The best place for people who are addicted to Arabic.
Arabic for Nerds is a home for language enthusiasts and anyone passionate about Arabic.
I created this site to put the amazing Arabic language center stage, focusing on fascinating news and cool facts rather than formal lessons. This space is made for the non-native journey, exploring topics most interesting to learners and hobbyists who love the language.
Topics you find on Arabic for Nerds
At Arabic for Nerds, you will findโฆ
- Interesting topics about Arabic grammar (ุตุฑู and ูุญู)
- Tricky things about Arabic dialects (mainly Egyptian Arabic)
- In-depth analysis of Media Arabic
- Apps and tools for Arabic learners
- Interviews with Arabic language experts and people with a special connection to Arabic
- The latest Arabic series and movies on Netflix, MBC Shahid, Amazon Prime, Hulu and other streaming services
- Fascinating stories about the history of Arabic
- Arabic-related topics about Islam
At Arabic for Nerds, you won’t findโฆ
- Arabic Lessons: I do not teach Arabic, nor am I specialized in teaching Arabic as a foreign language (TAFL)
- Academic discussions that start with copying and pasting definitions and stating the obvious (just to cite sources)
- Paid advertising disguised as an article. However, if you would like to place advertisements, you are welcome to do so
Who runs Arabic for Nerds?
Gerald Driรner (Drissner), an award-winning journalist and economist, was born in 1977 and grew up in the Austrian Alps (ุงูููู ูุณุง), where modern skiing was invented. But this is not the story here.
Gerald is addicted to Arabic.
He has lived in the Middle East and North Africa for more than a decade where he has studied Arabic extensively. Gerald wanted to share his passion for Arabic with others and create a place where people could learn and share information about this wonderful language.
That is why Gerald Driรner founded Arabic for Nerds in 2015. Since then, he has been writing about fascinating and interesting things related to Arabic. If you like it more structured and in-depth, you can check out his books on Arabic grammar.
Don’t miss In this interview, Gerald Driรner talks about his journey to Arabic and why he finds Arabic fascinating.
Remark: You’ll often see us use “we” here at Arabic for Nerds. While the site is actually run by one person, Gerald Driรner, that “we” is intentional. It represents the collective โ all the readers, friends, acquaintances, and the entire network whose input and support truly make this site what it is and help it grow.
What’s a Nerd?
Forget the old stereotypes. Being a nerd isn’t about wearing thick glasses, and it’s certainly not about age. Here is how I see nerds.
- A nerd is someone who sees a rabbit hole and cannonballs into it, driven by an electric jolt of joy from the tiny, complex details most people overlook.
- A ‘mature’ nerd is a survivor. It’s what happens when that ‘weird obsession’ makes it through adolescence. This site has been running for quite some time now – and as these photos show, I’ve gotten older right along with it. That’s just proof: it’s what happens when an obsession has a decade to master itself.
- We’re not ‘socially awkward’; we’re just focused. We’re the people who find more joy in deconstructing something than in passively consuming it – and yes, we’ll happily debate its finer points with you at 2 AM.
- We just got really, really good at what we love.
Community Guidelines
Think of this as a meeting spot for everyone who loves Arabic, where we help each other out.
If you’re just starting, you should feel totally comfortable and respected here. If you’re more advanced, please share what you know kindly โ no need to be arrogant about it!
We really care about getting things right, but we’re not about being overly academic or nitpicky. So, if you see a mistake, please do point it out! The best way is through the contact form or a respectful comment. The important thing is to help, not to embarrass or put anyone down. Sadly, there are other places online for that kind of thing, but this isn’t one of them.
Let’s avoid those annoying “smartass” copy/paste threads. We all mess up sometimes โ making mistakes is part of learning! And we all have different strengths when it comes to skills and knowledge. Let’s just help each other improve.
Arabic for Nerds – The Books
In case you got here searching for books… Arabic for Nerds is also the name of a series of books written by Gerald Driรner.
So far, Arabic for Nerds 1 (270 questions about Arabic grammar) and Arabic for Nerds 2 (450 more questions about Arabic grammar) have been published. More is coming soon.
Arabic for Nerds 1: Fill the Gaps – 270 Questions about Arabic Grammar
Arabic for Nerds 2: A Grammar Compendium – 450 Questions about Arabic Grammar
A Note on Buying New vs. Used
My first books began as personal test copiesโa work-in-progress that was originally never intended for the public. The response was all the more surprising: librarians reached out, and readers showed interest. This motivated me to develop the series professionally.
A remnant from those early days remains with me today: The original ISBN was never changed. As a result, early versions with numerous errorsโfrom typos to rough Englishโare still in circulation. They are occasionally found in libraries, on second-hand platforms, or as pirated PDFs.
A note on buying second-hand: You may receive one of these old, uncorrected editions, which does not meet today’s quality standards.
If you want the current, revised version, please buy the book newโeither directly from this website or from an official retailer like Amazon.
Today, I place the highest importance on quality: Every new book is carefully checked from the start and continuously improved.
Writing for Arabic for Nerds – Guest Articles
I see Arabic for Nerds as a community for people who like or work with Arabic. I am very open to your ideas and also to guest articles.
However, please note that I keep this site free of hate speech, marketing, advertising, and political stuff.
If that is okay with you, feel free to send me your ideas! I will be happy to get in touch with you.
Support and Donate
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Any contribution is highly appreciated and will be solely used to produce new articles and new features on this website.
