Skills

Arabic Skills by StrengthCrownsNameOriginal Order

••• -16 Alphabet 111 @ 50% 50
Reading back to front

Did you know that Arabic is written right to left?

English letters Arabic letters

d د

aa ا

daa دا

(See? Right to left! How cool is that?)

This means that when you pick up a book or magazine written in Arabic, you should start reading from the back cover — which, of course, is the front!

Aah!!

When Arabic is written using English letters, sometimes there’ll be two vowels in a row.

English letters Arabic letters

daa دا

duu دو

dii دي

This doesn’t mean that there are two vowels in Arabic, but rather that there is one loooong vowel. Yes, Arabic has both short and long vowels! You’ll be learning more about this soon.

Oh, duh

When you see a tiny forward slash above a letter, it means this letter has a short ah sound right after it. We’ll talk more about this later.

English letters Arabic letters

d د

da دَ

Wow, yeah!

Sometimes و = uu (long vowel) and other times و = w.

English letters Arabic letters

zuu زو

BUT

English letters Arabic letters

zaw زَو

wa وَ

Same with the letter ي: sometimes ي = ii (long vowel) and sometimes ي = y.

English letters Arabic letters

zii زي

BUT

English letters Arabic letters

zay زَي

ya يَ

The key is other vowels! If there is a vowel right before or right after و or ي, then they become w and y. Otherwise, they’re just the long vowels uu and ii.
••• -16 Alphabet 221 @ 50% 50
بوب · جودي · جورج · جورْج · روزا · رَواد · كَري · وَ
8 words
Mighty Morphing Power Letters

In English, letters can change shape, like if they’re uppercase or lowercase. Letters in Arabic, instead, change shape, based on where they are in comparison to other letters because they can connect to neighboring letters. Look at the shapes of ب b:

Position Arabic letters English letters

Independent ب b

Beginning of word بَر bar

Middle of word جَبَر jabar

End of word رَجَب rajab

Letters can have up to four shapes, though some have fewer than that.

All letters have the independent form and the End of word form (which means connecting to the previous letter).

However, not all letters connect to the following letter → some letters don't have the beginning and middle of the word forms.

Note that the letter combinations you will see in the course to help you learn to read and write in Arabic do not necessarily have a meaning.

ذ = dh

The new letter ذ (dhaal) makes the same sound as the letter combination th in the following English words: the, this, brother, bathing. In our transliteration system, ذ will be represented as dh.

Note that this is not the same sound as th in the following set of English words: thick, thunder, broth, bath. This th sound corresponds to a different letter in Arabic that you will learn soon.
••• -16 Alphabet 331 @ 50% 50
باكو · بيرو · جوبا · داكار · ريجا · كوبا · كوريا
7 words
In the beginning...

In the last skill, you learned to recognize some letters (like ب and ج) by themselves and at the beginning of a word.

English letters Arabic letters

Bob بوب

George جورج

Here’s how ب looks in other positions:

Position English letters Arabic letters

Middle kabar كَبَر

End kab كَب

And here’s how ج looks:

Position English letters Arabic letters

Middle kajad كَجَد

End kaj كَج

Exciting!

Letters vs. words

Arabic has 28 letters and several smaller markings (like short vowels) and you’ll be learning all of them in this course! So you need lots of practice with letters at first.

That’s why you’ll go through several lessons on the alphabet and then you’ll get to one with new vocabulary. But don’t worry, there will be more and more vocab as you progress in the course!
••• -16 Alphabet 441 @ 50% 50
باب · بَيت · جاكيت · جَديد · كَبير · كَراج · مُمتاز
7 words
The Beautiful Camel

Did you know that vowels in Arabic can be short or long, and that using the wrong one might change the meaning of the word?

Vowel length Arabic letters English letters Meaning

Short جَمَل jamal camel

Long جَمال jamaal beauty

At first, it’ll probably be tricky for you to hear the difference between short and long vowels. It’ll come with practice!

I Have House

Notice that there is no word in Arabic that means a or an.

Word Meaning

بَيت house / a house

جاكيت jacket / a jacket

This isn’t the case for the word the, though...We’ll talk about the later.

A door big

In English, when you want to describe a noun with an adjective (like “a new jacket” or “a big door”), you put the adjective (new, big) before the noun (jacket, door).

Have you noticed how it’s the opposite in Arabic?

Phrase Translation

جاكيت جديد a new jacket (literally: “a jacket new”)

باب كَبير a big door (literally: “a door big”)

••• 6 Descriptions 151 @ 25% 75

بارِد · جار · دَجاج · زَوج · زَوْج · سَمَك · عادي · كَريم
8 words

Hold it!

In Arabic, if you hold the sound of a consonant extra long, it might change the meaning of a word. We use a symbol called shadda (it looks like a small w) over a consonant to signal that it’s extra long. In English letters, we’ll just write two of the same consonant.

Word	With English letters	Meaning	Word with shadda	With English letters	Meaning
دَرَس	daras	he studied	دَرَّس	darras	he taught
حَمام	Hamaam	pigeons	حَمّام	Hammaam	bathroom

Note the shadda on the Arabic words on the right side, and the double rr and double mm in darras and Hammaam. When a letter has shadda on it, just hold it extra long!

We saw chicken at the farm!

The word دَجاج (dajaaj) is a collective plural, meaning that it is a singular noun that refers to an entire group or category.

In the context of food, it is best translated as “chicken” because English “chicken” also refers to an entire category of meat. However, in the context of a chicken coop, دَجاج is best translated as “chickens” because it refers to the entire group of chickens rather than a single chicken.

Just remember: دَجاج is NOT a single chicken.

What is number 3 doing here?

As we write Arabic words with English letters, the letter ع has no equivalent. So to make it easier for you, we will use the number 3 that looks just like an inverted ع to remind you when to use it. It is informal, but it helps.

••• -16 Descriptions 261 @ 50% 50
تامِر · جَيِّد · دَوود · دُكتور · دُكْتور · دُوو · ذَكِيّ · زَيد · سام · سَريع · سَعيد · عَرَبِيّ · عُمَر · مُتَرجِم · مُمتِع
15 words
Duo amazing!

That’s what you’re literally saying in Arabic when you want to say “Duo is amazing!”

That is because most of the time, the words am, is and are simply aren’t expressed in Arabic.

Phrase Translation

جورج سَعيد George is happy (literally: “George happy”)

جودي مِن جوبا Judy is from Juba (literally: “Judy from Juba”)

This fun, right?

La la la la la

You’re about to be introduced to the letter ل (l in English) and learn its different shapes. One thing to remember is that when ل is followed by ا within the same word, the result is unexpected!

ل + ا = لا
••• -16 Countries 171 @ 50% 50
أَمريكا · أَنا · تونِس · سوريا · عُمان · لُبنان · مِن
7 words
Uh-oh

You already know that the letter ا makes a long aaaaah sound. But it can also do other things!

For example, it can “carry” the tiny letter ء . This letter (called “hamza”) is pronounced like the sound you make between “uh” and “oh” when you say, “uh-oh!”

Words that sound like they start with a vowel in Arabic usually start with hamza first, then the vowel.

Notice that ء can appear in different spots, depending on the vowel it’s written with.

Above the ا

English letters Arabic letters

2a أَ

2u أُ

Below the ا

English letters Arabic letters

2i إِ

What’s the Deal With the 2?

In English, there is no letter that corresponds to ء . Since ء looks like a reversed 2, we write it in English letters using the number 2. Check out these examples from the course:

English letters Arabic letters

2a أَ

2u أُ

2i إِ

2uu أو

2ii إي

We owe this innovation to the texting culture. Because the texting technology was originally based on the English alphabet, Arabic speakers got used to texting in Arabic using English letters. Since there’s no good English letter equivalent of ء, they started using 2.
••• -16 Omar Is...81 @ 50% 50
أَمريكِيّ · تونِسِيّ · جَميل · سورِيّ · سيث · شادي · عُمانِيّ · عِنْد · عِنْد جودي · عِنْد جورْج · عِنْد روزا · عِنْد شادي · عِنْد عُمَر · لُبنانِيّ
14 words
Th

Read these words out loud:

th version one th version two

three the

moth mother

tooth smooth

Do you notice that the sound of th is different for the words on the left side than it is for the words on the right side?

In Arabic, those two th sounds are actually different letters!

In the word سيث (siith) “Seth”, "th" is like the “th” in “three.” We will use th for the letter ث when transliterating in English letters.

In the word ذَكِيّ (dhakiyy) “smart”, "th" is like the “th” in “the.” We will use dh for the letter ذ when transliterating in English letters.

Zero vowels

There is a marking in Arabic that tells you when there is no vowel. It looks like a tiny zero:

كَبُر = kabur كَبْر = kabr

See the small zero there in kabr? It’s telling you this word is pronounced kabr. Here are some other examples:

مَسَك = masak مَسْك = mask

جَبَر = jabar جَبْر = jabr

This is at you! (aka you have got this)

In English, when you want to talk about things you have or possess, you just say I have a pen. In Arabic, you say this a little differently.

Arabic version Literal translation Meaning

.عِنْد جودي بَيْت at Judy a house Judy has a house.

.عِنْد عُمَر كَراج at Omar a garage Omar has a garage.

Be aware that "عِنْدَ" is not a verb.

Lebanon → Lebanese

To make the nationality adjectives, it is totally easy. For a singular masculine person, we just add the letter ي to the end of the country's name. So لُبنان = Lebanon becomes لُبناني = Lebanese, and عُمان = Oman becomes عُماني = Omani. We will talk about the forms with other subjects later.
••• -16 Countries 282 @ 50% 50
إِسْكُتْلَنْدا · إِسْكُتْلَنْدِيّ · إِنْجِليزِيّ · إِنْجِلْتِرا · كَنَدا · كَنَدِيّ · هولَنْدا
7 words
You’ve already learned that when you see أ / إ at the beginning of a word, it’s just pronounced ء. The ا stays silent.

But what about when it’s in the middle or at the end of a word? You might see ء either on the line or on top of other letters. Don’t worry about learning the rules for which happens when — just know that these forms exist and learn how they sound.
••• -16 Phrases91 @ 50% 50
أَلْمانْيا · أَنْتَ · أَنْتِ · أَهْلاً · أَيْن · أُسْتُرالْيا · تَماماً · شُكْراً · عَفْواً · فَريد · فَرَنْسا · مَها · مِن أَيْن · يا
14 words
-an

You already know that a tiny slash above a letter makes the sound a. But what if you see two tiny slashes at the end of a word? Well, that symbol makes a different sound: an. Usually, -an is written above ا, making it look like this: اً. (The ا is silent!)

Arabic word With English letters Meaning

شُكْراً shukran thank you

صَباحاً SabaaHan in the morning

مَساءً masaa2an in the evening

Some people prefer to write -an first and then to add the silent alif, like this: شُكْرًا (instead of شُكْراً). Either way, the word is pronounced the same way: shukran!

ع = 3

Today, you’ll hear a sound that we don’t have in English: ع !

Pronouncing ع can be a bit tricky at first. Some people compare its sound to the sound you make when you yawn, some say it’s the sound you make when you hurt yourself and it hurts real bad — some even say it sounds like a duck.

You can try this: get close to a mirror, open your mouth wide and fog up the mirror with your breath. You should feel how tight your throat gets when you do this. Now, while doing this, say the vowel a as in cat. That’s about the right sound.

Because this letter, when it’s not connected to another letter, looks like a reversed 3, we’ll write it as a 3 in English letters. For example, we write the word عَرَبِيّ as 3arabiyy.

Yaa dude!

In Arabic, you use the word يا (yaa) before addressing someone. You can think of it as an attention getter, kind of like “hey!” but not as informal.

أَهْلاً يا عُمَر!

Hello, Omar.

شُكْراً يا كَري!

Thank you, Carrie.

He is to she what 2anta is to 2anti

In English, when you’re talking about someone, you have to specify their gender with either “he” or “she.” In Arabic, you also specify gender when talking to someone directly.

Feminine Masculine

2anti أَنْتِ = you (female) 2anta أَنْتَ = you (male)

hiyya هِيَّ = she huwwa هُوَّ = he

••• 6 Descriptions 392 @ 50% 50

أَمْريكِيّة · أُسْتاذ · أُسْتاذة · امْرَأة · اِمْرَأة · بَشير · بِنْت · تونِسِيّة · جَيِّدة · دُكْتورة · ذَكِيّة · رانْيا · رَجُل · سامْية · سورِيّة · سَريعة · عَرَبِيّة · عَلي · مايْك · مُتَرْجِمة · مُمْتازة · وَلَد
22 words

In Arabic, all nouns and adjectives are either masculine or feminine, even when they don’t refer to people. Feminine nouns and adjectives usually end with the letter ة. This letter sounds like a short a and it can only be found at the end of words.

If an adjective describes a noun, it has to agree with the noun: this means that if the noun is masculine, the adjective is masculine, but if the noun is feminine, then the adjective is feminine.

Masculine	Feminine
مُتَرْجِم ذَكِيّ = a smart translator (male) = mutarjim dhakiyy	مُتَرْجِمة ذَكِيّة = a smart translator (female) = mutarjima dhakiyya
أُسْتاذ أَمْريكِيّ = an American professor (male) = 2ustaadh 2amriikiyy	أُسْتاذة أَمْريكِيّة = an American professor (female) = 2ustaadha 2amriikiyya

••• -16 You and Me101 @ 50% 50
أَرْوى · أَمْسْتِرْدام · باريس · جَديدة · جَوْعان · جَوْعانة · جِدّاً · غَريب · غَريبة · غَسّان · فَرَنْسِيّ · فَرَنْسِيّة · لَمى · مُعَلِّم · مُعَلِّمة · مُهَنْدِس · مُهَنْدِسة · هولَنْدِيّ · هَل · هُوَّ · هِيَّ
21 words
ghhhhhh

Have you ever gargled? If so, you probably already know how to make the sound of the letter غ. Put some water in your mouth, throw your head back and gargle away! That’s your Arabic homework.

In English, we’ll write غ as gh.

ا = ى

At the end of a word, ا may appear in a different shape: ى. The two alifs (ا and ى) are not interchangeable, so you’ll need to memorize which is used where.

on, on top of = (3alaa) عَلى

Standard Arabic = (al-3arabiyya l-fuSHaa) اَلْعَرَبِيّة الْفُصْحى

Great Britain = (bariiTaanyaa l-kubraa) بَريطانْيا الْكُبْرى

Yes or no?

Have you noticed that questions that start with a question word in English (what, who, why, how, when, etc.) cannot be answered by yes or no, while questions that start with a verb (are you, did we, can she, will they, has he, etc.) require an answer with yes or no?

Why did the duck cross the road?

-Yes ❌

-No ❌

-To prove he wasn’t a chicken! ✅

Did Adam have a belly-button?

-Yes ✅

-No ✅

-At 3PM. ❌

-Because she was smart. ❌

-Through telepathic mind control. ❌

Well, in Arabic, yes/no questions begin with the word هَل (hal). هَل doesn’t have a translation in English — it just means, “hey, I’m a yes/no question!” هَل you ready for this?

••• 6 University111 @ 50% 50

إِسْلامِيّة · اَلْأَزْهَر · بَرْلين · بِناية · جامِعة · سَهْل · سَهْلة · سَيّارة · شَيْء · غُرْفة · كَبيرة · لُغة · لُغة · مَدينة · مَشْهورة · مَلِكة · مُزْدَحِمة · مُهِمّ · مُهِمّة · نْيويورْك · هارْفارْد · واسِعة
22 words

Ha!

Arabic has so many cool sounds! Like the ح, for example. This is the sound it makes when you get close to a window, open your mouth wide and fog up the window. Try it at home!

Don’t get this new sound mixed up with the other h (ﻫ / ه), the one that sounds like the first letter in the word ‘house’ in English. See if you can hear the difference between the two in today’s exercises. And don’t get discouraged if it’s tricky at first! You’ll get there!

The university is a girl??

Remember that when an adjective describes a noun, it has to match the gender of the noun — a masculine adjective with a masculine noun, and a feminine adjective with a feminine noun. This is true for all nouns, even those that don’t refer to people!

Masculine	Feminine
بَلَد عَرَبِيّ = an Arab country	مَدينة عَرَبِيّة = an Arab city
بَيْت جَديد = a new house	جامِعة جَديدة = a new university

••• 05 Are You...?121 @ 50% 50
أُرْدُنِيّ · أُرْدُنِيّة · اَلْأُسْتاذ · اَلْباب · اَلْبَيْت · اَلْجار · اَلْجامِعة · اَلْكَراج · اَلْمَدينة · اَلْمُتَرْجِم · اَلْمُحامي · اَلْمُحامْية · اَلْمُعَلِّم · اَلْمُعَلِّمة · اَلْمُهَنْدِسة · بَيْروت · ريم · طَويل · في · مَغْرِبِيّ · مَغْرِبِيّة · مُحامي
22 words
My uncle is dear

Another cool, new Arabic sound is خ. To make this sound, you need to gargle with water but without the singing. Try to whisper as you gargle and you should be making the right sound.

We write خ as kh with English letters.

This is not the same as غ (gh), which is the sound you make when you gargle normally, without whispering.

expensive, dear = (ghaalii) غالي

my mother’s brother = (khaalii) خالي

The

To say the house instead of a house in Arabic, just put the two letters اَلْ (al-) in front of the word بَيْت.

a thing the thing

بَيْت = a house اَلْبَيْت = the house

باب = a door اَلْباب = the door

مَلِكة = a queen اَلْمَلِكة = the queen

You can do this with any noun in Arabic!
••• 05 Family 1123 @ 50% 50
أَب · أَبي · أَخ · أَخي · أُخْت · أُخْتي · أُسْتاذي · أُمّ · أُمّي · ابْن · اِبْن · اِبْني · بَيْتي · بِنْت · بِنْتي · تَعْبان · تَعْبانة · جاري · زَوْجي · كَلْب · كَلْبي · مُحاسِب · مُحاسِبة · مُعَلِّمي
24 words
Mr. T

Ready for a cool new sound? Let’s call it Mr. T. This is a bigger, stronger version of regular t. It’s the sound of the letter ط in Arabic and we write it as capital T in English letters.

How does Mr. T sound different from regular t?

t + a = ta, close to standard American English “tap”

T + a = Ta, close to standard American English “taco”

Listen to the vowels — a vowel that comes after Mr. T sounds farther in the back of the mouth, while one that comes after t sounds closer to the front of the mouth. Some words may sound similar, but if one of them contains regular t and the other Mr. T, they are different words!

to repent = (taab) تاب

to be good, pleasant = (Taab) طاب

Gender is complicated

You’ve seen ة at the end of all feminine nouns so far. However, there are a few nouns that look a little different! These include:

mother = (2umm) أُمّ

sister = (2ukht) أُخْت

daughter / girl = (bint) بِنْت

Oh my!

If you want to say something like This is my house in Arabic, you need to add an extra little ending onto the thing that is mine.

something my something

house = (bayt) بَيْت my house = (baytii) بَيْتي

mother = (2umm) أُمّ my mother = (2ummii) أُمّي

You just add ي at the end of the noun. Now it’s yours! Be careful, though — this only works for words that don’t end in ة.
••• 05 What's Your Name?131 @ 50% 50
أُسْتاذة · ابْنَك · ابْنِك · اسْمَك · اسْمِك · اِبْنَك · اِبْنِك · اِسْم · اِسْمي · اِسْمَك · اِسْمِك · بَيْتَك · بَيْتِك · بِنْتَك · بِنْتِك · جارَك · جارِك · جاكيتَك · زَوْجِك · كَراجَك · كَراجِك · كَلْبَك · كَلْبِك · ما
24 words
q, not qu

Another distinct Arabic sound is ق. It’s kind of like the sound k in English, except much deeper in the throat. Practice it and you’ll totally get it!

We write ق as q with English letters.

Iraq = (al-3iraaq) اَلْعِراق

-ak and -ik

Remember how, in order to say my house you just add ي at the end of house? Well, to say your house or your son you add ـَك (-ak) when talking to a man and ـِك (-ik) when talking to a woman.

son = (ibn) اِبْن

your son (to a man) = (ibnak) اِبْنَك

your son (to a woman) = (ibnik) اِبْنِك

••• 5 Family 2141 @ 50% 50

إِبْراهيم · جارة · جارَتي · جَدّ · جَدّة · جَدّي · جَدَّتي · جَدَّتَك · زَوْجة · زَوْجَتي · زَوْجَتَك · زَوْجَتِك · قِطّة · قِطَّتَك · لَطيف · لَطيفة · لُبْنانِيّة · مَحْمود · مَدينَتَك · مَدينَتِك · مُعَلِّمَتَك · مُعَلِّمَتِك
22 words

Mr. T’s little brothers

You already know the difference between regular t and Mr. T — the vowels around Mr. T sound tougher, more serious and grave than they do around regular t. There are actually three more pairs like ط / ت in Arabic.

