# LLMs.txt - Sitemap for AI content discovery # Arabic for Nerds > A home for anyone addicted to Arabic. --- ## Posts - [Does Donald Trump know 'Tariff' has Arabic roots?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/etymology/etymology-tariff/): The word "tariff" has a rich linguistic history, coming from the Arabic root ع-ر-ف. Over the centuries, it evolved through... - [Media Arabic Booster 03/25](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-03-25/): This month (03/25) in the Media Arabic Booster: Egypt's inflation and General Haftar's role in creating a Russian military base... - [Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 03/25](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-03-25/): Media Arabic Booster 03/25: Vocabulary Quiz - [From Intermediate to Advanced Arabic Using NotebookLM](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/arabic-notebooklm/): Google's NotebookLM can help you move from intermediate to advanced Arabic skills, writes Christoph Weyer in a guest post. He... - [Unlocking Arabic #2: Distinguishing قادة and قيادات](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/unlocking-arabic/unlocking-arabic-2-distinguishing-%d9%82%d8%a7%d8%af%d8%a9-and-%d9%82%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%af%d8%a7%d8%aa/): Today we are going to look at the root ق-و-د. Do قادة and قيادات have the same meaning? - [Media Arabic Booster 02/25](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-02-25/): This month (02/25) in Media Arabic Booster: The USA and Russia met in Saudi-Arabia, and how the US is trying to stop the money flow from Iran via Iraq. - [Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 02/25](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-02-25/): Media Arabic Booster 02/25: Vocabulary Quiz - [20 questions for: Haytham Ibrahim (#35)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/haytham-ibrahim-anyarabic/): His father was a professor of Arabic at Al-Azhar University in Cairo. Haytham Ibrahim is now setting out to revolutionize... - [Create an Arabic language bot with ChatGPT and Anki](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/create-an-arabic-language-bot-with-chatgpt-and-anki/): AI offers new ways to engage in Arabic learning. In this guest article, Paul Ammann explains how to combine ANKI... - [Media Arabic Booster 01/25](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-01-25/): This month (01/25) in Media Arabic Booster: The airplane disaster in the USA and an article discussing the return of... - [Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 01/25](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-01-25/): Media Arabic Booster 01/25: Vocabulary Quiz - [Master Classical Arabic through the Jahiz Institute](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/jahiz-institute-arabic-courses/): Brian Powell, founder of the Jahiz Institute, shares his journey in Arabic studies and talks about his innovative approach to... - [Translating taboos in Arabic subtitles: key insights](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/translating-subtitles-english-to-arabic-issues/): Translating subtitles into Arabic is challenging due to cultural differences and social taboos. A study looked at how subtitles in... - [Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 12/24](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-12-24/): Media Arabic Booster 12/24: Vocabulary Quiz - [Media Arabic Booster 12/24](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-12-24/): This month (12/24) in Media Arabic Booster: The fall of Bashar al-Assad and an article discussing the link between Hamas... - [How good is the Arabic grammar checker Sahehly?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/sahehly-arabic-grammar-checker/): Sahehly, an Arabic AI tool from Sakhr, helps improve writing by fixing grammar mistakes, suggesting synonyms, and providing tashkeel. Our... - [What are the best Christmas gifts for Arabic nerds in 2024?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/christmas-gifts-ideas-arabic-2024/): Christmas and the holidays are just around the corner! Wondering what to get someone who is passionate about learning Arabic... - [Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 11/24](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-11-24/): Media Arabic Booster 11/24: Vocabulary Quiz - [Media Arabic Booster 11/24](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-11-24/): This month (11/24) in Media Arabic Booster: What do the Houthis get out of attacking ships in the Red Sea?... - [Unlocking Arabic #1: The difference between طول and طوال](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/unlocking-arabic/difference-%d8%b7%d9%88%d9%84-and-%d8%b7%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84/): There are many ways to say "during", "throughout" in Arabic. For example: طوال. But which vowel do you use on... - [Translating nonbinary gender expressions from English to Arabic](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/translating-nonbinary-gender-english-arabic/): "They", "ze", "gender-fluid": Researchers of Arab universities analyzed how Netflix's subtitlers attempted to translate non-binary gender expressions into Arabic. This... - [Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 10/24](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-10-24/): Media Arabic Booster 10/24: Vocabulary Quiz - [Media Arabic Booster 10/24](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-10-24/): This month (10/24) in Media Arabic Booster: The situation in Lebanon and an article discussing why Saudi Arabia is reluctant... - [Combining Arabic with ceramics - a teacher's story](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/combining-arabic-with-ceramics/): Learning Arabic can be tough, especially with its tricky alphabet. Reginald Hefner, an Arabic teacher at York College, found a... - [An algorithm to find the ancient meaning of Arabic words](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/arabic-meaning-old-words/): Reading old Arabic texts is often frustrating because you can't find the words in the dictionary. With the right tools... - [Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 09/24](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-09-24/): Media Arabic Booster 09/24: Vocabulary Quiz - [Media Arabic Booster 09/24](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-09-24/): This month (09/24) in Media Arabic Booster: Hezbollah and Nasrallah's death in Lebanon and how Iran wants to gain a... - [What's the best way to pick up Syrian Arabic?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/syrian-arabic-book-lisa-schor/): German scholar Lisa Schor has released a new textbook on Syrian Arabic. In this interview, she shares her expertise and... - [The Qur'an Revisited: The use of the passive voice](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/the-quran-revisited/quran-passive-voice/): A scholar has calculated that out of a total of 18,181 verbs in the Qur'an, only 957 have the passive... - [Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 08/24](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-08-24/): Media Arabic Booster 08/24: Vocabulary Quiz - [Media Arabic Booster 08/24](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-08-24/): This month (08/24) in Media Arabic Booster: Emirati car owners and the word مُلاك and why Syria did not broadcast... - [Top AI Tools for Arabic Speakers and Writers in 2024](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/ai-tools-arabic/): AI is now quickly making its way into the world of Arabic. We present the best and most interesting AI... - [Understanding the 'Talahon' Trend in Germany and its Arabic Origins](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/talahon/): In Germany, the word "Talahon" is trending in summer 2024. It describes young men with mostly immigrant backgrounds and rather... - [Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 07/24](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-07-24/): Media Arabic Booster 07/24: Vocabulary Quiz - [Media Arabic Booster 07/24](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-07-24/): This month (07/24) in Media Arabic Booster: The meaning of the word شرطة and how the drug Captagon affects the... - [The AI bot that speaks Arabic better than most native speakers](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/maqsam-arabic-ai-bot/): The Saudi company Maqsam has launched a new Arabic voice bot that sets new standards and can be used to... - [How to build the passive voice in Arabic easily](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/arabic-passive-voice/): The passive voice is rarely used in Arabic. So it is no coincidence that it is a popular source of... - [Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 06/24](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-06-24/): Media Arabic Booster 06/24: Vocabulary Quiz - [Media Arabic Booster 06/24](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-06-24/): This month (06/24) in Media Arabic Booster: The List of Shame and an article on whether Israel cut off Egypt's... - [SATTS: The Arabic transliteration system used by the military](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/satts-arabic-transcription/): In the days before the Internet, a decent system for transliterating Arabic was developed using Morse code. In this guest... - [Arabic Workout 01](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/arabic-workout-01/): This month in Arabic workout: the imperative of رَأَى, how to write the number 9,441,861 in Arabic, and the Egyptian-Arabic... - [Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 05/24](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-05-24/): Media Arabic Booster 05/24: Vocabulary Quiz - [Media Arabic Booster 05/24](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-05-24/): This month (05/24) in Media Arabic Booster: How to say "naturalized" and a translation of an article about tensions between... - [Muraija - an Arabic dictionary like you have never seen before](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/arabic-collocation-dictionary-muraija/): Learning a language involves more than just memorizing words and grammar. The tool Muraija (مُرَيْجَع) can help you understand how... - [Why is كَأَنَّ a sister of إِنَّ but لِأَنَّ is not?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/why-is-%d9%83%d9%8e%d8%a3%d9%8e%d9%86%d9%8e%d9%91-a-sister-of-%d8%a5%d9%90%d9%86%d9%8e%d9%91-but-%d9%84%d9%90%d8%a3%d9%8e%d9%86%d9%8e%d9%91-is-not/): The inclusion of كَأَنَّ as one of the sisters of إِنَّ raises the question of why other combinations like لِأَنَّ... - [Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 04/24](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-04-24/): Media Arabic Booster 04/24: Vocabulary Quiz - [Media Arabic Booster 04/24](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-04-24/): This month (04/24) in Media Arabic Booster: The expression بَعيد الْمَنالِ and a translation of an article discussing why Sudan... - [Arabic as a springboard to learning Hebrew](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/arabic-hebrew-similarities/): How hard is it to learn another Semitic language? If you know Arabic and want to learn Hebrew, you can... - [The best browser add-ons and extensions for Arabic](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/the-best-browser-add-ons-and-extensions-for-arabic/): A list of the best browser add-ons and extensions (Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Safari) for Arabic learners, including add-ons for script... - [Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 03/24](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-03-24/): Media Arabic Booster 03/24: Vocabulary Quiz - [Media Arabic Booster 03/24](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-03-24/): This month (03/24) in Media Arabic Booster: The verb تَلَأْلَأَ and a translation of an article on five political trends... - [The Qur'an Revisited: Sura 76:18](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/the-quran-revisited/sura-76-18/): The word Salsabil (سَلْسَبِيل) occurs only once in the Qur'an. It is often translated as a spring in Paradise. But... - [DeepL or Google Translate: Which is better at Arabic?