters so that you can sound like a native speaker. Part of exploring a new language is discovering a new culture and a new way of looking at things, so in this first chapter of the third edition of Arabic For Dummies, you begin your discovery of Arabic and its unique characteristics, including the fact that it’s written from right to left!
If English is your primary language, part of grasping a new لغة (lu.ghah) (language) is creating connections between the كلمات (ka.li.māt) (words) of the language, in this case Arabic and English. You may be surprised to hear that quite a few English words trace their origins to Arabic. For example, did you know that “magazine,” “candy,” and “coffee” are actually Arabic words? Table 1-1 lists some familiar English words with Arabic origins.
TABLE 1-1 Arabic Origins of English Words
English |
Arabic Origin |
Arabic Meaning |
admiral |
أمير البحر (a.mīr al-baḥr) |
ruler of the sea |
alcohol |
الكحل (al.kuḥul) |
a mixture of powdered antimony |
alcove |
القبة (al.qub.bah) |
a dome or arch |
algebra |
الجبر (al.jabr) |
to reduce or consolidate |
almanac |
المناخ (al.ma.nākh) |
a calendar |
arsenal |
دار السلاح (dār as.si.lāḥ) |
house of weapons |
azure |
اللازورد (al.lā.za.ward) |
lapis lazuli |
candy |
سكر القصب (suk.kar al.qa.ṣab) |
cane sugar |
coffee |
قهوة (qah.wah) |
coffee |
cotton |
قطن (quṭn) |
cotton |
elixir |
إكسير (ik.sīr) |
philosopher’s stone |
gazelle |
غزال (gha.zāl) |
gazelle |
hazard |
زهر (zahr) |
dice |
magazine |
المخزن (al.makh.zan) |
a storehouse |
saffron |
زعفران (za’.fa.rān) |
saffron |
Sahara |
الصحراء (aṣ.ṣaḥ.rā’) |
Sahara (desert) |
sherbet |
شربات (shar.bāt) |
dessert |
sofa |
صوفا (ṣū.fā) |
a cushion |
sugar |
سكر (suk.kar) |
sugar |
zero |
صفر (ṣifr) |
zero |
As you can see from the table, Arabic has had a major influence on the English language. Some English words such as “admiral” and “arsenal” have an indirect Arabic origin, whereas others, such as “coffee” and “cotton,” are exact matches. The influence runs the other way, too, especially when it comes to relatively contemporary terms. For example, the word تلفزيون (ti.li.fiz.yōn) (television) comes straight from the word “television.” As is often the case with languages, Arabic and English tend to influence each other, which is what makes studying them so much fun.
Unlike English and other Romance languages, you write and read Arabic from right to left. Like English, Arabic has both vowels and consonants, but the main vowels in Arabic aren’t actual letters. Rather, Arabic vowels are symbols that you place on top of or below consonants to create certain sounds. As for consonants, Arabic has 28 different consonants, and each one is represented by a letter. In order to vocalize these letters, you place a vowel above or below the particular consonant. For example, when you put a فتحة (fat.ḥah), a vowel representing the “ah” sound, above the consonant representing the letter “b,” you get the sound “bah” as in “ball.” When you take the same consonant and use a كسرة (kas.rah), which represents the short “i” sound, you get the sound “bih” as in “big.”
To help you get a better grasp of the different letters in the alphabet, I explain vowels and consonants in the following sections.
Arabic has three main vowels. Luckily, they’re very simple to pronounce because they’re similar to English vowels. However, you need to realize that Arabic also has vowel derivatives that are as important as the main vowels. These vowel derivatives fall into three categories: double vowels, long vowels, and diphthongs. In this section, I walk you through all the different vowels, vowel derivatives, and vowel combinations.
The three main Arabic vowels are
One type of vowel derivative is the double vowel, which is known in Arabic as تنوين (tan.wīn). The process of تنوين is a fairly simple one; basically, you take a main vowel and place the same vowel right next to it, thus creating two vowels, or a double vowel. The sound that the double vowel makes depends on the main vowel that’s doubled. Here are all possible combinations of double vowels:
Long vowels are derivatives that elongate the main vowels. Arabic is a very poetic and musical language, so a musical metaphor is appropriate. Think of the difference between long vowels and short (main) vowels in terms of a musical beat, and you should be able to differentiate between them much easier. If a main vowel lasts for one beat, then its long vowel equivalent lasts for two beats. Whereas you create double vowels by writing two main vowels next to each other, you create long vowels by adding a letter to one of the main vowels. Each main vowel has a corresponding consonant that elongates it. Here are a few examples to help you get your head around this long vowel process:
Table 1-2 shows the Arabic characters for the long vowels.
