Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
ArabicPod101.com presents Arabic Survival Phrases. This course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to Arabic speaking countries, with particular focus on Morocco. So join us for Arabic Survival phrases. You will be surprised at how far a little Arabic will go.
Now before we jump in, remember to stop by ArabicPod101.com, there you’ll find an accompanying PDF, additional learning tools in the premium learning center, and other great Arabic language learning materials. In addition, you’ll find more information in the post. And if you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment.

Lesson focus

In today's lesson, we'll introduce you to a phrase that will provide you with the tools to learn from the people around you. Now, a dictionary is a great idea, but don't forget that you can use Arabic to learn in a more fun and interactive way.
Today's phrase is, "How do you read (something) in Arabic?" (كفاش كتقرا هدي ؟)
In Arabic, "How do you read (something) in Arabic?" is kifāš katqrā hadī
kifāš katqrā hadī
In Arabic, "this" is hadī (هدي) in the feminine form. We need the feminine form of "this" because a "word" (kalima) in Arabic is feminine. And since you'll be reading words, we need to use hadī instead of haḏā.
Let’s break it down by syllable: hadī
hadī
So in Arabic, "How do you read this?" is kifāš katqrā hadī bilʿrbiyah? (كفاش كتقرا هدي بالعربية؟)
kifāš katqrā hadī bilʿrbiyah?
Let’s break it down by syllable: kifāš katqrā hadī bilʿrbiyah?
The first word kifāš (كفاش) means "how."
kifāš
kifāš
This is followed by katqrā (كتقرا), which is a conjugated form that means, "you read"
katqrā
katqrā
This is followed by hadī (هدي), which is "this."
Next is b, which means “in.”
b
b
kifāš katqrā hadī b
This is followed by lʿrbiyah (بالعربية), which in Arabic is "Arabic."
So altogether, we have: kifāš katqrā hadī bilʿrbiyah?
And literally, it means "how do you read this in Arabic?"
Now, "How do you read that in Arabic?", simply substitute the word "that," hadīk, for "this," hadī. So "How do you read that in Arabic?" is kifāš katqrā hadīk bilʿrbiyah?
One more time slowly: kifāš katqrā hadīk bilʿrbiyah?
Cultural Insights
Now, I understand if you need to use today's phrase over and over again; this is because Arabic is difficult to read. But again, learning any language is challenging. In fact, sometimes you will see whole words without any vowels in them. In Moroccan Arabic, this is normal; to the English speakers, however, that seems impossible since we have always been taught that all words must contain a vowel sound.
Vowels in Arabic are signs that you add to the consonant. In a typical Arabic text, these vowels are never written, you're just supposed to read the word correctly. Articulating the vowel sounds even if the vowels are not written down at all. This is probably the biggest challenge for Arabic readers; with today’s phrase though, you'll manage to read all those challenging words, so good luck!

Outro

Okay, to close out today's lesson, we'd like for you to practice what you've just learned. I'll provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you're responsible for saying it aloud. You'll have a few seconds before I give you the answer, so حظ سعيد, that means "good luck" in Arabic.
Ok, here we go!
"How do you read this in Arabic?" - kifāš katqrā hadī bilʿrbiyah?
kifāš katqrā hadī bilʿrbiyah?
kifāš katqrā hadī bilʿrbiyah?
"How do you read that in Arabic?" - kifāš katqrā hadīk bilʿrbiyah?
kifāš katqrā hadīk bilʿrbiyah?
kifāš katqrā hadīk bilʿrbiyah?
All right. This is going to do it for this lesson of Arabic Survival Phrases. Remember to stop by ArabicPod101.com. There you’ll find an accompanying PDF, additional learning tools in the premium learning center, and other great Arabic language learning materials. See you soon, which in Arabic is - ilā al-liqāʾ.

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