Another pair is ذ (dh) and ظ (DH) These two letters are similar, but the vowels around DH are further back in the mouth.

warner, herald = (nadhiir) نَذير

equal = (naDHiir) نَظير

ت <- ة

If you want to say that a city is my city or your city, something funky happens. Remember, مَدينة (city) ends in ة. You make that ة into ـَت (-at) (!!), and then you add the “my” or “your” endings you already know.

Word	With English letters	Meaning
مَدينة	madiina	a city
مَدينَتي	madiinatii	my city
مَدينَتَك	madiinatak	your city (to a male)
مَدينَتِك	madiinatik	your city (to a female)

This doesn’t apply just to “city” but to all nouns that end in ة.

Word	With English letters	Meaning
جارة	jaara	a (female) neighbor
جارَتي	jaaratii	my (female) neighbor
جارَتَك	jaaratak	your (female) neighbor (to a male)
جارَتِك	jaaratik	your (female) neighbor (to a female)

What’s whose?

As you know, each Arabic noun is either masculine or feminine, and adjectives have to match that gender.

Masculine noun	Feminine noun
The house is pretty = (al-bayt jamiil) اَلْبَيْت جَميل	The city is pretty = (al-madiina jamiila) اَلْمَدينة جَميلة

This gender never changes! Since بَيْت is masculine, it remains masculine, even if the person who owns it is a woman. The same is true for feminine nouns.

Person being spoken to	Masculine noun	Feminine noun
Male	Your house is pretty (to a male) = (baytak jamiil) بَيْتَك جَميل	Your city is pretty (to a male) = (madiinatak jamiila) مَدينَتَك جَميلة
Female	Your house is pretty (to a female) = (baytik jamiil) بَيْتِك جَميل	Your city is pretty (to a female) = (madiinatik jamiila) مَدينَتِك جَميلة

A house will always be جَميل and a city will always be جَميلة, regardless of whose it is!

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أَبْيَض · أَزْرَق · بَلوزة · بَيْضاء · بُنِّيّ · بُنِّيّة · تي شيرْت · تَنّورة · زَرْقاء · عِنْد سيث · عِنْدي · عِنْدَك · عِنْدِك · قُبَّعة · لَيْسَ عِنْد جودي · لَيْسَ عِنْد سيث · لَيْسَ عِنْدي · لَيْسَ عِنْدَك · لَيْسَ عِنْدِك · مِعْطَف · مِعْطَفِك · وِشاح · وِشاحَك
23 words

ض / د

The new letter ض (Daad) is so important to the Arabic language that Arabs sometimes refer to themselves as أهل الضاد “people of the Daad.” We write it capital D with English letters.

ض is the last of Mr. T’s little brothers. It makes the same sound as د except the vowels around ض are more serious and grave. Here again, it will take practice to distinguish the two, but it’s important that you try!

Arabic version	English version	Meaning
دَلّ	dall	to show, guide
ضَلّ	Dall	to stray

Mr. T’s family

You’ve now met all of Mr. T’s relatives. Some resources refer to them as “emphatics.” Here they all are with their non-emphatic equivalents.

Mr. T and relatives, Arabic version	Mr. T and relatives, English version	Regular letters, Arabic version	Regular letters, English version
ط	T	ت	t
ظ	DH	ذ	dh
ص	S	س	s
ض	D	د	d

Remember the letters in the left columns sound like those in the right columns except further back in the mouth.

Have at you!

You probably remember that in order to say “Judy has” in Arabic, you use the word عِنْد “at/to” followed by “Judy.”

Arabic version	Literal translation	Meaning
.عِنْد جودي بَيْت	at Judy a house	Judy has a house.

What about “I have” and “you have”? Well, you also use عِنْد. Instead of someone’s name, you add a short ending to عِنْد — the same endings as when you say “my house” or “your house.”

Arabic version	Literal translation	Meaning
بَيْتي	house-my	my house
.عِنْدي بَيْت	at-me a house	I have a house.
--	--	--
بَيْتَك	house-your	your house (to a man)
.عِنْدَك بَيْت	at-you (male) a house	You have a house. (to a man)
--	--	--
بَيْتِك	house-your	your house (to a woman)
.عِنْدِك بَيْت	at-you (female) a house	You have a house. (to a woman)

I got nothin’

To say “do not have / does not have” with the word you know for possession (عِنْد), all you need to do is add the word لَيْسَ (laysa) in front of it!

“have / has” sentences	Translation	“do not have / does not have” sentences	Translation
.عِنْد جودي بَيْت	Judy has a house.	.لَيْسَ عِنْد جودي بَيْت	Judy does not have a house.
.عِنْدي كَلْب	I have a dog.	.لَيْسَ عِنْدي كَلْب	I do not have a dog.
.عِنْدِك وِشاح	You have a scarf. (to a woman)	.لَيْسَ عِنْدِك وِشاح	You do not have a scarf. (to a woman)

The blue (wo)man (adjective) group

So far, every time you’ve seen an adjective describe a feminine noun, this adjective has ended with the letter ة.

مَدينة سورِيّة = a Syrian city اِمْرَأة ذَكِيّة = a smart woman

But some adjectives (especially adjectives that describe color) take a different form in the feminine.

Masculine examples	Translation	Feminine examples	Translation
بَيْت أَزْرَق	a blue house	مَدينة زَرْقاء	a blue city
.اَلْبَيْت أَزْرَق	The house is blue.	.اَلْمَدينة زَرْقاء	The city is blue.

It’s easiest to learn those special feminine adjectives together with the masculine: practice saying “2azraq / zarqaa2” أَزْرَق / زَرْقاء and repeat it until you’re blue in the face!

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إيجاري · إيجارَك · إيجارِك · اَلْإيجار · اَلْحائِط · اَلْحَمْدُ لِله · اَلْغُرْفة · اَلْكَلْب · جَميلة · حَديقة · حَمّام · صالون · طاوِلة · غالي · غالْية · قَديم · قَديمة · مَطْبَخ · مُحَمَّد · هٰذا · هٰذا الْحائِط · هٰذا الْكَلْب · هٰذِهِ · هٰذِهِ الْبِناية · هٰذِهِ الْغُرْفة · واسِع
26 words
ص / س

The new letter ص (written capital S with English letters) is another of Mr. T’s little brothers. It contrasts with س in the same way ط contrasts with ت : mostly with vowel sounds that are further in the back of the mouth.

Sam = (saam) سام

to fast = (Saam) صام

Sword or dagger?

One more alif! While regular alif looks more like a sword, dagger alif is a tiny vertical line that sits above a letter, more like a dagger. It only appears in a few really old words in Arabic and it sounds exactly like ا.

this (masculine) = (haadhaa) هٰذا

but, however = (laakinn) لٰكِنّ

God = (allaah) اَلله

Sneaky Al

You know اَلْ means “the.” However, you may have noticed it’s used differently in Arabic than “the” is in English. For example, look at these sentences:

This is a house = (haadhaa bayt) هٰذا بَيْت

This is a city = (haadhihi madiina) هٰذِهِ مَدينة

BUT

this house = (haadha l-bayt) هٰذا ٱلْبَيْت

this city = (haadhihi l-madiina) هٰذِهِ ٱلْمَدينة

The ONLY difference between “this house” and “This is a house” is اَلْ ! Sneaky, sneaky Al.

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ثَقيل · ثَقيلة · دَفْتَر · رَخيص · سي دي · شَنْطة · شَنْطَتي · شَنْطَتَك · شَنْطَتِك · صَغير · صَغيرة · عِلْكة · قَصير · قَلَم · قَلَم رَصاص · كِتاب · لاب توب · لَيْسَ هُناك · مَحْفَظة · مَشْروب · مِفْتاح · نُقود · هاتِفي · هاتِفَك · هاتِفِك · هُناك
26 words

There, there

The word هُناك (hunaak) means both “there” and “there is/there are.” So how will you know the difference? It’s easy: word order! When هُناك comes first in a sentence, it means “there is/there are.”

هُناك = there is/are	Translation	هُناك = there	Translation
.هُناك بَيْت	There is a house.	.اَلْبَيْت هُناك	The house is there.
.هُناك وِشاح أَبْيَض	There is a white scarf.	.اَلْوِشاح هُناك	The scarf is there.

There is no spoon

To say “there is no” or “there are no,” simply add the negator لَيْسَ in front of هُناك.

Sentences with “there is/are”	Translation	Sentences with “there is no”	Translation
.هُناك بَيْت	There is a house.	.لَيْسَ هُناك بَيْت	There is no house.
.هُناك وِشاح أَبْيَض	There is a white scarf.	.لَيْسَ هُناك وِشاح أَبْيَض	There is no white scarf.

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26 words

House of Bob

In English, if Bob has a house, you call it “Bob’s house.”

Possessor + ’s + what they possess

In Arabic, a very common way to express the same thing is called iDaafa. In iDaafa, the order is reversed.

The thing they possess + possessor

English examples	Equivalent in Arabic	English letters
Bob’s house	بَيْت بوب	bayt buub
Carrie’s door	باب كَري	baab karii
the girl’s dog	كَلْب اَلْبِنْت	kalb al-bint
the boy’s scarf	وِشاح اَلْوَلَد	wishaaH al-walad

If it helps, you can think of it as “the house of Bob” instead of “Bob’s house.”

Notice how in Arabic, the thing that is possessed never ever gets اَلْ even if the meaning in English is “the house” or “the dog.” It’s just the bare word!

What the ة ?!!

The letter ة is a tricky one. First, it only ever shows up at the end of words. Second, you probably remember that it turns into ـَت (-at) before “my,” “your,” etc.

Arabic examples	Pronunciation	Meaning
مَدينة	madiina	a city
مَدينَتي	madiinatii	my city
--	--	--
جامِعة	jaami3a	a university
جامِعَتَك	jaami3atak	your university (to a man)

Here is something else that makes ة tricky: when the first word of an iDaafa (aka the thing that’s possessed) ends in ة, like in مَدينة بوب “the city of Bob” or “Bob’s city,” the spelling of ة doesn’t change but its pronunciation does. Instead of a, it is pronounced -at.

Arabic examples	Pronunciation	Meaning
مَدينة	madiina	a city
مَدينة بوب	madiinat buub	Bob’s city
--	--	--
جامِعة	jaami3a	a university
جامِعة كَري	jaami3at karii	Carrie’s university
--	--	--
قِطّة	qiTTa	a cat
قِطّة اَلْوَلَد	qiTTat al-walad	the boy’s cat

As in all iDaafas, the first word can’t have اَلْ “the” on it. It’s just the bare noun.

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21 words

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أَعْرِف · اِسْمها · اِسْمهُ · بَيْتها · بَيْتهُ · جارَتها · جارَتهُ · صَديق · صَديقة · صَديقها · صَديقهُ · صَديقي · صَديقَتها · صَديقَتهُ · صَديقَتي · صَعْب · صَعْبة · طَويل · طَويلة · عَمَل · عَمَلها · عَمَلهُ · عَمَلي · عَمَلَك · قَريب مِن · قَريبة مِن · لا أَعْرِف · هٰذِهِ الْصّورة
28 words

His and hers

You already know how to say “my” and “your.” But what about “his” or “her”?

For “his,” just add (-hu) ﻪُ at the end of the word. And for “her,” add (-haa) ها instead. It’s that simple.

a (noun)	Pronunciation	Meaning	his (noun)	Pronunciation	Meaning	her (noun)	Pronunciation	Meaning
مِعْطَف	mi3Taf	a coat	مِعْطَفهُ	mi3Tafhu	his coat	مِعْطَفها	mi3Tafhaa	her coat
بَيْت	bayt	a house	بَيْتهُ	baythu	his house	بَيْتها	baythaa	her house

Remember that if the noun ends with ة, it turns into ـَت (-at) before “my,” “your,” “his,” “her,” etc.

a (noun)	Pronunciation	Meaning	his (noun)	Pronunciation	Meaning	her (noun)	Pronunciation	Meaning
مَدينة	madiina	a city	مَدينَتهُ	madiinathu	his city	مَدينَتها	madiinathaa	her city
قُبَّعة	qubba3a	a hat	قُبَّعَتهُ	qubba3athu	his hat	قُبَّعَتها	qubba3athaa	her hat

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أَيْضاً · أُحِبّ · إيطالْيا · الْ · الْتَّصْوير · الْسِّباحة · الْقِراءة · الْكِتابة · الْنَّوْم · اَلْ · اَلْأَكْل · اَلْتَّصْوير · اَلْجَري · اَلْسَّفَر إِلى · اَلْسِّباحة · اَلْقِراءة · اَلْكَلام · اَلْكِتابة · اَلْنَّوْم · بَعْد اَلْظُّهْر · بِالْلَّيْل · صَباحاً · عَن · كَثيراً · لا أُحِبّ · مَساءً · مَعَ · هُنا · ٱلْ
29 words

I do!

In English, we say “I write” and “you write” and “he writes” and “she writes.” You always have to include “I” or “we” or “he” or “she.”

In Arabic, words like “I,” “we,” and “you,” are optional before verbs. Fortunately, the Arabic verb alone can usually tell you who’s doing the action, because the verbs have a special form for (almost) each person. For example, the “I” form always starts with أ.

Arabic with English letters	Arabic verb	Meaning
2uHibb	أُحِبّ	I like/I love
2anaam	أَنام	I sleep
2abtasim	أَبْتَسِم	I smile

I don’t!

To say “I do not (do something),” just add the short word (laa) لا in front of the verb!

I (do)	Meaning	I (do not)	Meaning
أَطْبُخ	I cook	لا أَطْبُخ	I do not cook
أُحِبّ	I like	لا أُحِبّ	I do not like

Seeing is believing!

In English, we say things like:

I like talking. Talking is my favorite.

In Arabic, you can replace “talking” in those examples with the word اَلْكَلام (al-kalaam). اَلْكَلام is a noun (for example, it begins with أَلْ “the” like a noun), but it feels verb-y. So we call it a “verbal noun.”

This isn’t the “talking” like in the sentence “I’m talking.” That gets translated differently.

Arabic version	Literal meaning	English translation
أَتَكَلَّم	I talk / I am talking	I talk / I am talking
--	--	--
أُحِبّ اَلْكَلام.	I like the talking.	I like talking / I like to talk.
أُريد اَلْكَلام.	I want the talking.	I want to talk.
اَلْكَلام جَيِّد.	The talking is good.	Talking is good.

Notice how the literal translation of اَلْكَلام is “the talking”--this is because verbal nouns are always used with اَلْ “the” (or some other definite marker).

Shoot for the moon

Let’s review اَلْ!

Arabic “a”	Arabic with English letters	Meaning	Arabic “the”	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
بَيْت	bayt	a house	اَلْبَيْت	al-bayt	the house
مُهَنْدِسة	muhandisa	an engineer	اَلْمُهَنْدِسة	al-muhandisa	the engineer
قِطّة	qiTTa	a cat	اَلْقِطّة	al-qiTTa	the cat
كَلْب	kalb	a dog	اَلْكَلْب	al-kalb	the dog

All these nouns start with letters called “moon letters.” There’s another letter group called “sun letters.”

If a word starts with a sun letter and you add اَلْ “the” to it, two things happen: 1. You don’t pronounce the ل in اَلْ, and 2. The first letter in the word after اَلْ gets held twice as long.

Arabic “a”	Arabic with English letters	Meaning	Arabic “the”	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
زَوْجة	zawja	a wife	اَلْزَّوْجة	az-zawja	the wife
سَيّارة	sayyaara	a car	اَلْسَّيّارة	as-sayyaara	the car
دُكْتور	duktuur	a doctor	اَلْدُّكْتور	ad-duktuur	the doctor
رَجُل	rajul	a man	اَلْرَّجُل	ar-rajul	the man

In Arabic, it’s written like what you would expect (اَلْزَّوْجة). But with English letters, it’s not al-zawja but rather az-zawja. So instead of saying the l, you pronounce the z extra long.

Here is a list of all sun vs. moon letters:

Moon letters	Sun letters
أ	ت
ب	ث
ج	د
ح	ذ
خ	ر
ع	ز
غ	س
ف	ش
ق	ص
ك	ض
م	ط
ﻫ	ظ
و	ل
ي	ن

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27 words

The pretty the house

You already know how to say things like “a pretty house” or “a Syrian girl.”

Arabic version	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
بَيْت جَميل	bayt jamiil	a pretty house
بِنْت سورِيّة	bint suuriyya	a Syrian girl
مُتَرْجِم مُمْتاز	mutarjim mumtaaz	an amazing translator
جامِعة مَشْهورة	jaami3a mashhuura	a famous university

When a word has اَلْ “the” on it, the adjective that describes it also needs to start with اَلْ.

Arabic version	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
اَلْبَيْت اَلْجَميل	al-bayt al-jamiil	the pretty house
اَلْبِنْت اَلْسّورِيّة	al-bint as-suuriyya	the Syrian girl
اَلْمُتَرْجِم اَلْمُمْتاز	al-mutarjim al-mumtaaz	the amazing translator
اَلْجامِعة اَلْمَشْهورة	al-jaami3a al-mashhuura	the famous university

What if I forget and say اَلْبَيْت جَميل?

If you mean to say “the pretty house” اَلْبَيْت اَلْجَميل (al-bayt al-jamiil) but say اَلْبَيْت جَميل instead, the meaning changes. اَلْبَيْت جَميل = The house is pretty. That’s a full-fledged sentence!

al- al-	With English letters	Meaning	al- ∅-	With English letters	Meaning
اَلْبَيْت اَلْجَميل	al-bayt al-jamiil	the pretty house	.اَلْبَيْت جَميل	al-bayt jamiil.	The house is pretty.
اَلْبِنْت اَلْسّورِيّة	al-bint as-suuriyya	the Syrian girl	.اَلْبِنْت سورِيّة	al-bint suuriyya.	The girl is Syrian.
اَلْمُتَرْجِم اَلْمُمْتاز	al-mutarjim al-mumtaaz	the amazing translator	.اَلْمُتَرْجِم مُمْتاز	al-mutarjim mumtaaz	The translator is amazing.
اَلْجامِعة اَلْمَشْهورة	al-jaami3a al-mashhuura	the famous university	.اَلْجامِعة مَشْهورة	al-jaami3a mashhuura.	The university is famous.

2aa 2 furious

When ء is followed by the long aaaaaa vowel (ا), it is spelled آ --this is an alif with a small wave on top of it. We write it 2aa in English letters. آ can appear at the beginning and in the middle of a word.

For example, the word اَلْقُرْآن (al-qur2aan) “the Qur’an / the Koran” contains a hamza followed by ا , and so it is spelled آ.

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الْأُرْدُن · الْبَلَد · الْسّودان · الْصّين · الْعاصِمة · الْعِراق · الْيَمَن · اَلْأُرْدُن · اَلْخَرطوم · اَلْسّاحِل · اَلْسّودان · اَلْصّين · اَلْعاصِمة · اَلْعِراق · اَلْقاهِرة · اَلْيَمَن · بَغْداد · بَلَد · بَلَدي · بَلَدِك · تاريخِيّ · تاريخِيّة · جَبَل · ساحِل · عاصِمة · فِلَسْطين · مَشْهور · مَكان · مُتَنَوِّع · مُتَنَوِّعة · مِصْر
31 words

Welcome to (the) Cairo!

Some place names in Arabic begin with اَلْ “the,” and some don’t.

Arabic version	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
اَلْسّودان	as-suudaan	Sudan
اَلْصّين	aS-Siin	China
اَلْقاهِرة	al-qaahira	Cairo
اَلْبُنْدُقِيّة	al-bunduqiyya	Venice
--	--	--
فِلَسْطين	filasTiin	Palestine
هولَنْدا	huulandaa	Holland
بَغْداد	baghdaad	Baghdad
طوكْيو	Tuukyuu	Tokyo

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35 words

And now, spelling

You’ve already learned that ء can appear on top of a few different letters. Specifically, it can appear on top of و ,ي and ا.

