Modern Standard Arabic for Beginners

1. What you are learning, and what ten lessons can do

Learning goal: Name the variety of Arabic this course teaches, the writing and spelling layers it uses, and what a ten-lesson beginner course can and cannot give you.

This course teaches Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), the standardised written variety used in literature, education, print, media and law. It is generally not spoken as a first language (S4). Everyday speech across the Arab world is a set of vernacular varieties that differ widely from MSA and are only partly understood across regions (S4, S15). Native speakers often call the standard language الفصحى (al-fuṣḥā), a name S4 translates as "the most eloquent Arabic". Learning MSA does not teach you any one dialect.

You will meet three layers. Letters: Arabic is written right to left in a cursive script with 28 letters, no capitals, and mostly joined forms (S1). Vowel marks: the letters record consonants and long vowels, while short vowels are usually left out of ordinary text and are added as small marks in learner materials, children's books and religious texts (S1, S3). Transliteration: this course writes every word in Latin letters too, using one fixed scheme explained in lesson 6. Systematic transliteration exists because ad hoc spellings vary a lot (S6).

The Arabic in this course is shown fully vowelled once you reach lesson 6, so you can sound words out. Each word was checked against Wiktionary (S13). The sentences and dialogues are original teaching material. The course has no audio and cannot hear you. Plan to add recordings or a teacher.

Worked example

A friend says: 'Arabic is one language, so one ten-lesson course lets me chat anywhere in the Arab world.' Which parts does this course support?

1. MSA is the written and formal standard (S4), so reading simple vowelled words and phrases is a fair aim.
2. Everyday speech uses dialects that differ widely from MSA (S4, S15), so this course does not prepare you to chat with someone in their dialect.
3. The course has no audio, so it cannot teach pronunciation by itself.
4. A fair claim: after ten lessons you can read the script slowly, sound out vowelled words and use a few formal greetings.

Mental model: This course teaches the MSA script and a few formal phrases. It has no audio and does not teach a dialect.

Common trap: Assuming that learning Standard Arabic means you can speak with anyone in their everyday dialect.

2. Right to left, joining, and the letters ⁨ا ب ت ث ن ي⁩

Learning goal: Read a short word from right to left, explain which letters join, and recognise six letters by shape and dots.

Arabic runs from right to left, so the first letter of a word is the rightmost one. The script is an abjad: letters record consonants (S1). Most letters join to the next one and change shape depending on where they sit: start, middle, end, or alone (S1). In the tables, Start means joined only to the following letter, Middle joined on both sides, End joined only to the previous letter.

Six letters, ا د ذ ر ز و, join only to the letter before them (S1). Of these, ا is in this lesson; the others come later. After one of these letters the next letter starts a new joined group, so a gap appears inside the word. Many letters share one basic shape and are told apart by dots: ب has one dot below, ت two above and ث three above (S1).

Words in this lesson are shown without vowel marks, as ordinary text appears (S3). The transliteration shows what is pronounced; the marks themselves come in lesson 6.

Worked example

Build the word for 'girl' from the letters ⁨ب⁩, ⁨ن⁩, ⁨ت⁩.

1. Start at the right with ⁨ب⁩ (b).
2. Add ⁨ن⁩ (n) in its middle form: ⁨بن⁩.
3. Add ⁨ت⁩ (t) in its end form: ⁨بنت⁩.
4. It reads bint (S13). The vowel i is not written without marks.

Mental model: Read right to left. Letters change shape and mostly join; ⁨ا⁩ joins only backwards. Dots separate letters of one shape.

Common trap: Ignoring dots, or reading a word left to right.

3. Letters ⁨ج ح خ د ذ ر ز س ش⁩

Learning goal: Recognise nine more letters, say which of them stop the joining, and read short words that use them.

ج, ح and خ share one shape and differ by dots: one below, none, one above. د, ذ, ر and ز are the four letters that join only to the letter before them (S1), so a gap follows them. س and ش share a shape, with three dots on ش. The sounds below are rough English hints; you need audio for the real thing, especially for ح and خ.

