Arabic Course for BeginnersArabic words

*Welcome to the Arabic Course for Beginners!* "!ًمَرْحَبًا" In this course, you will learn the basics of Arabic and get comfortable with everyday phrases right away. These are the most common greetings and polite words you’ll hear from the very start. Let's get started! Arabic uses many short *nominal sentences*. That means that it does not use the verb *to be* in the present tense. Instead, you simply put the pronoun next to the word. "هُوَ طَالِبٌ" = He (is) a student. Greetings like "اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ" are very common, and a polite "مِنْ فَضْلِكَ" or "لَوْ سَمَحْتَ" means *please*.

*Introducing Yourself* When you meet someone in Arabic, you usually start with your name, where you are from, and a few simple details like your age, studies, or job. Let's learn how to introduce yourself and ask questions about the other person.

*Detached Personal Pronouns* In Arabic, pronouns change *depending on gender* (male/female) and whether you are talking to *one person or a group.* "أنا" = I "نحن" = we "أنتَ" = you (masculine) "أنتِ" = you (feminine) "أنتم" = you (plural) "هو" = he "هي" = she "هم" = they (plural) Let's practice!

*Nominal Sentences* Arabic often uses short sentences *without the verb to be.* These are called *nominal sentences.* That means that it does not use the verb *to be* in the present tense. Instead, you put the pronoun next to the word. "هُوَ طَالِبٌ" = He (is) a student. The verb *to be* is simply left out in the present tense. That’s why greetings like "السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ" (peace be upon you) are already full sentences even without a verb. Check out a few examples.

*Demonstratives: this/that* Arabic points to things with "هَذَا" - 'this' in masculine, and "هَذِهِ" - 'this' in feminine. For far objects use "ذَلِكَ" - 'that', masculine, and "تِلْكَ" - 'that', feminine. The important rule: *the pointing word must match the gender of the noun. * "هٰذَا كِتَابٌ" = This is a book. (masculine word) "هٰذِهِ سَيَّارَةٌ" = This is a car. (feminine word)"

*Using Articles* Arabic doesn’t have words for indefinite articles, which we know in English as *a* or *an.* If you say "كِتَابٌ", it can mean *a book.* To say the definite article *the*, Arabic uses the prefix "الـ". It attaches to the beginning of the noun: "الكِتَابُ" = the book You use "الـ" when talking about something specific or already known: "أَيْنَ الحَمَّامُ؟" = Where is the bathroom?"

*Talking about family* In Arabic, each family word has its own gender, so pay attention whether it’s masculine or feminine. You can combine them with personal pronouns to describe your family: "هُوَ أَخِي" = He is my brother. "هِيَ أُخْتِي" = She is my sister. "هَذِهِ أُمِّي" = This is my mother.

*Gender & Adjective Agreement* In Arabic, most feminine nouns end with "ة". For example: "سَيَّارَة" (a car) is feminine. Adjectives in Arabic come after the noun and *must match it in gender and definiteness* (whether it has *the* or not). "بَيْتٌ كَبِيرٌ" = a big house (masc., indefinite) "السَّيَّارَةُ الصَّغِيرَةُ" = the small car (femin., definite) Always check: if the noun is feminine/masculine, definite/indefinite, *the adjective must follow the same pattern.*

*Question Words* In Arabic, you can ask two kinds of questions. 1) *Yes/No questions* → start with "هَلْ." "هَلْ هَذَا صَحِيحٌ؟" = Is this correct? 2) *Open questions* → use a question word. "مَا" = what → "مَا هَذَا؟" (What is this?) "مَنْ"= who → "مَنْ أَنْتَ؟" (Who are you?) "أَيْنَ" = where → "أَيْنَ الْمَكْتَبَةُ؟" (Where is the library?) "مَتَى" = when → "مَتَى الدَّرْسُ؟" (When is the lesson?) "كَيْفَ" = how → "كَيْفَ حَالُكِ؟" (How are you?) "كَمْ" = how many/much → "كَمِ الثَّمَنُ؟" (How much is the price?)

