Arabic Phrases For Dummies

Amine Bouchentouf is a native Arabic, English, and French speaker born and raised in Casablanca, Morocco. He teaches Arabic and lectures about relations between America and the Arab world.

• Introduction 1About This Book 1Conventions Used in This Book 2Foolish Assumptions 3Icons Used in This Book 3Where to Go from Here 4Chapter 1: I Say It How? Speaking Arabic 5Taking Stock of What’s Familiar 5Discovering the Arabic Alphabet 7All about vowels 7All about consonants 10Tackling Tough Letters and Words 15Addressing Arabic Transcription 15Chapter 2: Grammar on a Diet: Just the Basics 17Introducing Nouns, Adjectives, and Articles 17Getting a grip on nouns 18Identifying adjectives 18Discovering definite and indefinite articles (and the sun and moon) 19Understanding the interaction between nouns and adjectives 21Creating Simple, Verb-Free Sentences 23To be or not to be: Sentences without verbs 23Building sentences with common prepositions 25Using demonstratives and forming sentences 26Forming “to be” sentences using personal pronouns 28Creating negative “to be” sentences 30“To be” in the past tense 32Working with Verbs 33Digging up the past tense 33Examining the present tense 36Peeking into the future tense 39Chapter 3: Numerical Gumbo: Counting of All Kinds 41Talking Numbers 41Discovering Ordinal Numbers 43Telling Time in Arabic 45Specifying the time of day 46Specifying minutes 47Referring to Days and Months 49Money, Money, Money 52Opening a bank account 52Using the ATM 54Exchanging currency 55Chapter 4: Making New Friends and Enjoying Small Talk 57Greetings! 57You say hello 58I say goodbye 58How are you doing? 59I’m doing well! 59Making Introductions 60Asking “What’s your name?” 60Responding with “My name is .” 60Talking about Countries and Nationalities 61Asking “Where are you from?” 61Answering “I am from .” 62Asking Questions 63Talking about Yourself and Your Family 65Talking about Work 67Shooting the Breeze: Talking about the Weather 69Chapter 5: Enjoying a Drink or a Snack (or a Meal!) 73All about Meals 73Breakfast 74Lunch 76Dinner 81Enjoying a Meal at Home 82Dining Out 83Perusing the menu 83Placing your order 85Finishing your meal and paying the bill 87Chapter 6: Shop ’til You Drop! 89Going to the Store 89Browsing the merchandise 90Getting around the store 91Asking for a Particular Item 92Comparing Merchandise 95Comparing two or more items 95Picking out the best item 98Shopping for Clothes 100Chapter 7: Making Leisure a Top Priority 103Visiting Museums 103Going to the Movies 106Touring Religious Sites 109A few rules to keep in mind 109The Hajj 110Sporting an Athletic Side 111Going to the Beach 115Playing Musical Instruments 115Popular Hobbies 116Chapter 8: When You Gotta Work 119Landing a Job 119Managing the Office Environment 122Interacting with your colleagues 124Giving orders 129Supplying your office 131Picking Up the Phone 132Dialing up the basics 132Beginning a phone conversation 132Asking to speak to someone 133Making business appointments 133Dealing with voice mail 135Chapter 9: I Get Around: Transportation 137Traveling by Plane 137Making reservations 137Getting some legwork out of the verb “to travel” 140Registering at the airport 141Boarding the plane 143A brief departure on the verb “to arrive” 144Going through immigration and customs 145Getting Around on Land 147Hailing a taxi 148Taking a bus 149Boarding a train 150Asking for Directions 151Asking “where” questions 151Answering “where” questions 151Asking with courtesy 153Could you repeat that? 153Using command forms 155Chapter 10: Laying Down Your Weary Head: Hotel or Home 159Choosing the Right Accommodation 160Making a Reservation 162Figuring out the price 163Indicating the length of your stay 164Checking In to the Hotel 165Checking Out of the Hotel 167Life at Home 168Chapter 11: Dealing with Emergencies 171Shouting Out for Help 171A little help with the verb “to help” 172Lending a hand 175Getting Medical Help 176Locating the appropriate doctor 176Talking about your body 177Explaining your symptoms 178Getting treatment 179Acquiring Legal Help 180Chapter 12: Ten Favorite Arabic Expressions 183marHaba bikum! 183mumtaaz! 183al-Hamdu li-llah 184inshaa’ allah 184mabruk! 185bi ‘idni allah 185bi SaHHa 185taHiyyaat 186muballagh 186tabaaraka allah 187Chapter 13: Ten Great Arabic Proverbs 189al-’amthaal noor al-kalaam 189‘a’mal khayr wa ‘ilqahu fii al-baHr 189‘uTlubuu al-’ilm min al-mahd ‘ilaa al-laHd 190yad waaHida maa tusaffiq 190al-Harbaa’ laa Yughaadir shajaratuh hattaa yakun mu’akkid ‘an shajara ‘ukhraa 190khaTa’ ma’roof ‘aHsan min Haqiiqa ghayr ma’roofa 191as-sirr mithel al-Hamaama: ‘indamaa yughaadir yadii yaTiir 191al-’aql li an-niDHaar wa al-kalb li as-simaa’ 192kul yawm min Hayaatuk SafHa min taariikhuk 192li faatik bi liila faatik bi Hiila 192Index 193