ج is said differently in different regions (S1). Learners often use the j sound shown here.

Worked example

Explain the gap in ⁨خير⁩ (khayr, good).

1. Read from the right: ⁨خ⁩ (kh) joins to ⁨ي⁩.
2. Then ⁨ي⁩ joins to ⁨ر⁩ in its end form.
3. The ⁨ر⁩ is last, so nothing needs to join after it.
4. Word checked in S13: khayr.

Mental model: ⁨ج ح خ⁩ share a shape; ⁨د ذ ر ز⁩ never join forward; ⁨س ش⁩ differ by dots.

Common trap: Treating a gap inside a word as a space between two words.

4. Letters ⁨ص ض ط ظ ع غ ف ق⁩

Learning goal: Recognise eight more letters, including the four emphatic ones, and pair each emphatic letter with its plain partner.

MSA has four emphatic (pharyngealized) consonants that contrast with plain partners (S7): ص with س, ض with د, ط with ت, ظ with ذ. The partners look related: ص and ض share a shape, and so do ط and ظ. ع and غ also share a shape. ف and ق differ by one dot and two. All eight join on both sides.

Hints in the table are rough. The throat sounds ع and غ and the emphatics are the hardest for English speakers, so listen to a recording or teacher.

Worked example

Read ⁨صغير⁩ (ṣaghīr, small).

1. Start on the right: ⁨ص⁩ is the emphatic partner of ⁨س⁩ (ṣ).
2. Then ⁨غ⁩ (gh), a throat sound.
3. Then ⁨ي⁩ and ⁨ر⁩ (the long vowel ī is lesson 6).
4. Read as ṣaghīr (S13).

Mental model: Four emphatics (⁨ص ض ط ظ⁩) pair with plain ⁨س د ت ذ⁩. ⁨ع⁩ and ⁨غ⁩ are throat sounds. All eight letters join both ways.

Common trap: Treating an emphatic letter as the same sound as its plain partner.

5. Letters ⁨ك ل م ه و⁩, the ending ⁨ة⁩, and ⁨لا⁩

Learning goal: Learn the last letters, read the feminine ending ⁨ة⁩, and recognise the compulsory ligature ⁨لا⁩.

This lesson finishes the 28 letters. ك, ل, م and ه join on both sides; و is the last of the six letters that join only backwards (S1). (ن and ي came in lesson 2.)

The ending ة. It looks like ه with two dots, and it is called tāʾ marbūṭa ("tied t"). It occurs only at the end of a word, usually in feminine nouns, and is pronounced -a at the end of an utterance (S12). In this course it is written a in the transliteration, as in مدرسة (madrasa, school).

The ligature لا. When ل meets ا they are written as one shape, لا (lā). It is the only ligature that is mandatory (S1).

Worked example

Read ⁨كتاب⁩ (kitāb, book).

1. Start at the right with ⁨ك⁩ (k).
2. Then ⁨ت⁩ (t), joined.
3. Then ⁨ا⁩ (long ā), which joins only backwards.
4. Then ⁨ب⁩ (b) in its own shape. Read: kitāb (S13).

Mental model: ⁨ك ل م ه⁩ join both ways; ⁨و⁩ joins backwards only. ⁨ة⁩ ends feminine nouns. ⁨لا⁩ is a forced ligature.

Common trap: Reading ⁨ة⁩ as the letter ⁨ه⁩.

6. Short vowels, long vowels and the transliteration scheme

Learning goal: Read the three short-vowel marks and sukun, spell the long vowels and two diphthongs, and read vowelled words in the course's transliteration.

Short vowels are shown by small marks above or below a consonant, called ḥarakāt (S3). Modern ordinary text usually leaves them out, but learner books show them in full (S3). Three marks give the three short vowels: fatḥa a, kasra i, ḍamma u. The sukūn says that a consonant has no vowel after it (S3).

Long vowels. A short vowel mark plus a matching letter gives a long vowel: fatḥa + ا = ā, kasra + ي = ī, ḍamma + و = ū (S1, S3). Long vowels are written even in text without marks (S1). Diphthongs. Fatḥa before يْ gives ay, and fatḥa before وْ gives aw (S3).