Letter with ء	Regular letter
ؤ	و
ئ (Notice: no dots!)	ي
أ / إ	ا

At this point, you don't need to know the hamza spelling rules. Just know hamza can show up in different positions.

Examples of words containing ء	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
قارِئ	qaari2	reader
غائِب	ghaa2ib	absent
مَسْؤول	mas2uul	responsible
يَبْدَأ	yabda2	he begins
شَيْء	shay2	thing
جاءَت	jaa2at	she came

He’s got nothin’

You already know that عِنْدي means I have and عِنْدَك/عِنْدِك means you have.

So what about he has or she has? Easy! For he has, just add (-hu) ﻪُ at the end of عِنْد, and for she has, add (-haa) ها instead.

To say he does not have and she does not have, use the word لَيْسَ.

“has”	Meaning	Arabic with English letters	“does not have”	Meaning	Arabic with English letters
عِنْدهُ	he has	3indhu	لَيْسَ عِنْدهُ	he does not have	laysa 3indhu
عِنْدها	she has	3indhaa	لَيْسَ عِنْدها	she does not have	laysa 3indhaa

In Florida heavy rain.

You know how to make there is / there are sentences using the word هُناك:

Arabic version	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
هُناك مَطَر ثَقيل.	hunaak maTar thaqiil	There is heavy rain.
هُناك وِشاح في شَنْطَتي.	hunaak wishaaH fii shanTatii	There is a scarf in my bag.
لَيْسَ هُناك لُغة صَعْبة.	laysa hunaak lugha Sa3ba	There is no difficult language.

You might also hear another way to say there is / there are in formal Arabic. This way uses reversed word order.

Arabic version	Arabic with English letters	Literal meaning	Meaning
في شَنْطَتي وِشاح.	fii shanTatii wishaaH.	In my bag a scarf.	There is a scarf in my bag.
أَمامي رَجُل غَريب.	2amaamii rajul ghariib.	In front of me a weird man.	There is a weird man in front of me.
في الْخَلْفِيّة بَيْت.	fii l-khalfiyya bayt.	In the background a house.	There is a house in the background.

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أَدْخُل · أَسْكُن · أَفْتَح · أَنام · اَلْتِّلْفاز · اَلْحَنَفِيّة · اَلْسَّرير · اَلْشُّبّاك · بِسَبَب · تِلْفاز · تِلْفازها · تِلْفازي · حَنَفِيّة · سَرير · سَريري · شَيْء · صَوْت · عَلى · غُرْفة نَوْم · غُرْفة نَوْمي · في ٱلْطّابِق اَلْأَوَّل · في ٱلْطّابِق اَلْثّاني · لا · مَكْسور · مَكْسورة · مُشْكِلة · مُعَطَّل · ٱلْتِّلْفاز · ٱلْسَّرير · ٱلْصَّوْت
30 words

WaSl’ up?

You’ve already seen hamza look like أ. This hamza doesn’t change whether it comes right after a consonant or a vowel.

أ NOT preceded by vowel	With English letters	Meaning	أ preceded by vowel	With English letters	Meaning
مُحَمَّد أُسْتاذي.	muHammad 2ustaadhii	Mohamed is my professor.	شادي أُسْتاذي.	shaadii 2ustaadhii	Shadi is my professor.
لِز أُمّهُ.	liz 2ummhu	Liz is his mother.	مَها أُمّهُ.	mahaa 2ummhu	Maha is his mother.

Some words start with ا and a short vowel on it without a hamza (like اِمْرَأة and اَلْ). When these words come right after a vowel, the short vowel on ا is replaced by a new symbol called waSla.

WaSla looks like this: ٱ. It simply means “Hi! The alif under me is silent! Move on to the next letter please!”

اَلْ NOT preceded by vowel	With English letters	Meaning	اَلْ preceded by vowel	With English letters	Meaning
مُحَمَّد اَلْمُعَلِّم	muHammad al-mu3allim	Mohamed the teacher	شادي ٱلْمُعَلِّم	shaadii l-mu3allim	Shadi the teacher
لِز اَلْمُتَرْجِمة	liz al-mutarjima	Liz the translator	مَها ٱلْمُتَرْجِمة	mahaa l-mutarjima	Maha the translator
اَلبَيْت	al-bayt	the house	في ٱلبَيْت	fii l-bayt	in the house

WaSla basically blends the previous word to the word that starts with ٱ.

Now you pronounce it, now you don’t

Sometimes, اَلْ “the” is preceded by a vowel (so it becomes ٱلْ) and followed by a sun letter.

For example, if you want to say “in the car,” you are putting together three pieces: في (fii) + اَلْ (al) + سَيّارة (sayyaara)

The ي of “in” turns اَلْ (al-) into ٱلْ (l-).

The س of “car” is a sun letter. So the ل in ٱلْ isn’t pronounced, and the س gets held for double the time.

The result is: في + اَلْ + سَيّارة = في ٱلْسَّيّارة = fii s-sayyaara

This is NOT fii al-sayyaara, but fii s-sayyaara. “The” basically dissolves into the mix! No trace of ا and no trace of ل (although اَلْ is still there in writing).

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أَعُدّ · إِلى · بِٱلْلُّغة ٱلْعَرَبِيّة · تَعُدّ · تَعُدّين · تَعْرِف · تَعْرِفين · كَيْف · كُلّ اَلْأَعْداد · كُلّ شَيْء · ٠ · ١ · ١٠ · ٢ · ٣ · ٤ · ٥ · ٦ · ٧ · ٨ · ٩
21 words
Numbers in Arabic are the only thing you have left to learn in order to be able to read anything written in Arabic!

Arabic numbers look different from English numbers, but both Arabic and English numbers are commonly used in Arabic. For example, at a traditional market, you’re more likely to see Arabic numbers, but in a text message you could see either.

One interesting thing to notice is that the digits within a number in Arabic are actually written left to right! So number 10, which is made up of ١ (1) and then ٠ (0), is spelled ١٠ (and NOT ٠١; that would be 01).

Isn’t Arabic fun?!

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اَلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيّة · اَلْبَحْر اَلْأَبْيَض اَلْمُتَوَسِّط · اَلْطَّبيعة · بَحْر · تَسْكُن · تَسْكُن · تَسْكُنين · جَزيرة · ساحِلِيّة · ضَواحي · فِلَسْطينِيّة · قَرْية · قَرْيَتي · قَرْيَتِك · لا · لِلْأَسَف · مَدينة سافانا · مَدينة لوس أَنْجِلِس · نَعَم · وِلاية · وِلاية جورْجْيا · وِلاية كاليفورْنْيا · وِلايَتها · وِلايَتهُ · وِلايَتي · وِلايَتِك · يَسْكُن · ٱلْبَحْر اَلْأَبْيَض اَلْمُتَوَسِّط · ٱلْطَّبيعة
29 words

The structure of possession

You know that the iDaafa structure is commonly used to express possession. Remember, in an iDaafa: 1. The thing that is possessed comes first, followed by the possessor; 2. The thing that is possessed must be a bare noun (aka no اَلْ “the” in Arabic); 3. If the thing that is possessed ends in ة, the ة is pronounced “-at.”

Here are some iDaafas you’re already familiar with.

English examples	Equivalent in Arabic	Arabic with English letters
Bob’s house	بَيْت بوب	bayt buub
Mohamed’s restaurant	مَطْعَم مُحَمَّد	maT3am muHammad
the engineer’s newspaper	صَحيفة اَلْمُهَنْدِس	SaHiifat al-muhandis

IDaafa can also be used to express things other than possession, like “the city of Detroit” and “the state of Texas.”

English examples	Equivalent in Arabic	Arabic with English letters
the city of Detroit	مَدينة ديتْرويْت	madiinat diitruuyt
the state of Texas	وِلاية تَكْساس	wilaayat taksaas
George Washington University	جامِعة جورْج واشِنْطُن	jaami3at juurj waashinTun

شُكْراً

You probably remember that a tiny slash above a letter makes the sound a and two tiny slashes at the end of a word make the sound an.

Arabic word	With English letters	Meaning
شُكْراً	shukran	thank you
صَباحاً	SabaaHan	in the morning
مَساءً	masaa2an	in the evening

There are also special markings for -in and -un!

Words with -i or -u	With English letters	Words with -in or -un	With English letters
اَلْبَيْتِ	al-bayti	بَيْتٍ	baytin
اَلْبَيْتُ	al-baytu	بَيْتٌ	baytun

أُحِبّ هٰذِهِ ٱلْلُّغة

Let’s review some present verbs! Remember, the “I” form always starts with أ.

Arabic verbs	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
أُحِبّ	2uHibb	I like / I love
أَفْتَح	2aftaH	I open
أَعْرِف	2a3rif	I know

Here are the forms when different people are doing the action:

Arabic verb	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
أُحِبّ	2uHibb	I like/love
تُحِبّ	tuHibb	you like/love (to a male)
تُحِبّين	tuHibbiin	you like/love (to a female)
يُحِبّ	yuHibb	he likes/loves
تُحِبّ	tuHibb	she likes/loves

Arabic verb	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
أَنام	2anaam	I sleep
تَنام	tanaam	you sleep (to a male)
تَنامين	tanaamiin	you sleep (to a female)
يَنام	yanaam	he sleeps
تَنام	tanaam	she sleeps

Note that, because all Arabic nouns are either masculine or feminine, the “he” and “she” forms can be used to refer to things that aren’t people. For example, “city” is feminine so it takes the “she” verb تَنام (tanaam) in the example below.

This city does not sleep. = (haadhihi l-madiina laa tanaam) هٰذِهِ ٲلْمَدينة لا تَنام.

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35 words

Hello!

In English, if someone says, “What’s up?” to you, there are a few specific answers you can give. (“Not much,” “Hey, what’s up,” “How’s it going…”). Arabic has some of these question-and-answer formulas, too!

Speaker 1 says:	Meaning	Speaker 2 responds:	Meaning
صَباح اَلْخَيْر	Good morning (literally “morning of good”)	صَباح اَلْنّور	Good morning (literally “morning of light”)
مَساء اَلْخَيْر	Good evening (literally “evening of good”)	مَساء اَلْنّور	Good evening (literally “evening of light”)
اَلْسَّلامُ عَلَيْكُم	Peace be upon you	وَعَلَيْكُمُ ٲلْسَّلام	And upon you be peace

Knowing these formulas will let you show off your cultural and linguistic know-how.

Note that while the greeting اَلْسَّلامُ عَلَيْكُم (as-salaamu 3alaykum) “peace be upon you” is very common, it is usually associated with Islam. This means, for example, that a Christian will not normally use this greeting with another Christian.

Letter names

In some contexts, like spelling or clarifying contrast between sounds, knowing the names of the Arabic letters may be useful to you. Below are those names, using our transliteration system.

Note that the Arabic alphabet technically includes all but the last three letters listed in this table.

Arabic letter	Name of the letter (transliterated)
ا	2alif
ب	baa2
ت	taa2
ث	thaa2
ج	jiim
ح	Haa2
خ	khaa2
د	daal
ذ	dhaal
ر	raa2
ز	zaay
س	siin
ش	shiin
ص	Saad
ض	Daad
ط	Taa2
ظ	DHaa2
ع	3ayn
غ	ghayn
ف	faa2
ق	qaaf
ك	kaaf
ل	laam
م	miim
ن	nuun
ه	haa2
و	waaw
ي	yaa2
ء	hamza
ى	2alif maqSuura
ة	taa2 marbuuTa

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41 words

ما or ماذا

Arabic has two ways of asking “what?”

Use ما in questions that don’t contain a verb. (Ignore the fact that the English translation has a verb in it — what matters is the Arabic!)

Arabic with English letters	Arabic examples	English translation
maa smak?	ما ٱسْمَك؟	What’s your name?
maa ra2yik?	ما رَأْيِك؟	What do you think? (Literally: What’s your opinion?)

Use ماذا in sentences that contain a verb.

Arabic with English letters	Arabic examples	English translation
maadhaa tuHibbiin?	ماذا تُحِبّين؟	What do you love / What would you like?
maadhaa 2adrus?	ماذا أَدْرُس؟	What do I study?

Beware! In questions like “What book?” where in English you can replace “what” with “which” (= ”Which book?”), Arabic doesn’t use ما nor ماذا. You will learn the word for this type of “what” soon.

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أَتَكَلَّم · أَذْهَب · اَلْسّاعة ٱلْحادْية عَشْرة · اَلْسّاعة ٱلْرّابِعة · اَلْسّاعة ٱلْعاشِرة · اَلْسّاعة ٱلْواحِدة · تَتَكَلَّم · تَذْهَب · تَذْهَبين · ساعة · سّاعة · سّاعة ٱلْتّاسِعة · سّاعة ٱلْثّالِثة · سّاعة ٱلْثّامِنة · سّاعة ٱلْثّانْية · سّاعة ٱلْثّانْية عَشْرة · سّاعة ٱلْحادْية عَشْرة · سّاعة ٱلْخامِسة · سّاعة ٱلْرّابِعة · سّاعة ٱلْسّابِعة · سّاعة ٱلْسّادِسة · سّاعة ٱلْعاشِرة · سّاعة ٱلْواحِدة · صَفّ · صَّفّ · في ٱلْسّاعة ٱلْثّالِثة · في ٱلْسّاعة ٱلْثّانْية · في ٱلْسّاعة ٱلْواحِدة · قَبْل · كَم اَلْسّاعة · لَسْتُ · مَتى · مَوْعِد · مُتَفَرِّغ · مُتَفَرِّغة · نُّصْف · وَقْت · يَجِب أَنْ · يَجِب أَنْ أَذْهَب · ٱلْسّاعة ٱلْثّامِنة
40 words

The twenty-fifth hour

In Standard Arabic, in order to say “2 o’clock” you say الساعة الثانية “the second hour,” and in order to say “3 o’clock” you say الساعة الثالثة “the third hour.” This is true for all hours from 2 to 12.

Hours 2-12 in Arabic	Arabic with English letters	Literal meaning	English equivalent
اَلْسّاعة ٱلْثّانْية	as-saa3a ath-thaanya	the second hour	2 o’clock
اَلْسّاعة ٱلْثّالِثة	as-saa3a ath-thaalitha	the third hour	3 o’clock
اَلْسّاعة ٱلْرّابِعة	as-saa3a ar-raabi3a	the fourth hour	4 o’clock
اَلْسّاعة ٱلْخامِسة	as-saa3a al-khaamisa	the fifth hour	5 o’clock
اَلْسّاعة ٱلْسّادِسة	as-saa3a as-saadisa	the sixth hour	6 o’clock
اَلْسّاعة ٱلْسّابِعة	as-saa3a as-saabi3a	the seventh hour	7 o’clock
اَلْسّاعة ٱلْثّامِنة	as-saa3a ath-thaamina	the eighth hour	8 o’clock
اَلْسّاعة ٱلْتّاسِعة	as-saa3a ath-taasi3a	the ninth hour	9 o’clock
اَلْسّاعة ٱلْعاشِرة	as-saa3a al-3aashira	the tenth hour	10 o’clock
اَلْسّاعة ٱلْحادْية عَشَرة	as-saa3a al-Haadya 3ashara	the eleventh hour	11 o’clock
اَلْسّاعة ٱلْثّانْية عَشَرة	as-saa3a ath-thaanya 3ashara	the twelfth hour	12 o’clock

For “1 o’clock” though, you’ll just say اَلْسّاعة ٱلْواحِدة “the hour one” and NOT “the first hour.”

And note that you don’t say AM and PM! Instead, you say “in the morning,” “in the afternoon,” “in the evening,” etc. So 2 PM would be اَلْسّاعة ٱلْثّانْية بَعْد اَلْظُّهْر (literally “the second hour after noon”).

lastu who you think I am

You already know that usually, instead of saying something like I am from Lebanon, you say أنا من لبنان (literally “I from Lebanon”). The “am” or “are” or “is” drops out.

How about if you’re not from somewhere, or not a lawyer, or not something else? You simply use the word لَسْتُ [lastu].

I am not from Lebanon = أنا لَسْتُ من لبنان or just لَسْتُ من لبنان

I am not sick = أَنا لَسْتُ مَريضة or just لَسْتُ مَريضة

I am not home = أَنا لَسْتُ في ٱلْبَيْت or just لَسْتُ في ٱلْبَيْت

I am not from here = أَنا لَسْتُ مِن هُنا or just لَسْتُ مِن هُنا

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32 words

house - houses, mouse - ?

So far, you haven’t seen many plural nouns in Arabic, but this is about to change! Check out these singular-plural pairs you’ll learn in the next few lessons:

Arabic with English letters	Arabic examples	English translation
fiilm - 2aflaam	فيلْم - أَفْلام	movie - movies
dars - duruus	دَرْس - دُروس	lesson - lessons
risaala - rasaa2il	رِسالة - رَسائِل	letter - letters
qariib - 2aqaarib	قَريب - أَقارِب	relative - relatives
Sadiiq - 2aSdiqaa2	صَديق - أَصْذِقاء	friend - friends
kitaab - kutub	كِتاب - كُتُب	book - books
lugha - lughaat	لُغة - لُغات	language - languages

As you can see, each plural noun above looks a little different! Now when you learn new words, you’ll learn the singular-plural pair together.

Don’t worry, though! Once you know more vocabulary, you’ll be able to start predicting the plural of new nouns with good accuracy.

Intro to the root system

You know how in English some words that share a root also have a common meaning, like for example the root “home” in words like “homey,” “homeless” and “homebound?” Or the root “myth” in words like “mythical,” “mythological” and “mythology?” Arabic does sort of the same thing!

In English, we usually form new words by taking the base word (the “root”) and sticking something before or after it (like un- or -less or -ical). Arabic, though, takes letters and inserts them before, after and in between the consonants of the root.

So, for example, if “myth” was an actual Arabic root M - Y - TH that had to do with myths, then you could probably find the following words in Arabic: MaaYiTH, MiYaaTHa, muMaaYaTHa, istaMYaTHa, muMtaYiTH, taMYiiTH, taMaaYuTH, yanMaYiTH, and many more. The meaning of all these words would have to do with myths!

Arabic speakers are able to easily understand the root meaning of each word by listening to the consonants, even new words they’ve never heard. That’s because the extra letters are not added randomly but follow specific patterns. You’ll learn more about patterns later.

Now that you get the idea, here are some actual Arabic examples. Look at the singular-plural pairs below.

Arabic with English letters	Arabic examples	English translation
DaRS - DuRuuS	دَرْس - دُروس	lesson - lessons
RiSaaLa - RaSaa2iL	رِسالة - رَسائِل	letter - letters
QaRiiB - 2aQaaRiB	قَريب - أَقارِب	relative - relatives

The root of the word دَرْس (DaRS) “lesson” is the sequence د - ر - س D-R-S. The meaning of this root is connected to studying. This same root appears in the same order in the plural دُروس (DuRuuS) “lessons” but also in other words, like the verb يَدْرُس (yaDRuS) “he studies” or the noun مَدْرَسة (maDRaSa) “school” (literally, the place of study).

Try to identify the root of words you already know and see if you can start making connections between words that share the same root!

The writing of letters

You already know that to say “She likes writing,” you’d say تُحِبّ اَلْكِتابة tuHibb al-kitaaba. The word اَلْكِتابة means “writing.”

But what if you don’t just like writing, but “writing letters”? Or “reading a book?” In order to say this, use an iDaafa construction with the verbal noun (e.g. اَلْكِتابة، اَلْقِراءة etc.) as the first term. Just as a reminder: iDaafa is the structure that’s commonly used to express possession and it follows the following guidelines:

The thing that is possessed comes first, followed by the possessor;
The thing that is possessed must be a bare noun (aka no اَلْ “the” in Arabic);
If the thing that is possessed ends in ة, the ة is pronounced “-at.”

Here are some examples of verbal nouns first on their own (“writing”) and then in iDaafa construction (“writing letters”).

English sentence	Arabic equivalent	Arabic with English letters	Literal translation of the Arabic
Writing is fun.	اَلْكِتابة مُمْتِعة.	al-kitaaba mumti3a	The writing is fun.
Writing letters is fun.	كِتابة اَلْرَّسائِل مُمْتِعة.	kitaabat ar-rasaa2il mumti3a	Writing of the letters is fun.
--	--	--	--
I like reading.	أُحِبّ اَلْقِراءة.	2uHibb al-qiraa2a	I like the reading.
I like reading books.	أُحِبّ قِراءة اَلْكُتُب.	2uHibb qiraa2at al-kutub	I like reading of the books.

