ArabicPod101 Beginner S1 Curriculum
In this 15-lesson series, you’ll follow our cast of characters through daily life in the Middle East. You’ll learn how to make a polite request, compare two items, have a casual conversation on the phone and much more. You will also learn cultural tips and stories from our hosts.
| Lesson # | Title | Topic | Function | Conversation in target language | Cultural Insight | Vocabulary | Expressions | Grammar |
| 1 | What is his name? | Introducing a friend or oneself | Introducing friends (name and greetings) | .مي: صباح الخير، يا دانيةَ. دانيةَ: صباح النور، يا مي. مي: هذا صديقي. إسمه تيموثي. دانية: تشَرفنا. أنَا دانيةَ. تيموثي: تشرفنا، يا دانيةَ. |
The Middle East is as culturally diverse as any other region of the world. Within the Arabic world you'll find people who are very traditional as well as people who take pride in adhering to principles derived from foreign influences. Here we'll discuss the types of casual relationships that occur between men and women from the Middle East. On one extreme, we have the very conservative and traditional families. These people adhere to the core principles of their religious identity, be it Muslim, Christian, Jewish, or other faiths. For most of these groups, their faith is a way of life. The reason this has an impact on gender relations, particularly Islam which is the religious majority in the Middle East, is that there's a significant jurisprudence dedicated to creating a social system which minimizes the negative consequences of sexual expression in favor of economic productivity and social order. Unfortunately, these principles have sometimes been abused to restrict women's involvement in multiple arenas of society. People in this group identify with the humility, chastity, and modesty encouraged by their faith and they take pride in limiting what they deem to be unnecessary intermingling. An example of somebody in this group is May's friend Sara. Sara dresses completely covered, doesn't talk to her male co-workers about anything outside of work, and does not shake hands when greeting men. On the more moderate side, we have people who follow their faith and are more accepting of forming relations with the opposite sex, but within boundaries. For example, Danya's cousin, Hala, likes to go to organized social events in public places with large groups of people. She has no problem interacting with men, shaking hands, and discussing family, but she avoids hugs and kisses when greeting as well as any flirtatious behavior in general. So we see that Hala has found a lifestyle that allows her to flourish in a more westernized social order while maintaining the humility, chastity, and modesty encouraged by her faith. These social limits are especially important to consider when intermingling occurs in semi-private or private areas, like Hala's home, even if the friendship is cordial, because such relationships might progress to more than just benign friendships. Middle Eastern society also includes people who identify with the principles derived from foreign influences. This affects not only relationships, but also fashion and musical tastes. Sometimes even their speech is effected as foreign words and phrases are inserted into regular talk. This is not necessarily a conscious choice, rather a result of cultures across the globe converging in the Middle East through modern-day media. | صَديق Sadiiq friend (male) صَدِيقةَ Sadiiqa friend (female) إِسْم ism name تشَرَّفْنا tasharrafna we are honored صَباح SabaaH morning خَيْر khayr good نوُْر nuur light (noun) مَساء masaa' evening مَرْحَبا marHaban hello; welcome أهَْلا ahlan hello; welcome سَلام salaamu peace |
What is his name? | How to use possessive suffixes |
| 2 | Where are you from? | Asking where are you from? | Asking where is the person from. The use of not (both fem. and mas.) | دانية: من أين أنت؟ مي: أنَا من الأردن. دانية: هلَ أنت من الزرقاء؟ مي: لا، أنا لسَت من الزرقاء. أنا من عمان. |
