Arabic For Dummies

Amine Bouchentouf is a native Arabic speaker from Morocco. He helped launch a year-round Arabic department at Middlebury College in Vermont, expanding upon the pre-existing, well-regarded Arabic Summer Program. He also designs, structures, and teaches beginner, intermediate, and advanced courses through the ABC Language Exchange Program in New York.

• Introduction 1About This Book 1Foolish Assumptions 3Icons Used in This Book 3Beyond the Book 4Where to Go from Here 4Part 1: Getting Started with Arabic 5Chapter 1: The Arabic You Already Know 7Taking Stock of What’s Familiar 7Discovering the Arabic Alphabet 9All about vowels 9All about consonants 12Speaking Arabic like a Native 14Chapter 2: Taking a Closer Look at the Arabic Alphabet 15Getting a Grasp on أبجد 16Figuring Out the Transcription 16Getting Better Acquainted with the Script 17Chapter 3: Tackling Basic Arabic Grammar 27Introducing Nouns, Adjectives, and Articles 28Getting a grip on nouns 28Identifying adjectives 29Discovering definite and indefinite articles 33Understanding the interaction between nouns and adjectives 35Creating Simple, Verb-Free Sentences 37To be or not to be: Sentences without verbs 37Building sentences with common prepositions 39Using demonstratives and forming sentences 41Forming “to be” sentences using personal pronouns 43Creating negative “to be” sentences 44“To be” in the past tense 46Working with Verbs 47Digging up the past tense 47Examining the present tense 51Peeking into the future tense 54Examining irregular verb forms 55Chapter 4: Getting Started with Basic Expressions 59Greeting People Appropriately 59Saying hello 60Bidding goodbye 61Asking how someone is 61Responding that you’re doing well 62Making Introductions 64Asking “What’s your name?” 64Responding with the possessive “My name is . . . ” 64Saying “It’s a pleasure to meet you!” 64Talking about Countries and Nationalities 65Asking “Where are you from?” 66Saying “I am from . . . ” 66Shooting the Breeze: Talking about the Weather 68Chapter 5: Getting Your Numbers, Dates, and Measurements Straight 73Talking Numbers 74Referring to Days and Months 76Size Matters: Measuring in Arabic 79Chapter 6: At the Office and Around the House 81Managing the Office Environment 81Interacting with your colleagues 83Giving orders 87Supplying your office 88Life at Home 91Part 2: Arabic in Action 97Chapter 7: Getting to Know You: Making Small Talk 99Asking Key Questions 100Talking about Yourself and Your Family 102Making Small Talk on the Job 106Staying in Touch by Phone and Email 108Chapter 8: Asking Directions and Finding Your Way 111Focusing on the “Where” 111Asking “where” questions 112Answering “where” questions 112Getting Direction about Directions 114Asking for directions 114Could you repeat that? 116Using command forms 118Discovering Ordinal Numbers 120Chapter 9: Taking Care of Business and Telecommunicating 123Making a Call: Phone Basics 124Beginning a phone conversation 124Asking to speak to someone 125Planning while on the Phone 127Making social plans 127Making business appointments 129Leaving a Message 131Dealing with voice mail 131Leaving a message with a person 132Sending and Getting Emails 133Sending an email in Arabic 134Sending an email in English 134Following proper etiquette 135Chapter 10: This Is Delicious! Eating In and Dining Out 137Consuming Food: All about Mealtime 137Starting the day off with breakfast 138Eating lunch 143Supping at dinner 148Enjoying a Meal at Home 149Dining Out 149Perusing the menu 150Placing your order 152Finishing your meal and paying the bill 154Chapter 11: Going Shopping 157Going to the Store 157Browsing the merchandise 158Getting around the store 159Getting to know the verb “to search” 161Asking for a Particular Item 163Comparing Merchandise 166Comparing two or more items 167Picking out the best item 169More than a Few Words about Buying and Selling 171Shopping for Clothes 174Chapter 12: Hitting the Town 179Telling Time in Arabic 179Specifying the time of day 181Specifying minutes 182Visiting Museums 187Going to the Movies 193Touring Religious Sites 197A few rules to keep in mind 197The Hajj 198Chapter 13: Enjoying Yourself: Recreation, Music, and the Outdoors 201Starting Out with the Doing Verb 201Sporting an Athletic Side 204Going to the Beach 208Playing Musical Instruments 210Talking about Hobbies 211Part 3: Arabic on the Go 215Chapter 14: Planning a Trip 217Choosing Your Destination 217Picking the Right Time for Your Trip 224Tackling Packing 227Preparing Your Travel Documents 228Using a Travel Agency 232Chapter 15: Dealing with Money in a Foreign Land 235Going to the Bank 235Opening a bank account 236Making deposits and withdrawals 244Using the ATM 244Exchanging Currency 245Getting to know the currencies around the world 246Making exchanges 247Chapter 16: Getting Around: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles 251Traveling by Plane 251Making reservations 252Getting some legwork out of the verb “to travel” 255Registering at the airport 256Boarding the plane 259A brief departure on the verb “to arrive” 260Going through immigration and customs 261Getting Around on Land 266Hailing a taxi 266Taking a bus 268Boarding a train 270Chapter 17: Finding a Place to Stay 273Choosing the Right Accommodations 274Discussing minor room details 277Getting to know direct object pronouns 279Making a Reservation 281Figuring out the price 281Indicating the length of your stay 284Subjecting you to subjunctive verbs 286Checking In to the Hotel 289Checking Out of the Hotel 291Chapter 18: Handling Emergencies 295Shouting Out for Help 295A little help with the verb “to help” 297Lending a hand 298Getting Medical Help 300Locating the appropriate doctor 300Talking about your body 300Explaining your symptoms 302Getting treatment 303Acquiring Legal Help 304Part 4: The Part of Tens 307Chapter 19: Ten Ways to Pick Up Arabic Quickly 309Watch Arabic Television 309Use the Dictionary 310Read Arabic Newspapers 310Surf the Internet 311Streaming Services 311Listen to Arabic Music 311Sing Arabic Songs 312Make Arabic-Speaking Friends 312Watch Arabic Movies 312Eat at a Middle Eastern Restaurant 313Chapter 20: Ten Favorite Arabic Expressions 315مرحبا بكم 316ممتاز! 316الحمد لله 317إن شاء الله 317مبروك! 318بإذن الله 318بالصحة 318تحيات 319مبلغ 319تبارك الله 319Chapter 21: Ten Great Arabic Proverbs 321الأمثال نور الكلام 321اعمل خيرا وألقه في البحر 322اطلبوا العلم من المهد إلى اللحد 322يد واحدة لا تصفّق 322الحرباء لا يغادر شجرته حتى يكون يؤكدا على شجرة أخرى 322خطأ معروف أحسن من حقيقة غير معروفة 323السرّ مثل الحمامة: عندما يغادر يدي يطير 323العقل للنظر والقلب للسمع 323كل يوم من حياتك صفحة من تاريخك 323اللي فاتك بليلة فاتك بحيلة 324Part 5: Appendixes 325Appendix A: Mini-Dictionaries 327Appendix B: Verb Tables 341Appendix C: Answer Key 355Index 361