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36 words
al- and food

You’ve noticed that the use of اَلْ (al-) in Arabic and “the” in English doesn’t always match up. Here are some examples of how to use اَلْ when discussing food.

When discussing specific food items (i.e. “the chicken from yesterday,” “the coffee you made,” “the salt that’s on the table,” etc.), use اَلْ. This is similar to English.

I like the chicken from yesterday. = أُحِبّ اَلْدَّجاج مِن أَمْس. (2uHibb ad-dajaaj min 2ams)

The trickier part is when you want to discuss categories of food in general (i.e. “chicken,” “bread,” “coffee,” etc.). In this case, the use of اَلْ is mostly determined by the verb you choose.

LIKE

If you like a food in general, use اَلْ.

I like chicken. = أُحِبّ اَلْدَّجاج. (2uHibb ad-dajaaj)

I like coffee. = أُحِبّ اَلْقَهْوة. (2uHibb al-qawha)

WANT

If you want a type of food in general, do not use اَلْ.

I want chicken. = أُريد دَجاجاً (2uriid dajaajan)

I want coffee. = أُريد قَهْوة (2uriid qahwa)

EAT/DRINK

If you are discussing eating or drinking a type of food in general, using اَلْ on food items is optional. If you use it, you’ll sound more formal than if you don’t.

I eat chicken. = آكُل دَجاجاً (2aakul dajaajan) OR آكُل اَلْدَّجاج (2aakul ad-dajaaj)

I drink coffee every morning. = أَشْرَب قَهْوة كُلّ صَباح (2ashrab qahwa kull SabaaH) OR أَشْرَب اَلْقَهْوة كُلّ صَباح (2ashrab al-qahwa kull SabaaH)

dajaajan?

Look at this example sentence.

I want chicken. = أُريد دَجاجاً (2uriid dajaajan)

Do you wonder why the word دَجاج “chicken” ends with اً “-an” in this sentence? That’s because “chicken” doesn’t take “the” or “my, your, etc.” AND it is the object of a verb (I want what? I want… chicken!).

اً is used to mark indefinite direct objects. Here are more examples.

I want a friend. = أُريد صَديقاً (2uriid Sadiiqan)

I eat bread. = آكُل خُبْزاً (2aakul khubzan)

I want a new house. = أُريد بَيْتاً جَديداً (2uriid baytan jadiidan)

Note that any adjective that accompanies a noun ending in اً also needs to end in اً (baytan jadiidan “a new house”).

Remember that if a noun ends in ة, ً just sits on the ة directly without an alif seat. In this case, ً -an is typically not written even though technically it’s there.

I want coffee. = أُريد قَهْوة (2uriid qahwa) OR أُريد قَهْوةً (2uriid qahwatan)

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34 words

نُحِبّ هٰذِهِ ٱلْلُّغة

Time to review some present verbs! Remember, the “I” form always starts with أ. Below are the forms when different people are doing the action (including, for the first time, some plurals).

Arabic verbs	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
أُحِبّ	2uHibb	I like/love
تُحِبّ	tuHibb	you like/love (to a male)
تُحِبّين	tuHibbiin	you like/love (to a female)
يُحِبّ	yuHibb	he likes/loves
تُحِبّ	tuHibb	she likes/loves
نُحِبّ	nuHibb	we like/love
تُحِبّون	tuHibbuun	you all like/love
يُحِبّون	yuHibbuun	they like/love

Arabic verb	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
أَنام	2anaam	I sleep
تَنام	tanaam	you sleep (to a male)
تَنامين	tanaamiin	you sleep (to a female)
يَنام	yanaam	he sleeps
تَنام	tanaam	she sleeps
نَنام	nanaam	we sleep
تَنامون	tanaamuun	you all sleep
يَنامون	yanaamuun	they sleep

What which?

Today, you’ll learn the Arabic word that corresponds to “which” in questions like “which book are you reading?”

This word comes in two forms: أَيّ is masculine and أَيّة is feminine. To decide which one to use, simply match the gender of the noun that follows it.

Arabic	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
أَيّ كِتاب؟	2ayy kitaab	Which book?
أَيّ رَجُل؟	2ayy rajul	Which man?
أَيّ بَيْت؟	2ayy bayt	Which house?
--	--	--
أَيّة وِلاية؟	2ayya wilaaya	Which state?
أَيّة مُشْكِلة؟	2ayya mushkila	Which problem?
أَيّة خالة؟	2ayya khaala	Which maternal aunt?

Colloquial English uses “what” and “which” interchangeably in sentences like “what/which book are you reading?” Don’t let that confuse you! If you can replace “what” with “which” in English, then أَيّ / أَيّة is the word you want in Arabic.

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36 words

Who are you calling weak?!

Most words in Arabic are based on a 3-consonant root. When ي (y) or و (w) is the last consonant in the root of a verb, this verb is called weak, which means that it looks a little different when you put endings on it. The new verb يَشْتَري yashtarii “he buys” is based on the weak root ش - ر - ي SH - R - Y. Pay attention to what happens to the final ي in the present tense below.

Arabic verb	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
أَشْتَري	a2ashtarii	I buy
تَشْتَري	tashtarii	you buy (to a male)
تَشْتَرين	tashtariin	you buy (to a female)
يَشْتَري	yashtarii	he buys
تَشْتَري	tashtarii	she buys
نَشْتَري	nashtarii	we buy
تَشْتَرون	tashtaruun	you all buy
يَشْتَرون	yashtaruun	they buy

See what happens with “you” (to a female), “you all” and “they”? The final ي of the verb gets eaten by the endings ين and ون !

Because I said so.

To say “because” in Arabic, use the word لِأَنَّ (li2anna). A couple of things to know about لِأَنَّ:

First, لِأَنَّ must be followed by a complete sentence, such as “because humans are weird,” “because war sucks,” “because cartoons saved my life.”

Second, the word directly following لِأَنَّ must be the subject of the sentence.

Sentence without “because”	Meaning in English	Sentence with “because”	Meaning in English
اَلْعالَم غَريب.	The world is weird.	لِأَنَّ ٱلْعالَم غَريب.	Because the world is weird.
أُخْتي تَدْرُس كَثيراً.	My sister studies a lot.	لِأَنَّ أُخْتي تَذْرُس كَثيراً.	Because my sister studies a lot.

Note that subject pronouns (i.e. I, you, he, she, etc.) combine with لِأَنَّ in the following way: لِأَنَّ + أَنا = لِأَنَّني "because I" لِأَنَّ + أَنْتَ = لِأَنَّك "because you (male)" لِأَنّ + أَنْتِ = لِأَنِّك "because you (female)" لِأَنّ + هُوَّ = لِأَنَّهُ "because he/it" لِأَنّ + هِيَّ = لِأَنَّها "because she/it"

Sentence without “because”	Meaning in English	Sentence with “because”	Meaning in English
أَنا مِن مِصْر.	I am from Egypt.	لِأَنَّني مِن مِصر.	Because I am from Egypt.
أَنْتِ أُمّي.	You are my mother.	لِأَنِّك أُمّي.	Because you are my mother.
هِيَّ مُعَلِّمة مُمْتازة.	She is an amazing teacher.	لِأَنَّها مُعَلِّمة مُمْتازة.	Because she is an amazing teacher.
هُوَّ سَعيد.	He is happy.	لِأَنَّهُ سَعيد.	Because he is happy.

2 + 2 = 3

The short word لِ li- (to, for) in Arabic can’t stand on its own; instead, it needs to be attached to the following word in writing.

Example in Arabic	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
لِأَبي	li-2abii	to/for my father
لِهٰذِهِ ٱلْأُسْتاذة	li-haadhihi l-2ustaadha	to/for this professor
لِبَيْروت	li-bayruut	to/for Beirut

When the word following لِ starts with الْ al- (the), the alif in الْ disappears both in pronunciation and writing, just like this: لِ + الْ = لِل

Example in Arabic	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
لِلْبِنْت	li-l-bint	to/for the girl
لِلْأُسْتاذة	li-l-2ustaadha	to/for the professor
لِلْقاهِرة	li-l-qaahira	to/for Cairo

Carrots, tomatoes, squash

A while back, you learned that the word دَجاج dajaaj is grammatically singular but can have a plural meaning. For instance, if you saw dajaaj at the farm, then you saw chickens rather than a single chicken.

English also has nouns like that. Take “furniture,” for example. You’d say, “Our furniture IS really nice” (as opposed to “are”), even though “furniture” doesn’t refer to one item but rather to a bunch of things (desks, tables, chairs, couch, etc.).

You’re about to learn more of those nouns in Arabic -- carrots جَزَر jazar, tomatoes بَنَدورة banaduura, and squash كوسا kuusaa are all singular in Arabic but they refer to a group of items.

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57 words

I will drink

Good news! Expressing the future in Arabic is really easy: just add سَ sa- at the beginning of a present verb. Below is the verb “to drink” in the present and future tense, and you can do this with any verb!

Present verb	Arabic with English letters	Meaning	Future verb	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
أَشْرَب	a2ashrab	I drink	سَأَشْرَب	sa-2ashrab	I will drink
تَشْرَب	tashrab	you drink (to a male)	سَتَشْرَب	sa-tashrab	you will drink (to a male)
تَشْرَبين	tashrabiin	you drink (to a female)	سَتَشْرَبين	sa-tashrabiin	you will drink (to a female)
يَشْرَب	yashrab	he drinks	سَيَشْرَب	sa-yashrab	he will drink
تَشْرَب	tashrab	she drinks	سَتَشْرَب	sa-tashrab	she will drink
نَشْرَب	nashrab	we drink	سَنَشْرَب	sa-nashrab	we will drink
تَشْرَبون	tashrabuun	you all drink	سَتَشْرَبون	sa-tashrabuun	you all will drink
يَشْرَبون	yashrabuun	they drink	سَيَشْرَبون	sa-yashrabuun	they will drink

With or without you

Words like مَعَ (with), في (in, at), مِن (from), عَن (from, off), etc. combine with words like me, you, her, etc. so they become a single word in Arabic. Here is how “with” combines with other words:

Example in Arabic	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
مَعي	ma3ii	with me
مَعَك	ma3ak	with you (to a male)
مَعِك	ma3ik	with you (to a female)
مَعَهُ	ma3ahu	with him
مَعَها	ma3ahaa	with her

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36 words

I love it!

You already know how to say “I love my daughter” and “My cat eats all my food,” but what about “I love her” and “My cat eats it?” Below are some ways to say this!

Example in Arabic	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
يُحِبّني	yuHibb-nii	he likes/loves me
تَعْرِفني	ta3rif-nii	you know me
--	--	--
أُحِبَّك	a2uHibb-ak	I like/love you (to a male)
تَعْرِفَك	ta3rif-ak	she knows you (to a female)
--	--	--
يُحِبِّك	yuHibb-ik	he likes/loves you (to a female)
نَعْرِفِك	na3rif-ik	we know you (to a female)
--	--	--
أُحِبّهُ	a2uHibb-hu	I like/love him
آكُلهُ	a2aakulhu	I eat it
--	--	--
يُحِبّها	yuHibb-haa	he likes/loves her
نَشْرَبْها	nashrab-haa	we drink it

Notice that these words like “her” and “it” attach to the end of the verb!

whose brother?

The word أَخ a2akh (brother) changes depending on what role it’s playing in the sentence.

Example in Arabic	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
.هُوَّ أَخ	huwwa 2akh	He is a brother.
.هُوَّ أَخو مُحَمَّد	huwwa 2akhuu muHammad	He is Mohamed’s brother.
.أَخو مُحَمَّد مُمْتِع	a2akhuu muHammad mumti3	Mohamed’s brother is fun.

أَخو is only used if the word “brother” is the first word in an iDaafa, i.e. the brother of John, the brother of the teacher, the brother of Maryam, etc. or even your brother, her brother, etc. In every other case, the basic form أَخ is used.

Example in Arabic	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
أَخو جون يَعْمَل كَثيراً	a2akhuu juun ya3mal kathiiran	The brother of John/John’s brother works a lot.
عُمَر أَخو جون	a3umar a2akhuu juun	Omar is the brother of John/John’s brother.

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47 words

Our, their and everywhere

You already know how to say “my,” “your,” “his” and “her.” Now you will learn the plural forms: “our,” “your (to more than one person)” and “their.” Here are all the forms you know so far, attached to the noun بَيْت bayt (house).

my house, your house, etc.	Pronunciation	Meaning
بَيْت	bayt	house
بَيْتي	bayt-ii	my house
بَيْتَك	bayt-ak	your house (to a man)
بَيْتِك	bayt-ik	your house (to a woman)
بَيْتهُ	bayt-hu	his house
بَيْتها	bayt-haa	her house
بَيْتنا	bayt-naa	our house
بَيْتكم	bayt-kum	your house (to more than one person)
بَيْتهُم	bayt-hum	their house

Remember that if the noun ends with ة, it turns into ـَت (-at) before “my,” “your,” “his,” “her,” etc. Below are all the forms you know so far, attached to the noun جامِعة jaami3a (university) which ends in ة.

my university, your university, etc.	Pronunciation	Meaning
جامِعة	jaami3a	university
جامِعَتي	jaami3at-ii	my university
جامِعَتَك	jaami3at-ak	your university (to a man)
جامِعَتِك	jaami3at-ik	your university (to a woman)
جامِعَتهُ	jaami3at-hu	his university
جامِعَتها	jaami3at-haa	her university
جامِعَتنا	jaami3at-naa	our university
جامِعَتكُم	jaami3at-kum	your university (to more than one person)
جامِعَتهُم	jaami3at-hum	their university

In very formal Arabic, -kum كُم (your) and -hum هُم (their) are used only for groups of at least three people including at least one man. But in slightly less formal, spoken Arabic, -kum كُم (your) and -hum هُم (their) can be used for any group of two or more people.

Everybody has!

The same endings used to say “our,” “your (plural)” and “their” are also used on عِنْد to express “we have,” “y’all have” and “they have.”

To say “we/y’all/they do not have,” just use the word لَيْسَ.

Arabic version	Literal translation	Meaning
عِنْدي سَيّارة	at-me a car	I have a car.
لَيْسَ عِنْدي سَيّارة	not at-me a car	I do not have a car.
--	--	--
عِنْدَك سَيّارة	at-you a car	You have a car. (to a man)
لَيْسَ عِنْدَك سَيّارة	not at-you a car	You do not have a car. (to a man)
--	--	--
عِنْدِك سَيّارة	at-you a car	You have a car. (to a woman)
لَيْسَ عِنْدِك سَيّارة	not at-you a car	You do not have a car. (to a woman)
--	--	--
عِنْدهُ سَيّارة	at-him a car	He has a car.
لَيْسَ عِنْدهُ سَيّارة	not at-him a car	He does not have a car.
--	--	--
عِنْدها سَيّارة	at-her a car	She has a car.
لَيْسَ عِنْدها سَيّارة	not at-her a car	She does not have a car.
--	--	--
عِنْدنا سَيّارة	at-us a car	We have a car.
لَيْسَ عِنْدنا سَيّارة	not at-us a car	We do not have a car.
--	--	--
عِنْدكُم سَيّارة	at-you a car	You have a car. (to more than one person)
لَيْسَ عِنْدكُم سَيّارة	not at-you a car	You do not have a car. (to more than one person)
--	--	--
عِنْدهُم سَيّارة	at-them a car	They have a car.
لَيْسَ عِنْدهُم سَيّارة	not at-them a car	They do not have a car.

In more formal Arabic, the feminine لَيْسَت is used if the thing you don’t have is feminine, e.g. لَيْسَ عِنْدي بَيْت vs. لَيْسَت عِنْدي سَيّارة. But in slightly less formal, spoken Arabic, لَيْسَ can be used regardless of what is not possessed.

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37 words

Who’s أَنْ?

The new word أَنْ is a big deal in Arabic. أَنْ is used much like English “to” in sentences like “we want TO talk,” and like English “that” in sentences like “I hope THAT you sleep in.”

You may remember that Arabic words like اَلْكَلام “talking” and اَلْكِتابة “writing” are called verbal nouns. Well, أَنْ introduces a verb clause in place of a verbal noun. So in order to say “we want to talk,” you can either say نُريد اَلْكَلام nuriid al-kalaam or نُريد أَنْ نَتَكَلَّم nuriid 2an natakallam.

Here are more examples of sentences in two versions: one with the verbal noun and one with أَنْ.

English sentence	Version 1 (verbal noun)	Version 1 with English letters	Version 2 (أَنْ)	Version 2 with English letters
I like to sleep.	أُحِبّ اَلْنَّوْم	2uHibb an-nawm	أُحِبّ أَنْ أَنام	2uHibb 2an 2anaam
You must talk with him.	يَجِب اَلْكَلام مَعَهُ	yajib al-kalaam ma3ahu	يَجِب أَنْ تَتَكَلَّم مَعَهُ	yajib 2an tatakallam ma3ahu
We can eat now.	مِن اَلْمُمْكِن اَلْأَكْل اَلْآن	min al-mumkin al-2akl al-2aan	مِن اَلْمُمْكِن أَنْ نَأْكُل اَلْآن	min al-mumkin 2an na2kul al-2aan

But which present?

As you see from the examples above, what follows أَنْ is a verb in the present. But this is a special present! Pay attention to “sleep” in Arabic in the following examples:

Arabic example	Example with English letters	Meaning
يَجِب أَنْ أَنام	yajib 2an 2anaam	I must sleep.
يَجِب أَنْ تَنام	yajib 2an tanaam	You must sleep. (to a man) / She must sleep.
يَجِب أَنْ تَنامي	yajib 2an *tanaamii	You must sleep. (to a woman)
يَجِب أَنْ يَنام	yajib 2an yanaam	He must sleep.
يَجِب أَنْ نَنام	yajib 2an nanaam	We must sleep.
يَجِب أَنْ تَناموا	yajib 2an tanaamuu	Y’all must sleep.
يَجِب أَنْ يَناموا	yajib 2an yanaamuu	They must sleep.

For I, you (to a man), he, she and we, this new present looks the same as the present you already know. But for you (to a woman), y’all and they, it looks different: the ن at the end of the verb drops out, and a silent alif ا appears instead for y’all and they only.

Present you already know	With English letters	Meaning	New present	With English letters	Meaning
تَنامين	tanamiin	You sleep. (to a woman)	مِن اَلْمُمْكِن أَنْ تَنامي	min al-mumkin 2an *tanaamii	You can sleep. (to a woman)
تَنامون	tanamuun	Y’all sleep.	مِن اَلْمُمْكِن أَنْ تَناموا	min al-mumkin 2an *tanaamuu	Y’all can sleep.
يَنامون	yanamuun	They sleep.	مِن اَلْمُمْكِن أَنْ يَناموا	min al-mumkin 2an *yanaamuu	They can sleep.

Hand is a girl?!

By now, you’ve noticed that singular nouns that end in ة are usually feminine, while those that don’t are usually masculine.

But some feminine nouns don’t end in ة! Some common ones are things that usually come in pairs in the human body, like “eye,” “hand” and “foot.”

a _	In Arabic	With English letters	a big __	In Arabic	With English letters
an eye	عَيْن	3ayn	a big eye	عَيْن كَبيرة	3ayn kabiira
a hand	يَد	yad	a big hand	يَد كَبيرة	yad kabiira
a foot	رِجْل	rijl	a big foot	رِجْل كَبيرة	rijl kabiira

See how “big” is in the feminine in the examples above? That’s because “eye,” “hand” and “foot” are feminine nouns, even though they don’t end in ة!

Do this, do that!

Over the next few lessons, you’ll start seeing different verbs in the command form, like “open your mouth!” or “give me some carrots!” For now, it’s best if you just learn a few of those verbs one at a time without worrying too much about how they are formed.

One thing you’ll notice right away is that, regardless of the verb, when you’re addressing a woman, the verb ends in ي -ii and when you’re addressing a group of people, the verb ends in وا -uu (the alif is silent, just like it is after أَنْ).

In English	To a man	With English letters	To a woman	With English letters	To a group	With English letters
Open your mouth	اِفْتَح فَمَك	iftaH famak	اِفْتَحي فَمِك	iftaHii famik	اِفْتَحوا فَمكُم	iftaHuu famkum
Come	تَعالَ	ta3aala	تَعالي	ta3aalii	تَعالوا	ta3aaluu

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34 words
Here you go, come in, go ahead. 3 in 1 ?!