Originally built on seven hills, Amman is the capital of Jordan and its biggest city. Amman consists of an eastern part called “Al Balad” or “Downtown Amman” where most of the city's population resides and whom are predominantly poor. This part is older, more traditional and underdeveloped, yet it is home to museums, attractions and historic ruins such as the Roman Amphitheater and the Citadel. The western side, “West Amman”, is the more modern and developed side of the city where the middle class and wealthy upper class population resides. Over the past 25 years, Amman has been continuously growing and stretching due to population growth. The population includes diverse ethnic groups such as Palestinians, Iraqis, Circassians and Armenians. Amman has a lot to offer, from parks, malls and restaurants to museums and historical sites; a unique blend of new and old. The typical uniform white buildings seen in Amman have earned it the nickname “White City”. In the city's commercial center, however, modern buildings and luxurious hotels have become common to Amman's architectural scene. Located close to Amman are multiple tourist sites. The Dead Sea, just a 45 minute drive from Amman, is a popular destination for locals and tourists alike. Several lavish resorts and hotels are located in the area. The ancient Roman city of Jerash is located to the north of Amman where many ancient monuments serve as tourist atttractions. To the south of Amman, about a 3 hour drive away, is the splendid city of Petra, also known as “the Rose City”. This ancient city, dating back to when the Nabataeans settled in the area, is known for its architecture. The city is completely carved into the mountains. It has been recently chosen as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. | لا laa no نَعَم nacam yes أنَتِْ 'anti you (feminine singular) أنَتَْ 'anta you (masculine singular) أنَا 'anaa I لسَْتُ lastu I am not لسَْتَ lasta You are not (masculine singular) لسَْتِ lasti You are not (feminine singular) أيَنَْ 'ayna where? مِنْ min from |
Where are you from? | How to use Arabic pronouns. |
| 3 | What is that? | Descibing a new mobile | Commenting on the price of a new mobile, and descibing it. | مي: ما هذا؟ دانيةك هذا التليفون الخلوي لي، انه جديد. مي: ولكن انه صغير جدا. دانية: نعم انه حديث وجديد. مي: هل سعره عال؟ دانية: نعم، ولكنه يستحق ذلك. |
The population of Jordan is around 6 million people with about 4 million cell phone lines. Working professionals, students, and even children as young as 5 years old can be seen carrying cell phones on pre-paid accounts. Many people have accounts on more than one of the four major phone networks in Jordan. This is convenient for many people because a current pre-paid account can receive phone calls for free and outgoing calls on the same network are often free.. Text-messaging is popular, particularly since cell-phones come localized with Arabic menus, labels, and buttons. People are able to type using the Arabic script with the cell-phones sold in Jordan, but many bilingual Jordanians often leave their cell-phones in the English setting. In order to send messages in Arabic without switching language settings on their cell-phones, Arabic speakers in the Middle East developed an unofficial transcription system. They use Latin characters that represent the common sounds (like a, b, d, etc.). For sounds that don't have an equivalent in English, numbers are used that look like the Arabic characters, for example 2 is Hamza ء, the 3 is cayn ع, the 6 is Taa' ط, and 9 is Saad ص . | حّدِيث Hadiith modern صَغِير Saghiir small هذِهِ haadhihi this هذا haadha this سِعْرُ sicru price عَلِي caliy high |
What is this? | Two groups of adjectives and nouns: مؤنث mu'anath (feminine) and مذآّر - mudhakkar (masculine) |
| 4 | Do you have a pen? | The way to ask for things and the offer of keeping it longer | Borrowing a thing. | مي: هل معك قلم آخر؟ دانيةَ: آه…لحَظَة من فضلك…نعم , خذي هذا. مي: شكرا . سوف أرده لك , بعد قليل. دانية: لا تقَلق. يمُكنك أن تبقيه معك . |
