Beginning Arabic Course

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Introduction to Arabic

Part I - The Arabic Alphabet and Sound System

In conjunction with a generous grant from the United States Department of Education to spread the learning of Arabic, Western Kentucky University is proud to offer this free and open introductory Arabic course.  No registration is required.  In this first course, you will learn:

• To read and write in Arabic
• To correctly pronounce all Arabic sounds
• Basic introductory conversation skills, like introducing yourself and asking where someone is from
• A general introduction to the Arab world

Arabic may seem difficult because the writing looks very different from English, but by breaking it down into its smallest parts, you will learn that Arabic is no more difficult than reading and writing English.  The Arabic alphabet is made up of 28 letters.  These 28 letters are the same used to write everything from the Qur'an to the works of Naguib Mahfouz to a daily newspaper.  Most letters correspond to sounds you are familiar with in English, like m, n, s and t.  The few that are different will be explained to you and you will get many opportunities to practice.

So don't wait, jump right in!  

Ahlan wa Sahlan!

 

Lesson 1- Introduction to Arabic                                                               Lesson 2 

         Course Introduction                                                                        The letters baa, taa, thaa'

         Overview of the Arabic Alphabet                                                  Short Vowels

         The letters alif and nuun                                                                  Introducing Yourself

         Basic Greetings                                                                                 How to say "I" and "You"

         Lesson 3                                                                                               Lesson 4

     The letters waaw and yaa                                                             The letter laam

     The vowels uu and ii                                                                       "The"  and "no"

     How to introduce someone else                                                 Basic pleasantries

 

         Lesson 5                                                                                              Lesson 6

  The letters jiim, Haa, khaa                                                          The letter miim

  The symbol sukkun                                                                       More vowel sounds

  How to talk about places                                                            More Greetings

 

 

        Lesson 7                                                                                              Lesson 8

    The letters daal, dhaal, raa, zayy                                            The letters siin and shiin

     How to express nationalities                                                  Names

 

 

 

        Lesson 9                                                                                             Lesson 10

   The letters Taa and Thaa                                                           The letters faa, kaaf, qaaf

   The symbol taa marbouta                                                          The symbol shadda

    More pleasantries                                                                      More names

                                                                                                                      

        Lesson 11                                                                                            Lesson 12

   The letters Saad, Daad, ghayn, ayn                                          The symbols hamza, tanwiin

   Describing people                                                                       Sun and Moon Letters