The verb تَفَضَّل expresses all these meanings. This arises form an Arabic cultural concept of honoring your guest. It literally means "please do me a favor and come in/take this thing/ pass ahead of me". Isn't it nice?

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49 words

To be or not to be

You know that in order to say “She is an engineer,” you just say هِيَّ مُهَنْدِسة (literally, “she engineer”).

However, when you want to say something that happened in the past like “I was tired” or something that will happen like “I will be there,” you don’t drop the “was” or “will be.” You also use يَكون yakuun, meaning “to be,” after أَنْ.

Arabic example	Example with English letters	Meaning
أُريد أَنْ أَكون مُهَنْدِساً / مُهَنْدِسة	2uriid 2an 2akuun muhandisan / muhandisa	I want to be an engineer.
تُريد أَنْ تَكون مُهَنْدِساً	turiid 2an takuun muhandisan	You want to be an engineer. (to a man)
تُريدين أَنْ تَكوني مُهَنْدِسة	turiidiin 2an takuunii muhandisa	You want to be an engineer. (to a woman)
يُريد أَنْ يَكون مُهَنْدِساً	yuriid 2an yakuun muhandisan	He wants to be an engineer.
تُريد أَنْ تَكون مُهَنْدِسة	turiid 2an takuun muhandisa	She wants to be an engineer.
نُريد أَنْ نَكون مُهَنْدِسين	nuriid 2an nakuun muhandisiin	We want to be engineers.
تُريدون أَنْ تَكونوا مُهَنْدِسين	turiiduun 2an takuunuu muhandisiin	Y’all want to be engineers.
يُريدون أَنْ يَكونوا مُهَنْدِسين	yuriiduun 2an yakuunuu muhandisiin	They want to be engineers.

After this new verb “to be,” the thing you want to be ends in اً -an (as long as that thing doesn’t end in ة and doesn’t have “the” or “my, your, his, etc.” on it.)

Easy. . . easier!

You may remember that most words in Arabic are based on a 3-consonant root, like د - ر - س D - R - S in يَدْرُس yaDRuS “he studies.” Let’s practice finding the root of the following adjectives.

Adjective in Arabic	Root	Adjective in English
صَعْب	ص - ع - ب	difficult
سَهْل	س - ه - ل	easy
كَبير	ك - ب - ر	big
صَغير	ص - غ - ر	small
قَديم	ق - د - م	old
جَديد	ج - د - د	new
غالي	غ - ل - ي	expensive
رَخيص	ر - خ - ص	cheap
غَنِيّ	غ - ن - ي	rich
فَقير	ف - ق - ر	poor

Now that we have those roots, we can make comparisons, like “more difficult” or “cheaper.” To do that, you just plug the root in the following three blanks: 2a _ _ a _

So if the root is ك - ب - ر K - B - R (like in كَبير), you will end up with: 2a K B a R = أَكْبَر

Let’s try it with all the same adjectives as above!

Comparative with English letters	Comparative in Arabic (2a _ _ a _)	Meaning	Root
2aS3ab	أَصْعَب	more difficult	ص - ع - ب
2ashal	أَسْهَل	easier	س - ه - ل
2akbar	أَكْبَر	bigger	ك - ب - ر
2aSghar	أَصْغَر	smaller	ص - غ - ر
2aqdam	أَقْدَم	older	ق - د - م
2ajadd	أَجَدّ	newer	ج - د - د
2aghlaa	أَغْلى	more expensive	غ - ل - ي
2arkhaS	أَرْخَص	cheaper	ر - خ - ص
2aghnaa	أَغْنى	richer	غ - ن - ي
2afqar	أَفْقَر	poorer	ف - ق - ر

Some interesting comparatives above are:

أَجَدّ (and not أَجْدَد) for adjective جَديد -- that’s what happens when the second and third consonants of the root are the same letter (in this case J - D - D)!

أَغْلى “more expensive” (2aghlaa) and أَغْنى “richer” (2aghnaa) where the combination short a + final ii = aa (and NOT ay)

Nothing’s easier than this!

To say “easier than” or “poorer than,” just use the word مِن min.

مَحْمود أَفْقَر مِن سام (maHmoud 2afqar min saam) “Mahmoud is poorer than Sam”

غَسّان أَغْنى مِن عُمَر (ghassaan 2aghnaa min 3umar) “Ghassan is richer than Omar

Almost too easy

One nice thing about making comparisons in Arabic is that the comparative stays the same whether you’re talking about a man, a woman or a group of people.

Comparison in Arabic	With English letters	Meaning
مَحْمود أَكْبَر مِن رانْيا	maHmoud 2akbar min raanyaa	Mahmoud is older than Rania.
رانْيا أَكْبَر مِن بَشير	raanyaa 2akbar min bashiir	Rania is older than Bashir.
--	--	--
أُمّي أَغْنى مِن أَبي	2ummii 2aghnaa min 2abii	My mother is richer than my father.
أَبي أَفْفَر مِن أٌمّي	2abii 2afqar min 2ummii	My father is poorer than my mother.

In other news

The word “other” in Arabic is آخَر in the masculine. Beware: the feminine doesn’t take ة but rather follows a different pattern: أُخْرى.

Examples in Arabic	With English letters	Meaning
يَوْم مُمْطِر آخَر	yawm mumTir 2aakhar	another rainy day
رَجُل آخَر	rajul 2aakhar	another man
اَلْآخَر	al-2aakhar	the Other / the other one
--	--	--
مَرّة أُخْرى	marra 2ukhraa	another time, again
اِمْرَأة أُخْرى	imra2a 2ukhraa	another woman
اَلْأُخْرى	al-2ukhraa	the other one

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69 words

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38 words

Your pant is nice!

Some nouns that are plural in English are singular in Arabic, like “pants” and “shoes.” This means those nouns take singular agreement, as illustrated by the examples below.

Examples in Arabic	With English letters	Meaning
هٰذا ٱلْبِنْطال جَميل	haadha l-binTaal jamiil	These pants are pretty.
أُريد اَلْحِذاء اَلْأَزْرَق اَلْجَديد	2uriid al-Hidhaa2 al-2azraq al-jadiid	I want the new blue shoes.

Do you notice the singular masculine agreement with all words that describe “pants” and “shoes” in the table above? That’s how it works! If it’s easier, you can think of these words are “a pair of pants” and “a pair of shoes.”

cars, houses, books = she

You know that if you want to describe a masculine noun, you use a masculine adjective/verb/pronoun, etc. And if the noun is feminine, the agreement is feminine.

Examples of agreement with nouns	With English letters	Meaning
اَلْمَكْتَب كَبير.	al-maktab kabiir	The office is big.
اَلْجامِعة كَبيرة.	al-jaami3a kabiira	The university is big.
--	--	--
هٰذا ٱلْبَيْت لا يَنام	haadhaa l-bayt laa yanaam	This house does not sleep.
هٰذِهِ ٱلْمَدينة لا تَنام	haadhihi l-madiina laa tanaam	This city does not sleep.
--	--	--
!هٰذا ٱلْبِنْطال؟ نَعَم أُحِبّهُ كَثيراً	haadhaa l-binTaal? na3am 2uHibbhu kathiiran	This pair of pants? Yes, I like it a lot!
!هٰذِهِ ٱلْصَّحيفة؟ نَعَم أُحِبّها كَثيراً	haadhihi S-SaHiifa? na3am 2uHibbhaa kathiiran	This newspaper? Yes, I like it a lot!

One thing we haven’t seen yet is how to describe plural nouns. Arabic treats non-human plurals (e.g. cars, books, lessons, etc.) and human plurals (e.g. people, teachers, Arabs, Americans, etc.) differently. Today we’ll learn how to deal with non-human plurals.

Formal Arabic tends to view non-human plurals as one set, as opposed to a bunch of individual items. For this reason, it considers non-human plurals as singular. Non-human plurals take feminine singular agreement. This means that in order to describe non-human plurals, you will use words like هِيَّ (“they”), هٰذِهِ (“these”), ها (“them”), etc.

Examples of agreement with non-human plural nouns	With English letters	Meaning
اَلْدُّروس سَهْلة	ad-duruus sahla	The lessons are easy.
هٰذِهِ ٱلْلُّغات لَيْسَت صَعْبة أَبَداً	haadhihi l-lughaat laysat Sa3ba 2abadan	These languages are not difficult at all.
--	--	--
أَفْلامهُ تُساعِدني	2aflaamhu tusaa3idnii	His movies help me.
هٰذه ٱلْكُتُب؟ نَعَم أُحِبّها كَثيراً	haadhihi l-kutub? na3am 2uHibbhaa kathiiran	These books? Yes, I like them a lot.

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53 words

I won’t cry, I wooon’t cryyy

To say “I will go,” you know to add سَ in front of the present verb أَذْهَب “I go.” The result is سَأَذْهَب sa-2adhhab “I will go.”

But what about “I will NOT go” or “we will NOT eat” or “they will NOT speak” etc.? To say this, use the word لَنْ lan followed by the verb, i.e. لَنْ أَذْهَب lan 2adhhab “I will not go.”

The table below contrasts “will” and “will not.”

Will	Arabic with English letters	Meaning	Will not	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
سَأَشْرَب	sa-2ashrab	I will drink	لَنْ أَشْرَب	lan 2ashrab	I will not drink
سَتَشْرَب	sa-tashrab	you will drink (to a male)	لَنْ تَشْرَب	lan tashrab	you will not drink (to a male)
سَتَشْرَبين	sa-tashrabiin	you will drink (to a female)	لَنْ تَشْرَبي	lan tashrabii	you will not drink (to a female)
سَيَشْرَب	sa-yashrab	he will drink	لَنْ يَشْرَب	lan yashrab	he will not drink
سَتَشْرَب	sa-tashrab	she will drink	لَنْ تَشْرَب	lan tashrab	she will not drink
سَنَشْرَب	sa-nashrab	we will drink	لَنْ نَشْرَب	lan nashrab	we will not drink
سَتَشْرَبون	sa-tashrabuun	you all will drink	لَنْ تَشْرَبوا	lan tashrabuu	you all will not drink
سَيَشْرَبون	sa-yashrabuun	they will drink	لَنْ يَشْرَبوا	lan yashrabuu	they will not drink

As you see in the examples above, the present verb after لَنْ takes some special forms: the ن drops out at the end of the verb for you (to a woman), you all and they, AND a silent alif is added at the end of the verb for you all and they only. This is just like the verb after أَنْ!

Cached // 2023-09-040.065

Words

Tips and Notes

··········· Table of Contents ···········

Alphabet 1 1 · 2019-06-20 ^

Reading back to front

Did you know that Arabic is written right to left?

English letters	Arabic letters
d	د
aa	ا
daa	دا

(See? Right to left! How cool is that?)

This means that when you pick up a book or magazine written in Arabic, you should start reading from the back cover — which, of course, is the front!

Aah!!

When Arabic is written using English letters, sometimes there’ll be two vowels in a row.

English letters	Arabic letters
daa	دا
duu	دو
dii	دي

This doesn’t mean that there are two vowels in Arabic, but rather that there is one loooong vowel. Yes, Arabic has both short and long vowels! You’ll be learning more about this soon.

Oh, duh

When you see a tiny forward slash above a letter, it means this letter has a short ah sound right after it. We’ll talk more about this later.

English letters	Arabic letters
d	د
da	دَ

Wow, yeah!

Sometimes و = uu (long vowel) and other times و = w.

English letters	Arabic letters
zuu	زو

BUT

English letters	Arabic letters
zaw	زَو
wa	وَ

Same with the letter ي: sometimes ي = ii (long vowel) and sometimes ي = y.

English letters	Arabic letters
zii	زي

BUT

English letters	Arabic letters
zay	زَي
ya	يَ

The key is other vowels! If there is a vowel right before or right after و or ي, then they become w and y. Otherwise, they’re just the long vowels uu and ii.

Alphabet 2 4 · 2020-07-10 ^

Mighty Morphing Power Letters

In English, letters can change shape, like if they’re uppercase or lowercase. Letters in Arabic, instead, change shape, based on where they are in comparison to other letters because they can connect to neighboring letters. Look at the shapes of ب b:

Position	Arabic letters	English letters
Independent	ب	b
Beginning of word	بَر	bar
Middle of word	جَبَر	jabar
End of word	رَجَب	rajab

Letters can have up to four shapes, though some have fewer than that.

All letters have the independent form and the End of word form (which means connecting to the previous letter).

However, not all letters connect to the following letter → some letters don't have the beginning and middle of the word forms.

Note that the letter combinations you will see in the course to help you learn to read and write in Arabic do not necessarily have a meaning.

ذ = dh

The new letter ذ (dhaal) makes the same sound as the letter combination th in the following English words: the, this, brother, bathing. In our transliteration system, ذ will be represented as dh.

Note that this is not the same sound as th in the following set of English words: thick, thunder, broth, bath. This th sound corresponds to a different letter in Arabic that you will learn soon.

Alphabet 3 1 · 2019-06-20 ^

In the beginning...

In the last skill, you learned to recognize some letters (like ب and ج) by themselves and at the beginning of a word.

English letters	Arabic letters
Bob	بوب
George	جورج

Here’s how ب looks in other positions:

Position	English letters	Arabic letters
Middle	kabar	كَبَر
End	kab	كَب

And here’s how ج looks:

Position	English letters	Arabic letters
Middle	kajad	كَجَد
End	kaj	كَج

Exciting!

Letters vs. words

Arabic has 28 letters and several smaller markings (like short vowels) and you’ll be learning all of them in this course! So you need lots of practice with letters at first.

That’s why you’ll go through several lessons on the alphabet and then you’ll get to one with new vocabulary. But don’t worry, there will be more and more vocab as you progress in the course!

Alphabet 4 3 · 2020-05-23 ^

The Beautiful Camel

Did you know that vowels in Arabic can be short or long, and that using the wrong one might change the meaning of the word?

Vowel length	Arabic letters	English letters	Meaning
Short	جَمَل	jamal	camel
Long	جَمال	jamaal	beauty

At first, it’ll probably be tricky for you to hear the difference between short and long vowels. It’ll come with practice!

I Have House

Notice that there is no word in Arabic that means a or an.

Word	Meaning
بَيت	house / a house
جاكيت	jacket / a jacket

This isn’t the case for the word the, though...We’ll talk about the later.

A door big

In English, when you want to describe a noun with an adjective (like “a new jacket” or “a big door”), you put the adjective (new, big) before the noun (jacket, door).

Have you noticed how it’s the opposite in Arabic?

Phrase	Translation
جاكيت جديد	a new jacket (literally: “a jacket new”)
باب كَبير	a big door (literally: “a door big”)

Descriptions 1 5 · 2020-05-23 ^

Hold it!

Word	With English letters	Meaning	Word with shadda	With English letters	Meaning
دَرَس	daras	he studied	دَرَّس	darras	he taught
حَمام	Hamaam	pigeons	حَمّام	Hammaam	bathroom

Note the shadda on the Arabic words on the right side, and the double rr and double mm in darras and Hammaam. When a letter has shadda on it, just hold it extra long!

We saw chicken at the farm!

The word دَجاج (dajaaj) is a collective plural, meaning that it is a singular noun that refers to an entire group or category.

Just remember: دَجاج is NOT a single chicken.

What is number 3 doing here?

Descriptions 2 2 · 2019-07-15 ^

Duo amazing!

That’s what you’re literally saying in Arabic when you want to say “Duo is amazing!”

That is because most of the time, the words am, is and are simply aren’t expressed in Arabic.

Phrase	Translation
جورج سَعيد	George is happy (literally: “George happy”)
جودي مِن جوبا	Judy is from Juba (literally: “Judy from Juba”)

This fun, right?

La la la la la

You’re about to be introduced to the letter ل (l in English) and learn its different shapes. One thing to remember is that when ل is followed by ا within the same word, the result is unexpected!

ل + ا = لا

Countries 1 1 · 2019-06-26 ^

Uh-oh

You already know that the letter ا makes a long aaaaah sound. But it can also do other things!

For example, it can “carry” the tiny letter ء . This letter (called “hamza”) is pronounced like the sound you make between “uh” and “oh” when you say, “uh-oh!”

Words that sound like they start with a vowel in Arabic usually start with hamza first, then the vowel.

Notice that ء can appear in different spots, depending on the vowel it’s written with.

Above the ا

English letters	Arabic letters
2a	أَ
2u	أُ

Below the ا

English letters	Arabic letters
2i	إِ

What’s the Deal With the 2?

In English, there is no letter that corresponds to ء . Since ء looks like a reversed 2, we write it in English letters using the number 2. Check out these examples from the course:

English letters	Arabic letters
2a	أَ
2u	أُ
2i	إِ
2uu	أو
2ii	إي

We owe this innovation to the texting culture. Because the texting technology was originally based on the English alphabet, Arabic speakers got used to texting in Arabic using English letters. Since there’s no good English letter equivalent of ء, they started using 2.

Omar Is... 2 · 2020-06-11 ^

Th

Read these words out loud:

th version one	th version two
three	the
moth	mother
tooth	smooth

Do you notice that the sound of th is different for the words on the left side than it is for the words on the right side?

In Arabic, those two th sounds are actually different letters!

In the word سيث (siith) “Seth”, "th" is like the “th” in “three.” We will use th for the letter ث when transliterating in English letters.

In the word ذَكِيّ (dhakiyy) “smart”, "th" is like the “th” in “the.” We will use dh for the letter ذ when transliterating in English letters.

Zero vowels

There is a marking in Arabic that tells you when there is no vowel. It looks like a tiny zero:

كَبُر = kabur كَبْر = kabr

See the small zero there in kabr? It’s telling you this word is pronounced kabr. Here are some other examples:

مَسَك = masak مَسْك = mask

جَبَر = jabar جَبْر = jabr

This is at you! (aka you have got this)

In English, when you want to talk about things you have or possess, you just say I have a pen. In Arabic, you say this a little differently.

Arabic version	Literal translation	Meaning
.عِنْد جودي بَيْت	at Judy a house	Judy has a house.
.عِنْد عُمَر كَراج	at Omar a garage	Omar has a garage.

Be aware that "عِنْدَ" is not a verb.

Lebanon → Lebanese

To make the nationality adjectives, it is totally easy. For a singular masculine person, we just add the letter ي to the end of the country's name. So لُبنان = Lebanon becomes لُبناني = Lebanese, and عُمان = Oman becomes عُماني = Omani. We will talk about the forms with other subjects later.

Countries 2 1 · 2019-06-26 ^

You’ve already learned that when you see أ / إ at the beginning of a word, it’s just pronounced ء. The ا stays silent.

But what about when it’s in the middle or at the end of a word? You might see ء either on the line or on top of other letters. Don’t worry about learning the rules for which happens when — just know that these forms exist and learn how they sound.

Phrases 4 · 2020-04-01 ^

-an

You already know that a tiny slash above a letter makes the sound a. But what if you see two tiny slashes at the end of a word? Well, that symbol makes a different sound: an. Usually, -an is written above ا, making it look like this: اً. (The ا is silent!)

Arabic word	With English letters	Meaning
شُكْراً	shukran	thank you
صَباحاً	SabaaHan	in the morning
مَساءً	masaa2an	in the evening

Some people prefer to write -an first and then to add the silent alif, like this: شُكْرًا (instead of شُكْراً). Either way, the word is pronounced the same way: shukran!

ع = 3

Today, you’ll hear a sound that we don’t have in English: ع !

Pronouncing ع can be a bit tricky at first. Some people compare its sound to the sound you make when you yawn, some say it’s the sound you make when you hurt yourself and it hurts real bad — some even say it sounds like a duck.

You can try this: get close to a mirror, open your mouth wide and fog up the mirror with your breath. You should feel how tight your throat gets when you do this. Now, while doing this, say the vowel a as in cat. That’s about the right sound.

Because this letter, when it’s not connected to another letter, looks like a reversed 3, we’ll write it as a 3 in English letters. For example, we write the word عَرَبِيّ as 3arabiyy.

Yaa dude!

In Arabic, you use the word يا (yaa) before addressing someone. You can think of it as an attention getter, kind of like “hey!” but not as informal.

أَهْلاً يا عُمَر!

Hello, Omar.

شُكْراً يا كَري!

Thank you, Carrie.