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/deepl-google-translate-arabic/): The popular translation tool deepl. com can now translate Arabic! We tested it and pitted it against Google Translate. Some... - [Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 02/24](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-02-24/): Media Arabic Booster 02/24: Vocabulary Quiz - [Media Arabic Booster 02/24](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-02-24/): This month (02/24) in Media Arabic Booster: How to write about people with disabilities (al-Akhbar newspaper) and a translation of... - [20 questions for: Eamonn Gearon (#34)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-eamonn-gearon/): He started with the infamous orange book about Arabic by Peter F. Abboud. Today, after years of living in Arab... - [How to stream Arabic TV for free](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/arabic-iptv/): Watching Arabic TV channels online is now very easy with the use of IPTV services and M3U playlists. You can... - [Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 01/24](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-01-24/): Media Arabic Booster 01/24: Vocabulary Quiz - [Media Arabic Booster 01/24](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-01-24/): This month (01/24) in Media Arabic Booster: articles expressing solidarity with Wael Dahdouh and a translation of "From the Renaissance... - [20 questions for: Mennan Salih (#33)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/mennan-salih-the-arabic-pages/): Going dark (عَسعَسَ) is Mennan Salih's favorite Arabic word. We introduce the author of the great Arabic language blog "The Arabic Pages" in this interview - [What does مرحبًا ("marhaban") actually mean?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/etymology/marhaban-meaning/): In Arab culture, "marhaban" (مرحبًا) is commonly used as a greeting to welcome someone. However, the core meaning of the... - [Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 12/23](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-12-23/): Media Arabic Booster 12/23: Vocabulary Quiz - [Media Arabic Booster 12/23](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-12-23/): This month (12/23) in Media Arabic Booster: The verb نَعَى and a translation of "Is the Palestinian cause an Egyptian... - [A Fortnight in the Life of a Hyperpolyglot](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/keep-arabic-language/): How do you manage to maintain and speak multiple languages? Reginald (Reggie) Hefner speaks more than ten languages. For Arabic... - [How to handle the number 8 in Arabic - a core analysis](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/number-8-arabic/): In Arabic, the number 8 – ثَمَانٍ – has some tricky subtleties. We delve deep into the rules and see... - [Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 11/23](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-11-23/): Media Arabic Booster 11/23: Vocabulary Quiz - [Media Arabic Booster 11/23](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-11-23/): This month (11/23) in Media Arabic Booster: The verb احتضر and a translation of "The importance of documenting all the... - [What are the best Christmas gifts for Arabic nerds in 2023?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/best-gifts-arabic-2023/): Christmas isn't far away. So what should you get someone who is learning Arabic and loves Arabic culture? Here are... - [How good is JAIS, the Arabic ChatGPT?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/jais-arabic-chatgpt/): "Jais" is an Arabic language AI and is celebrated in the media as the Arabic ChatGPT. But how good is... - [Camels or rain clouds? The intriguing word إبل in the Qur'an](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/camel-or-rain-cloud-quran/): The word Ibil – إِبِل – appears twice in the Qur'an. But what does it mean? Camels or rain clouds?... - [How to use AI to transcribe Arabic videos](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/how-to-use-ai-to-transcribe-arabic-videos/): Creating Arabic transcripts has never been easier thanks to Whisper from OpenAI. You can even automatically translate videos - here's... - [Collective nouns in Arabic: Do you use the same word for camels and a camel?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/collective-nouns-arabic/): Collective nouns, plurals and singular units are tricky in Arabic. What are the correct patterns, are they masculine or feminine... - [Arabic letters in the "Gray Zone": a technique for guiding novice learners](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/gray-zone-arabic/): Arabic beginners who have only learned a few letters often have difficulties in class. A new concept, The Gray Zone,... - [The 70 most important Arabic words related to camels](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/arabic-words-for-camel/): Arabic learners know the word جمل for camel. But Arabic has hundreds of terms and descriptions for the camel/dromedary. I've... - [What happens in your brain when you learn Arabic?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/what-happens-in-your-brain-when-you-learn-arabic/): Learning Arabic requires different brain activity than learning German. What does this mean for adult learners? Can the brain adapt... - [How good is your Arabic? A quiz](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/arabic-vocabulary-quiz/): Vocabulary is one of the indicators of how well you know a language. In this test, you will be asked... - [What gender should you use for Arabic grammar terms?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/gender-arabic-grammar-terms/): In Arabic, do you say مبنيّ or مبنيّة for "indeclinable"? Well, you can use both: masculine or feminine. Here is... - ["He gives it to me" - How to add two pronoun suffixes in Arabic](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/arabic-pronoun-suffixes/): In Arabic, some verbs can take 2 objects. But as soon as you have 2 pronominal suffixes, it gets tricky.... - [Understanding the levels of Hell in Islam](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/names-of-hell-islam/): In Islam, there are many names for hell and hellfire. Most of them are found in the Holy Qur'an. A... - [New feature: Hear how ARABIC words are pronounced](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/audio-version-arabic-for-nerds/): Arabic for Nerds offers a NEW service to subscribers (plus members): Mark any Arabic text with mouse or finger (mobile)... - [What are the best dictionaries for Palestinian Arabic?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/dictionaries-palestinian-arabic/): Maknuune is a new dictionary of Palestinian Arabic. I had a look at the excellent lexicon, but also checked other... - [The legend of Tariq ibn Ziyad and the burning of ships](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/conquest-andalus/): Tariq Ibn Ziyad (allegedly) burnt his own fleet after his warriors set foot on Iberian soil. His speech is legendary. - [Key uses of إِنَّ in Arabic Grammar](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/inna-in-arabic/): The particle إِنَّ is often misused. In fact, there are not many situations when you have to use it. An... - [22 things you did not know about the Oxford Arabic dictionary](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/oxford-arabic-dictionary/): The Oxford Dictionary is the most up-to-date Arabic dictionary on the market today. In this interview, Tressy Arts, the dictionary's... - [Fixing Arabic Font Issues in LibreOffice](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/libreoffice-fix-font-arabic/): There is an annoying behavior in LibreOffice: if the system language (English) differs from the writing language (Arabic), the font... - [Transcribe Arabic dialects easily with Maqsam](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/transcribe-arabic-videos/): Maqsam is a new tool to transcribe Arabic audio. It recognizes almost all Arabic dialects. Does it also understand Gaddafi's... - [20 questions for: Dominic Herbert (#32)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-dominic-herbert/): Long-distance athletes may find their stamina helps them persevere in the study of Arabic. Dominic Herbert is one of them.... - [How ChatGPT can enhance Arabic learning](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/how-can-you-use-chatgpt-to-learn-arabic/): Many of you may have heard of ChatGPT. There is a lot of praise for the new AI tool. So,... - [Sibawayhi: The father of Arabic grammar](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/sibawayhi-al-kitab/): Sibawayhi's book al-Kitab was the first formal and analytical Arabic grammar. It is a groundbreaking work. Some background - [Understanding Quranic Arabic: The deletion of ن in كان](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/delete-nun-kana/): In certain situations, we can delete the ن of the verb كان. This happens in the jussive mood (مجزوم) and... - [20 questions for: Jan Hoogland (#31)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-jan-hoogland/): I am a big fan of the Oxford Arabic Dictionary. Therefore, I am honored that one of the creators of... - [What are the best Christmas gifts for Arabic nerds in 2022?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/best-christmas-gifts-arabic-nerds/): Christmas is coming and for those who celebrate it or need a gift - Here are the TOP CHRISTMAS PRESENTS... - [The many names of the Final Day in Islam](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/islamic-name-final-day/): There are many names in Islam for the Final Day, the Day of Judgement. Here is a list with the... - [Free online Arabic grammar test from Al-Jazeera](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/how-to-pass-the-al-jazeera-arabic-grammar-test/): Al-Jazeera offers a grammar test. There are a couple of pitfalls. So, reason enough to take a look at the... - [Top 5 reasons MBC Shahid is better than Netflix for Arabic speakers](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/arabic-movies/shahid-streaming-platform-arabic/): Shahid is an Arabic streaming platform. It offers 25,000 hours of Arabic series and movies. Shahid clearly beats Netflix when... - [How do you say LGBTQ in Arabic?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/lgbtq-in-arabic/): Arabic dictionaries are often outdated. A database by the United Nations can help translate new political, economic or social terms.... - [English tenses in Arabic - a comprehensive guide](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/english-tenses-in-arabic/): The English tenses are not always easy to translate into Arabic. An overview of all English tenses and moods and... - [EgyptAir flight 990: A tragic aviation mystery and its link to Islam](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/egypt-air-flight-990/): After an Egypt Air flight crashed in 1999 at JFK airport, the US investigators stiffened on the last words of... - [How do you form the imperative of ‎قالَ‎ in the dual?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/imperative-arabic-dual/): Arabic roots with weak letters are tricky. If you want to express "say! " (you both - dual) in Arabic,... - [What is the connection between Immanuel Kant and the Basmala?