*Prepositions* In Arabic, watch two points considering prepositions: 1. *They always come before the noun.* 2. *They affect the noun that follows* → in grammar, *the noun after a preposition takes a special form (the genitive case).* You don’t need all the details yet, but just notice the slight vowel change at the end. With prepositions you can already build very useful sentences: "أَنَا مِن مِصر" = I am from Egypt. "الكِتَابُ فِي الحَقِيبَةِ" = The book is in the bag. "أَذْهَبُ إِلَى الجَامِعَةِ" = I go to the university. In Arabic, some prepositions do not appear as separate words. Instead, they are written as *prefixes attached directly to the word that follows.* To help you recognize them easily, we will mark these with the word *prefix* in brackets.

*Attached Possessive Pronouns* In Arabic, you don’t need a separate word like *my* or *your.* Instead, you attach a short ending (suffix) to the noun itself. Here are the main ones: "ي" = my "نا" = our "كَ" = your (masculine) "كِ" =your (feminine) "كُم" =your (plural) "ـهُ" =his "ـهُ" =her "ـهُم" =their Let's practice!

*Present Tense* Present-tense verbs change with prefixes at the beginning of the word. The prefix shows * who is doing the action:* "أ" = I → "أَذْهَبُ" = I go "ن" = we → "نَذْهَبُ" = we go "ي" = he→ "يَذْهَبُ" = he goes "ت" = you (m.) / she → "تَذْهَبُ" = you go Important note: *she* and *you* (masc.) use the *same prefix* ("ت"). Context shows which one is meant. Notice how the verb stem (like "ذْهَب" = go) stays the same, but the prefix changes the subject. This is the basic pattern for many Arabic verbs."

*Changing Sentences to Negative* In Arabic, there are two main ways to say *not*, depending on the type of sentence. Nominal sentences (sentences without a verb 'to be' in the present) use "لَيْسَ." "هُوَ لَيْسَ طَالِبًا" = He is not a student. Verbal sentences (with a present-tense verb) use "لَا". "لَا أَفْهَمُ" = I do not understand. Remember: "لَيْسَ" goes with descriptions, while "لَا" goes with actions.

*Let's learn numbers!* In this section, we are going to learn numbers from 0 to 10. When you want to say that you have something, use "عندي" = I have: "عندي ثلاثة كتب".

*Days and Time* Arabic names of the days come from historical traditions. Most weekdays are numbered: - "الاِثْنَيْنِ" literally means *the second* (day), - "اَلثُّلَاثَاءُ" = *the third*, etc. Friday is special because it’s the day of communal prayer; Saturday and Sunday come from Semitic roots. To ask the time, use "كَمِ السَّاعَةُ؟" = *What time is it?*. Notice: Arabic week often starts on *Sunday* in many countries, but in others Monday is counted as the start.

*At the Restaurant* Here are some key phrases to order politely. Use "أُرِيدُ..." = *I want ...*. Ask price with "كم السعر؟" or "بِكَمْ؟". Say "مِنْ فَضْلِكَ" when asking for something, and "ًشُكْرا" for thank you.

*Directions & Places* Let's take a look on how to ask for different places and directions in Arabic. For places, ask with "أَيْنَ...؟". Other words that will be useful for you: "يَمِينٌ" (right), "يَسَارٌ" (left), "مُسْتَقِيمٌ" (straight), "قَرِيبٌ" (near), "بَعِيدٌ" (far)."

*Common Verbs for Daily Life* Many daily verbs in Arabic follow the same pattern in the present tense. As we said earlier in the course, they start with a prefix that shows who is doing the action. A little reminder: "أ" = I "ن" = we "ي" = he "ت" = you Let's practice frequent verbs in simple present.

*Regular Plurals* Nouns and adjectives change when we talk about more than one. There are two common regular patterns: Masculine nouns → add "ون" /""ين". Example: "مُهَنْدِس" = engineer →''مُهَنْدِسُونَ''/ ""مُهَنْدِسِينَ"" = engineers Feminine nouns → add "ات".  Example: "مُعَلِّمَة" = teacher → "مُعَلِّمَات" = teachers The adjective also changes to match the plural: "مُهَنْدِسُونَ خَبِيرُونَ" = experienced engineers.

*Politeness & Survival Phrases* Let's go through useful phrases that might come in handy in everyday situations.