He is to she what 2anta is to 2anti

In English, when you’re talking about someone, you have to specify their gender with either “he” or “she.” In Arabic, you also specify gender when talking to someone directly.

Feminine	Masculine
2anti أَنْتِ = you (female)	2anta أَنْتَ = you (male)
hiyya هِيَّ = she	huwwa هُوَّ = he

Descriptions 3 1 · 2019-06-26 ^

If an adjective describes a noun, it has to agree with the noun: this means that if the noun is masculine, the adjective is masculine, but if the noun is feminine, then the adjective is feminine.

Masculine	Feminine
مُتَرْجِم ذَكِيّ = a smart translator (male) = mutarjim dhakiyy	مُتَرْجِمة ذَكِيّة = a smart translator (female) = mutarjima dhakiyya
أُسْتاذ أَمْريكِيّ = an American professor (male) = 2ustaadh 2amriikiyy	أُسْتاذة أَمْريكِيّة = an American professor (female) = 2ustaadha 2amriikiyya

You and Me 1 · 2019-06-26 ^

ghhhhhh

Have you ever gargled? If so, you probably already know how to make the sound of the letter غ. Put some water in your mouth, throw your head back and gargle away! That’s your Arabic homework.

In English, we’ll write غ as gh.

ا = ى

At the end of a word, ا may appear in a different shape: ى. The two alifs (ا and ى) are not interchangeable, so you’ll need to memorize which is used where.

on, on top of = (3alaa) عَلى

Standard Arabic = (al-3arabiyya l-fuSHaa) اَلْعَرَبِيّة الْفُصْحى

Great Britain = (bariiTaanyaa l-kubraa) بَريطانْيا الْكُبْرى

Yes or no?

Have you noticed that questions that start with a question word in English (what, who, why, how, when, etc.) cannot be answered by yes or no, while questions that start with a verb (are you, did we, can she, will they, has he, etc.) require an answer with yes or no?

Why did the duck cross the road?

-Yes ❌

-No ❌

-To prove he wasn’t a chicken! ✅

Did Adam have a belly-button?

-Yes ✅

-No ✅

-At 3PM. ❌

-Because she was smart. ❌

-Through telepathic mind control. ❌

Well, in Arabic, yes/no questions begin with the word هَل (hal). هَل doesn’t have a translation in English — it just means, “hey, I’m a yes/no question!” هَل you ready for this?

University 1 · 2019-06-26 ^

Ha!

Arabic has so many cool sounds! Like the ح, for example. This is the sound it makes when you get close to a window, open your mouth wide and fog up the window. Try it at home!

The university is a girl??

Masculine	Feminine
بَلَد عَرَبِيّ = an Arab country	مَدينة عَرَبِيّة = an Arab city
بَيْت جَديد = a new house	جامِعة جَديدة = a new university

Are You...? 2 · 2020-03-27 ^

My uncle is dear

Another cool, new Arabic sound is خ. To make this sound, you need to gargle with water but without the singing. Try to whisper as you gargle and you should be making the right sound.

We write خ as kh with English letters.

This is not the same as غ (gh), which is the sound you make when you gargle normally, without whispering.

expensive, dear = (ghaalii) غالي

my mother’s brother = (khaalii) خالي

The

To say the house instead of a house in Arabic, just put the two letters اَلْ (al-) in front of the word بَيْت.

a thing	the thing
بَيْت = a house	اَلْبَيْت = the house
باب = a door	اَلْباب = the door
مَلِكة = a queen	اَلْمَلِكة = the queen

You can do this with any noun in Arabic!

Family 1 1 · 2019-07-02 ^

Mr. T

Ready for a cool new sound? Let’s call it Mr. T. This is a bigger, stronger version of regular t. It’s the sound of the letter ط in Arabic and we write it as capital T in English letters.

How does Mr. T sound different from regular t?

t + a = ta, close to standard American English “tap”

T + a = Ta, close to standard American English “taco”

Listen to the vowels — a vowel that comes after Mr. T sounds farther in the back of the mouth, while one that comes after t sounds closer to the front of the mouth. Some words may sound similar, but if one of them contains regular t and the other Mr. T, they are different words!

to repent = (taab) تاب

to be good, pleasant = (Taab) طاب

Gender is complicated

You’ve seen ة at the end of all feminine nouns so far. However, there are a few nouns that look a little different! These include:

mother = (2umm) أُمّ

sister = (2ukht) أُخْت

daughter / girl = (bint) بِنْت

Oh my!

If you want to say something like This is my house in Arabic, you need to add an extra little ending onto the thing that is mine.

something	my something
house = (bayt) بَيْت	my house = (baytii) بَيْتي
mother = (2umm) أُمّ	my mother = (2ummii) أُمّي

You just add ي at the end of the noun. Now it’s yours! Be careful, though — this only works for words that don’t end in ة.

What's Your Name? 2 · 2020-03-27 ^

q, not qu

Another distinct Arabic sound is ق. It’s kind of like the sound k in English, except much deeper in the throat. Practice it and you’ll totally get it!

We write ق as q with English letters.

Iraq = (al-3iraaq) اَلْعِراق

-ak and -ik

Remember how, in order to say my house you just add ي at the end of house? Well, to say your house or your son you add ـَك (-ak) when talking to a man and ـِك (-ik) when talking to a woman.

son = (ibn) اِبْن

your son (to a man) = (ibnak) اِبْنَك

your son (to a woman) = (ibnik) اِبْنِك

Family 2 3 · 2020-03-27 ^

Mr. T’s little brothers

Another pair is ذ (dh) and ظ (DH) These two letters are similar, but the vowels around DH are further back in the mouth.

warner, herald = (nadhiir) نَذير

equal = (naDHiir) نَظير

ت <- ة

Word	With English letters	Meaning
مَدينة	madiina	a city
مَدينَتي	madiinatii	my city
مَدينَتَك	madiinatak	your city (to a male)
مَدينَتِك	madiinatik	your city (to a female)

This doesn’t apply just to “city” but to all nouns that end in ة.

Word	With English letters	Meaning
جارة	jaara	a (female) neighbor
جارَتي	jaaratii	my (female) neighbor
جارَتَك	jaaratak	your (female) neighbor (to a male)
جارَتِك	jaaratik	your (female) neighbor (to a female)

What’s whose?

As you know, each Arabic noun is either masculine or feminine, and adjectives have to match that gender.

Masculine noun	Feminine noun
The house is pretty = (al-bayt jamiil) اَلْبَيْت جَميل	The city is pretty = (al-madiina jamiila) اَلْمَدينة جَميلة

This gender never changes! Since بَيْت is masculine, it remains masculine, even if the person who owns it is a woman. The same is true for feminine nouns.

Person being spoken to	Masculine noun	Feminine noun
Male	Your house is pretty (to a male) = (baytak jamiil) بَيْتَك جَميل	Your city is pretty (to a male) = (madiinatak jamiila) مَدينَتَك جَميلة
Female	Your house is pretty (to a female) = (baytik jamiil) بَيْتِك جَميل	Your city is pretty (to a female) = (madiinatik jamiila) مَدينَتِك جَميلة

A house will always be جَميل and a city will always be جَميلة, regardless of whose it is!

Clothes 1 2 · 2020-03-27 ^

ض / د

The new letter ض (Daad) is so important to the Arabic language that Arabs sometimes refer to themselves as أهل الضاد “people of the Daad.” We write it capital D with English letters.

Arabic version	English version	Meaning
دَلّ	dall	to show, guide
ضَلّ	Dall	to stray

Mr. T’s family

You’ve now met all of Mr. T’s relatives. Some resources refer to them as “emphatics.” Here they all are with their non-emphatic equivalents.

Mr. T and relatives, Arabic version	Mr. T and relatives, English version	Regular letters, Arabic version	Regular letters, English version
ط	T	ت	t
ظ	DH	ذ	dh
ص	S	س	s
ض	D	د	d

Remember the letters in the left columns sound like those in the right columns except further back in the mouth.

Have at you!

You probably remember that in order to say “Judy has” in Arabic, you use the word عِنْد “at/to” followed by “Judy.”

Arabic version	Literal translation	Meaning
.عِنْد جودي بَيْت	at Judy a house	Judy has a house.

Arabic version	Literal translation	Meaning
بَيْتي	house-my	my house
.عِنْدي بَيْت	at-me a house	I have a house.
--	--	--
بَيْتَك	house-your	your house (to a man)
.عِنْدَك بَيْت	at-you (male) a house	You have a house. (to a man)
--	--	--
بَيْتِك	house-your	your house (to a woman)
.عِنْدِك بَيْت	at-you (female) a house	You have a house. (to a woman)

I got nothin’

To say “do not have / does not have” with the word you know for possession (عِنْد), all you need to do is add the word لَيْسَ (laysa) in front of it!

“have / has” sentences	Translation	“do not have / does not have” sentences	Translation
.عِنْد جودي بَيْت	Judy has a house.	.لَيْسَ عِنْد جودي بَيْت	Judy does not have a house.
.عِنْدي كَلْب	I have a dog.	.لَيْسَ عِنْدي كَلْب	I do not have a dog.
.عِنْدِك وِشاح	You have a scarf. (to a woman)	.لَيْسَ عِنْدِك وِشاح	You do not have a scarf. (to a woman)

The blue (wo)man (adjective) group

So far, every time you’ve seen an adjective describe a feminine noun, this adjective has ended with the letter ة.

مَدينة سورِيّة = a Syrian city اِمْرَأة ذَكِيّة = a smart woman

But some adjectives (especially adjectives that describe color) take a different form in the feminine.

Masculine examples	Translation	Feminine examples	Translation
بَيْت أَزْرَق	a blue house	مَدينة زَرْقاء	a blue city
.اَلْبَيْت أَزْرَق	The house is blue.	.اَلْمَدينة زَرْقاء	The city is blue.

At Home 1 2 · 2020-03-27 ^

ص / س

The new letter ص (written capital S with English letters) is another of Mr. T’s little brothers. It contrasts with س in the same way ط contrasts with ت : mostly with vowel sounds that are further in the back of the mouth.

Sam = (saam) سام

to fast = (Saam) صام

Sword or dagger?

One more alif! While regular alif looks more like a sword, dagger alif is a tiny vertical line that sits above a letter, more like a dagger. It only appears in a few really old words in Arabic and it sounds exactly like ا.

this (masculine) = (haadhaa) هٰذا

but, however = (laakinn) لٰكِنّ

God = (allaah) اَلله

Sneaky Al

You know اَلْ means “the.” However, you may have noticed it’s used differently in Arabic than “the” is in English. For example, look at these sentences:

This is a house = (haadhaa bayt) هٰذا بَيْت

This is a city = (haadhihi madiina) هٰذِهِ مَدينة

BUT

this house = (haadhaa l-bayt) هٰذا ٱلْبَيْت

this city = (haadhihi l-madiina) هٰذِهِ ٱلْمَدينة

The ONLY difference between “this house” and “This is a house” is اَلْ ! Sneaky, sneaky Al.

In My Bag 1 · 2019-07-06 ^

There, there

هُناك = there is/are	Translation	هُناك = there	Translation
.هُناك بَيْت	There is a house.	.اَلْبَيْت هُناك	The house is there.
.هُناك وِشاح أَبْيَض	There is a white scarf.	.اَلْوِشاح هُناك	The scarf is there.

There is no spoon

To say “there is no” or “there are no,” simply add the negator لَيْسَ in front of هُناك.

Sentences with “there is/are”	Translation	Sentences with “there is no”	Translation
.هُناك بَيْت	There is a house.	.لَيْسَ هُناك بَيْت	There is no house.
.هُناك وِشاح أَبْيَض	There is a white scarf.	.لَيْسَ هُناك وِشاح أَبْيَض	There is no white scarf.

Office 1 · 2019-07-06 ^

House of Bob

In English, if Bob has a house, you call it “Bob’s house.”

Possessor + ’s + what they possess

In Arabic, a very common way to express the same thing is called iDaafa. In iDaafa, the order is reversed.

The thing they possess + possessor

English examples	Equivalent in Arabic	English letters
Bob’s house	بَيْت بوب	bayt buub
Carrie’s door	باب كَري	baab karii
the girl’s dog	كَلْب اَلْبِنْت	kalb al-bint
the boy’s scarf	وِشاح اَلْوَلَد	wishaaH al-walad

If it helps, you can think of it as “the house of Bob” instead of “Bob’s house.”

Notice how in Arabic, the thing that is possessed never ever gets اَلْ even if the meaning in English is “the house” or “the dog.” It’s just the bare word!

What the ة ?!!

The letter ة is a tricky one. First, it only ever shows up at the end of words. Second, you probably remember that it turns into ـَت (-at) before “my,” “your,” etc.

Arabic examples	Pronunciation	Meaning
مَدينة	madiina	a city
مَدينَتي	madiinatii	my city
--	--	--
جامِعة	jaami3a	a university
جامِعَتَك	jaami3atak	your university (to a man)

Arabic examples	Pronunciation	Meaning
مَدينة	madiina	a city
مَدينة بوب	madiinat buub	Bob’s city
--	--	--
جامِعة	jaami3a	a university
جامِعة كَري	jaami3at karii	Carrie’s university
--	--	--
قِطّة	qiTTa	a cat
قِطّة اَلْوَلَد	qiTTat al-walad	the boy’s cat

As in all iDaafas, the first word can’t have اَلْ “the” on it. It’s just the bare noun.

Describing a picture 1 1 · 2019-07-06 ^

His and hers

You already know how to say “my” and “your.” But what about “his” or “her”?

For “his,” just add (-hu) ﻪُ at the end of the word. And for “her,” add (-haa) ها instead. It’s that simple.

a (noun)	Pronunciation	Meaning	his (noun)	Pronunciation	Meaning	her (noun)	Pronunciation	Meaning
مِعْطَف	mi3Taf	a coat	مِعْطَفهُ	mi3Tafhu	his coat	مِعْطَفها	mi3Tafhaa	her coat
بَيْت	bayt	a house	بَيْتهُ	baythu	his house	بَيْتها	baythaa	her house

Remember that if the noun ends with ة, it turns into ـَت (-at) before “my,” “your,” “his,” “her,” etc.

a (noun)	Pronunciation	Meaning	his (noun)	Pronunciation	Meaning	her (noun)	Pronunciation	Meaning
مَدينة	madiina	a city	مَدينَتهُ	madiinathu	his city	مَدينَتها	madiinathaa	her city
قُبَّعة	qubba3a	a hat	قُبَّعَتهُ	qubba3athu	his hat	قُبَّعَتها	qubba3athaa	her hat

Hobbies 1 1 · 2020-03-27 ^

I do!

In English, we say “I write” and “you write” and “he writes” and “she writes.” You always have to include “I” or “we” or “he” or “she.”

Arabic with English letters	Arabic verb	Meaning
2uHibb	أُحِبّ	I like/I love
2anaam	أَنام	I sleep
2abtasim	أَبْتَسِم	I smile

I don’t!

To say “I do not (do something),” just add the short word (laa) لا in front of the verb!

I (do)	Meaning	I (do not)	Meaning
أَطْبُخ	I cook	لا أَطْبُخ	I do not cook
أُحِبّ	I like	لا أُحِبّ	I do not like

Seeing is believing!

In English, we say things like:

I like talking. Talking is my favorite.

This isn’t the “talking” like in the sentence “I’m talking.” That gets translated differently.

Arabic version	Literal meaning	English translation
أَتَكَلَّم	I talk / I am talking	I talk / I am talking
--	--	--
أُحِبّ اَلْكَلام.	I like the talking.	I like talking / I like to talk.
أُريد اَلْكَلام.	I want the talking.	I want to talk.
اَلْكَلام جَيِّد.	The talking is good.	Talking is good.

Notice how the literal translation of اَلْكَلام is “the talking”--this is because verbal nouns are always used with اَلْ “the” (or some other definite marker).

Shoot for the moon

Let’s review اَلْ!

Arabic “a”	Arabic with English letters	Meaning	Arabic “the”	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
بَيْت	bayt	a house	اَلْبَيْت	al-bayt	the house
مُهَنْدِسة	muhandisa	an engineer	اَلْمُهَنْدِسة	al-muhandisa	the engineer
قِطّة	qiTTa	a cat	اَلْقِطّة	al-qiTTa	the cat
كَلْب	kalb	a dog	اَلْكَلْب	al-kalb	the dog

All these nouns start with letters called “moon letters.” There’s another letter group called “sun letters.”

Arabic “a”	Arabic with English letters	Meaning	Arabic “the”	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
زَوْجة	zawja	a wife	اَلْزَّوْجة	az-zawja	the wife
سَيّارة	sayyaara	a car	اَلْسَّيّارة	as-sayyaara	the car
دُكْتور	duktuur	a doctor	اَلْدُّكْتور	ad-duktuur	the doctor
رَجُل	rajul	a man	اَلْرَّجُل	ar-rajul	the man

Here is a list of all sun vs. moon letters:

Moon letters	Sun letters
أ	ت
ب	ث
ج	د
ح	ذ
خ	ر
ع	ز
غ	س
ف	ش
ق	ص
ك	ض
م	ط
ﻫ	ظ
و	ل
ي	ن

Weather 1 1 · 2020-03-27 ^

The pretty the house

You already know how to say things like “a pretty house” or “a Syrian girl.”

Arabic version	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
بَيْت جَميل	bayt jamiil	a pretty house
بِنْت سورِيّة	bint suuriyya	a Syrian girl
مُتَرْجِم مُمْتاز	mutarjim mumtaaz	an amazing translator
جامِعة مَشْهورة	jaami3a mashhuura	a famous university

When a word has اَلْ “the” on it, the adjective that describes it also needs to start with اَلْ.

Arabic version	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
اَلْبَيْت اَلْجَميل	al-bayt al-jamiil	the pretty house
اَلْبِنْت اَلْسّورِيّة	al-bint as-suuriyya	the Syrian girl
اَلْمُتَرْجِم اَلْمُمْتاز	al-mutarjim al-mumtaaz	the amazing translator
اَلْجامِعة اَلْمَشْهورة	al-jaami3a al-mashhuura	the famous university

What if I forget and say اَلْبَيْت جَميل?

al- al-	With English letters	Meaning	al- ∅-	With English letters	Meaning
اَلْبَيْت اَلْجَميل	al-bayt al-jamiil	the pretty house	.اَلْبَيْت جَميل	al-bayt jamiil.	The house is pretty.
اَلْبِنْت اَلْسّورِيّة	al-bint as-suuriyya	the Syrian girl	.اَلْبِنْت سورِيّة	al-bint suuriyya.	The girl is Syrian.
اَلْمُتَرْجِم اَلْمُمْتاز	al-mutarjim al-mumtaaz	the amazing translator	.اَلْمُتَرْجِم مُمْتاز	al-mutarjim mumtaaz	The translator is amazing.
اَلْجامِعة اَلْمَشْهورة	al-jaami3a al-mashhuura	the famous university	.اَلْجامِعة مَشْهورة	al-jaami3a mashhuura.	The university is famous.

2aa 2 furious

For example, the word اَلْقُرْآن (al-qur2aan) “the Qur’an / the Koran” contains a hamza followed by ا , and so it is spelled آ.

Geography 1 1 · 2020-03-27 ^

Welcome to (the) Cairo!

Some place names in Arabic begin with اَلْ “the,” and some don’t.

Arabic version	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
اَلْسّودان	as-suudaan	Sudan
اَلْصّين	aS-Siin	China
اَلْقاهِرة	al-qaahira	Cairo
اَلْبُنْدُقِيّة	al-bunduqiyya	Venice
--	--	--
فِلَسْطين	filasTiin	Palestine
هولَنْدا	huulandaa	Holland
بَغْداد	baghdaad	Baghdad
طوكْيو	Tuukyuu	Tokyo

Describing a picture 2 2 · 2020-03-28 ^

And now, spelling

You’ve already learned that ء can appear on top of a few different letters. Specifically, it can appear on top of و ,ي and ا.

Letter with ء	Regular letter
ؤ	و
ئ (Notice: no dots!)	ي
أ / إ	ا

At this point, you don't need to know the hamza spelling rules. Just know hamza can show up in different positions.

Examples of words containing ء	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
قارِئ	qaari2	reader
غائِب	ghaa2ib	absent
مَسْؤول	mas2uul	responsible
يَبْدَأ	yabda2	he begins
شَيْء	shay2	thing
جاءَت	jaa2at	she came

He’s got nothin’

You already know that عِنْدي means I have and عِنْدَك/عِنْدِك means you have.