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/why-did-immanuel-kant-write-the-basmalah-on-his-thesis/): To this day it is unclear why the "Basmala" was written on the invitation to the ceremonial awarding of Immanuel Kant's doctorate. An analysis - [Accessing the MADAR database for Arabic dialects](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/arabic-dialect-corpus/): MADAR is a tool to analyze Arabic dialects. The corpus database contains 2000 sample sentences, each translated into the dialect of 25 Arab cities. - [Understanding artificial infinitive nouns in Arabic - the case of حُرِّيّةٌ](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/masdar-sinai/): In Arabic, abstract words related to politics, economics or science like حُرِّيّةٌ often follow a certain model: the مصدر صناعيّ - [20 questions for: Betül Aslan (#30)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-betul-aslan/): I have always come across excellent Arabic speakers in Turkey. Betül Aslan is one of them. "The reason for learning... - [Top dictionaries for learning Arabic dialects](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/what-are-the-best-dictionaries-for-arabic-dialects/): Dictionaries for Arabic Dialects are rare. Here is a list of tools for Egyptian, Syrian, Iraqi, Tunisian, and Moroccan Arabic. - [Test Your Knowledge: 99 Names of Allah Quiz](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/99-names-allah/): A quiz about the 99 names of Allah أسماء الله). The 99 words are attributed to God by Muslims. - [Test Your Knowledge: 99 Names of Allah Quiz - 20 questions](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/quiz-99-names-allah/): A quiz about the 99 names of Allah أسماء) الله). The 99 words are attributed to God by Muslims. - [20 questions for: Georg Binder (#29)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-georg-binder/): An Austrian kid goes on vacation to Egypt and is so enthusiastic about Arabic that the 14-year-old starts learning Arabic... - [Do you understand Egyptian TikTok?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/egyptian-arabic/egyptian-slang/): Do you know what fasheikh means? Anyone trying to follow young Egyptians on social media will often fail because of... - [Best tools for learning Arabic touch typing skills](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/how-to-learn-touch-typing-in-arabic/): Typing without looking at the keyboard - touch typing - can be learned - also for Arabic. A few suggestions... - [Who invented the Arabic typewriter (keyboard)?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/who-invented-arabic-typewriter-keyboard/): The Arabic keyboard we use today was invented in 1899 by two men who almost simultaneously worked on an Arabic... - [How to access Arabic lyrics on Spotify](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/spotify-arabic-lyrics/): Spotify (also the free version) can show the lyrics of the song you are playing in real time. This works... - [Beginner's toolkit: best resources for Arabic learners](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/best-arabic-learning-tools/): A collection of the best Arabic tools and apps for learners of Arabic: dictionaries, browser add-ons, audiobooks, streaming tools. - [Understanding ف in Arabic conditional sentences](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/conditional-sentence-in-arabic-fa/): When and how to use ف in Arabic conditional sentences is difficult. We explain its grammatical importance, tense usage, and... - [Ola's Journey: From Ayza Atgawez to Netflix's Finding Ola](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/arabic-movies/finding-ola-netflix/): Ayza Atgawez was a big hit in the Arab world in 2010. The Netflix series Finding Ola portrays the life... - [Perfect Strangers: Arabic Film Sparks Debate in Egypt](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/arabic-movies/perfect-strangers-subtitles/): Netflix’s first Arabic movie "Perfect Strangers" touches difficult topics in the Arab world: being gay, betrayal in marriage and lying... - [Challenges of adult learners in Arabic](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/adult-learners-arabic/): Learning Arabic as an adult is a challenge. Understanding how our brain works can help to find the right method. Recommendations for adult improvers. - [Exploring Types of 'If' in Arabic](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/conditional-sentence-in-arabic-particles/): There are many words to express "if" in Arabic conditional sentences. In this article we will look specifically at the... - [Does the term "foreign language" still fit our times?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/term-foreign-language/): Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language (TAFL); the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL): we need to... - [Conditional clauses in Arabic: step-by-step breakdown](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/conditional-sentence-in-arabic/): This article introduces Arabic conditional sentences, exploring their structure, essential elements, and specific grammatical rules over a three-part series focused... - [20 questions for: Uchechi Kalu (#28)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-uchechi-kalu/): "From zero to fluent" is possible, says Uchechi Kalu. Learn more about Uchechi in Episode 28 of the "9273 roots"-interview... - [What is a guarding Aleph? Unterstanding its role in كَتَبُوا](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/%d9%83%d8%aa%d8%a8%d9%88%d8%a7-function-of-the-aleph/): The Aleph at the end of certain Arabic verbs serves to protect the و from being misinterpreted, ensuring clarity and... - [The role of the second vowel in past tense Arabic Verbs](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/vowel-second-root-letter/): The vowel on the second root letter of an Arabic past tense verb tells you a lot about the character... - [Why do superheros and villains have Arabic or Hebrew names?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/arabic-movies/superheros-villains-arabic-hebrew-names/): Superman is called Kal El. Batman's enemy is Ra's al-Ghoul. Many names in the comic universe have an Arabic or Hebrew flavor. Why is that? - [What does‎ لا سِيَّما‎ mean?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/what-does-%d9%84%d8%a7-%d8%b3%d9%90%d9%8a%d9%91%d9%8e%d9%85%d8%a7-mean/): Arabic لا سيما means above all, specially, in particular, mainly. If you use it, you should know some grammar rules. - [20 questions for: Marco Rateitschak (#27)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/marco-rateitschak-interview/): "7 years for fluency plus a lifetime for mastery", that's the time needed to master Arabic, says Marco Rateitschak. Learn... - [What are the sources of sunnah.com and shamela.ws?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/sources-of-sunnah-com-and-shamela-ws/): sunnah. com and shamela. ws are popular websites among Arabic and Islamic students. What sources do they use and who... - [Is Arabic a gender-inclusive language?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/is-arabic-a-gender-inclusive-language/): "The students are lazy" - how do we express that in gender-inclusive Arabic? It's not that difficult, writes Lisa Schor... - [What does Nunation express in Arabic?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/what-does-nunation-express/): Nunation (تنوين) in Arabic is used when there is no definite article ال. But that is only half of the... - [What is Tanwīn? A guide to Arabic Nunation](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/nunation-in-arabic/): Nunation (تنوين) can tell you something about the character and personality of a word. It is a deep idea developed... - [How a US Military Arabic Course went global](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/arabic-course-us-military/): In the 20th century, Arabic language material was scarce. During the Vietnam War, Reginald Hefner, had access to a language... - [Confessions of a lifelong learner of Arabic](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/lifelong-learning-arabic/): How do you manage to motivate yourself to learn Arabic? Marco Rateitschak has managed to retain his enthusiasm for Arabic for over 20 years. Here is his story. - [How to translate 'Nerd' into Arabic](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/how-do-you-say-nerd-in-arabic/): The English term "nerd" is difficult to translate and should be left untranslated. However, if one insists on a translation: what is "nerd" in Arabic? - [Sajdah: High-Tech Islamic Prayer Rug with LED Guidance](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/e-rug-sajdah/): Must-have for geeks: a smart prayer rug with an LED display - to pray and recite the Qur'an correctly. The... - [Exploring tricky Arabic roots and their meanings](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/identify-arabic-root/): Some letters can lead you in the wrong direction when trying to figure out the Arabic root. Some tricky examples. - [Social Media & Palestine: Dotless Arabic outwits censorship](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/dotless-arabic/): Social media platforms deleted Palestinian content - now people use dotless Arabic to bypass that. Here is how to write... - [How to tell adjectives and ‎حال‎ apart](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/adjective-and-hal-arabic/): The adjective and حال are often confused and mistranslated in Arabic. Checking whether the targeted word is definite or not... - [Alephia 2053: A Dystopian Reflection of the Arab World](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/arabic-movies/alephia-2053-film/): The animated movie Alephia 2053 portrays a dystopian future of a fictional Arab state. It was viewed 8 million times... - [The best app for the Hans Wehr Arabic dictionary](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/best-app-hans-wehr/): A new Hans Wehr app makes full-text search in Arabic (and English) possible. - [Top Arabic YouTube channels with subtitles](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/arabic-videos-with-english-subtitles/): Arabic videos with English or Arabic subtitles are rare. Some YouTube vloggers and channels do offer that. Here are some... - [20 questions for: Andreas Dietrich (#26)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-andreas-dietrich/): "Obviously you collect languages", says Andreas Dietrich. Episode #26 of "9273 roots": The man who is interested in how Semitic... - [LibreOffice Tips: Color Tashkeel in Arabic Text](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/change-color-of-arabic-vowels-diacritics-libreoffice-microsoft-word/): LibreOffice - unlike Microsoft Word - does not offer to change the color of Arabic diacritical marks (tashkeel/harakat). Here is... - [The origins of the Islamic minaret: historical insights](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/minaret-mosques-islam/): Answer: Probably not. The minaret today is one of the most important and prominent symbols of Islam. But in the... - [20 questions for: Connor Seidenschwarz (#25)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-connor-seidenschwarz/): Episode #25 of my series "9273 roots": 20 questions for the man who likes over-complicated board games and is passionate... - [Essential Egyptian Arabic phrases: next and last](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/next-last-egyptian-arabic/): Students of Egyptian Arabic are often confused when they want to say "next week" or "last week". In fact, there... - [How to use Unicode for special Arabic characters](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/list-of-special-arabic-letters-and-signs/): An Arabic keyboard aids in writing Arabic, but lacks special characters like dagger aleph. Unicode allows users to include these... - [Forming plural adjectives in Egyptian Arabic](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/egyptian-arabic/plural-of-adjectives-egyptian-arabic/): Egyptian Arabic adjective plurals can be tricky. We analyze common patterns and show examples for both human and non-human nouns. - [Mastering Egyptian Arabic comparatives and superlatives](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/egyptian-arabic/comparative-and-superlative-egyptian-arabic/): Comparative and superlative forms in Egyptian Arabic have some features. Let's analyze some unique constructions and usage patterns. - [How al-Adly al-Rumi solved the Knights Tour in chess](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/knights-tour-ancient-arab-chess-puzzle/): The Knight's Tour problem is a famous mathematical chess puzzle. The first solution provided an Arab philosopher in the 9th... - [20 questions for: Yehia Moldan (#24)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-yehia-moldan/): Episode #24 of my series "9273 roots": 20 questions for the man who takes Arabic calligraphy to a new level:... - [The best translated Arabic Novels from Yemen, Kuwait, Iraq, Sudan and Saudi-Arabia](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/literature/modern-arabic-novels-translated-english-yemen-kuwait-iraq-sudan-saudi-arabia/): Many modern Arabic novels have recently been translated into English. In this article, we highlight works from Yemen, Kuwait, Iraq,... - [Is Arabic taught differently in Germany than in the USA?