UNIT 1 COMMON ARABIC WORDS

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Structure

1.0 Objectives
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Common words
1.3 Exercise 1
1.4 Exercise 2
1.5 Exercise 3
1.6 Exercise 4
1.7 Exercise 5
1.8 Writing Skills
1.9 Table 1
1.10 Table 2
1.11 Exercise 1
1.12 Exercise 2
1.13 Exercise 3
1.14 Exercise 4
1.15 Exercise 5
1.16 Exercise 6
1.17 Exercise 7
·1.18 Exercise 8
1.19 Exercise 9

1.0 OBJECTIVES

The objective of this unit is to make you familiar with few common
Arabic words, specially the use of "Yes and No" in Arabic and
Arabic alphabets alif ba, ta, etc.

1.1 INTRODUCTION

In this very first unit you will learn 20 important vocabularies. They
are closely related to your daily life to such an extent that
sometimes even one Arabic word can solve the problem of a non
Arabic speaking person like you. For example: you are on your way
to airport and you need to ask some one, where is the airport? You
are not able to express full sentence in Arabic. You just happen to
pronounce the word "maTar" that is airport. I am sure ordinary
Arab will understand that you want to go to airport and he will
guide you by pointing out to airport. Therefore, you have to read
the vocabularies given below, in such a way that you can feel them.
For example, when you say "Yes" in Arabic, try to feel that you are
5
Reading and Writing-I accepting something and when you say "No" in Arabic try to feel
that you are rejecting something.

Note: The basic fact about Arabic is that it is written and read from
right to left.

1.2 COMMON WORDS

Meanings Arabic Words

,

Yes
J (na-am) ~

No (la) 'i
\
Meanings Arabic Words
0
o~
House (bayt) ~

,0

(" "< ...

,,,
0

Office (maktab)

o , ~
Company (sharika) ~ ~

0
•••••••• 0'"

School (madrasa) ~.Jj".Q

,0 ,

'-S 9
••••• 0 ",9.

Hospital (rnustashfa) 1"1) l I 114

0,

Airport- (maTar) ~~

o 0 }

Manager [mudir] ~~

Staff (muwaDHDHaf) ~ ja

o 0

Worker ('amil) L1a~

1
 Common Arabic
o 0
Words
Driver [sa'iq) ~~ 4.-aW\ ~yJ\ .l;t.il~\

Watchman (Haris) ~.JL;.,

o
.. Engineer (muhandis)
o
(jIJ~
' ,

Doctor
o 0 1-
(TabTb) ',',1.'

