Teaching and Learning Arabic as a Foreign Language: A Guide for Teachers by Karin C. Ryding. This book was published by Georgetown University Press in 2013. The Arabic Alphabet: How to Read and Write It by Nicholas Awde and Putros Samano. [1] X Research source Easy Arabic Grammar by Jane Wightwick and Mahmoud Gaafar. It was published by McGraw Hill in 2004. [2] X Research source Arabic Verbs and Essentials of Grammar by Jane Wightwick and Mahmoud Gaafar. This text was published by McGraw Hill in 2007. [3] X Research source
Salaam Arabic, hosted by Pangaea Learning, offers free online tutorials in learning Arabic. The lessons are broken down by category: Numbers, Days, Greetings, Religion, Subject Pronouns, etc. There are even some grammar sections for beginner and intermediate learners. [4] X Research source Madinah Arabic offers free online Arabic instruction with a focus on numbers, vocabulary, and situational Arabic. They also feature a discussion forum where you can ask questions of the more advanced members of the community when you need additional help understanding something. [5] X Research source
Use an online source, such as Salaam Arabic, to memorize the Arabic alphabet. Websites like this usually have audio pronunciation guides to help you learn how to say each letter correctly. (ت is taa or “t”, ب is baa or “b”, and so on). Additionally, short vowels aren’t written in Arabic as letters, but as symbols (called fathas) that are written above the consonants to indicate a vowel sound.
مرحباً, or Marhaban, is the formal word for “Hello. " مع السّلامة, or Maᶜa ssalamah, is the word for “Goodbye. " أهلاً وسهلاً بكَ, or Aahlan wa sahlan bika, is the word for “Welcome” addressed to a male. أهلاً وسهلاً بكِ, or Aahlan wa sahlan biki, is the word for “Welcome” addressed to a female. كبير, or Kabeer, is the word for “big. " صغير, or Sagheer, is the word for “small. " اليوم, or Alyawm, is the word for “today. " واحد, إثنان, ثلاثة, or wahed, ithnaan, thalatha, are the words for “one, two, three. " أكل, or akala, is the word for “to eat. " ذهب, or dahaba, is the word for “to go. "
It might be helpful to group words together by meaning as you learn. Unlike English, Arabic uses roots that will indicate and allow Arabic speakers to anticipate the meaning or context of a word. For instance, in English, words like computer, keyboard, and internet may be related ideas or objects but they do not sound similar. In Arabic, related words are also related sonically.
Some Arabic sentences, however, exclude verbs altogether because they have an implied “to be”. These sentences start with a noun and are called nominal sentences. [9] X Research source For example, الولد مصري, or al-walad miSri, means “The boy is Egyptian,” but there is no verb. So, literally translated, it means “The boy Egyptian. "
For example, هل لديه بيت؟, or hal ladaihi bait? (“Does he have a house?”) is the question form of the phrase لديه بيت, or ladaihi bai, meaning “He has a house. "
كيف حالك؟, or Kaifa haloka, is the phrase for “How are you?” أنا بخير شكرا, or Ana bekhair, shokran, is the phrase for “I’m fine, thanks. " شكرا, or Shokran, is the word for “Thank you. " ما إسمك؟, or Ma esmouk? to a male and Ma esmouki?” to a female, is the phrase for “What is your name?” إسمي. . . . , or Esmee…, is the word for “My name is. . . " متشرف, or Motasharefon, is the word for “Nice to meet you. " هل تتكلم اللغة الإنجليزية, or Hal tatakallamu alloghah alenjleziah, is the phrase for “Do you speak English?” لا أفهم, or La afham, is the phrase for “I don’t understand. " هل بإمكانك مساعدتي؟, or Hal beemkanek mosa’adati?, is the phrase for “Can you help me?” أدرس اللغة العربية منذ شهر, or adrusu allughah al arabia mundu shahr, means “I have been learning Arabic for one month. " أحبك, or Uhibbok, is the word for “I love you. " كم الساعة؟, or Kam As-sa’ah, is the phrase for “What time is it?”
In Houston, Texas, there is a large Arab-American Cultural Community Center[12] X Research source that aims to help integrate Arabs as Americans and to promote cultural education for those who are interested. The Arab American Cultural Center of Silicon Valley[13] X Research source aims to promote aspects of Arabic culture in the United States and to provide resources for Arabic American members of their community.