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/teaching-arabic-in-germany/): "Real-life-situations" (USA) versus "lots of grammar" (Germany) - that's what studying Arabic used to be in both countries. But that... - [The best translated Arabic novels from Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/literature/arabic-novels-translated-into-english-egypt-tunisia-morocco/): In recent years many outstanding modern Arabic novels were translated into English. Part 2: authors from Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco. - [Demystifying Arabizi: Numbers as letters in Arabic chats](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/3arabi-how-to-decode-arabic-chat-language/): Many Arabs do not use the Arabic alphabet to write messages. Instead, they prefer to use their English keyboard. It... - [The best translated Arabic novels from Syria, Lebanon and Palestine](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/literature/best-modern-arabic-novels-translated-into-english-syria-lebanon-palestine/): In recent years many outstanding modern Arabic novels were translated into English. Part 1: authors from Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. - [Quiz: How well do you know the Arabic terms for animals?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/quiz-animals-arabic/): There are plenty of names for lion or camel in Arabic. How well do you know Arabic terms for animals?... - [Are the Arabic verb forms XI to XV (11-15) really so rare?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/arabic-verb-forms-xi-to-xv-11-15/): There are ten verb forms in Arabic. That is what most people learn - even at universities. But that is... - [Ulric Shannon on learning Iraqi Arabic: a diplomat's journey](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/iraqi-arabic-introduction/): Ulric Shannon is currently studying and absorbing Iraqi Arabic in Baghdad. In a long interview, the Ambassador of Canada, who... - [20 questions for: Sami Morcos (#23)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-sami-morcos-tafqit/): Episode #23 of "9273 roots": An interview with Sami Morcos - the man who created a great website that converts... - [Top 5 European Arabic grammarians You should know](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/who-are-the-greatest-arabic-grammarians-from-the-west/): Arabic grammar was of special interest in Europe, especially in the 19th and early 20th century. Here is a list... - [Who are the best Arabic grammarians of all time?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/who-are-the-greatest-arabic-grammarians/): Hard to imagine today, but the grandmasters of Arabic grammar were superstars during their lifetime. Here is a list of... - [Explore arabic.ba: Your tool for learning Arabic numbers](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/arabic-rules-for-numbers/): Numbers in the Arabic language are like solving mathematical equations. But there is good news: a new online tool -... - [20 questions for: Nesrin Amin (#22)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/nesrin-amin-interview/): Episode #22 of my series "9273 roots": 20 questions for the woman who explains Egyptian Arabic expressions by annotated movie... - [Grammatical breakdown: فأسْقَيْناكُمُوهُ in Sura 15:22](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/sura15-quran-al-hijr-tafsir/): The Arabic expression فأسقيناكموه means "and we gave it to you to drink". This intriguing phrase is from the Quran.... - [Mai Ahmed's journey to vegetarian cooking in Egypt](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/interview-mai-ahmed-vegetarian-in-egypt/): Mai Ahmed from Cairo has written a book about Egyptian recipes for vegetarians. PLUS: We will check the 20 most... - [Famous Arabic proverbs and their meanings](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/famous-arabic-proverbs/): Famous Arabic proverbs and sayings about life, fate, friendship, luck, a person's character, etc. In Arabic and English. - [Test your knowledge: Quiz Arabic Proverbs](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/quiz-proverbs-arabic/): Arabic proverbs about life, friendship, faith, courage and happiness - a quiz. - [Discover fun Arabic quizzes for language learners](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/test-arabic-knowledge-quiz/): Test your knowledge of the Arabic language with quizzes on Arabic for Nerds: vocabulary, grammar, إِعراب, history, proverbs, etc. - [Step-by-step guide to Arabic subtitles on Netflix](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/arabic-movies/how-to-add-arabic-subtitles-on-netflix-the-ultimate-guide/): With a simple trick you can add Arabic subtitles on Netflix. You don't need any plugin or add-on. It works... - [Dual subtitles on Netflix: A guide for Arabic learners](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/arabic-movies/dual-subtitles-netflix/): LLN is a Google Chrome extension that gives you superpowers over Netflix. You can watch films and series with two... - [Best tools for Arabic number conversion to text](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/the-best-tools-that-convert-numbers-into-arabic-text/): Several tools (desktop and mobile apps) can convert numbers into written Arabic text. Some recommendations. - [What are the best websites for free Arabic lessons?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/websites-free-arabic-lessons/): Many websites offer free Arabic lessons. Two of the best are Playaling and material of the Defense Language Institute. - [20 questions for: Nikolaos Van Dam (#21)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-nikolaos-van-dam/): Episode #21 of my series "9273 roots": 20 questions for the ambassador and authority on Syria who worked in almost... - [Exploring Masameer: Saudi Arabia's first animation film](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/arabic-movies/the-first-saudi-comic-movie-is-hitting-netflix/): Masameer is a Saudi Arabian animation film which is now available on Netflix! It uses Gulf Arabic and Fosha -... - [Key features of Egyptian Arabic adjectives](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/egyptian-arabic/tricky-things-about-the-adjective-in-egyptian-arabic/): Do you know how to say "small", "upper", "Turkish coffee", or "secondary" in Egyptian Arabic? This article will explain tricky... - [20 questions for: Ghada Wali (#20)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-ghada-wali/): Episode #20 of my series "9273 roots": 20 questions for the woman who uses LEGO to teach Arabic: Ghada Wali. - [Ways to say 'to have' in Arabic](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/how-do-you-say-to-have-in-arabic/): Arabic does not have a verb "to have". Instead, you use constructions with prepositions and adverbs to express the same... - [Six linguistic techniques in the Qur'an](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/style-quran-iltifat/): In the Holy Quran there are certain rhetorical styles that are unique. Among them are Iltifat and various forms of... - [The Dajjal and Netflix's Messiah: An Islamic perspective](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/the-new-netflix-series-messiah-why-do-some-muslims-claim-that-this-is-about-the-al-dajjal/): Muslim viewers of the Netflix series "Messiah" were irritated - because they were reminded of the al-Dajjal. Who is the... - [20 questions for: Daniel Falk (#19)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-daniel-falk/): Episode #19 of my series "9273 roots": 20 questions for the the man who masters simultaneous Arabic - German interpreting:... - [How Forvo can help you pronounce Arabic correctly](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/pronunciation-arabic-words/): Arabic is usually written without vowels (tashkeel). The website Forvo can help you find the correct pronunciation of Arabic words... - [20 questions for: Zora O'Neill (#18)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-zora-o-neill/): Episode #18 of my series "9273 roots": 20 questions for the woman who wrote a book about her journey to... - [Comparing Arabic and Japanese calligraphy techniques](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/learn-arabic-calligraphy/): Arabic calligraphy is an exceptional art. Many Arabic students want to learn it - however, it is a long journey. - [Semitic languages: Tracing the term and its history](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/semitic-language-meaning/): The term Semitic Language was invented by a German scholar in 1781: August Ludwig von Schlözer. - [20 questions for: Mohammad Wehbe (#17)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/mohammad-wehbe/): Episode #17 of my series "9273 roots": 20 questions for the man who subtitles Arabic songs on youtube: Mohammad Wehbe. - [Iblis and Shaytan: Symbols of Evil in Islam](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/difference-shaytan-iblis/): There is a difference between Satan, Iblis, and the Devil in Arabic. Let's analyze the terms and see how to... - [22,222 men - How do you write this number in Arabic?