So what about he has or she has? Easy! For he has, just add (-hu) ﻪُ at the end of عِنْد, and for she has, add (-haa) ها instead.

To say he does not have and she does not have, use the word لَيْسَ.

“has”	Meaning	Arabic with English letters	“does not have”	Meaning	Arabic with English letters
عِنْدهُ	he has	3indhu	لَيْسَ عِنْدهُ	he does not have	laysa 3indhu
عِنْدها	she has	3indhaa	لَيْسَ عِنْدها	she does not have	laysa 3indhaa

In Florida heavy rain.

You know how to make there is / there are sentences using the word هُناك:

Arabic version	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
هُناك مَطَر ثَقيل.	hunaak maTar thaqiil	There is heavy rain.
هُناك وِشاح في شَنْطَتي.	hunaak wishaaH fii shanTatii	There is a scarf in my bag.
لَيْسَ هُناك لُغة صَعْبة.	laysa hunaak lugha Sa3ba	There is no difficult language.

You might also hear another way to say there is / there are in formal Arabic. This way uses reversed word order.

Arabic version	Arabic with English letters	Literal meaning	Meaning
في شَنْطَتي وِشاح.	fii shanTatii wishaaH.	In my bag a scarf.	There is a scarf in my bag.
أَمامي رَجُل غَريب.	2amaamii rajul ghariib.	In front of me a weird man.	There is a weird man in front of me.
في الْخَلْفِيّة بَيْت.	fii l-khalfiyya bayt.	In the background a house.	There is a house in the background.

At Home 2 1 · 2020-03-27 ^

WaSl’ up?

You’ve already seen hamza look like أ. This hamza doesn’t change whether it comes right after a consonant or a vowel.

أ NOT preceded by vowel	With English letters	Meaning	أ preceded by vowel	With English letters	Meaning
مُحَمَّد أُسْتاذي.	muHammad 2ustaadhii	Mohamed is my professor.	شادي أُسْتاذي.	shaadii 2ustaadhii	Shadi is my professor.
لِز أُمّهُ.	liz 2ummhu	Liz is his mother.	مَها أُمّهُ.	mahaa 2ummhu	Maha is his mother.

WaSla looks like this: ٱ. It simply means “Hi! The alif under me is silent! Move on to the next letter please!”

اَلْ NOT preceded by vowel	With English letters	Meaning	اَلْ preceded by vowel	With English letters	Meaning
مُحَمَّد اَلْمُعَلِّم	muHammad al-mu3allim	Mohamed the teacher	شادي ٱلْمُعَلِّم	shaadii l-mu3allim	Shadi the teacher
لِز اَلْمُتَرْجِمة	liz al-mutarjima	Liz the translator	مَها ٱلْمُتَرْجِمة	mahaa l-mutarjima	Maha the translator
اَلبَيْت	al-bayt	the house	في ٱلبَيْت	fii l-bayt	in the house

WaSla basically blends the previous word to the word that starts with ٱ.

Now you pronounce it, now you don’t

Sometimes, اَلْ “the” is preceded by a vowel (so it becomes ٱلْ) and followed by a sun letter.

For example, if you want to say “in the car,” you are putting together three pieces: في (fii) + اَلْ (al) + سَيّارة (sayyaara)

The ي of “in” turns اَلْ (al-) into ٱلْ (l-).

The س of “car” is a sun letter. So the ل in ٱلْ isn’t pronounced, and the س gets held for double the time.

The result is: في + اَلْ + سَيّارة = في ٱلْسَّيّارة = fii s-sayyaara

This is NOT fii al-sayyaara, but fii s-sayyaara. “The” basically dissolves into the mix! No trace of ا and no trace of ل (although اَلْ is still there in writing).

Zero to ten 1 · 2020-03-28 ^

Numbers in Arabic are the only thing you have left to learn in order to be able to read anything written in Arabic!

Arabic numbers look different from English numbers, but both Arabic and English numbers are commonly used in Arabic. For example, at a traditional market, you’re more likely to see Arabic numbers, but in a text message you could see either.

One interesting thing to notice is that the digits within a number in Arabic are actually written left to right! So number 10, which is made up of ١ (1) and then ٠ (0), is spelled ١٠ (and NOT ٠١; that would be 01).

Isn’t Arabic fun?!

Geography 2 2 · 2020-03-28 ^

The structure of possession

Here are some iDaafas you’re already familiar with.

English examples	Equivalent in Arabic	Arabic with English letters
Bob’s house	بَيْت بوب	bayt buub
Mohamed’s restaurant	مَطْعَم مُحَمَّد	maT3am muHammad
the engineer’s newspaper	صَحيفة اَلْمُهَنْدِس	SaHiifat al-muhandis

IDaafa can also be used to express things other than possession, like “the city of Detroit” and “the state of Texas.”

English examples	Equivalent in Arabic	Arabic with English letters
the city of Detroit	مَدينة ديتْرويْت	madiinat diitruuyt
the state of Texas	وِلاية تَكْساس	wilaayat taksaas
George Washington University	جامِعة جورْج واشِنْطُن	jaami3at juurj waashinTun

شُكْراً

You probably remember that a tiny slash above a letter makes the sound a and two tiny slashes at the end of a word make the sound an.

Arabic word	With English letters	Meaning
شُكْراً	shukran	thank you
صَباحاً	SabaaHan	in the morning
مَساءً	masaa2an	in the evening

There are also special markings for -in and -un!

Words with -i or -u	With English letters	Words with -in or -un	With English letters
اَلْبَيْتِ	al-bayti	بَيْتٍ	baytin
اَلْبَيْتُ	al-baytu	بَيْتٌ	baytun

أُحِبّ هٰذِهِ ٱلْلُّغة

Let’s review some present verbs! Remember, the “I” form always starts with أ.

Arabic verbs	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
أُحِبّ	2uHibb	I like / I love
أَفْتَح	2aftaH	I open
أَعْرِف	2a3rif	I know

Here are the forms when different people are doing the action:

Arabic verb	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
أُحِبّ	2uHibb	I like/love
تُحِبّ	tuHibb	you like/love (to a male)
تُحِبّين	tuHibbiin	you like/love (to a female)
يُحِبّ	yuHibb	he likes/loves
تُحِبّ	tuHibb	she likes/loves

Arabic verb	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
أَنام	2anaam	I sleep
تَنام	tanaam	you sleep (to a male)
تَنامين	tanaamiin	you sleep (to a female)
يَنام	yanaam	he sleeps
تَنام	tanaam	she sleeps

This city does not sleep. = (haadhihi l-madiina laa tanaam) هٰذِهِ ٲلْمَدينة لا تَنام.

Introductions/greetings 2 · 2020-07-10 ^

Hello!

Speaker 1 says:	Meaning	Speaker 2 responds:	Meaning
صَباح اَلْخَيْر	Good morning (literally “morning of good”)	صَباح اَلْنّور	Good morning (literally “morning of light”)
مَساء اَلْخَيْر	Good evening (literally “evening of good”)	مَساء اَلْنّور	Good evening (literally “evening of light”)
اَلْسَّلامُ عَلَيْكُم	Peace be upon you	وَعَلَيْكُمُ ٲلْسَّلام	And upon you be peace

Knowing these formulas will let you show off your cultural and linguistic know-how.

Letter names

In some contexts, like spelling or clarifying contrast between sounds, knowing the names of the Arabic letters may be useful to you. Below are those names, using our transliteration system.

Note that the Arabic alphabet technically includes all but the last three letters listed in this table.

Arabic letter	Name of the letter (transliterated)
ا	2alif
ب	baa2
ت	taa2
ث	thaa2
ج	jiim
ح	Haa2
خ	khaa2
د	daal
ذ	dhaal
ر	raa2
ز	zaay
س	siin
ش	shiin
ص	Saad
ض	Daad
ط	Taa2
ظ	DHaa2
ع	3ayn
غ	ghayn
ف	faa2
ق	qaaf
ك	kaaf
ل	laam
م	miim
ن	nuun
ه	haa2
و	waaw
ي	yaa2
ء	hamza
ى	2alif maqSuura
ة	taa2 marbuuTa

Jobs 1 1 · 2020-05-07 ^

ما or ماذا

Arabic has two ways of asking “what?”

Use ما in questions that don’t contain a verb. (Ignore the fact that the English translation has a verb in it — what matters is the Arabic!)

Arabic with English letters	Arabic examples	English translation
maa smak?	ما ٱسْمَك؟	What’s your name?
maa ra2yik?	ما رَأْيِك؟	What do you think? (Literally: What’s your opinion?)

Use ماذا in sentences that contain a verb.

Arabic with English letters	Arabic examples	English translation
maadhaa tuHibbiin?	ماذا تُحِبّين؟	What do you love / What would you like?
maadhaa 2adrus?	ماذا أَدْرُس؟	What do I study?

Time 1 1 · 2020-05-07 ^

The twenty-fifth hour

Hours 2-12 in Arabic	Arabic with English letters	Literal meaning	English equivalent
اَلْسّاعة ٱلْثّانْية	as-saa3a ath-thaanya	the second hour	2 o’clock
اَلْسّاعة ٱلْثّالِثة	as-saa3a ath-thaalitha	the third hour	3 o’clock
اَلْسّاعة ٱلْرّابِعة	as-saa3a ar-raabi3a	the fourth hour	4 o’clock
اَلْسّاعة ٱلْخامِسة	as-saa3a al-khaamisa	the fifth hour	5 o’clock
اَلْسّاعة ٱلْسّادِسة	as-saa3a as-saadisa	the sixth hour	6 o’clock
اَلْسّاعة ٱلْسّابِعة	as-saa3a as-saabi3a	the seventh hour	7 o’clock
اَلْسّاعة ٱلْثّامِنة	as-saa3a ath-thaamina	the eighth hour	8 o’clock
اَلْسّاعة ٱلْتّاسِعة	as-saa3a ath-taasi3a	the ninth hour	9 o’clock
اَلْسّاعة ٱلْعاشِرة	as-saa3a al-3aashira	the tenth hour	10 o’clock
اَلْسّاعة ٱلْحادْية عَشَرة	as-saa3a al-Haadya 3ashara	the eleventh hour	11 o’clock
اَلْسّاعة ٱلْثّانْية عَشَرة	as-saa3a ath-thaanya 3ashara	the twelfth hour	12 o’clock

For “1 o’clock” though, you’ll just say اَلْسّاعة ٱلْواحِدة “the hour one” and NOT “the first hour.”

lastu who you think I am

You already know that usually, instead of saying something like I am from Lebanon, you say أنا من لبنان (literally “I from Lebanon”). The “am” or “are” or “is” drops out.

How about if you’re not from somewhere, or not a lawyer, or not something else? You simply use the word لَسْتُ [lastu].

I am not from Lebanon = أنا لَسْتُ من لبنان or just لَسْتُ من لبنان

I am not sick = أَنا لَسْتُ مَريضة or just لَسْتُ مَريضة

I am not home = أَنا لَسْتُ في ٱلْبَيْت or just لَسْتُ في ٱلْبَيْت

I am not from here = أَنا لَسْتُ مِن هُنا or just لَسْتُ مِن هُنا

Hobbies 2 1 · 2020-05-07 ^

house - houses, mouse - ?

So far, you haven’t seen many plural nouns in Arabic, but this is about to change! Check out these singular-plural pairs you’ll learn in the next few lessons:

Arabic with English letters	Arabic examples	English translation
fiilm - 2aflaam	فيلْم - أَفْلام	movie - movies
dars - duruus	دَرْس - دُروس	lesson - lessons
risaala - rasaa2il	رِسالة - رَسائِل	letter - letters
qariib - 2aqaarib	قَريب - أَقارِب	relative - relatives
Sadiiq - 2aSdiqaa2	صَديق - أَصْذِقاء	friend - friends
kitaab - kutub	كِتاب - كُتُب	book - books
lugha - lughaat	لُغة - لُغات	language - languages

As you can see, each plural noun above looks a little different! Now when you learn new words, you’ll learn the singular-plural pair together.

Don’t worry, though! Once you know more vocabulary, you’ll be able to start predicting the plural of new nouns with good accuracy.

Intro to the root system

Now that you get the idea, here are some actual Arabic examples. Look at the singular-plural pairs below.

Arabic with English letters	Arabic examples	English translation
DaRS - DuRuuS	دَرْس - دُروس	lesson - lessons
RiSaaLa - RaSaa2iL	رِسالة - رَسائِل	letter - letters
QaRiiB - 2aQaaRiB	قَريب - أَقارِب	relative - relatives

Try to identify the root of words you already know and see if you can start making connections between words that share the same root!

The writing of letters

You already know that to say “She likes writing,” you’d say تُحِبّ اَلْكِتابة tuHibb al-kitaaba. The word اَلْكِتابة means “writing.”

The thing that is possessed comes first, followed by the possessor;
The thing that is possessed must be a bare noun (aka no اَلْ “the” in Arabic);
If the thing that is possessed ends in ة, the ة is pronounced “-at.”

Here are some examples of verbal nouns first on their own (“writing”) and then in iDaafa construction (“writing letters”).

English sentence	Arabic equivalent	Arabic with English letters	Literal translation of the Arabic
Writing is fun.	اَلْكِتابة مُمْتِعة.	al-kitaaba mumti3a	The writing is fun.
Writing letters is fun.	كِتابة اَلْرَّسائِل مُمْتِعة.	kitaabat ar-rasaa2il mumti3a	Writing of the letters is fun.
--	--	--	--
I like reading.	أُحِبّ اَلْقِراءة.	2uHibb al-qiraa2a	I like the reading.
I like reading books.	أُحِبّ قِراءة اَلْكُتُب.	2uHibb qiraa2at al-kutub	I like reading of the books.

Food 2 1 · 2020-05-07 ^

al- and food

You’ve noticed that the use of اَلْ (al-) in Arabic and “the” in English doesn’t always match up. Here are some examples of how to use اَلْ when discussing food.

When discussing specific food items (i.e. “the chicken from yesterday,” “the coffee you made,” “the salt that’s on the table,” etc.), use اَلْ. This is similar to English.

I like the chicken from yesterday. = أُحِبّ اَلْدَّجاج مِن أَمْس. (2uHibb ad-dajaaj min 2ams)

The trickier part is when you want to discuss categories of food in general (i.e. “chicken,” “bread,” “coffee,” etc.). In this case, the use of اَلْ is mostly determined by the verb you choose.

LIKE

If you like a food in general, use اَلْ.

I like chicken. = أُحِبّ اَلْدَّجاج. (2uHibb ad-dajaaj)

I like coffee. = أُحِبّ اَلْقَهْوة. (2uHibb al-qawha)

WANT

If you want a type of food in general, do not use اَلْ.

I want chicken. = أُريد دَجاجاً (2uriid dajaajan)

I want coffee. = أُريد قَهْوة (2uriid qahwa)

EAT/DRINK

If you are discussing eating or drinking a type of food in general, using اَلْ on food items is optional. If you use it, you’ll sound more formal than if you don’t.

I eat chicken. = آكُل دَجاجاً (2aakul dajaajan) OR آكُل اَلْدَّجاج (2aakul ad-dajaaj)

I drink coffee every morning. = أَشْرَب قَهْوة كُلّ صَباح (2ashrab qahwa kull SabaaH) OR أَشْرَب اَلْقَهْوة كُلّ صَباح (2ashrab al-qahwa kull SabaaH)

dajaajan?

Look at this example sentence.

I want chicken. = أُريد دَجاجاً (2uriid dajaajan)

Do you wonder why the word دَجاج “chicken” ends with اً “-an” in this sentence? That’s because “chicken” doesn’t take “the” or “my, your, etc.” AND it is the object of a verb (I want what? I want… chicken!).

اً is used to mark indefinite direct objects. Here are more examples.

I want a friend. = أُريد صَديقاً (2uriid Sadiiqan)

I eat bread. = آكُل خُبْزاً (2aakul khubzan)

I want a new house. = أُريد بَيْتاً جَديداً (2uriid baytan jadiidan)

Note that any adjective that accompanies a noun ending in اً also needs to end in اً (baytan jadiidan “a new house”).

Remember that if a noun ends in ة, ً just sits on the ة directly without an alif seat. In this case, ً -an is typically not written even though technically it’s there.

I want coffee. = أُريد قَهْوة (2uriid qahwa) OR أُريد قَهْوةً (2uriid qahwatan)

Transpo 1 1 · 2020-05-07 ^

نُحِبّ هٰذِهِ ٱلْلُّغة

Time to review some present verbs! Remember, the “I” form always starts with أ. Below are the forms when different people are doing the action (including, for the first time, some plurals).

Arabic verbs	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
أُحِبّ	2uHibb	I like/love
تُحِبّ	tuHibb	you like/love (to a male)
تُحِبّين	tuHibbiin	you like/love (to a female)
يُحِبّ	yuHibb	he likes/loves
تُحِبّ	tuHibb	she likes/loves
نُحِبّ	nuHibb	we like/love
تُحِبّون	tuHibbuun	you all like/love
يُحِبّون	yuHibbuun	they like/love

Arabic verb	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
أَنام	2anaam	I sleep
تَنام	tanaam	you sleep (to a male)
تَنامين	tanaamiin	you sleep (to a female)
يَنام	yanaam	he sleeps
تَنام	tanaam	she sleeps
نَنام	nanaam	we sleep
تَنامون	tanaamuun	you all sleep
يَنامون	yanaamuun	they sleep

What which?

Today, you’ll learn the Arabic word that corresponds to “which” in questions like “which book are you reading?”

This word comes in two forms: أَيّ is masculine and أَيّة is feminine. To decide which one to use, simply match the gender of the noun that follows it.

Arabic	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
أَيّ كِتاب؟	2ayy kitaab	Which book?
أَيّ رَجُل؟	2ayy rajul	Which man?
أَيّ بَيْت؟	2ayy bayt	Which house?
--	--	--
أَيّة وِلاية؟	2ayya wilaaya	Which state?
أَيّة مُشْكِلة؟	2ayya mushkila	Which problem?
أَيّة خالة؟	2ayya khaala	Which maternal aunt?

Food 3 3 · 2020-06-01 ^

Who are you calling weak?!

Arabic verb	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
أَشْتَري	a2ashtarii	I buy
تَشْتَري	tashtarii	you buy (to a male)
تَشْتَرين	tashtariin	you buy (to a female)
يَشْتَري	yashtarii	he buys
تَشْتَري	tashtarii	she buys
نَشْتَري	nashtarii	we buy
تَشْتَرون	tashtaruun	you all buy
يَشْتَرون	yashtaruun	they buy

See what happens with “you” (to a female), “you all” and “they”? The final ي of the verb gets eaten by the endings ين and ون !

Because I said so.

To say “because” in Arabic, use the word لِأَنَّ (li2anna). A couple of things to know about لِأَنَّ:

First, لِأَنَّ must be followed by a complete sentence, such as “because humans are weird,” “because war sucks,” “because cartoons saved my life.”

Second, the word directly following لِأَنَّ must be the subject of the sentence.

Sentence without “because”	Meaning in English	Sentence with “because”	Meaning in English
اَلْعالَم غَريب.	The world is weird.	لِأَنَّ ٱلْعالَم غَريب.	Because the world is weird.
أُخْتي تَدْرُس كَثيراً.	My sister studies a lot.	لِأَنَّ أُخْتي تَذْرُس كَثيراً.	Because my sister studies a lot.

Sentence without “because”	Meaning in English	Sentence with “because”	Meaning in English
أَنا مِن مِصْر.	I am from Egypt.	لِأَنَّني مِن مِصر.	Because I am from Egypt.
أَنْتِ أُمّي.	You are my mother.	لِأَنِّك أُمّي.	Because you are my mother.
هِيَّ مُعَلِّمة مُمْتازة.	She is an amazing teacher.	لِأَنَّها مُعَلِّمة مُمْتازة.	Because she is an amazing teacher.
هُوَّ سَعيد.	He is happy.	لِأَنَّهُ سَعيد.	Because he is happy.

2 + 2 = 3

The short word لِ li- (to, for) in Arabic can’t stand on its own; instead, it needs to be attached to the following word in writing.

