Learning Arabic, one page at a time
طَريقة
root: ط-ر-ق / noun / plural: طَرائِق or طُرُق / definition: way, method
Don’t you just love adding variety to your foreign language lexicon? (For reference, the only correct answers here are ones synonymous with the word “yes”.)
Well, seeing as you do… I now present you with a new synonyms post: two ways to say “not yet” in Arabic.
Continue reading “Two Ways to Say “Not Yet” in Arabic”A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
عُنْوان
root: ع-ن-و-ن / noun / plural: عَناوين / definition: title, headline
This week, we’re embarking on another Arabic Headline Analysis—exploring the vocabulary and grammar of a recent news headline and concluding with the resulting translation.
Our Arabic headline this week is taken from an article posted on the Project Syndicate website. I really recommend that you take a look at this post, where I mention why and how the website can be an amazing resource for language learners.
Continue reading “Arabic Headline Analysis #4”A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
الماضي
root: م-ض-ي / noun / definition: the past, past tense
Ever heard of the term “pluperfect”? (Yes? No? Possibly…?) Well, seeing as the Hans Wehr dictionary uses this word (on page 993, to be specific), we’ll have to find out what it means and how it works.
Continue reading “كان Plus a Past Tense Verb”A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
فِعْل
root: ف-ع-ل / noun / plural: أَفْعال / definition: verb
Memory is an odd thing. People’s names, for one, seem to slip from my mind like sand through an hourglass. Yet, when the idea for this post came to mind, I could very clearly remember that I had noted down the differences between three Arabic verbs for “to think” in a second-year Arabic class, and that I had placed that sheet of notes near the beginning of a specific folder, on the left-hand side.
My memory served me well, because there it was: in that folder, on the left-hand side, eight pages in.
Continue reading “Three Arabic Verbs for “to Think”—and How They Differ”A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
قائِمة
root: ق-و-م / noun / plural: قَوائِم or قائِمات / definition: list, table
When I first started this blog, I wasn’t entirely sure where The Arabic Pages would go or what it would become. But I did know that I eventually want to create and share Arabic learning resources.
Now, I’ve finally taken the first step towards that goal by creating a page on this blog to share my own vocabulary lists with you: Vocabulary Lists by Topic.
Continue reading “The Arabic Pages’ Vocabulary Lists”A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
قَصِيدَة
root: ق-ص-د / noun / plural: قَصائِد / definition: poem
You may remember me mentioning Badr Shakir al-Sayyab previously, when I used a quote from a poem of his to exemplify one of the Four Synonyms for “to Begin to” in Arabic. And—unsurprisingly, I suppose, considering my dissertation was centred around his poetry—al-Sayyab’s works were the very first thing that popped into my head the moment I thought of using a poem for the next post in the literature translation series.
Continue reading “Step-by-Step Arabic Literature Translation #3”A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
مُتَّصِل
root: و-ص-ل / adjective, active participle of form VIII / definition: attached, adjoining
So you think you know “لا”? Well, of course you do. It’s one of the first words we all learnt. But did you know that the Arabic “no” can also be used in some cases as an attached prefix? Hold onto your notepads, it’s time for more grammar…
Continue reading “The Attached لا Prefix”A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
نافِع
root: ن-ف-ع / adjective, active participle of form I / definition: beneficial, useful
It’s definitely time for another post in the small but useful phrases series, where I present you with short pieces of vocabulary that can have a big impact on your understanding and writing of Arabic. Let’s get straight into Part 3!
Continue reading “Small But Useful Arabic Phrases That You Need To Know (Part 3)”A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
فَرْق
root: ف-ر-ق / noun / plural: فُروق / definition: difference
Two small words, carrying the same meaning but differing in grammar: حَوالَي and تَقريباً. So what’s the difference… and why does it matter?
Continue reading “The Difference Between حوالي and تقريباً”A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
رَفّ
root: ر-ف-ف / noun / plural: رُفوف / definition: shelf
While you can see eight neatly-arranged books on my tiny bedside tea shelf in the photo above, in reality, the term “bookshelf” in the title is somewhat metaphorical. Yes, some of these books are arranged on one of my actual bookshelves. But others migrate around my room on a daily basis, journeying from desk to chair, from surface to surface.
Anyway, the point is that I have books. And there are eight Arabic books in particular, of different types, that I’ve found really useful and wanted to share. Here they are, in no particular order:
Continue reading “Arabic Books on My Bookshelf”A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
The Arabic Pages 