Transliteration scheme. This course uses one scheme for every word (a plain form of the common scholarly styles in S6): ʾ for the glottal stop, ʿ for ع, ḥ, ṣ, ḍ, ṭ, ẓ for the dotted letters, and th, dh, kh, sh, gh for ث ذ خ ش غ. A macron marks a long vowel: ā, ī, ū. A doubled letter means the consonant is held longer (lesson 7).

Words are given in their dictionary (pausal) form, without the case endings full MSA adds at the end of a word (S12). Those endings are not taught here.

Worked example

Read ⁨كَبِير⁩ aloud in transliteration.

1. Start at the right: ⁨كَ⁩ is ka.
2. Then ⁨بِي⁩: kasra + ⁨ي⁩ gives the long vowel ī, so bī.
3. Last, ⁨رْ⁩ is r with sukūn.
4. Together: kabīr (big, S13).

Mental model: Marks give a, i, u. Mark + ⁨ا⁩, ⁨ي⁩ or ⁨و⁩ gives ā, ī, ū. Sukūn means no vowel. Use the scheme consistently.

Common trap: Reading a long vowel letter as a separate consonant (for example ⁨و⁩ as w in nūr).

7. Doubling, -n endings, hamza and the word for 'the'

Learning goal: Read shadda, the -an ending, and hamza, and use the article ⁨ال⁩ correctly with sun and moon letters.

Shadda. The mark ◌ّ doubles a consonant (S3). It is the one mark that ordinary spelling often keeps (S3). سَيَّارَة (sayyāra, car) has a doubled ي, and قِطَّة (qiṭṭa, cat) a doubled ط. In the transliteration a doubled consonant is written twice: ṭṭ, or yy as in عَرَبِيّ (ʿarabiyy, Arab or Arabic).

The -an ending. A doubled fatḥa ◌ً adds -n: it reads an (S3). It is usually written with a silent ا after the letter, as in شُكْرًا (shukran, thank you) and مَرْحَبًا (marḥaban, hello). The doubled kasra and ḍamma give -in and -un (S3). Only these common words are used here.

Hamza. The hamza ء marks the glottal stop, written ʾ. It may stand alone or sit on a seat such as أ, and the choice of seat follows spelling rules (S1, S10). This course only asks you to recognise it: أَنَا (ʾanā, I) and مَاء (māʾ, water).

The article ال. Arabic has one word for 'the', written ال and attached to the noun (S11). It is pronounced al, but before a sun letter the l turns into a copy of the next consonant (S8): الشَّمْس is ash-shams, not al-shams. Before a moon letter nothing changes: الْقَمَر is al-qamar. The sun letters are ت ث د ذ ر ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ل ن and the moon letters are all the others (S8). The spelling of the article does not change (S11); a shadda on the first letter shows the doubling.

Worked example

Write 'the sun' and 'the moon' and read both.

1. ⁨شَمْس⁩ starts with ⁨ش⁩, a sun letter.
2. Add ⁨ال⁩ and double the ⁨ش⁩: ⁨الشَّمْس⁩, read ash-shams.
3. ⁨قَمَر⁩ starts with ⁨ق⁩, a moon letter.
4. Add ⁨ال⁩: ⁨الْقَمَر⁩, read al-qamar (S8).

Mental model: Shadda doubles. A doubled fatḥa reads -an. Hamza is a glottal stop. Before 14 sun letters the l of ⁨ال⁩ becomes the next consonant.

Common trap: Pronouncing the l of ⁨ال⁩ before a sun letter.

8. Greetings and polite phrases

Learning goal: Read, say and match eleven common greetings and replies.

Greetings come in pairs: one person says the first line and the other answers with a set reply (S13). The first table shows each greeting with its usual reply.