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/numbers-in-arabic/): Numbers in Arabic are like solving mathematical puzzles. If you like logical games, this is perfect for you. In the... - [20 questions for: Brian Powell (#16)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/interview-brian-powel/): "9273 roots" interview: 20 questions for the man who works for one of the best translation companies for Arabic: Brian... - [Arabic songs with English subtitles on YouTube](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/arabic-songs-with-english-translations-on-youtube/): To all people who like Arabic dialects: There is a youtube channel called MohCoolMan which is, in fact, a great... - [The mystery of the Arabic broken plural](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/why-is-arabic-a-south-semitic-language/): The Arabic broken plural has the effect that scholars still debate how to properly classify the several branches of Semitic... - [Essential tips for improving Arabic fluency](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/how-can-you-improve-your-arabic-by-using-dictionaries/): Online dictionaries are great - but they come at a price: they do not really train your memory. Here is... - [20 questions: Habib Kassem (#15)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/20-questions-habib-kassem-15/): Episode #15 of the "9273 roots" series: 20 questions for the man who created a mobile app that can conjugate... - [The Islamic expression لَبَّيْكَ: grammar and usage explained](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/labbaika-islam/): The phrase لَبَّيْكَ (labbaika) is said during the pilgrimage in Islam (Hajj) before the pilgrims enter Mecca. It means: "Here... - [Best way to adjust Arabic fonts on Android devices](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/how-to-adjust-arabic-font-on-mobile-phone-browser/): Reading Arabic on a mobile phone can be difficult because the font is too small. The open-source browser Kiwi solves... - [Find Arabic movies on Netflix using genre codes](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/arabic-movies/the-secret-netflix-codes-that-unlock-hidden-arabic-movies/): Finding Arabic movies on Netflix can be challenging, but genre codes can help access a wide selection easily. - [How a wrong case marker in Sura 9:3 can lead to blasphemy](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/analysis-sura-9-tawba/): The correct vowel endings ضمة, كسرة, فتحة in Arabic can be a headache. If you are careless, you could turn... - [Best Arabic keyboards for easy typing](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/what-is-the-best-arabic-keyboard/): There are many options for Arabic keyboards: hardware (qwerty and qwertz), mobile applications, or online virtual keyboards. Here is a... - [20 questions for: Yassir Abbasi (#14)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-yassir-abbasi/): 9273 roots interview: 20 questions for the man who makes Arabic texts talking: Yassir Abbasi. - [Understanding the مصدر ميمي vs. مصدر أصلي in Arabic](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/masdar-mimy-arabic/): Both سُؤال and مَسْألة are translated as "question". مَسْألة is a so-called مصدر ميمي - which is a special form... - [How to use Arabic on Google Home](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/google-home-arabic/): Google Home is now entering the abyss of learning Arabic. And the little device with the flashing lights is actually... - [20 questions for: Reginald Hefner (#13)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-reginald-hefner/): 20 questions for the man who speaks all the languages which the famous Middlebury Language School offers (except for Korean):... - [Palindromes in Arabic: examples and history](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/palindromes-arabic/): Palindromes in Arabic do exist. You can read it right to left or left to right - the letters are... - [Top Arabic grammar resources for students](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/books-arabic-grammar/): What are the best Arabic grammar books (nahw and sarf) for beginners, intermediate and advanced students? Some recommendations (in English,... - [20 questions: Mahmoud Gomah (#12)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-mahmoud-gomah/): Episode #12 of my series "9273 roots": 20 questions for the man who tells native Arabic speakers what mistakes they... - [Regrets and future avoidances: 'should have' and 'will not have done' in Egyptian Arabic](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/should-would-egyptian-arabic/): The expressions "should have" and "will have done" are quite tricky in Egyptian Arabic. Let's see some solutions. - [Explore free Arabic audiobooks at arabcast.org](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/audio-books-arabic/): arabcast. org offers a huge library of free Arabic audio books. What's great is that it aims to help people... - [20 questions: Ulric Shannon (#11)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-ulric-shannon/): Episode #11 of my series "9273 Roots": 20 questions for the Western diplomat and Canadian ambassador who likes to give... - [Al-Khalil ibn Ahmad: The father of Arabic lexicography](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/first-arabic-dictionary/): Al-Khalil ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi (الخليل بن أحمد الفراهيدي), a grammarian born in 718 (100 AH) in what is now Oman,... - [20 questions: Sirine Demarchkie (#10)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-sirine-demarchkie/): Episode #10 of my series "9273 Roots": 20 questions to the woman who writes books for bilingual children (Arabic-English): Sirine... - [Mastering the final Hamza in Arabic](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/spelling-hamza-arabic/): In Arabic, if you see a Hamza at the end of the word, you have to watch out. Here are... - [Discover 10,000 free Arabic e-books online](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/free-arabic-books/): The Arabic Collections Online offers 10,000 Arabic e-books on 6,000 subjects - for free. And it is legal. - [20 questions: Widad Nabi (#9)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-widad-nabi/): Episode #9 of my series "9273 Roots": 20 questions to the woman who uses Arabic poetry to deal with the... - [Best Arabic dictionary extension for Chrome](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/arabic-dictionary-chrome/): If you want to read Arabic texts on the web and look up words on the fly, there is an... - [20 questions: Graeme Andrews (#8)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-graeme-andrews/): Episode #8 of my "9273 Roots" series: 20 questions for the man who coded the best desktop application for Lane's... - [Almased: The German diet that confuses Arabic speakers](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/almased-name/): Recently I met a man who told me that he was trying to lose weight. I asked him about his... - [What are the best Arabic series and movies on Netflix?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/arabic-movies/netflix-arabic-series-movies/): Netflix offers Arabic movies, series and dramas (musalsalat - مسلسات). Since you can watch them in Arabic with English subtitles,... - [20 questions: Matthew Aldrich (#7)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/matthew-aldrich-lingualism/): Episode #7 of my "9273 roots" series: 20 questions for the man who made learning Arabic dialects easy: Matthew Aldrich... - [Using كِلَا and كِلْتا for 'both': Arabic dual explained](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/both-in-arabic/): Arabic has a special way of expressing the English word "both". You use the words كِلَا or كِلتا in a... - [20 questions: Dina Elabed (#6)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-dina-elabed/): Episode #6 of my series "9273 roots": 20 questions for the woman who makes children (0-12) read and love Arabic... - [20 questions: Omar Safa (#5)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-omar-safa/): Episode #5 of my series "9273 Roots": 20 questions to the man who turns Arabic letters into beautiful art: Omar... - [The mysteries behind the spelling of مِائَة‎ in Arabic](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/how-do-you-spell-and-pronounce-hundred-in-arabic/): The Arabic word for "hundred" is written مِائَة - but pronounced as مِئَة. Why is this? - [20 questions: Dr. Hanada Taha Thomure (#4)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-hanada-taha-thomure/): Episode #4 of my series "9273 roots": 20 questions for Hanada Taha Thomure, who develops standards for measuring text levels... - [20 questions: Hossam Abouzahr (#3)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/hossam-abouzahr-livingarabic/): Episode #3 of "9273 roots": 20 questions for Hossam Abouzahr, who has created one of the most up-to-date online dictionaries... - [The role of the Bedouins in shaping Arabic grammar](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/bedouins-arabic-grammar/): What role did the Bedouins play in the development of Arabic grammar? A big one. There are many anecdotes about... - [20 questions: Badrul Aini Sha’Ari (#2)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-badrul-aini-shaari/): Episode #2 of the series "9273 roots": 20 questions for the man who brings Arabic to South-East Asia: Badrul Aini... - [20 questions: Antoine Robert El Dahdah (#1)](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/antoine-robert-el-dahdah/): Episode #1 of the interview series 9273 Roots: 20 questions for the grammarian Antoine Robert el-Dahdah (الدحداح), who put Arabic... - [A comprehensive guide to واو الحال and مفعول معه](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/waw-al-hal/): The و does not always mean "and". It can also work as واو الحال or مفعول معه. Such constructions are... - [How to write Allah in Arabic correctly](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/arabic-font-allah/): The word Allah is often written like calligraphy - with the Aleph dagger. There are several ways to do this... - [Choosing the right font for Arabic texts](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/arabic-font-microsoft-word/): Times New Roman or Arial are not the only fonts for writing in Arabic. Google Fonts offers many beautiful Arabic... - [How do you say 'My Mustafas' in Arabic?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/my-mustafas-in-arabic/): The plural of the name Mustafa in Arabic is difficult because there is a weak letter involved. It becomes even... - [How to use Google Translate for Arabic text recognition](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/google-translate-arabic-instant/): Google Translate can process images with Arabic text and decode Arabic like an OCR tool. This means you can use... - [This tool helps you to understand Al Jazeera better](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/al-jazeera-audio/): The first frustrating experience for many Arabic students is usually the moment when the teacher turns on Al-Jazeera or Al-Arabiya.... - [Common phrases for closing letters and emails in Arabic](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/emails-formal-letters-in-arabic-2/): Writing formal letters and emails in Arabic is not difficult: Sentences and expressions for the last parts of a letter. - [How do you write emails and formal letters in Arabic?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/how-do-you-write-letters-in-arabic-part-1/): Writing formal letters and emails in Arabic is not difficult. Here are some sentences and expressions for the salutation (المخاطبة)... - [Common uses of ما in Egyptian Arabic explained](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/egyptian-arabic/ma-in-egyptian-arabic/): The word ما is one of the most difficult words in Egyptian Arabic (and standard Arabic, for that matter). It... - [Fixing Arabic grammar mistakes: Usage of أَبَدًا and قَطُّ](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/never-in-arabic/): قَطُّ can express "never" in the past. Instead, people often use أَبَدًا - which is a common mistake. Here is... - [The role of و in كُلُّ عامٍ وَأَنْتُمْ بِخَيْرٍ](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/kull-aam-kull-sana/): What's the function of وَ‎‎ in the saying: ‎كُلُّ عامٍ وَأَنْتُمْ بِخَيْرٍ‎‎‎? ‎‎ It is a dubious one. Most grammarians... - [Master Arabic verb conjugation with CAVE](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/conjugation-arabic-verbs-app/): The Arabic verb system is very logical, but there are exceptions. However, beginners often have trouble conjugating verbs. Now there... - [Top Arabic bookstores beyond Amazon](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/best-websites-to-buy-arabic-books/): What are the best bookstores to buy Arabic books online? Over the years, I have used many online bookstores. Here... - [Al-Kindi: The pioneer of cryptology](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/cryptologist-arab/): One of the greatest Arab scholars, al-Kindi (الْكِنْدِي), was one of the pioneers of cryptology. How did he manage to decrypt... - [How do you pronounce Allah correctly?