Middle Eastern people have always been known for their kindness and generosity. Due to the nomadic nature and scarce resources of Bedouin Arabs in the Arab peninsula and North Africa, generosity and hospitality were of high regard. When Islam came, its teachings highly encouraged and cherished generosity. So even though Arabs are no longer nomadic, the ideal of generosity is still present. If you are invited to someone's home, you can expect to be offered something to eat or drink. Guests usually refuse the offer once for politeness, but accept afterwards. Even if you show up unexpectedly, you will most likely be offered something to eat or drink. Again, it is polite to refuse the offer because you don't want the host to go through the effort. Depending on the effort required to prepare the treat, it is polite to refuse several times (2 to 5 times) until the host either insists or accepts your refusal. | لحَْظَة laHDHa moment آخَر 'aakhar another تبُْقِي tubqii you keep قلَِيل qaliil little بعَد bacad after أرَُّدُ 'arrudu I return (something) مَعَ maca with مِنْ فضَْلِك min faDlik please يمُْكِن yumkin it is possible |
Do you have a pen? | Object pronouns in Arabic. |
| 5 | How are you? | Talking on the phone (casually) | Greeting when making a call. Asking about the book's author? | مي: ألو؟ دانية: مرحبا يا مي. أنا دانية. مي: أهلا يا دانيةَ. كيف حالك؟ دانيةَ: الحمد لله . وأنت؟ كيَف حالك؟ هلَ أنت بِخير؟ مي: نعم، أنَا بِأَحسنِ حَال، والحمد لله . لقَد إِشتريت كتابا جديدا . دانية: من كتب هذا الكتاب؟ مي: إِسمه جِبران خلِيل جِبران. |
The phrase الحمد لله - al-Hamdu lillaah in Arabic is literally translated as "Praise be to God". الحمد (al-Hamdu) means "praise" and لله (lillaah) means "to God". Although الحمد لله is derived from the Quran, it is common for Muslims, Christians and Jews alike in the Middle East to use this phrase. This common expression can be heard on the streets, in the mosque, and even in the news. It is used in all conditions, good or bad, because one should always be thankful.When someone asks "How are you?" or "How is work, family, school…etc.", people answer the question with الحمد لله and may or may not explain further. For example: Kareem: How is your new job, Samer? Samer: It's great! I really like it. الحمد لله. How is your job? Kareem: الحمد لله. But it's tiring and I work long hours. I am thinking of applying for a new job. | مَرْحَبا marHaban hello, hi; welcome أهَْلا 'ahlan hello; welcome كيَْفَ حَالكَُ؟ kayfa Haaluka? How are you? الْحَْمْدُ لله al-Hamdu lillaah Praise be to God. و wa and وَأنَتَْ؟ wa 'anta? And you? بِأَحْسَن bi'aHsan in the best مَنْ man who? |
How are you? | the Arabic definite article: ال - al - the. |
| 6 | I'm Lebanese | Getting to know people/ nationality/ language | Introducing one's country of origin, and spoken languages | هالةَ: مرحبا . إِسمي هالة. جميلةَ: أهلا . أنَا جميلة. هالة: من أين أنت؟ جمِيلةَ: أنا لبناَنية. وأنت؟ هالة: أنا تونسية. جميلةَ: هل تجيدِين اللغة الانجليزِيةَ؟ هالة: نعم، والفرنسية أيضا |
Arabic is the official language spoken in the Middle East. There are a great number of different of spoken dialects in each region, such as Moroccan, Iraqi and Lebanese. In addition, there is the Modern Standard Arabic, which is mainly used in written communications, media, publications and as a formal way to communicate between groups who speak different dialects. English and French are very common second languages in the Middle East. In most Arab countries English is the most common second language. It is taught in schools at very early ages as a subject in the curriculum. This is the case in countries like UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. In other countries like Lebanon, Tunisia, and Algeria, French is the most common second language. These countries were all under the French mandate. During that time, it was obligatory to teach students French in schools and to use it in official government documents and in the business community. Even though the mandate has ended, you can still see its influence in spoken language, literature and culture. | تجُِيدِين tujiidiin you are proficient أنَاَ 'anaa I إِسْمِي 'ismii my name أهَْلا 'ahlan hello; welcome مَرْحَبا marHaban hello, hi; welcome لبُْناَنِيةَ lubnaaniya Lebanese إِنجْلِيِزِيةَ 'ingliiziya English |
I am Lebanese. | ة nisba (relationship) adjectives; that describe a relationship, like that between a country and its citizens. |