,
Nurse (mumarriDa) ~~

Accountant (mul-lasib): ~~

,
Policeman (shurTi) ~~

o 0

Car (sayyara) ()}Hl

o 0,

Aeroplane (Ta'ira) o)Lb

~~~_---L-- J
The following exercise should be attempted only after memorising
the above Arabic vocabularies with correct pronunciations. 7

I
Reading and Writing-I
1.3 EXERCISE 1

(This exercise is designed to inculcate the Arabic words with their

English equivalents in the minds of learners)

Match the words with correct meanings

Arabic English Arabic English

Ta'ira Accountant na-am House
sayyara AeroPlane--+ la Office
---------------- ---- -------

shur'Ti Car bayt Yes

--"--------- ~-.----------.--
mullasib Policeman maktab Company
mumarriDa _Watchman sharika No
._---- ---
Haris Nurse madras a Engineer

sa'Iq Staff Tabib School

--
muwaDHDHaf
mudir
Driver
Airport
muhandis
'amil
Doctor
Hospital
j
ma'Tar Manager
-

I mustashfa Worker I
-

1.4 EXERCISE 2

(This exercise is designed to inculcate, as well as, test the level of

memorizing the meanings ofthe Arabic words)

Translate the following words into English without looking at

the meanings given above.

Arabic English Arabic English

Ta'ira na-am
sayyara la
shur'Ti bayt
mullasib maktab
mumarriDa sharika
Haris madras a

sa'iq Tabib

muwaDHDHaf muhandis
mudir 'amil
ma'Tar mustashfa
--

8'
 Common Arabic
1.5 EXERCISE 3 Words
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(This exercise is designed to make you pronounce the Arabic words
loudly and test your level of memorising the meanings of the Arabic
words)

Translate the following words into Arabic without looking at

the meanings given above and while writing the Arabic words
pronounce them loudly.

English Arabic English Arabic

House Watchman ~'-

Office Engineer
, . Yes
"'
Doctor
No Nurse
.Company, Policeman
Hospital Car
School Aeroplane
Driver .Accountant
Staff Worker
Manager Airport

1.6 EXERCISE 4
(This exercise is designed to help you pronounce the Arabic words
loudly)

Look at the picture and loudly pronounce the words in Arabic.

First sentence is done for you

This is mustashfa .

This is .

This is .

This is .

9
 Reading and Writing-I

This -is .

This is .

This is .

.. This is .

He is .

He is .

He is .

He is .

She is.: w ••••••••••••••••••••••••• '

' .
He IS .

10

I
 Common Arabic
Words
He is . ~W\ ~yJ\ j;W~\

.
He IS '..

She is : .
. '

, . 1.7 EXERCISE 5

[Practice of t'na-am" ,AAJ(Yes) and "la" Y(No)]

The two words "Yes" and "No" are very important in all the
languages without any exception. You will notice that in almost
every things , either we agree and say" Yes" or we disagree and say
"No". In the following exercise try to practice the use of "na-am"
~ and "la" 'i with correct pronunciation. The first two sentences
are done for you.

Question. Answer

Is it a hospital?

Is it a hospital? la

Is it an office?

Is it an office?

Is it a car?

11

1
 Reading and Writing-I

Is it a car?

Is it an airport?

Is it an airport?

Is he a manager?
, .

Is he a manager?

Is he a watchman?
) .

Is he a watchman?

Is she a doctor?

Is he a doctor?

Is he an accountant?

12
 Common rabic
Words
Is he an accountant? 4.-aW\ ~~\ JQW21\

Is she a doctor?

1.8 WRITING SKILLS

Arabic is written from right to left It has only 29 alphabets as

compared to 44 in Hindi and 26 in English. There is no concept of
.. capital or small letters, but they assume variant forms/shapes
according to their positions: isolated, initial, medial or final. They·
are clearly explained in the following table. One can notice
similarities among a group of letters in which distinction is made by
the dot/dots, which are put either above or under or in the middle of
the letter.

Note: Learning of the alphabet involves the pronunciation also,

therefore, it is recommended to keep in touch with your
counselor.

1.9 TABLE 1

Only 4 letters out of 29 are given in the following table. The table
shows the different forms/shapes of the letters as per their positions:
isolated, initial, medial, and final. Though the book is opening from
left to right, we, in the following unit, are deliberately trying to
inculcate the habit of reading and writing from right to left.

(This table contains only four alphabets, their pronunciations. and

English equivalent. Learners are required to learn them by heart.)

Arabic How to Equivalent in Equivalentin

Alphabet pronounce? English Hindi
\ alIf a

~
• ba b

~ ta t
:.
~ tha th

13

1
 Reading and Writing-I
1.10 TABLE 2
Note: Learners are required to carefully note different shapes of
the letters as per their positions andpractice the reading as well
as writing.
Examples Final Medial Initial- Isolated
\.:L\ L L \ \
•
I.....a- ,
~
• •• • •
..,
--'..• '-J•
......
~
., :.:.
~
:.,
--':. ~
:. :.
~ u-
- --' '-J
If you look carefully at the above mentioned four letters, you will
find that their forms/shapes have kept on changing according to
, . their positions. So it became clear that Arabic letters assume
different shape as per their positions. You would also have noticed
that the shape of a group of letters is similar and difference is made
. by the dot/dots, which are put above or under or in the middle of the
letter.
The first letter'T'pronounced as (alf!) is equivalent to "a" in
English. Practice the writing of "I" in its isolate form and while
writing say loudly "alif"
1.11 EXERCISE 1
,
,
,
,
-
, •
•

1.12 EXERCISE 2

Practice the writing of "I" in its medial and final forms and while
writing say loudly "alif". The letter alif is written in same way in its
medial and final forms.

L
L
L
·L
14 L
 Common Arabic
The form of the letters ~ "ba",~ "ta" and ~ "tha" is the same. The Words
distinction among them is made by dots only. They can be joined to 4...aW\ ~yJ\ ..bW'i\
preceding and following letters.
The letter ~ is pronounced as "bii" and its equivalent in English is
"b" .

Practice the writing of ~ in its isolate form and while writing say
loudly "ba"
1.13 EXERCISE 3

I "'-•2

..
'-I•
'-I•
'-I•
I
'-I• I

Practice the writing of ~ in its initial, medial and final forms and
while writing say loudly "bii",
1.14 EXERCISE 4
u.u
• ••
u.u
• ••
I
u.u
• ••
'-IL
• •
'-J.J'
••
The letter ~ is pronounced as "td" and its equivalent in English is
"t".
Practice the writing of ~ in its 'isolate form and while writing say
loudly "ta"
1.15 EXERCISE 5
-,
~

~
I
I

I ~

I ~

15
 I

Reading and Writing-I

Practice the writing of ~ in its initial, medial and final forms and
while writing pronounce the letters loudly.

1.16 EXERCISE 6

~
......
~
.. ..
•
~
....
~
....
•

•
- ~\.j
•

The letter ~ is pronounced as "thii" and its equivalent in English is

.. "th" .

Practice the writing of ~ in its isolate form and while writing say
loudly "thd"

1.17 EXERCISE 7

Practice the writing of ~ in its initial, medial and final forms and
while writing pronounce the letters loudly.

1.18 EXERCISE 8
. :.:.
~

~
...:.
~
:. ..
•
:.
U.\J
•
t!iuu•
16
 Common Arabic
1.19 EXERCISE 9 Words
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Write the first four letters you have learnt in this unit at least four
times.

, .

...,