Basic Arabic Language CourseArabic words

*Welcome to Arabic Course II!* In this course, we will cover useful topics that will help you improve your everyday Arabic, such as *plural verbs, the simple past tense, time phrases, and common daily expressions.* We'll also reuse words and forms you may already know to help you build confidence and understanding. *A little reminder:* Many present-tense sentences in Arabic are nominal (they do not use the verb 'to be'). Let's take a look on how that works!

*How Nouns and Adjectives Match* In the previous course, we learned that adjectives *come after* nouns and *match* them in gender (m/f) and definiteness ("ال" or not). In this course, we'll build on that by looking at *number agreement*. Adjectives also *match nouns in number* (sg/pl). Examples: "بَيْتٌ كَبِيرٌ" = a big house (indef., masc., sg). "السَّيَّارَةُ الصَّغِيرَةُ" = the small car (def., fem., sg). "مُهَنْدِسُونَ مَاهِرُونَ" = skilled engineers (indef., masc., pl). Remember: adjectives match nouns in *gender*, *definiteness,* and *number*.

*Irregular (Broken) Plurals* In the previous course, we learned regular plurals. Now we’ll look at irregular (broken) plurals, where the form of the word changes internally. *Broken plurals do not take one regular plural ending*, so the plural form usually needs to be learned with each noun. Examples: – "طُلَّاب" → "طَالِب" (student → students) –"تُجَّار" →"تَاجِر" (merchant → merchants) When adjectives describe broken plurals, remember: – *Human plurals* usually take *plural* adjectives: "طُلَّابٌ نَاجِحُونَ" (successful students). – *Non-human plurals* usually take *feminine singular* adjectives: "كُتُبٌ جَدِيدَةٌ" (new books), where the feminine adjective often ends with "ـة".

*Present Tense in Plural* So far, we've looked at singular and plural nouns. Now we'll see how present-tense verbs change with plural subjects. In Arabic, verbs wear little *prefix outfits* to show who is doing the action: – "ن" = *we* – "ي" = *he/she* – "ت" = *you* For plural *you* and *they*, the verb also takes the *group ending* "ونَ" (-ūn). Examples: – "نَكْتُبُ" = we write (starts with "ن" for *we*) – "يَكْتُبُونَ" = they write ("ي" + "ونَ") – "تَكْتُبُونَ" = you all write ("ت" + "ونَ") Don’t worry about tricky grammar endings yet - just spot the prefix + plural ending pattern.

*Numbers 11–20* Numbers 11–19 use special forms with "عَشَر " / "عَشْرَةَ". First, *memorize each form as a chunk*. We will postpone gender agreement rules for later. Practice with "عِنْدِي ..." (I have ...).

*Telling the Time* Want to ask the time in Arabic? Just say: "كَمِ السَّاعَةُ؟" = *What time is it?* To answer, start with "السَّاعَةُ" (the hour) + the number: "إِنَّهَا السَّاعَةُ الثَّالِثَةُ" = It’s three o'clock (literally *It's the third hour*). To add minutes, Arabic uses *and*: "وَالرُّبْعُ" = and a quarter (15 minutes) "وَالنِّصْفُ"= and a half (30 minutes) Examples: – السَّاعَةُ الثَّالِثَةُ وَالرُّبْعُ" =3:15" – السَّاعَةُ الثَّالِثَةُ وَالنِّصْفُ" = 3:30"

*There is/are & How to Express Possession* In Arabic, we use two simple patterns: 1) To say *there is/are*: – Use "يُوجَدُ" for masculine nouns or "تُوجَدُ" for feminine nouns. – Example: "تُوجَدُ مَكْتَبَةٌ قَرِيبَةٌ" = There is a library nearby. 2) To say *I have / you have*: – Use "عِنْدَ" + pronoun (literally *at me/you*): – "عِنْدِي" = I have, "عِنْدَكَ/عِنْدَكِ"= you have (m/f), "عِنْدَهُ/عِنْدَهَا" = he/she has. – Example: "عِنْدِي وَقْتٌ" = *I have time.* This feels different from English at first, but it’s very common and easy once you see the pattern.

*Adverbs of Place* How to say where something is: "خَلْفَ" = behind "أَمَامَ" = in front of "بَيْنَ" = between "فَوْقَ" = over/above "تَحْتَ" = under Use them before the noun: "الْكِتَابُ تَحْتَ الطَّاوِلَةِ" = *The book is under the table.* After these adverbs, the noun changes slightly in form (called the genitive case in grammar), but you don’t need to worry about the details now - we will come back to it later!

*Polite Requests (Can/Could)* In Arabic, it’s easy to sound polite when asking for something: 1) Use common request patterns: "هَلْ يُمْكِنُ...؟" – Could...? (formal and polite) "مُمْكِن…؟" – Can...? (common in everyday spoken Arabic) 2) Add polite words for extra kindness: "مِنْ فَضْلِكَ" / "مِنْ فَضْلِكِ" – please (to a man / to a woman) "لَوْ سَمَحْتَ"/ "لَوْ سَمَحْتِ" – excuse me / please (to a man / to a woman) Using both a request and a polite word makes you sound natural and very polite in Arabic conversations.

*Weather Basics* To talk about the weather in Arabic, you often use a nominal sentence (a sentence without *is* in the present tense). – ""الطَّقْسُ جَمِيلٌ"" = The weather is nice. You can also combine these with seasons or times of day: – ""الصَّيْفُ حَارٌّ"" = Summer is hot. – ""الصَّبَاحُ بَارِدٌ"" = The morning is cold. Let's learn some key adjectives related to weather.