| 7 | Do you speak English? | (Asking for directions) and explaining about language ability | A lost tourist is asking for Mosque's location | نور: عفوا. هل تتكلمين الإنجليزية؟ سارة: نعم، أتكلم القليل من الإنجليزية. Great, can you tell me how to get to the Umayyad Mosque? :Noor سارة: أنا آسفة. أتكلم فقط القليل من الإنجليزية. هل تفهمين العربية؟ نور: نعم، ولكن أفهم القليل منها فقط. |
In one of the world's most ancient cities, Damascus, stands one of its most breathtaking landmarks; that is Umayyad Mosque or also called Great Mosque of Damascus. Located in the heart of the capital, Umayyad mosque is considered one of the oldest and largest mosques in the world. The site where the mosque stands today has been a worship destination for different faiths throughout history. It began with a temple of Hadad, believed to be the god of rain and storm, in the Aramean era. It was then a temple of Jupiter in the Roman era. In the Byzantine era and during the fourth century it became a church dedicated to John the Baptist. Then during the Muslim ruling of the Umayyad dynasty, Muslims and Christians shared the site. Muslims prayed in the eastern side while the Christians in the west side. Eventually, the caliphate Al-Walid I bought the church from the Christians in promise of protecting all churches in the city and building a new church for them. Soon after it was purchased, Al-Walid asked the Emperor of Byzantine for 200 artisans to decorate the mosque. Byzantine architecture is still evident in the mosque's splendid build to this day. Since it was built, the mosque has been destroyed in different areas. The first was caused by a fire in 1069 C.E, it was sacked by the Mongols in 1269 C.E, in the 15th century Tamerlane of Asia burnt the inside completely, then finally in the Ottoman era it was destroyed almost entirely by fire. Each time it was destroyed, efforts were made to rebuild it to the closest original plan. The Umayyad mosque is characterized by a large courtyard, spacious prayer halls, and several religious shrines. These shrines include the head of Al-Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad's grandson who was killed in the Karbala war, and the shrine of John the Baptist, honored by Muslims and Christians alike. The tomb of Saladin stands in the northwestern corner of Umayyad mosque as well. This beautiful monument attracts Muslim and Christian visitors annually, including a visit by Pope John Paul II in 2001. | مِنهَْاعَفْوا cafwan excuse me تتَكَلَمَّ tatakallamu you speak تتَكَلَمَِّينَ tatakallamiina you speak أتَكَلَمَّ 'atakallam I speak قلَِيل qaliil little أسَِف 'aasif sorry فقَطْ faqaT only عَرَبِيةَّ carabiya Arabic minhaa of it تفَْهَم tafham you understand تفَْهَمِينَ tafhamiina you understand أفَْهَم 'afham I understand |
Do you speak English? | Three parts of Arabic verbs; the root, the وزن wazn, and a system of affixes. |
| 8 | I don't know. | (Asking for directions) | Asking for direction and introducing a famous attraction in the Saudi Arabia | فاطمة: عفوا، هل تعرفين أين برج المملكة؟ ريما: طبعا أعرف. هو هناك. فاطمة: أين؟ لا أراه. ريما: هناك. إنه ذلك البناء الكبير. فاطمة: أوه! إنه كبير جدا. |
Kingdom Center, also called Al-Mamlaka Tower برج المملكة brj al-mamlaka Al-Mamlaka Tower is an iconic symbol of Saudi Arabia that stands 992 feet high in the capital city of Riyadh. This skyscraper is considered the highest in the country and the tallest skyscraper in the world under 50 floors. The shape of the skyscraper is of unique design that resembles a modern bottle opener which in fact won it the annual Emporis Award in 2002. Deciding on the design was a 3 year process during which submissions from major architectural firms around the world were studied. The Kingdom Center includes a big shopping mall, the five-star hotel Four Seasons, a wedding and conference center, a sports club, a major bank headquarters and a luxurious apartment complex. At the very top of the building is a sky bridge 65 meters long that weighs 300 tons. This sky bridge contains a public observation deck that overlooks Riyadh. In