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/pronunciation-allah/): The word Allah (الله) is a special word in many ways. Especially the pronunciation can be tricky if you don't... - [Mastering grammatical analysis in Arabic: How to do the إعراب](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/irab-steps-formula/): Parsing Arabic sentences to determine the function and case of their parts can be a headache. Many people struggle with... - [The Question of the Wasp: The most famous grammar showdown in Arabic](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/question-of-the-wasp-sibawayhi/): The question of the wasp or the hornet - Masʾalat al-Zunbur (مَسْأَلة الزُّنْبُور) is a clash between two giants of... - [The role of حَيَّ in the Call to Prayer in Islam](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/come-to-prayer-islam/): The word حَيَّ ("Hayya") is used in the call of the muezzin: حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلاةِ means "Come to prayer". What... - [Top alternatives to Pupil HD for Arabic TV streaming](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/stream-arabic-channels-amazon-fire/): PupilHD is the best app to watch Arabic TV with an Amazon fire TV stick. You can stream hundreds of... - [Effective Arabic learning strategies for all levels](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/five-things-that-will-improve-your-arabic/): Once you've mastered the basics of Arabic, many people feel stuck on a learning plateau. How can you improve your... - [Best offline and online Arabic dictionary tools](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/best-online-arabic-dictionaries/): A list of the best Android and iOS apps and websites for translating Arabic words into English. Most of them... - [Add Arabic subtitles on Netflix: A simple guide](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/arabic-movies/add-arabic-subtitles-netflix/): A step-by-step tutorial on how to add Arabic subtitles to Netflix using the OpenSubtitles extension, which works great for Arabic. - [An analysis of the verb تَهَتْلَرَ in Hans Wehr: 'to behave like Adolf Hitler'](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/arabic-verb-imitate-adolf-hitler/): Have you ever looked up the Arabic root ه-ت-ل-ر in Hans Wehr's dictionary? You will be surprised: It means "to... - [Watch Black Crows: Streaming options and insights](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/black-crows-online-english-subs/): The Arabic TV series (musalsal) Black Crows غرابيب سود is on Youtube - with English subtitles (and on Netflix). It... - [The multiple meanings of بقى in Egyptian Arabic](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/egyptian-arabic/ba2a-egyptian-arabic/): The verb بقى (ba2a or ba'a) is tricky in Egyptian Arabic. You'll hear this verb in many situations, usually with... - [Where to find Classical Arabic series with subtitles](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/tv-shows-classical-arabic-english-subtitles/): TV programs in classical Arabic (Fusha) with English subtitles are rare. However, there are some historical dramas. Here is how... - [How to use أَبَدًا correctly in Arabic](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/%d8%a3%d8%a8%d8%af%d8%a7-and-%d9%82%d8%b7/): Native Arabic speakers make certain mistakes in Arabic. One example is the correct Arabic word for "never". An analysis of... - [Best add-on for adjusting Arabic script in your browser](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/arabic-letters-too-small-in-browser/): Arabic fonts always look too small and unreadable in the browser. There are extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Opera that... - [Common Egyptian Arabic phrases with ما](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/egyptian-arabic/ma-egyptian-arabic/): Some expressions in Egyptian Arabic can be very tricky. They are all related to the word ما. Here is a... - [Exploring the longest word in the Qur’an](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/longest-word-quran/): The longest "word" in the Qur'an is "fa’asqaynākumūhu" فَأَسْقَيْنَاكُمُوهُ and means: so we gave it to you to drink. It... - [Tanween placement: Before or on top of Aleph?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/where-to-write-tanween/): Is it بَيْتًا or بَيْتاً? So, on the letter before or on top of the Aleph? The position of the... - [Decoding filler expressions in Egyptian Arabic](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/egyptian-arabic/filler-expressions-egyptian-arabic/): Fillers make Egyptian Arabic difficult for learners: bass, ya'ny, ba'a - words that don't really change the meaning of the... - [Lissa in Egyptian Arabic](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/egyptian-arabic/lissa-egyptian-arabic/): When I first started learning Egyptian Arabic, there was one word that gave me a headache: lissa -لِسّه; sometimes spelled... - [How do you spell لكن in Arabic?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/dagger-aleph-arabic/): Many students are confused as to why words like هذا, ذلك, or لكن are written with a dash (dagger Aleph).... - [What is the plural of كافِر?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/kafir-kuffar-kafirun-meaning/): There are many options to form the plural of kafir (كافر) which is unbeliever in Islam. The most common are... - [Kafir in Islam: Misinterpretations and meanings](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/what-is-a-kafir/): The Arabic word Kāfir (Kafir - كافر) means "unbeliever" and is one of the most misused words in Islam. Surprisingly,... - [Exploring Turkish and Persian roots in Arabic: pasha, mister and baksheesh](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/etymology/etymology-arabic-words-3/): There are words in Arabic that don't look Arabic - and they aren't. The etymology of basha, bakshish, sitt, efendim,... - [Etymology of Arabic words: Turkish and Greek influence - prison, ice cream and shoes](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/etymology/etymology-arabic-words-2/): There are words in Arabic that don't look Arabic - and they aren't. The etymology of liman, odah, dondurma, shish... - [Unraveling foreign words in Arabic dialects: jailbirds, thugs and kufta](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/etymology/etymology-arabic-words-1/): There are words in Arabic that don't look Arabic - and they aren't. The etymology of baltagi, idda, shanta, daftar,... - [What is a Taghut?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/what-is-a-taghut/): Taghut (طاغوت) is a term specifically used to denounce anything that is worshipped instead of or besides Allah. What is... - [The meaning behind the index finger in Islam](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/index-finger-islam/): The index finger, when a Muslim makes a sign with it (by raising it), symbolizes the unity of Allah. - [Key differences between Al-Rahmān and Al-Rahīm](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/al-rahman-al-rahim-difference/): Muslims say, "In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful," the Basmalah. The attributes al-Rahmān and al-Rahīm... - [Why Allahu Akbar translations can be misleading](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/allahu-akbar-meaning/): Does Allahu Akbar mean "God is great" or "God is greater" or "God is the Greatest"? There is no clear... - [Spelling rules for Arabic tanween and Aleph: مَساءًا or مَساءً?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/spelling-of-tanween-fatha-arabic/): In Arabic, when a word takes the accusative case (منصوب), you add a final Aleph. But what if the word... - [Rare one-letter Arabic verbs explained](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/one-letter-word-arabic/): Yes, there are one-letter-words in Arabic. You probably know the word for and وَ. But there is more - the... - [What is the total number of Arabic roots?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/how-many-roots-does-arabic-have/): In fact, I don't think anyone has ever counted the number of Arabic roots. Mathematically: 21,952 roots. Practically, you get... - [Simple guide for converting Hijri to Gregorian dates](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/convert-hijri-date/): The Islamic calendar (Hijri) is a lunar calendar. It started in 622 CE. With a simple formula, it is easy... - [How are prepositions used for emphasis in Arabic?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/additional-preposition-arabic/): You can use ب or من to emphasize in Arabic. They are extra letters to convey emphasis. The rules are... - [What is the ضمير الفصل in Arabic?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/damir-fasl-arabic/): A separate personal pronoun can be used to give emphasis in Arabic. It is called Damir al-fasl. Here is how... - [What is the logical subject in Arabic?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/logical-subject-arabic/): In Arabic, there is the grammatical subject and the "logical subject" which is used with quantifiers. You need to decide... - [Which words trigger the مجزوم mood in the Arabic verb?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/conditional-sentences-arabic-majzum/): Conditional clauses can be a headache in Arabic. Especially because after some devices you need the مجزوم mood of the... - [Understanding the Arabic minor plural - a guide](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/plural-forms-arabic-jama-kathra/): The Arabic plural is formed based on the number of things counted: the minor (جمع القلة) and major plural (جمع... - [What does إِيّاكَ mean in Arabic?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/how-do-you-say-me-arabic/): The Arabic word إِيّايَ means "me. " You might recognize it from the Qur'an: إِيّاكَ نَعْبُدُ. How do we create... - [Expressing frequency in Arabic: The اسم المرة](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/ism-marra-arabic/): In Arabic, there is a special type of مصدر that focuses on the number of times an action is performed.... - [How is the number ten pronounced in Arabic?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/pronunciation-ten-arabic/): The Arabic word for "ten" (عشر) doesn't always have the same vowels. So it is pronounced differently. Why is that?... - [What does the name Hussein (حسين) mean? The diminutive in Arabic](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/arabic-names-meaning/): In Arabic, most names have a meaning. They are usually adjectives. Some of them are diminutives used to convey smallness... - [How do you say 'mine' or 'yours' in Arabic?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/possessive-pronoun-arabic/): A special way of expressing possession in Arabic: repetition plus possessive pronoun. This allows you to express mine or yours... - [Arabic grammar tips: Using the نون for emphasis](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/nun-emphasis-arabic/): The letter Nun can be used to convey emphasis (energetic). There is a "light" and a "strong" form. Here is... - [Understanding gender in Arabic: Is حرب masculine or feminine?