Arabic Skills by StrengthCrownsNameOriginal Order

• ••• 50 Alphabet 111 @ 25% 75

  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.

• ••• 50 Alphabet 331 100

  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!

• ••• 50 Alphabet 441 100

  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”)

• ••• 50 Descriptions 151 100

  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.

• ••• 50 Alphabet 221 100

  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.

• ••• 50 Countries 282 100

  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.

• ••• 50 Omar Is...81 100

  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.

• ••• 50 Descriptions 261 100

  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

• ••• 50 Countries 171 100

  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.

• ••• 50 Describing a picture 2183 100

  أَسَد · أَسَدها · أَسَدي · أَمام · أَمامها · أَمامهُ · أَمامي · أَمامِك · الْأَسَد · بِجانِب · بِجانِبها · بِجانِبي · بِجانِبَك · خَلْف · خَلْفها · خَلْفهُ · خَلْفي · خَلْفَك · خَلْفِك · دائِماً · سُؤال · عِنْدها · عِنْدهُ · غَنِيّ · غَنِيّة · في الْخَلْفِيّة · لابِس · لابِسة · لَيْسَ عِنْدها · لَيْسَ عِنْدهُ · مَشْغول · مَشْغولة · مَن · مُضْحِك · مُضْحِكة
  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.

• ••• 50 Geography 1182 100

  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

• ••• 50 Weather 1180 100

  الْعالْية · الْمَطَر · اَلآن · اَلْرَّبيع · اَلْرُّطوبة · اَلْشِّتاء · اَلْصَّيْف · اَلْطَّقْس · اَلْمَطَر · اَلْمُمْطِر · اَلْيَوْم · حارّ · حارّة · خَريف · خَفيف · خَفيفة · رَبيع · رُطوبة · شِتاء · صَيْف · طَقْس · عالْية · قَمَر · مَطَر · مُشْمِس · مُمْطِر · يَوْم
  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.

• ••• 50 Zero to ten201 100

  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?!

• ••• 50 Geography 2202 100

  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.

• ••• 50 Are You...?121 100

  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!

• ••• 50 Family 1123 100

  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.

• ••• 50 At Home 1143 100

  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.

• ••• 50 Clothes 1142 100

  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!

• ••• 50 Family 2141 100

  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!

• ••• 50 University111 100

  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

• ••• 50 Descriptions 392 100

  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

• ••• 50 Phrases91 100

  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

• ••• 50 Hobbies 1171 100

  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

• ••• 50 You and Me101 100

  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?

• ••• 50 What's Your Name?131 100

  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

• ••• 50 Food 1161 100

  أَكْل · الْأَكْل · اَلْمَطْعَم · حَليب · رُزّ عُمَر · رُزّي · رُزَّك · طَيِّب · طَيِّبة · قَهْوة · قَهْوَة سيث · قَهْوَتي · قَهْوَتَك · قَهْوَتِك · لٰكِنّ · ماء · موزة · مَطْعَم · مَطْعَم مُحَمَّد · هٰذا الْحَليب · هٰذِهِ الْموزة
  21 words

• ••• 50 Describing a picture 1162 100

  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

• ••• 50 Introductions/greetings211 100

  أَخْبار · إِلى ٱلْلِّقاء · إِنْ شاءَ ٱلله · اَلْسَّلامُ عَلَيْكُم · اَلْعائِلة · بِخَيْر · تَشَرَّفْنا · تَمام · حَزين · حَزينة · دِمَشْق · زَيْنة · صَباح اَلْخَيْر · صَباح اَلْنّور · عائِلَتها · عائِلَتي · عائِلَتِك · كَيْف اَلْعائِلة · كَيْف اَلْعَمَل · كَيْفَك · كَيْفِك · ما ٱلْأَخْبار · مَريض · مَريضة · مَرْحَباً · مَساء اَلْخَيْر · مَساء اَلْنّور · مَعَ ٱلْسَّلامة · مُتَحَمِّس · مُتَحَمِّسة · نَعْسان · نَعْسانة · وَعَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْسَّلام · يَلّا · يَوْم سَعيد
  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

• ••• 50 Office152 100

  اَلْصَّحيفة · اَلْمَكْتَب · حاسوب · حاسوب اَلْأُسْتاذة · حاسوبي · حاسوبَك · رَقَم · رَقَم هاتِف · رَقَم هاتِف اَلْمُهَنْدِس · رَقَمي · صَحيفة · صَحيفة اَلْأُسْتاذ · صَحيفة اَلْمُهَنْدِس · صَحيفَتي · صَحيفَتَك · غُرْفة اَلْأُسْتاذ · غُرْفة اَلْأُسْتاذة · غُرْفة اَلْقِطّة · غُرْفة اَلْمُهَنْدِس · قَلَم اَلْأُسْتاذة · قِطّة اَلْمُهَنْدِس · كُرْسي · كُرْسي الْقِطّة · مَكْتَب · مَكْتَب اَلْأُسْتاذ · مَكْتَب اَلْأُسْتاذة
  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.

• ••• 50 In My Bag151 100

  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.

• ••• 50 At Home 2191 100

  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).