TABLE 1-2 Arabic Vowel Characters
Arabic Character |
Character’s Name |
Explanation |
fat.ḥah |
ألف (‘alif) |
To create a long vowel form of a فتحة |
ḍam.mah |
واو (wāw) |
To create a long vowel form of a ضمة |
kas.rah |
ياء (yaa’) |
To create a long vowel form of a كسرة |
Diphthongs in Arabic are a special category of vowels because, in essence, they’re monosyllabic sounds that begin with one vowel and “glide” into another vowel. A common example in English is the sound at the end of the word “toy.” Fortunately, Arabic has only two diphthong sounds used to distinguish between the ياء (yā’) and the واو (wāw) forms of long vowels. In a nutshell, diphthongs in Arabic are used to elongate a vowel, which helps differentiate between certain words.
Arabic uses 28 different consonants, and each consonant is represented by a different letter. Because the Arabic alphabet is written in cursive, most of the letters connect with each other. For this reason, every single letter that represents a consonant actually can be written four different ways depending on its position in a word — whether it’s in the initial, medial, or final positions, or whether it stands alone. In English transcription of the Arabic script, all letters are case-sensitive.
The good news: Most of the consonants in Arabic have English equivalents. However, a few Arabic consonants are quite foreign to nonnative speakers. Table 1-3 shows all 28 Arabic consonants, how they’re written in Arabic, how they’re transcribed in English, and how they sound. This table can help you pronounce the letters so that you sound like a native speaker.
TABLE 1-3 Arabic Consonants
Arabic Character |
Letter Name |
Pronunciation |
Sounds Like |
Example |
ا (a) |
a-lif |
Sounds like the “a” in “apple” |
أب (ab) |
father |
ب (b) |
ba’ |
Sounds like the “b” in “baby” |
باب (bāb) |
door |
ت (t) |
ta’ |
Sounds like the “t” in “table” |
تلميذ (til.mīdh) |
student |
ث (th) |
tha’ |
Sounds like the “th” in “think” |
ثلاثة (tha.lā.thah) |
three |
ج (j) |
jīm |
Sounds like the “j” in “measure” |
جميل (ja.mīl) |
pretty |
ح (ḥ) |
ḥa’ |
No equivalent in English; imagine the sound you make when you want to blow on your reading glasses (the soft, raspy noise) |
حار (ḥar) |
hot |
خ (kh) |
kha’ |
Sounds a lot like “Bach” in German or “Baruch” in Hebrew |
خوخ (khawkh) |
peach |
د (d) |
dāl |
Sounds like the “d” in “dog” |
دار (dār) |
house |
ذ (dh) |
dhāl |
Sounds like the “th” in “those” |
ذهب (dha.hab) |
gold |
ر (r) |
rā’ |
Like the Spanish “r,” rolled fast |
رجل (ra.jul) |
man |
ز (za’) |
zāy |
Sounds like the “z” in “zebra” |
زوجة (zaw.jah) |
wife |
س (s) |
sīn |
Sounds like the “s” in “snake” |
سمك (sa.mak) |
fish |
ش (sh) |
shin |
Sounds like “sh” in “ship” |
شمس (shams) |
sun |
ص (ṣ) |
ṣād |
A very deep “s” sound you can make if you open your mouth really wide and lower your jaw |
صديق (ṣa.dīq) |
friend |
ض (ḍ) |
ḍād |
A very deep “d”sound; the exact sound as a dād except that you use a “D” instead of an “d” |
ضباب (ḍa.bāb) |
fog |
ط (ṭ) |
ṭā’ |
A deep “t” sound; start off by saying a regular “t” and then lower your mouth to round with your tongue on your teeth |
طبيب (ṭa.bīb) |
doctor |
ظ (ẓ) |
ẓā’ |
Take the “th” as in “those” and draw it to the back of your throat |
ظهر (ẓahr) |
back |
ع (‘) |
‘āyn |
No equivalent; breathe heavily and consistently through your esophagus and then intermittently choke off the airflow to create staccato sound |
عراق (‘i.rāq) |
Iraq |
غ (gh) |
ghāyn |
Sounds like the French “r” in “rendezvous” |
غريب (gha.rīb) |
strange |
ل (l) |
Lām |
Sounds like the “L” in “Larry” |
لبنان (lub-nān) |
Lebanon |
ق (q) |
qāf |
Similar to “k,” but produced farther at the back of the throat; you should feel airflow being constricted |
قهوة (qah.wah) |
coffee |
ك (k) |
kāf |
Sounds like the “k” in “keeper” |
كتب (ku.tub) |
books |
ف (f) |
fā’ |
Sounds like the “f” in “father” |
فهمتُ (fa-ham-tu) |
understood |
م (m) |
mīm |
Sounds like the “m” in “Mary” |
مخزن (makh.zan) |
storehouse |
ن (n) |
nūn |
Sounds like the “n” in “no” |
نظيف (na.ẓīf) |
clean |
ه (h) |
hā’ |
Create by exhaling deeply; think of yourself as a marathoner who just finished a race and is breathing heavily |
هو (hu.wa) |
he |
و (w) |
wāw |
Sounds like the “w” in “winner” |
وزير (wa.zīr) |
minister |
ي (y) |
yā’ |
Sounds like the “y” in “yes” |
يمين (ya.mīn) |
right |
To sound as fluent as possible, memorize as many of the letters as you can and try to associate each letter with the Arabic words in which it appears. The trick to getting the pronunciation of some of these more exotic Arabic sounds is repetition, repetition, and even more repetition! That old saying, “Practice makes perfect” certainly applies to Arabic.