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/is-%d8%ad%d9%8e%d8%b1%d9%92%d8%a8-war-masculine-or-feminine/): Oddly enough, حرب, the Arabic word for war, is feminine. There are many words in Arabic that look or feel... - [How to use إذا and إذ and إذًا correctly](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/idha-arabic/): The Arabic word إذا is tricky and is often confused with إذ or إذًا. Let's see what they mean. - [Understanding the functions of ما in Arabic grammar](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/arabic-word-ma/): The Arabic word ma ما has several meanings. Here is a list of the ten most common applications of ما... - [Which letters can you add to an Arabic root?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/which-letters-can-you-add-to-a-root/): In Arabic, you can only add certain letters to a root - what are they? - [Understanding the النَّعْت السَّبَبِيّ in Arabic grammar](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/naat-sababi-arabic/): The causative description (na'at sababy نعت سببي) in Arabic is pretty tricky and often misunderstood. Let's see why. - [Decoding Arab family names and titles](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/how-are-family-names-constructed-in-arabic/): In Europe or the USA we have a first name (given name), maybe a middle name, and a surname (family... - [What is a اسم مصدر in Arabic?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/ism-masdar-arabic/): The Ism al-Masdar اسم المصدر and the regular masdar sometimes mean the same, sometimes not. Let's check why. - [What is a مصدر مؤول in Arabic?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/masdar-muawwal-interpreted-infinitive-arabic/): In Arabic, you often use an "interpreted infinitive", a masdar muawwal - المصدر المؤول. This is formed by an أن... - [الصَّلاةُ خَيْرٌ مِن الْنَّوْمِ: Why is the prayer better than sleep?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/prayer-is-better-than-sleep/): The Islamic call to prayer is a tricky construction. In Sunni Islam, the muezzin uses khayr (خير) which strangely denotes... - [Arabic letters without dots: Can you read Arabic skeleton script?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/letters-without-dots/): Arabic used to be written without dots in ancient times. At least it did, a long time ago. Could you... - [What is the difference between ما and لَمْ in Arabic?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/negation-lam-arabic/): Both ma ما and lam لَمْ can negate the past tense. How and when should they be used? - [What does Dunya mean?](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/dunya-what-does-it-mean/): The word الدنيا (al-Dunya) means "the world". But that is only the interpretation of the word - but not the... - [Arabic swear words, curses and insults - a list](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/curse-words-arabic/): A list of Arabic swear words and curses. Collected from Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia and other Arab countries. ## Errabic - [Scan & Correct](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/errabic/grammar-meaning-05-04-2025/): A sign for a halal restaurant in Poland. Some of the Arabic text is a bit harder to digest. - [License to Spell](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/errabic/license-to-spell/): In intelligence, precision is paramount - even in spelling. A misplaced همزة can distort meaning and expose linguistic incompetence, as... - [Flying Fathas](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/errabic/flying-fathas/): You might assume that the Arabic on the signs on an Emirates plane is correct. At least the diacritics (تشكيل) aren't. - [Cutting the Qiblah](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/errabic/cutting-the-qiblah/): The direction of prayer should not be interrupted - at least not in the written form of the Arabic word. - [Hamza on Speed](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/errabic/hamza-on-speed/): Even on Saudi Arabia's modern high-speed train, spelling mistakes haunt you. - [Holy Smokes!](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/errabic/holy-smokes/): Get off the train at the main station in the holy city of Madinah in Saudi Arabia and you will be greeted with a serious grammatical error. ## Pages - [Errabic: Where "error" meets "Arabic"](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/errabic/): We collect and explore real-world Arabic mistakes, learning together, not to blame. If you would like to submit... - [How to turn off ad blockers](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/how-to-turn-off-ad-blockers/): How to disable your ad blocker to access Arabic for Nerds - [Errabic: Submit Mistake](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/errabic-submit-arabic-mistake/): Errabic is a database of Arabic mistakes. We collect and explore real-world Arabic mistakes. Share your finds – photos– and let's unravel the language' - [Active Sessions](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/active-sessions/): Hello ! Below is a summary of your current active sessions associated with your user account . Please... - [Your Profile](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/membership-account/your-profile/): - [Log In](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/login/): On this page, you can log in as a +Plus member or take out a +Plus subscription. - [Love what you find here? 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Before we get to everything else: There are two options to... - [About Arabic for Nerds](https://arabic-for-nerds.com/about/): Arabic for Nerds is the place for Arabic students and learners. The author, Gerald Drissner, has been learning Arabic in the Arab world for many years. --- # # Detailed Content ## Posts ### Does Donald Trump know 'Tariff' has Arabic roots? - Published: 2025-04-06 - Modified: 2025-04-07 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/etymology/etymology-tariff/ - Categories: Etymology - Tags: al-Andalus, economics, etymology, Farsi, German, Hans Wehr, II-verb, imperative, Persia, triliteral, Turkish, V-verb, wiederholen, فَعَّلَ - Authors: geralddrissner The word "tariff" has a rich linguistic history, coming from the Arabic root ع-ر-ف. Over the centuries, it evolved through Persian, Turkish, and Latin before becoming the English term we use today. "To me, the most beautiful word in the dictionary is 'tariff,' and it's my favorite word," Donald Trump said in an October 2024 interview. 1 One wonders if the former U. S. president was aware that his beloved word is of Arabic origin. The word tariff (تَعْرِيفةٌ) as used in customs today is steeped in a linguistic history that stretches from Arabic to Persian, from Turkish to Latin, and from there to modern European languages. It all goes back to the Arabic base word تَعْرِيفٌ. Let's trace the origin of the English word tariff and see how we got from ع-ر-ف to the meaning of a government-imposed tax on imports or exports, often used to regulate trade, protect domestic industries, or generate revenue. From the Arabic root ع-ر-ف to English tariff There are various sources and etymological dictionaries that give us some clues as to how we came to tariff. As always with such research, we have to treat them with caution, since etymology is a difficult subject as we cannot go back in time. The most important ideas and assumptions can be summarized as follows (without guaranteeing completeness or accuracy): The English term tariff originates from the French word tarif, meaning fixed price, which in turn is derived from the Italian tariffa, meaning price imposed, i. e. , a schedule of taxes and customs duties. The older root is the Middle Latin tariffe, which entered the Latin world through contact with the Turkic peoples. The word goes back to... --- ### Media Arabic Booster 03/25 - Published: 2025-03-31 - Modified: 2025-04-02 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-03-25/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster, Learner's Corner - Tags: adjective, adverb, al-Jazeera, al-Sharq al-Awsat, anki, Arabic newspaper, camel, comparative, economics, elative, I-verb, II-verb, superlative, vocabulary list, wiederholen, X-verb, اِسْتَفْعَلَ, فَعَّلَ, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner This month (03/25) in the Media Arabic Booster: Egypt's inflation and General Haftar's role in creating a Russian military base deep in the Libyan desert As a journalist, I read Arabic newspapers every day, especially the opinion section. Every month, I want to share with you on Arabic for Nerds what I find interesting from a linguistic perspective and which vocabulary might be worth learning. I call it the Media Arabic Booster. A close look at a headline Headlines in Arabic media are generally easy to understand - but there are also some tricky words. al-Sharq al-Awsat: Israel attacks Gaza at night On March 19, 2025, many Arabic newspapers carried the deadly attack on Gaza on their front pages. The Israeli military had launched a major attack on Gaza during the night, killing over 400 Palestinians, according to Gazan sources. The attacks drew widespread international condemnation and calls for a cease-fire. Netanyahu insisted on military pressure on Hamas to release the hostages. The U. S. blamed Hamas for the collapse of the ceasefire, while Hamas accused Netanyahu of covering up internal crises. The Saudi-financed newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat (جريدة الشرق الأوسط) featured the assault on the front page of their March 19, 2025, issue. Headline al-Sharq al-Awsat, 19 March 2025 Let's focus on the headline: نتنياهو يرمّم حكومته بدم غزة Netanyahu rebuilds his government with Gaza's bloodإسرائيل تقتل المئات في أعنف أيام الحرب... وواشنطن تحمّل «حماس» مسؤولية انهيار الهدنة... وإدانات عربية ودولية Israel kills hundreds in the deadliest days of the war... Washington holds Hamas responsible for the collapse of the truce... and Arab and international condemnationFull articleGo to vocab SectionIt is hard to find a... --- ### Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 03/25 - Published: 2025-03-31 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-03-25/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster Quiz - Authors: geralddrissner Media Arabic Booster 03/25: Vocabulary Quiz This quiz lets you practice the vocabulary presented in each episode of Media Arabic Booster. This is about Media Arabic Booster 03/25Latest Media Arabic Booster Quizzes: --- ### From Intermediate to Advanced Arabic Using NotebookLM - Published: 2025-03-19 - Modified: 2025-03-20 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/arabic-notebooklm/ - Categories: Guest Article, Learner's Corner, Learning Hacks - Tags: adult-improving, AI, al-Arabiya, al-Jazeera, chatGPT, Google, how to, podcast, vocabulary list, wiederholen, YouTube - Authors: christophweyer, geralddrissner Google's NotebookLM can help you move from intermediate to advanced Arabic skills, writes Christoph Weyer in a guest post. He uses AI tools to improve his skills through video summaries and generated vocabulary lists. Christoph Weyer is a researcher based in Hamburg, Germany. In this guest article, he shares his experiences on how to make the leap from intermediate to advanced Arabic. One important tool is Google's NotebookLM, one of the most powerful and impressive AI tools available today. In this article, we will examine how you can use NotebookLM to understand Arabic videos and create vocabulary sheets and transcripts. Learning Arabic with AI Once you’ve mastered the basics of the Arabic language, learned essential vocabulary, and are able to hold basic conversations and write simple letters, the question quickly arises: What’s next? There are plenty of learning materials for "intermediate learners", but these often come from academic contexts. For example, one such