addition to having earned an award for the building design, the shopping mall inside the center has also won a major award for its design as well. What is unique about this mall is that the last floor, called “Ladies' Kingdom”, is only for women to enter. Women on that floor are not required to wear the traditional “abaya” (عباية), a long black dress worn over clothes, which women should wear by law in Saudi Arabia. The mall features expensive shops and international brand name stores. Kingdom Centre is owned by the Saudi prince Al-Walid bin Talal, an international businessman and investor. | برُْجُ المَْمْلكَةَ burju al-mamlaka Kingdom Tower فقَطَ faqaT only أعَْرِف 'acrif I know بِناَء binaa' building ذلَِكَ dhaalika that (over there) هنُاَك hunaak over there هوَُ huwa he (it) جِدَاّ jiddan very كبَِير kabiir big, large طَبْعَا Tabcan of course تعَْرِف tacrif you know (masculine) |
I don't know. | The negate verbs in the present. |
| 9 | He does it well. | Give information about someone famous | Explainning about a famous singer. | ندى: هل تعرفين من هذا؟ عالية: لا، لا أعرف. ندى: إنه مارسيل خليفة. عالية: من هو؟ ندى: هو عازف رائع، ويغني جيدا أيضا. عالية: من أين هو؟ ندى: هو من لبنان. |
UNESCO Artist for Peace Marcel Khalife is a cultural music icon from Lebanon. Born in 1950 in Amsheet, Lebanon, Khalife is a nationalist singer, composer, and an accomplished oud player. He first learned to play oud in his teens and later continued at the National Academy of Music in Beirut. In the years that followed, Marcel taught music, saw the birth of his music ensemble called Al-Mayadeen which toured different continents playing Arabic and Western fused music to the crowds and has written a six volume anthology. Marcel Khalifeh is perhaps one of the most supportive artists of the Palestinian case in the Middle East. He has sung many poems for Mahmoud Darwish, a profound nationalist Palestinian poet. Being awarded the Palestine Award for Music, he donated a significant amount of the award money to the National Conservatory of Music at Birzeit University in Palestine. Through his art, Marcel Khalifeh wants to reshape the face of Arabic music and hopes to slowly transform the culture surrounding it. His recordings add up to about 20 albums including Arabic Coffeepot, Peace Be With You and The Children. | مَنْ man who? هُوَ huwa He إِنَّهُ 'innahu he عَازِف caazif player (of instruments) رَائِع raa'ic wonderful يغُنَِي yughanii he sings جَيِدا jayyidan very |
He does it well. | The third person singular masculine form of Arabic verbs in the imperfect tense |
| 10 | We have to go. | Looking for a lost item | Trying to find keys (in a hurry) when they were just about to leave the house to go to a party . Asking questions about location. | سارة: هل أنت جاهزة؟ هبة: لا، لست جاهزة.لا أستطيع إيجاد مفاتيحي. سارة:يجب أن نذهب الآن. هبة: أين مفاتيحي؟ سارة: إنها على الطاولة. |
جَاهِز jaahiz ready إِيجَاد 'iijaad finding أَسْتَطِيع إِيجَاد 'astaTiic 'iijaad I can find أَسْتَطِيع 'astaTiic I can مُفْتاَح muftaaH key مَفاَتِيح mafaatiiH keys الآن al-'aan now نذَْهبَ nadhhab we go يجَِبُ yajibu it is necessary إِنهََّا 'innahaa it عَلى cala on / upon طَاوِلةَ Taawila table |
He does it well / We have to go | The The first person plural form of Arabic verbs in the imperfect tense | |
| 11 | Call him! | Getting a phone number | Saying numbers | مي: أين هو؟ دانية: لا أعرف. إتصلي به. مي: ما رقم تلفونه؟ دانية: واحد أربعة إثنان صفر ثلاثة خمسة ستة تسعة سبعة ثمانية عشرة. |
When making international calls there are several additional numbers you have to dial to redirect your call. First you have to dial a number to send your call out of your country. For this number is 011, for Middle Eastern countries its 00. Next you have to dial the country code of the country you are trying to call. For example, Saudi Arabia is 966, Syria is 963, and Jordan is 962. Now that you've dialed into the country, you have to dial an area code and finally the local number. Calling Amman from the United States would then require 14 digits: 011-962-6-345-7810 | صِفْر sifr zero واحِد waaHid one إثْنان 'ithnaan two ثَلاثَة thalaatha three أرْبعَة 'arbaca four خَمْسَة khamsa five سِتة sitta six سَبْعَة sabca seven ثمَانيْةَ thamaanya eight تِسْعَة tisca nine عَشَرَة cashara ten إتصٌِلْ 'ittaSil call (said to a man) إتصٌِلي 'ittaSilii call (said to a woman) |