In this section, I share a couple of tricks to help you focus on pronunciation of difficult letters that, if you can master, are sure to make you sound like a native speaker. Here are some difficult letters and some related words you should familiarize yourself with:
Chapter 2
IN THIS CHAPTER
Understanding abjad
Deciphering the transliteration
Getting more comfortable with the Arabic script
As you start studying Arabic and increasing your knowledge of vocabulary words, the obvious difference between Arabic and English is noticeable. It’s the script. Unlike English and many of the western European languages that use Romanized letters (think a, b, c, d, and so on), Arabic uses script. To someone who doesn’t have any understanding of the language, Arabic may look like a secret code of squiggles, lines, and dots.
Because you’re reading this book and are making an effort to improve your Arabic-speaking skills, you know that they’re actually individual letters that make the words and sentences of the poetic Arabic language.
Chapter 1 introduces the Arabic alphabet to you, what each of the 28 letters looks like, and how they correspond to the English letters. This chapter examines the alphabet a tad closer. I explain what abjad is, which is the specific writing system used in this book. I explain the Library of Congress transliteration system, so you can figure out how to pronounce the Arabic script. I also delve into the script more closely and provide you several Arabic words as examples that start with the different Arabic letters. When you finish this chapter, you should have a stronger knowledge of the Arabic alphabet and the script.
The term أبجد (ab.jad) refers to a specific writing system whereby the letters are used exclusively to denote the consonants while the vowels are excluded from the writing system entirely. Abjad is the writing system used in this book, and it’s also the writing system used throughout the Arabic world. For instance, most newspapers you pick up in the Middle East use the abjad writing system, whereby the consonants are included but not the vowels. Even if you’re watching Arabic TV, the Arabic subtitles are in abjad.
Does abjad help Arabic speakers or does it offer more difficulty? The fact of the matter is abjad is the most common writing system used in Arabic. There’s unfortunately no way around this conventional system, so it’s up to you, a student of Arabic, to fully dedicate yourself to become a good user of abjad.
This book uses the Library of Congress transcription system, which is a widely used and approved transcription and transliteration system. Officially known as the ALA-LC Romanization Scheme, this system was jointly developed and approved by the American Library Association (ALA) and the Library of Congress (LC).
Both the Library of Congress and the American Library Association have a vested interest in having an accurate and widely recognized transcription system for their users. The Library of Congress houses many foreign language texts that need to be archived, shelved, circulated, and used as references by thousands if not millions of users. The transcription essentially allows English speakers access to millions of texts without actually learning the original language script.
In the transliteration in this book, you see letters in the transliteration text that are italicized. The italicized portion of the text should be emphasized during pronunciation; in other words, you have to stress this syllable when speaking the word.
Another common symbol that you see is a small horizontal line over certain vowels, such as the vowel a or the vowel i. In this case, you have to extend the pronunciation of the vowel so that it’s longer than the other vowels. Here’s an example of a word where you would extend the pronunciation: mī.lād (birth). In this case, you have to extend both the vowel i and the vowel a.
Finally, whenever you come across an apostrophe, that means you have to make the ’ayn sound. The transliteration system is straightforward, and you can pick it up very quickly with a little practice.
The Library of Congress system uses Arabic script for the following languages: Arabic, Kurdish, Farsi Persian, Urdu, and even Pashto. As such, the script that I use in this book can also be applied to several different languages as well. In addition to Arabic, the Library of Congress also uses Romanization for Cyrillic languages such as Russian and Serbian, Hebrew, and even Classical Greek languages and dialects.
