In Part II Chapter 4, I discussed the use of a dictionary in a manner designed to increase reading effectiveness. I discussed the necessity of not looking up every new word, of reading blocks of text before resorting to the dictionary in the first place, and of not writing down the meanings of words youContinue reading “A: How to us the “Hans Wehr” Dictionary”
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B: Colors
Below is a list in Arabic of some of the more common colors. Color Plural (M. and F.) Feminine Masculine Black سودٌ سَوْداءُ أَسْودُ White بيضٌ بَيْضاءُ أَبْيَضُ Red حُمرٌ حَمراءُ أَحمَرُ Green خُضرٌ خَضْراءُ أخْضَرُ Blue زُرْقٌ زرْقاءُ أَزْرَقُ Yellow صُفْرٌ صَفْراءُ أَصْفَرُ The masculine singular forms of the colors above have theContinue reading “B: Colors”
A: How to Tell Time
In Modern Standard Arabic the ordinal numbers are used to tell time. Although in colloquial Arabic, the cardinal numbers are usually used, in the media, the MSA forms are used so it is good to know them. Below is a review of telling time using MSA. The review is brief, but it should give youContinue reading “A: How to Tell Time”
A: Arabic Numbers
The following is a review of the number system in Modern Standard Arabic and how it is used grammatically. The discussion below will cover both cardinal and ordinal numbers as well as a few other details. Most of what is below can be found in chapters 15 and 21 of volume one of EMSA butContinue reading “A: Arabic Numbers”
E: False Idaafas
Idaafas are treated in detail in Part I. However, in Part I, the focus is on idaafas composed of two or more nouns in a row and there is considerable stress on the fact that only nouns are used in an idaafa construction. There is another type of idaafa which does not occur any whereContinue reading “E: False Idaafas”
D: Doubly Transitive Verbs
The material below is based largely on material dealing with the same subject in Chapters 34 and 44 of EMSA, Vol. II. Look there for more examples. Some verbs in Arabic will have two accusative objects. The verb “to give” أعطى is perhaps the most commonly used example. In English we understand that one ofContinue reading “D: Doubly Transitive Verbs”
C: Indeclinable Nouns and Adjectives
Indeclinable nouns and adjectives end in alif maqsuura with two fathas representing nunation. For example, مُسْتَشْفَى Often the nunation is not pronounced, but it will be written in a fully-vocalized text. Indeclinables do not show case, so the two fathas do not represent a case ending. If the word is made definite, the two fathasContinue reading “C: Indeclinable Nouns and Adjectives”
B: Diptotes
The term “diptote” is composed of “di” meaning “two” (and sometimes a “princess”) and “tote” which I believe is a kind of umbrella. Diptotes have long posed a problem for the student whose teacher insists on correct vocalization of every word in a text. The problem arises both because diptotes only show two cases whenContinue reading “B: Diptotes”
A: The Little Words No One Ever Learns But Which Are Very Important
This section is intended for use as a reference and for occasional perusal. The number of words and phrases included below could easily be expanded considerably. As you read the language more you will come across many items similar to those below. Little words and phrases such as these are a key ingredient in developingContinue reading “A: The Little Words No One Ever Learns But Which Are Very Important”
D: The Conditional
The conditional is a very important item in Arabic, as it is in other languages. I consider it to be an essential item to be mastered by the non-native student of the language, which is why I have included it in Part II of this book and not Part III, which contains elements of lesserContinue reading “D: The Conditional”
All The Arabic 