Call him now | the command form of the verb "to call." |
| 12 | How much does it cost? | Bargaining | Bargaining while shopping | لمى:كم سعر هذا؟ البائع: ثلاثة دننانير. لمى: هذا غال جدا. دينار واحد. البائع: هذا رخيص جدا. ديناران. لمى: حسنا. اتفقنا إذن. |
It's very common to see people bargaining at market places in Arab countries unless you're at a designer store or an international franchise where prices are already set. Haggling is a skill you need to learn before you set off on your trip on an Arab country or learn it from locals once you're there. What you have to do is insist. It is sort of expected that you ask for a lower price. So don't be afraid to give bargaining a shot. The unit of currency in Jordan is the dinar as well as in the 12 countries of the Arab League. Syria, Egypt and Lebanon use pounds. Morocco and the United Arab Emirates use the dirham. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Yemen, and Oman use the rial | كمَْ kam how much دِينار diinaar dinar دِيناران diinaaraan two dinars. دَنانير danaaniir dinars غالِ ghaalin expensive رَخيص rakhiiS cheap حَسَنا hasanan Ok إتفقَنْا 'ittafaqnaa We have agreed. إذنَْ 'idhan then البائِع al-baa'ic the seller البائِعَة al-baa'ica the seller (fem.) |
How much does it cost? | The form to make plural and exceptions. |
| 13 | What time is it? | Asking about time | Saying the time | فاطمة: عفوا، كم الساعة؟ هند: السادسة و النصف. فاطمة: هل تعرفين متى تصل الحافلة؟ هند: تصل بعد خمسة دقائق. فاطمة: شكرا. |
Today we would like to cover the kinds of public transportation available in Amman. There are buses, minibuses, taxis and service taxis. A minibus is a large van; it's very cheap and most of the people that use minibuses are university students and commuters. In Damascus, a lot of people use them to get everywhere because it's kind of crowded and a lot of people don't own cars. Now all throughout the Middle East there are taxis. These are convenient because you don't have to worry about parking. They're definitely more expensive than buses but they're generally affordable, though it depends on each country. In Beirut, for example, you can get a taxi to drive you from one side of the city to the other for about $15, which is the same amount you would pay to get to Damascus! And since a lot of people travel between Amman, Damascus and Beirut, there are buses, taxi cars and trains to travel between different cities. Trains are less popular in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria. | كمَِ السٌاعَة؟kam as-saaca? What time is it? نِصْف niSf half مَتىَ mataa when تصَِل taSil She arrives. حافِلةَ haafila bus بعَْد bacd after دَقائِق daqaa'iq minutes لغُات lughaat languages لغُتَان lughataan two languages لغُةَ lugha language حَافِلات haafilaat buses دَقيقةَ daqiiqa minute دَقِيقتَان daqiiqataan two minutes السٌاعَة as-saaca the hour |
What time is it? | Forming ordinal numbers. |
| 14 | Haircut | Haircut | Using comparative sentences | نادية: هل تستطيعين قص شعري أقصر بقليل؟ مصففة الشعر: حسنا. هكذا؟ نادية: لا !َ اتركيه أطول من ذلك بقليل. مصففة الشعر: هل هذا أفضل؟ نادية: نعم. أحبه هكذا أكثر. |
قَصُّ qaSSu to cut شَعْر shacr hair أقَصَْر 'aqSar shorter هكذَا haakadha like this ترَكَ taraka he left أطَْوَل 'aTwal longer أفَْضَل 'afDal better أحُِب 'uHib I love أكَْثرَ 'akthar more |
Haircut | Special forms of the adjective "tall". | |
| 15 | Cars | Cars | تالا: أوه، هذه السيارة الحمراء هي الأجمل! رشا: إنها جميلة، ولكن أليست هذه الزرقاء أجمل من الحمراء؟ تالا: لا، إنها بجمال الحمراء. رشا: حسنا، أي سيارة أسرع؟ تالا: الزرقاء ليست بسرعة الحمراء. رشا: أليست السيارة الحمراء أغلى سيارة هنا؟ تالا: في الواقع، إنها الأقل غلاء. |
سَيَّارَة sayyaara car جَمِيل jamiil beautiful حَمْرَاء hamraa' red زَرْقاَء zarqaa' blue حَسَنا hasanan OK سَرِيع sariic fast غَالِي ghaalii expensive فِي الوَْاقِع fii al-waaqic actually قلَِيل qaliil little |
cars | How to compare things in Arabic. |