Because this system is so widespread and covers a wide range of languages, you can rest assured that you’re getting exposed to the most widely accepted transliteration scheme out there. In mastering this system, you can easily apply it to other languages as well.
You may be surprised to find out that the Arabic script isn’t used exclusively for the Arabic language. Rather, the Arabic script is used to depict other important world languages, such as Urdu and Farsi.
Urdu is the official language of Pakistan and is also widely used in parts of India. In total, there are approximately 100 million Urdu speakers worldwide. Farsi, on the other hand, is the official language of Iran, but it’s also widely spoken in Iraq, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and even Tajikistan — more than 110 million people speak Farsi worldwide. So when you unlock the Arabic script, you get access to other key world languages.
Many folks are daunted by the Arabic script because the letters seem unfamiliar. A common phrase I often hear from students is that the script isn’t relatable to the traditional Roman script used in English and other Romance languages. However, Arabic and Roman scripts share a common history. In many parts of Spain, the Arabic script was used alongside Roman script for centuries. In fact, Arabic script is the second most widely used in the world right after Latin.
TABLE 2-1 Examples of Arabic Script in Action
Arabic Letter English Equivalent |
Arabic Script |
Transliteration |
English |
ا a |
|||
أسرة |
us.rah |
family |
|
أسنان |
as.nān |
teeth |
|
أذنين |
u.dhu.nayn |
two ears |
|
أكل |
a.ka.la |
he ate |
|
أين |
ay.na |
where |
|
ب b |
|||
باب |
bāb |
door |
|
بعد |
ba‘d |
after |
|
بنت |
bint |
girl |
|
بيت |
bayt |
house |
|
بطاطا |
ba.ṭā.ṭā |
potato |
|
ت t |
|||
تلك |
til.ka |
that (F) |
|
تاريخ الميلاد |
tā.rīkh al.mī.lād |
date of birth |
|
تكلم |
ta.kal.la.ma |
he spoke |
|
توتة |
tū.tah |
a berry |
|
توازن |
ta.wā.zun |
balance |
|
ث th |
|||
ثلاجة |
thal.lā.jah |
refrigerator |
|
ثلج |
thalj |
snow |
|
ثمن |
tha.man |
price |
|
ثانية |
thā.ni.yah |
second |
|
ج j |
|||
جامعة |
jā.mi.‘ah |
university |
|
جملة |
jum.lah |
sentence |
|
جواهري |
ja.wā.hi.rī |
jeweler |
|
جريدة |
ja.rī.dah |
newspaper |
|
جسد |
ja.sad |
body |
|
ح ḥ |
|||
حذاء |
ḥi.dhā’ |
shoe |
|
حساء |
ḥa.sā’ |
soup |
|
حليب |
ḥa.līb |
milk |
|
حافلة |
ḥā.fi.lah |
bus |
|
حرارة |
ḥa.rā.rah |
temperature |
|
خ kh |
|||
خس |
khas |
lettuce |
|
خوخة |
khaw.khah |
a peach |
|
خزانة |
khi.zā.nah |
cupboard |
|
الخميس |
al.kha.mīs |
Thursday |
|
خرشوف |
khar.shūf |
artichokes |
|
د d |
|||
دجاج |
da.jāj |
chicken |
|
ديسمبر |
dī.sam.bir |
December |
|
دقيقة |
da.qī.qah |
minute |
|
دواء |
da.wā’ |
medicine |
|
درجة |
da.ra.jah |
degree |
|
ذ dh |
|||
ذلك |
dhā.li.ka |
that (M) |
|
ذهب |
dha.ha.ba |
he went |
|
ذرة |
dhu.rah |
corn |
|
ذراع |
dhi.rā‘ |
arm |
|
ر r |
|||
رحلة |
riḥ.lah |
trip |
|
رعد |
ra‘d |
thunder |
|
ركبة |
ruk.bah |
knee |
|
ريح |
rīḥ |
wind |
|
ربيع |
ra.bī‘ |
spring |
|
ز z |