كَيْفَ حَالُكَ and كَيْفَ حَالُكِ differ only in the last vowel: fatḥa to a man, kasra to a woman (S13). A few more phrases:

Some phrases carry a case ending that the dictionary forms in lesson 6 do not show, such as the final -u in السَّلَامُ (S13). These are shown as listed in Wiktionary. Wording and formality vary by country and by situation, so ask a teacher before using a phrase in a real conversation.

Worked example

Someone says ⁨مَسَاء الْخَيْر⁩ to you. What do you answer?

1. Read it: masāʾ + al-khayr, 'good evening' (S13).
2. The reply listed in S13 is ⁨مَسَاء النُّور⁩.
3. Read the reply as masāʾ an-nūr: ⁨ن⁩ is a sun letter, so the l becomes n (S8).

Mental model: Greetings come in fixed pairs. Gender shows in the last vowel of 'how are you'.

Common trap: Using a phrase without checking its formality and the person you are talking to.

9. Pronouns and sentences without 'is'

Learning goal: Use six pronouns and build short sentences in which Arabic has no word for 'is'.

Arabic has no word for 'is' in the present tense (S5). A sentence is simply two parts side by side: I student, the book new. The six pronouns below are the only ones taught here; Arabic also has dual and plural forms (S5).

Agreement. Adjectives follow the noun and agree with it in gender (S5). The feminine form of many words adds ة: جَدِيد to جَدِيدَة, طَالِب to طَالِبَة (S13). Phrase or sentence. With the article on the noun only, the words make a sentence: الفَتاةُ جَمِيلةٌ is 'the girl is beautiful' (S5). With the article on both words they make a phrase, 'the beautiful girl'; with the article on neither, 'a beautiful girl' (S5). So كِتَاب جَدِيد alone means 'a new book', and الْكِتَاب جَدِيد is 'the book is new'. Questions. The word هَلْ (hal) opens a yes-no question (S13).

Sentences here are original examples built from words checked in S13, with the structure taken from S5. Case endings are left out, as in lesson 6.

Worked example

Say 'the car is new' in Arabic.

1. 'Car' is ⁨سَيَّارَة⁩; it is feminine because it ends in ⁨ة⁩.
2. 'The car' is ⁨السَّيَّارَة⁩ (lesson 7): ⁨س⁩ is a sun letter.
3. 'New' must agree with a feminine noun: ⁨جَدِيدَة⁩.
4. Put the article on the noun only: ⁨السَّيَّارَة جَدِيدَة⁩ (as-sayyāra jadīda).

Mental model: No 'is'. Adjectives follow the noun and agree in gender. Article on the noun only: a sentence. Add ⁨هَلْ⁩ for a yes-no question.

Common trap: Looking for a word for 'is', or putting the adjective before the noun.

10. Numbers, a first conversation, and what to do next

Learning goal: Read the digits and the words for zero to ten, and read three short original dialogues.

Arabic text is read right to left, but numbers are the exception: written numbers put the lowest digit on the right and the higher places to the left, the same order as in 10 or 25 (S9). So ١٠ is ten, with the 1 on the left. The digits in the Arabic script are called Eastern Arabic numerals (S9). The Arabic comma ، separates items in a list (S9).

These are the counting forms listed in Wiktionary (S13). When you count things from three to ten, the number takes the opposite gender to the noun (S5). That rule and the numbers above ten are not taught here.

Dialogues. Original dialogues using only phrases from this course are in the timeline below. What to do next. This course stops at reading letters, vowelled words, a few phrases and simple sentences. Next steps are verbs and their endings, plural forms, the case endings left out here, vocabulary, and recordings of native speakers. Choose a dialect only if you have a reason to speak with people from one region, because MSA is not a spoken home language (S4). Ask a native speaker or teacher to check what you write.

Worked example

Read the number ⁨٧⁩ and say it in Arabic.

1. The digit ⁨٧⁩ is seven (S9).
2. The word is ⁨سَبْعَة⁩.
3. Read it: sabʿa (S13).

Mental model: Numbers read left to right inside right-to-left text. You now have the script, a few words and some patterns. Add audio and a teacher.

Common trap: Reversing a multi-digit number because the line runs right to left.