*Hobbies & Likes* You can express likes with "أُحِبُّ". It means *I like / I love.* You can use it in two easy ways: 1) *With a noun:* – "أُحِبُّ الْقِرَاءَةَ"= I like reading. – "أُحِبُّ كُرَةَ الْقَدَمِ" = I like football. 2) *With a verb:* Add "أَنْ" before the verb. The verb stays in the present tense. – "أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَقْرَأَ" = I like to read. – "أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَرْسُمَ" = I like to draw. – "أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَلْعَبَ كُرَةَ الْقَدَمِ" = I like to play football. Think of "أُحِبُّ" as a key that opens two doors: one for nouns, one for verbs.

*Shopping - Asking Prices* When shopping, two phrases are very useful: "بِكَمْ هَذَا؟" = How much is this? (literally: For how much is this?) """كَمِ السِّعْرُ؟"" = What’s the price? To sound polite, add: مِنْ فَضْلِكَ / مِنْ فَضْلِكِ = please (to a man / woman)"

*Talking about Basic Past* In Arabic, "كَانَ" works like the past tense of *to be.* Main forms you need now: – "كُنْتُ" = I was – "كُنَّا" = we were – "كُنْتَ" = you (masc., sg) – "كُنْتِ" = you (fem., sg) – "كُنْتُمْ" = you (pl) – "كَانَ" = he was – "كَانَتْ" = she was – "كَانُوا" = they *And how to use it?* Put the appropriate form of "كَانَ" before your description. – "كُنْتُ تَعْبَانًا" = I was tired. *Note*: When "كَانَ" is used with a noun, its form changes according to the noun's gender: "كَانَ" is used with masculine nouns, while "كَانَتْ" is used with feminine nouns. – "كَانَ الْجَوُّ جَمِيلً" = The weather was nice. – "كَانَتِ السَّاعَةُ الثَّانِيَةَ" = It was two o’clock. With these forms, you can already talk about yesterday and describe past situations.

"Talking about Basic Past in Negative* To say *was not* or *were not*, use "لَمْ" with the appropriate present-tense form of "يَكُونُ". Notice that some forms change slightly after "لَمْ", so for now, just learn the forms as they appear below. – "لَمْ أَكُنْ" = I was not – "لَمْ نَكُنْ" = we were not – "لَمْ تَكُنْ" = you (masc., sg.) were not – "لَمْ تَكُونِي" = you (fem., sg.) were not – "لَمْ تَكُونُوا" = you (pl) were not – "لَمْ يَكُنْ" = he was not – "لَمْ تَكُنْ" = she was not – "لَمْ يَكُونُوا" = they were not *Note*: For now, we’ll focus on the masculine plural forms of *you* and *they*, which are also used for groups of both men and women in Modern Standard Arabic. You’ll learn the feminine plural and dual forms in later courses. You may also see "مَا" used to make a past-tense verb negative: – "مَا كَانَ تَعْبَانًا" = He was not tired.

*Travel & Transport Words* When traveling, short questions are very useful. For example: – "أَيْنَ الْمِحَطَّةُ؟" = Where is the station? – "كَيْفَ أَذْهَبُ إِلَى الْمَطَارِ؟"= How do I go to the airport? Notice how you use "إِلَى" (to) when saying where you want to go, and "مِنْ" (from) when saying where you came from. – "جِئْتُ مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ." = I came from the city. –"أُرِيدُ تَذْكِرَةً إِلَى الْقَاهِرَةِ." = I want a ticket to Cairo.

*Let’s talk about daily routines* To express things you do every day and describe your routine in Arabic, ust use *Subject + Verb + Object* structure sentences. These verbs help you build a simple timeline of your day: – ""أَسْتَيْقِظُ مُبَكِّرًا"" = I wake up early. – ""أَذْهَبُ إِلَى الْمَدْرَسَةِ""= I go to school. – ""أَعُودُ إِلَى الْبَيْتِ"" = I return home. – ""أَطْبُخُ الْعَشَاءَ""= I cook dinner."

*Object Pronouns* In Arabic,*object pronouns attach directly to verbs.* Instead of saying *I see you* with three words, you attach a short ending to the verb itself. -"نِي" = me → "يَرَانِي" = he sees me - "ـنَا" = us → "تُعَلِّمُنَا" = she teaches us - "كِ" / "-كَ-" = you (m./f.) → "أَرَاكَ" = I see you (m.), "أَرَاكِ" = I see you (f.) - "ـكُم" = you (pl.) → "نَرَاكُمْ" = we see you (pl.) - "ـهُ" = him → "أُحِبُّهُ" = I love him - "ـهَا" = her → "يُحِبُّهَا" = he loves her - "هُمْ" = them → "أُحِبُّهُمْ" = I love them *Note*: 1) "ـهُ" and "ـهَا" can also refer to things: – "أُحِبُّهُ" = I like it (m.) – "أُحِبُّهَا" = I like it (f.) 2) The Arabic verb "أُحِبُّ" can mean *love* or *like*, depending on the context. It usually means *love* when talking about people and *like* when talking about things: – "أُحِبُّ أَخِي" = I love my brother. – "أُحِبُّ الْكِتَابَ" = I like the book.

*Ask and give directions* Use landmarks to make the instruction clearer: "قُرْبَ الْمَسْجِدِ" = near the mosque "خَلْفَ الْمَكْتَبَةِ"= behind the library

*At Home* In this section, we’ll explore furniture and common items around the house. Let’s learn the words you’ll need to talk about your home in Arabic!

*It's time to practice in sentences!* In this section, we will combine *everything you've learned so far* into short, natural phrases that may be useful for you. We will review politeness, questions, time, and movement.