|||
زيتونة |
zay.tū.nah |
an olive |
|
زيت |
zayt |
cooking oil |
|
زيت الزيتون |
zayt az.zay.tūn |
olive oil |
|
زيارة |
zi.yā.rah |
a visit |
|
زبون |
zu.būn |
client |
|
س s |
|||
ساعة |
sā.‘ah |
hour |
|
سحب |
sa.ḥāb |
clouds |
|
سرير |
sa.rīr |
bed |
|
سكر |
suk.kar |
sugar |
|
سينما |
sī.ni.mā |
movie theater |
|
ش sh |
|||
شمس |
shams |
sun |
|
شوكة |
shaw.kah |
fork |
|
شيك |
shīk |
check |
|
شركة |
sha.ri.kah |
company |
|
شتاء |
shi.tā’ |
winter |
|
ص ṣ |
|||
صباح |
ṣa.bāḥ |
morning |
|
صيف |
ṣayf |
summer |
|
صغير |
ṣa.ghīr |
small |
|
صابون |
ṣā.būn |
soap |
|
صيدلية |
ṣay.da.liy.yah |
pharmacy |
|
ض ḍ |
|||
ضحك |
ḍuḥk |
laughter |
|
ضغط |
ḍaghṭ |
pressure |
|
ضفدع |
ḍuf.da‘ |
frog |
|
ضفاف |
ḍi.fāf |
river banks |
|
ضعيف |
ḍa.‘īf |
weak |
|
ط ṭ |
|||
طعام |
ṭa.‘ām |
food |
|
طقس |
ṭaqs |
weather |
|
طماطم |
ṭa.mā.ṭim |
tomatoes |
|
طابق |
ṭā.biq |
floor |
|
ظ ẓ |
|||
ظهر |
ẓahr |
back |
|
ظرف |
ẓarf |
circumstance |
|
ظروف |
ẓu.rūf |
circumstances |
|
ظنّ |
ẓan.na |
he thought |
|
ع ‘ |
|||
عاصفة |
‘ā.ṣi.fah |
storm |
|
عدس |
‘ads |
lentils |
|
عسل |
‘a.sal |
honey |
|
عشاء |
‘a.shā’ |
dinner |
|
عيادة |
‘i.yā.dah |
clinic |
|
غ gh |
|||
غداً |
gha.dan |
tomorrow |
|
غناء |
ghi.nā’ |
singing |
|
غرفة |
ghur.fah |
room |
|
غول |
ghūl |
ghoul |
|
غسول الشعر |
gha.sūl ash.sha‘r |
shampoo |
|
ف f |
|||
فطور |
fu.ṭūr |
breakfast |
|
فندق |
fun.duq |
hotel |
|
فروسية |
fu.rū.siy.yah |
horseback riding |
|
فم |
famm |
mouth |
|
ق q |
|||
قطار |
qi.ṭār |
train |
|
قراءة |
qi.rā.’ah |
reading |
|
قميص |
qa.mīṣ |
shirt |
|
قهوة |
qah.wah |
coffee |
|
قاموس |
qā.mūs |
dictionary |
|
ك k |
|||
كتب |
ka.ta.ba |
he wrote |
|
كرسي |
kur.sī |
chair |
|
كلمة |
ka.li.mah |
word |
|
كؤوس |
ku.’ūs |
cups |
|
كسوة |
kis.wah |
clothes |
|
ل l |
|||
لغة |
lu.ghah |
language |
|
لحم |
laḥm |
meat |
|
لحم الغنم |
laḥm al.gha.nam |
lamb |
|
لصاق |
li.ṣāq |
glue |
|
ليمون |
lay.mūn |
lemon |
|
م m |
|||
مارس |
mā.ris |
March |
|
مدرسة |
mad.ra.sah |
school |
|
المال |
al.māl |
money |
|
مسبح |
mas.baḥ |
swimming pool |
|
ن n |
|||
نور |
nūr |
light |
|
نقل |
naql |
transportation |
|
نوفمبر |
nū.fam.bir |
November |
|
نوم |
nawm |
sleep |
|
نتيجة |
na.tī.jah |
score |
|
ه h |
|||
هواية |
hu.wā.yah |
hobby |
|
هاتف |
hā.tif |
telephone |
|
هذا |
hā.dhā |
this (M) |
|
هذه |
hā.dhi.hi |
this (F) |
|
هليون |
hil.yūn |
asparagus |
|
و w |
|||
ورق اللعب |
wa.raq al.la.‘ib |
playing cards |
|
ولد |
wa.lad |
boy |
|
وديعة |
wa.dī.‘ah |
deposit |
|
ورقة |
wa.ra.qah |
paper |
|
واحد |
wā.ḥid |
one |
|
ي y |
|||
يد |
yad |
hand |
|
يوم |
yawm |
day |
|
يناير |
ya.nā.yir |
January |
|
يأكل |
ya’.kul |
he eats |
|
يكتب |
yak.tub |
he writes |
The Arabic script and language may seem daunting at first. But remember that the language is structured in a highly efficient and organized manner, following consistent rules, which I cover in the first chapters of the book, and throughout later chapters as well. After you master these language rules, you can see just how simple and friendly the language actually is!