Example in Arabic	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
لِأَبي	li-2abii	to/for my father
لِهٰذِهِ ٱلْأُسْتاذة	li-haadhihi l-2ustaadha	to/for this professor
لِبَيْروت	li-bayruut	to/for Beirut

When the word following لِ starts with الْ al- (the), the alif in الْ disappears both in pronunciation and writing, just like this: لِ + الْ = لِل

Example in Arabic	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
لِلْبِنْت	li-l-bint	to/for the girl
لِلْأُسْتاذة	li-l-2ustaadha	to/for the professor
لِلْقاهِرة	li-l-qaahira	to/for Cairo

Carrots, tomatoes, squash

Phone 1 1 · 2020-05-07 ^

I will drink

Present verb	Arabic with English letters	Meaning	Future verb	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
أَشْرَب	a2ashrab	I drink	سَأَشْرَب	sa-2ashrab	I will drink
تَشْرَب	tashrab	you drink (to a male)	سَتَشْرَب	sa-tashrab	you will drink (to a male)
تَشْرَبين	tashrabiin	you drink (to a female)	سَتَشْرَبين	sa-tashrabiin	you will drink (to a female)
يَشْرَب	yashrab	he drinks	سَيَشْرَب	sa-yashrab	he will drink
تَشْرَب	tashrab	she drinks	سَتَشْرَب	sa-tashrab	she will drink
نَشْرَب	nashrab	we drink	سَنَشْرَب	sa-nashrab	we will drink
تَشْرَبون	tashrabuun	you all drink	سَتَشْرَبون	sa-tashrabuun	you all will drink
يَشْرَبون	yashrabuun	they drink	سَيَشْرَبون	sa-yashrabuun	they will drink

With or without you

Example in Arabic	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
مَعي	ma3ii	with me
مَعَك	ma3ak	with you (to a male)
مَعِك	ma3ik	with you (to a female)
مَعَهُ	ma3ahu	with him
مَعَها	ma3ahaa	with her

Family 3 1 · 2020-05-07 ^

I love it!

You already know how to say “I love my daughter” and “My cat eats all my food,” but what about “I love her” and “My cat eats it?” Below are some ways to say this!

Example in Arabic	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
يُحِبّني	yuHibb-nii	he likes/loves me
تَعْرِفني	ta3rif-nii	you know me
--	--	--
أُحِبَّك	a2uHibb-ak	I like/love you (to a male)
تَعْرِفَك	ta3rif-ak	she knows you (to a female)
--	--	--
يُحِبِّك	yuHibb-ik	he likes/loves you (to a female)
نَعْرِفِك	na3rif-ik	we know you (to a female)
--	--	--
أُحِبّهُ	a2uHibb-hu	I like/love him
آكُلهُ	a2aakulhu	I eat it
--	--	--
يُحِبّها	yuHibb-haa	he likes/loves her
نَشْرَبْها	nashrab-haa	we drink it

Notice that these words like “her” and “it” attach to the end of the verb!

whose brother?

The word أَخ a2akh (brother) changes depending on what role it’s playing in the sentence.

Example in Arabic	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
.هُوَّ أَخ	huwwa 2akh	He is a brother.
.هُوَّ أَخو مُحَمَّد	huwwa 2akhuu muHammad	He is Mohamed’s brother.
.أَخو مُحَمَّد مُمْتِع	a2akhuu muHammad mumti3	Mohamed’s brother is fun.

Example in Arabic	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
أَخو جون يَعْمَل كَثيراً	a2akhuu juun ya3mal kathiiran	The brother of John/John’s brother works a lot.
عُمَر أَخو جون	a3umar a2akhuu juun	Omar is the brother of John/John’s brother.

Hotel 1 1 · 2020-05-07 ^

Our, their and everywhere

my house, your house, etc.	Pronunciation	Meaning
بَيْت	bayt	house
بَيْتي	bayt-ii	my house
بَيْتَك	bayt-ak	your house (to a man)
بَيْتِك	bayt-ik	your house (to a woman)
بَيْتهُ	bayt-hu	his house
بَيْتها	bayt-haa	her house
بَيْتنا	bayt-naa	our house
بَيْتكم	bayt-kum	your house (to more than one person)
بَيْتهُم	bayt-hum	their house

my university, your university, etc.	Pronunciation	Meaning
جامِعة	jaami3a	university
جامِعَتي	jaami3at-ii	my university
جامِعَتَك	jaami3at-ak	your university (to a man)
جامِعَتِك	jaami3at-ik	your university (to a woman)
جامِعَتهُ	jaami3at-hu	his university
جامِعَتها	jaami3at-haa	her university
جامِعَتنا	jaami3at-naa	our university
جامِعَتكُم	jaami3at-kum	your university (to more than one person)
جامِعَتهُم	jaami3at-hum	their university

Everybody has!

The same endings used to say “our,” “your (plural)” and “their” are also used on عِنْد to express “we have,” “y’all have” and “they have.”

To say “we/y’all/they do not have,” just use the word لَيْسَ.

Arabic version	Literal translation	Meaning
عِنْدي سَيّارة	at-me a car	I have a car.
لَيْسَ عِنْدي سَيّارة	not at-me a car	I do not have a car.
--	--	--
عِنْدَك سَيّارة	at-you a car	You have a car. (to a man)
لَيْسَ عِنْدَك سَيّارة	not at-you a car	You do not have a car. (to a man)
--	--	--
عِنْدِك سَيّارة	at-you a car	You have a car. (to a woman)
لَيْسَ عِنْدِك سَيّارة	not at-you a car	You do not have a car. (to a woman)
--	--	--
عِنْدهُ سَيّارة	at-him a car	He has a car.
لَيْسَ عِنْدهُ سَيّارة	not at-him a car	He does not have a car.
--	--	--
عِنْدها سَيّارة	at-her a car	She has a car.
لَيْسَ عِنْدها سَيّارة	not at-her a car	She does not have a car.
--	--	--
عِنْدنا سَيّارة	at-us a car	We have a car.
لَيْسَ عِنْدنا سَيّارة	not at-us a car	We do not have a car.
--	--	--
عِنْدكُم سَيّارة	at-you a car	You have a car. (to more than one person)
لَيْسَ عِنْدكُم سَيّارة	not at-you a car	You do not have a car. (to more than one person)
--	--	--
عِنْدهُم سَيّارة	at-them a car	They have a car.
لَيْسَ عِنْدهُم سَيّارة	not at-them a car	They do not have a car.

Doctor 1 1 · 2020-07-02 ^

Who’s أَنْ?

Here are more examples of sentences in two versions: one with the verbal noun and one with أَنْ.

English sentence	Version 1 (verbal noun)	Version 1 with English letters	Version 2 (أَنْ)	Version 2 with English letters
I like to sleep.	أُحِبّ اَلْنَّوْم	2uHibb an-nawm	أُحِبّ أَنْ أَنام	2uHibb 2an 2anaam
You must talk with him.	يَجِب اَلْكَلام مَعَهُ	yajib al-kalaam ma3ahu	يَجِب أَنْ تَتَكَلَّم مَعَهُ	yajib 2an tatakallam ma3ahu
We can eat now.	مِن اَلْمُمْكِن اَلْأَكْل اَلْآن	min al-mumkin al-2akl al-2aan	مِن اَلْمُمْكِن أَنْ نَأْكُل اَلْآن	min al-mumkin 2an na2kul al-2aan

But which present?

As you see from the examples above, what follows أَنْ is a verb in the present. But this is a special present! Pay attention to “sleep” in Arabic in the following examples:

Arabic example	Example with English letters	Meaning
يَجِب أَنْ أَنام	yajib 2an 2anaam	I must sleep.
يَجِب أَنْ تَنام	yajib 2an tanaam	You must sleep. (to a man) / She must sleep.
يَجِب أَنْ تَنامي	yajib 2an *tanaamii	You must sleep. (to a woman)
يَجِب أَنْ يَنام	yajib 2an yanaam	He must sleep.
يَجِب أَنْ نَنام	yajib 2an nanaam	We must sleep.
يَجِب أَنْ تَناموا	yajib 2an tanaamuu	Y’all must sleep.
يَجِب أَنْ يَناموا	yajib 2an yanaamuu	They must sleep.

Present you already know	With English letters	Meaning	New present	With English letters	Meaning
تَنامين	tanamiin	You sleep. (to a woman)	مِن اَلْمُمْكِن أَنْ تَنامي	min al-mumkin 2an *tanaamii	You can sleep. (to a woman)
تَنامون	tanamuun	Y’all sleep.	مِن اَلْمُمْكِن أَنْ تَناموا	min al-mumkin 2an *tanaamuu	Y’all can sleep.
يَنامون	yanamuun	They sleep.	مِن اَلْمُمْكِن أَنْ يَناموا	min al-mumkin 2an *yanaamuu	They can sleep.

Hand is a girl?!

By now, you’ve noticed that singular nouns that end in ة are usually feminine, while those that don’t are usually masculine.

But some feminine nouns don’t end in ة! Some common ones are things that usually come in pairs in the human body, like “eye,” “hand” and “foot.”

a _	In Arabic	With English letters	a big __	In Arabic	With English letters
an eye	عَيْن	3ayn	a big eye	عَيْن كَبيرة	3ayn kabiira
a hand	يَد	yad	a big hand	يَد كَبيرة	yad kabiira
a foot	رِجْل	rijl	a big foot	رِجْل كَبيرة	rijl kabiira

See how “big” is in the feminine in the examples above? That’s because “eye,” “hand” and “foot” are feminine nouns, even though they don’t end in ة!

Do this, do that!

In English	To a man	With English letters	To a woman	With English letters	To a group	With English letters
Open your mouth	اِفْتَح فَمَك	iftaH famak	اِفْتَحي فَمِك	iftaHii famik	اِفْتَحوا فَمكُم	iftaHuu famkum
Come	تَعالَ	ta3aala	تَعالي	ta3aalii	تَعالوا	ta3aaluu

Market 1 1 · 2020-05-31 ^

Here you go, come in, go ahead. 3 in 1 ?!

The verb تَفَضَّل expresses all these meanings. This arises form an Arabic cultural concept of honoring your guest. It literally means "please do me a favor and come in/take this thing/ pass ahead of me". Isn't it nice?

Jobs 2 2 · 2020-07-02 ^

To be or not to be

You know that in order to say “She is an engineer,” you just say هِيَّ مُهَنْدِسة (literally, “she engineer”).

Arabic example	Example with English letters	Meaning
أُريد أَنْ أَكون مُهَنْدِساً / مُهَنْدِسة	2uriid 2an 2akuun muhandisan / muhandisa	I want to be an engineer.
تُريد أَنْ تَكون مُهَنْدِساً	turiid 2an takuun muhandisan	You want to be an engineer. (to a man)
تُريدين أَنْ تَكوني مُهَنْدِسة	turiidiin 2an takuunii muhandisa	You want to be an engineer. (to a woman)
يُريد أَنْ يَكون مُهَنْدِساً	yuriid 2an yakuun muhandisan	He wants to be an engineer.
تُريد أَنْ تَكون مُهَنْدِسة	turiid 2an takuun muhandisa	She wants to be an engineer.
نُريد أَنْ نَكون مُهَنْدِسين	nuriid 2an nakuun muhandisiin	We want to be engineers.
تُريدون أَنْ تَكونوا مُهَنْدِسين	turiiduun 2an takuunuu muhandisiin	Y’all want to be engineers.
يُريدون أَنْ يَكونوا مُهَنْدِسين	yuriiduun 2an yakuunuu muhandisiin	They want to be engineers.

After this new verb “to be,” the thing you want to be ends in اً -an (as long as that thing doesn’t end in ة and doesn’t have “the” or “my, your, his, etc.” on it.)

Easy. . . easier!

Adjective in Arabic	Root	Adjective in English
صَعْب	ص - ع - ب	difficult
سَهْل	س - ه - ل	easy
كَبير	ك - ب - ر	big
صَغير	ص - غ - ر	small
قَديم	ق - د - م	old
جَديد	ج - د - د	new
غالي	غ - ل - ي	expensive
رَخيص	ر - خ - ص	cheap
غَنِيّ	غ - ن - ي	rich
فَقير	ف - ق - ر	poor

Now that we have those roots, we can make comparisons, like “more difficult” or “cheaper.” To do that, you just plug the root in the following three blanks: 2a _ _ a _

So if the root is ك - ب - ر K - B - R (like in كَبير), you will end up with: 2a K B a R = أَكْبَر

Let’s try it with all the same adjectives as above!

Comparative with English letters	Comparative in Arabic (2a _ _ a _)	Meaning	Root
2aS3ab	أَصْعَب	more difficult	ص - ع - ب
2ashal	أَسْهَل	easier	س - ه - ل
2akbar	أَكْبَر	bigger	ك - ب - ر
2aSghar	أَصْغَر	smaller	ص - غ - ر
2aqdam	أَقْدَم	older	ق - د - م
2ajadd	أَجَدّ	newer	ج - د - د
2aghlaa	أَغْلى	more expensive	غ - ل - ي
2arkhaS	أَرْخَص	cheaper	ر - خ - ص
2aghnaa	أَغْنى	richer	غ - ن - ي
2afqar	أَفْقَر	poorer	ف - ق - ر

Some interesting comparatives above are:

أَجَدّ (and not أَجْدَد) for adjective جَديد -- that’s what happens when the second and third consonants of the root are the same letter (in this case J - D - D)!

أَغْلى “more expensive” (2aghlaa) and أَغْنى “richer” (2aghnaa) where the combination short a + final ii = aa (and NOT ay)

Nothing’s easier than this!

To say “easier than” or “poorer than,” just use the word مِن min.

مَحْمود أَفْقَر مِن سام (maHmoud 2afqar min saam) “Mahmoud is poorer than Sam”

غَسّان أَغْنى مِن عُمَر (ghassaan 2aghnaa min 3umar) “Ghassan is richer than Omar

Almost too easy

One nice thing about making comparisons in Arabic is that the comparative stays the same whether you’re talking about a man, a woman or a group of people.

Comparison in Arabic	With English letters	Meaning
مَحْمود أَكْبَر مِن رانْيا	maHmoud 2akbar min raanyaa	Mahmoud is older than Rania.
رانْيا أَكْبَر مِن بَشير	raanyaa 2akbar min bashiir	Rania is older than Bashir.
--	--	--
أُمّي أَغْنى مِن أَبي	2ummii 2aghnaa min 2abii	My mother is richer than my father.
أَبي أَفْفَر مِن أٌمّي	2abii 2afqar min 2ummii	My father is poorer than my mother.

In other news

The word “other” in Arabic is آخَر in the masculine. Beware: the feminine doesn’t take ة but rather follows a different pattern: أُخْرى.

Examples in Arabic	With English letters	Meaning
يَوْم مُمْطِر آخَر	yawm mumTir 2aakhar	another rainy day
رَجُل آخَر	rajul 2aakhar	another man
اَلْآخَر	al-2aakhar	the Other / the other one
--	--	--
مَرّة أُخْرى	marra 2ukhraa	another time, again
اِمْرَأة أُخْرى	imra2a 2ukhraa	another woman
اَلْأُخْرى	al-2ukhraa	the other one

Clothes 2 1 · 2020-07-08 ^

Your pant is nice!

Some nouns that are plural in English are singular in Arabic, like “pants” and “shoes.” This means those nouns take singular agreement, as illustrated by the examples below.

Examples in Arabic	With English letters	Meaning
هٰذا ٱلْبِنْطال جَميل	haadha l-binTaal jamiil	These pants are pretty.
أُريد اَلْحِذاء اَلْأَزْرَق اَلْجَديد	2uriid al-Hidhaa2 al-2azraq al-jadiid	I want the new blue shoes.

cars, houses, books = she

You know that if you want to describe a masculine noun, you use a masculine adjective/verb/pronoun, etc. And if the noun is feminine, the agreement is feminine.

Examples of agreement with nouns	With English letters	Meaning
اَلْمَكْتَب كَبير.	al-maktab kabiir	The office is big.
اَلْجامِعة كَبيرة.	al-jaami3a kabiira	The university is big.
--	--	--
هٰذا ٱلْبَيْت لا يَنام	haadhaa l-bayt laa yanaam	This house does not sleep.
هٰذِهِ ٱلْمَدينة لا تَنام	haadhihi l-madiina laa tanaam	This city does not sleep.
--	--	--
!هٰذا ٱلْبِنْطال؟ نَعَم أُحِبّهُ كَثيراً	haadhaa l-binTaal? na3am 2uHibbhu kathiiran	This pair of pants? Yes, I like it a lot!
!هٰذِهِ ٱلْصَّحيفة؟ نَعَم أُحِبّها كَثيراً	haadhihi S-SaHiifa? na3am 2uHibbhaa kathiiran	This newspaper? Yes, I like it a lot!

Examples of agreement with non-human plural nouns	With English letters	Meaning
اَلْدُّروس سَهْلة	ad-duruus sahla	The lessons are easy.
هٰذِهِ ٱلْلُّغات لَيْسَت صَعْبة أَبَداً	haadhihi l-lughaat laysat Sa3ba 2abadan	These languages are not difficult at all.
--	--	--
أَفْلامهُ تُساعِدني	2aflaamhu tusaa3idnii	His movies help me.
هٰذه ٱلْكُتُب؟ نَعَم أُحِبّها كَثيراً	haadhihi l-kutub? na3am 2uHibbhaa kathiiran	These books? Yes, I like them a lot.

Trip 1 1 · 2020-07-03 ^

I won’t cry, I wooon’t cryyy

To say “I will go,” you know to add سَ in front of the present verb أَذْهَب “I go.” The result is سَأَذْهَب sa-2adhhab “I will go.”

The table below contrasts “will” and “will not.”

Will	Arabic with English letters	Meaning	Will not	Arabic with English letters	Meaning
سَأَشْرَب	sa-2ashrab	I will drink	لَنْ أَشْرَب	lan 2ashrab	I will not drink
سَتَشْرَب	sa-tashrab	you will drink (to a male)	لَنْ تَشْرَب	lan tashrab	you will not drink (to a male)
سَتَشْرَبين	sa-tashrabiin	you will drink (to a female)	لَنْ تَشْرَبي	lan tashrabii	you will not drink (to a female)
سَيَشْرَب	sa-yashrab	he will drink	لَنْ يَشْرَب	lan yashrab	he will not drink
سَتَشْرَب	sa-tashrab	she will drink	لَنْ تَشْرَب	lan tashrab	she will not drink
سَنَشْرَب	sa-nashrab	we will drink	لَنْ نَشْرَب	lan nashrab	we will not drink
سَتَشْرَبون	sa-tashrabuun	you all will drink	لَنْ تَشْرَبوا	lan tashrabuu	you all will not drink
سَيَشْرَبون	sa-yashrabuun	they will drink	لَنْ يَشْرَبوا	lan yashrabuu	they will not drink

44 skills with tips and notes

captainhappy

蘇天馳Seattle, WA

1329962 XP#13088 35+544 3649 40725

Learning Arabic from English

Skills

Arabic Skills by StrengthCrownsNameOriginal Order

Reading back to front

Aah!!

Oh, duh

Wow, yeah!

Mighty Morphing Power Letters

ذ = dh

In the beginning...

Letters vs. words

The Beautiful Camel

I Have House

A door big

Hold it!

We saw chicken at the farm!

What is number 3 doing here?

La la la la la

Uh-oh

Above the ا

Below the ا

What’s the Deal With the 2?

Th

Zero vowels

This is at you! (aka you have got this)

Lebanon → Lebanese

-an

ع = 3

Yaa dude!

He is to she what 2anta is to 2anti

ghhhhhh

Yes or no?

Why did the duck cross the road?

Did Adam have a belly-button?

Ha!

The university is a girl??

My uncle is dear

The

Mr. T

Gender is complicated

Oh my!

q, not qu

-ak and -ik

Mr. T’s little brothers

ت <- ة

What’s whose?

ض / د

Mr. T’s family

Have at you!

I got nothin’

The blue (wo)man (adjective) group

ص / س

Sword or dagger?

Sneaky Al

There, there

There is no spoon

House of Bob

What the ة ?!!

His and hers

I do!

I don’t!

Seeing is believing!

Shoot for the moon

The pretty the house

What if I forget and say اَلْبَيْت جَميل?

2aa 2 furious

Welcome to (the) Cairo!

And now, spelling

He’s got nothin’

In Florida heavy rain.

WaSl’ up?

Now you pronounce it, now you don’t

The structure of possession

شُكْراً

أُحِبّ هٰذِهِ ٱلْلُّغة

Hello!

Letter names

1329962 XP#13088

35+544

3649

40725