resource is Claudia Ott's Erste arabische Lesestücke (First Arabic Reading Pieces) which features simplified texts in German an Arabic. This is a good starting point, as you can tackle one or two sentences a day. However, this primarily trains text comprehension and less so everyday spoken language. Until recently, it was almost impossible to jump straight into media res. Watching Al-Jazeera or Arabic TV series was just too challenging. The only solution often suggested was to spend time abroad in Arabic-speaking countries. However, this could also be exhausting since most of the language spoken there is in dialects that need to be learned first. This often meant starting over again, which could be incredibly frustrating for intermediate learners, leaving them in limbo. Slow Down the Tempo! The biggest challenge for intermediate... --- ### Unlocking Arabic #2: Distinguishing قادة and قيادات - Published: 2025-03-09 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/unlocking-arabic/unlocking-arabic-2-distinguishing-%d9%82%d8%a7%d8%af%d8%a9-and-%d9%82%d9%8a%d8%a7%d8%af%d8%a7%d8%aa/ - Categories: Unlocking Arabic, Grammar - Tags: active participle, Arabic newspaper, Classical Arabic, difficult construction, expression, I-verb, wiederholen, اسم الفاعل - Authors: geralddrissner Today we are going to look at the root ق-و-د. Do قادة and قيادات have the same meaning? In the series message! --- ### Media Arabic Booster 02/25 > This month (02/25) in Media Arabic Booster: The USA and Russia met in Saudi-Arabia, and how the US is trying to stop the money flow from Iran via Iraq. - Published: 2025-02-28 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-02-25/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster, Learner's Corner - Tags: adjective, adverb, agreement, al-Sharq al-Awsat, Hezbollah, I-verb, II-verb, Iraq, Middle East, opinion section, Riyadh, Shia, Sunni Islam, Syria, VIII-verb, wiederholen, X-verb, اِسْتَفْعَلَ, اسم المفعول, اِفْتَعَلَ, صفة, ظرف, فَعَّلَ, مصدر, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner This month (02/25) in the Media Arabic Booster: The U.S. and Russia met in Saudi Arabia, and how the U.S. is trying to stop the flow of money to Lebanon through Iraq. As a journalist, I read Arabic newspapers daily, especially the opinion section. Every month, I want to share with you on Arabic for Nerds what I find interesting from a linguistic perspective and which vocabulary might be worth learning. I call it the Media Arabic Booster. A close look at a headline Headlines in Arabic media are generally easy to understand - but there are also some tricky words. al-Sharq al-Awsat: USA - Russia meeting On February 18, 2025, U. S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for high-level talks aimed at improving diplomatic relations and addressing the ongoing war in Ukraine. The meeting resulted in agreements to restore embassy staffing in Washington and Moscow and establish a team to support Ukraine peace negotiations. The Saudi-financed newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat (جريدة الشرق الأوسط) featured it on the front page of their February 19, 2025, issue. Headline al-Sharq al-Awsat, 19 February 2025 Let's focus on the headline: »لقاء الدرعية« يُنْهِي القطيعةَ الأميركية - الروسية "Diriyah Meeting" ends US-Russian riftالسعودية أكدت أن استضافتهما تعزيز للسلام والأمن في العالم... وروبيو ولافروف يقرران تعيين فرق للتفاوض Saudi Arabia confirmed that hosting them enhances peace and security in the world... Rubio and Lavrov decide to appoint negotiating teamsFull articleGo to vocab SectionBACKGROUND: What is Diriyah? Diriyah (الدِّرْعِيَّة) is a historically significant city in Saudi Arabia, located northwest of Riyadh . It was the original home of the Saudi royal family and served as the capital of... --- ### Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 02/25 - Published: 2025-02-28 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-02-25/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster Quiz - Authors: geralddrissner Media Arabic Booster 02/25: Vocabulary Quiz This quiz lets you practice the vocabulary presented in each episode of Media Arabic Booster. This is about Media Arabic Booster 02/25Latest Media Arabic Booster Quizzes: --- ### 20 questions for: Haytham Ibrahim (#35) - Published: 2025-02-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/haytham-ibrahim-anyarabic/ - Categories: 9273 roots, Interviews - Tags: adjective, Arab culture, Arabic literature, Arabist, Bedouin, I-verb, imperative, TAFL, Taha Hussein, teaching Arabic, wiederholen, تشكيل, صفة, صفة مشبهة - Authors: geralddrissner His father was a professor of Arabic at Al-Azhar University in Cairo. Haytham Ibrahim is now setting out to revolutionize online Arabic learning. He is the founder of AnyArabic. Learn more about him in episode 35 of the 9273-roots-series. Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493,934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Haytham Ibrahimهَيْثَم إبراهيم (In Arabic, هَيْثَم means eagle or falcon. )The Egyptian who wants to revolutionize online Arabic learningHaytham Ibrahim Date of birth: · 1st December Place of birth: Cairo, Egypt Place of residence: Singapore Website: anyarabic. com How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? I'm Haytham Ibrahim, the founder of AnyArabic Platform. Teaching Arabic is not just a profession for me – it's deeply ingrained in my DNA. Coming from a family of educators, my late father was a professor of Arabic literature at Al-Azhar in Cairo, and my mother and sister both dedicated themselves to teaching Arabic. With this rich background, teaching Arabic runs in my blood. For over a decade, I've been honing my skills as a professional Arabic instructor at esteemed universities and institutes. Alongside my teaching endeavors, I've ventured into the world of writing, authoring some books in the field of linguistics and teaching Arabic as a foreign language. My passion for sharing the beauty of the Arabic language led me to establish AnyArabic. com, which has now become one of the largest online platforms for teaching Arabic to English speakers. What was your first Arabic grammar book? It was التحفة السنية بشرح المقدمة الآجرومية. What is the book التحفة السنية بشرح المقدمة الآجرومية about? The book is written by Muhammad Muhyi al-Din... --- ### Create an Arabic language bot with ChatGPT and Anki - Published: 2025-02-08 - Modified: 2025-03-20 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/create-an-arabic-language-bot-with-chatgpt-and-anki/ - Categories: Guest Article, Learner's Corner, Learning Hacks - Tags: adult-improving, AI, anki, chatGPT, German, how to, life-long-learning, self-study, student engagement, vocabulary list, wiederholen - Authors: paulammann AI offers new ways to engage in Arabic learning. In this guest article, Paul Ammann explains how to combine ANKI with ChatGPT to create a bot that increases engagement and motivation in Arabic learning. In our changing world of learning languages, new tools are important to improve our study habits and keep us interested. In this guest article, I will share insights and tips on how to create your own personalized ChatGPT agent with Anki vocabulary files to help with your Arabic language studies. Of course, this approach is also suitable for all other languages. Let's see how it works. Enhancing Anki with ChatGPT For language enthusiasts like me, Anki has been key in learning Arabic, but even the best programs can get a bit boring. This is where AI becomes exciting. By using Anki with a customized version of ChatGPT, I have created a lively way to learn that keeps me motivated and engaged. About ANKI Anki is a powerful, intelligent flashcard program that uses spaced repetition to help users memorize information more efficiently. It supports various types of content, including text, images, audio, and video, making it a versatile tool for learning languages, studying for exams, and more. Anki is available on multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. Download AnkiImportant considerations I only recommend a personalized ChatGPT to individuals who are able to evaluate ChatGPT's responses. There have been rare instances where its answers or corrections were incorrect. However, after I questioned the response, the program provided the correct solution. What the Anki-ChatGPT bot will look like We will look at two different tasks our Anki-ChatGPT bot can do. Task 1: Choose a word from the vocabulary and make... --- ### Media Arabic Booster 01/25 - Published: 2025-01-31 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-01-25/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster, Learner's Corner - Tags: adjective, adverb, agreement, anki, Arab spring, Arabic literature, Arabic newspaper, Bashar al-Assad, comparative, elative, future tense, how to, I-verb, II-verb, superlative, Syria, United Nations, VIII-verb, vocabulary list, wiederholen, X-verb, اِسْتَفْعَلَ, اسم الفاعل, اسم المفعول, اِفْتَعَلَ, صفة, فَعَّلَ, مصدر, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner This month (01/25) in Media Arabic Booster: The airplane disaster in the USA and an article discussing the return of businessmen linked to Bashar al-Assad to Syria. As a journalist, I read Arabic newspapers daily, especially the opinion section. Every month, I want to share with you on Arabic for Nerds what I find interesting from a linguistic perspective and which vocabulary might be worth learning. I call it the Media Arabic Booster. A close look at a headline Headlines in Arabic media are generally easy to understand - but there are also some tricky words. al-Shorouk (Egypt): Air plane crash in Washington DC On January 30, 2025, a tragic accident happened in Washington, D. C. , when an American Airlines flight collided with a military helicopter over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Sadly, all 67 people on both aircraft lost their lives. The Egyptian newspaper al-Shorouk featured it on the front page of their January 31 issue. Egyptian daily al-Shorouk - frontpage 31st January 2025 Let's focus on the headlines: كارثة جوية فوق واشنطن Air disaster over Washingtonاِصْطِدامُ طائرة بِمِرْوَحِيَّةٍ عسكرية... وانتشال 28 قتيلا من نهر بوتومك... وترامب: وَضْعٌ رَهِيبٌ كان يُفْتَرَضُ تَجَنُّبُهُُ A plane collides with a military helicopter... 28 dead people were pulled from the Potomac River... and Trump: A terrible situation that should have been avoided al-Sharq al-Awsat: DeepSeek and the stock exchange In January, the stock market showed many ups and downs after DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup, announced that it created an AI model for much less money than the top models in the US. On January 28, the Saudi-owned newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat (جريدة الشرق الأوسط), based... --- ### Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 01/25 - Published: 2025-01-31 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-01-25/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster Quiz - Authors: geralddrissner Media Arabic Booster 01/25: Vocabulary Quiz This quiz lets you practice the vocabulary presented in each episode of Media Arabic Booster. This is about Media Arabic Booster 01/25Latest Media Arabic Booster Quizzes: --- ### Master Classical Arabic through the Jahiz Institute - Published: 2025-01-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/jahiz-institute-arabic-courses/ - Categories: Interviews - Tags: anecdote, animal, Arabic literature, Arabic script, Basra, Classical Arabic, Egypt, Farsi, Hadith, Ibn Khaldun, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Brian Powell, founder of the Jahiz Institute, shares his journey in Arabic studies and talks about his innovative approach to teaching classical Arabic. In today's interconnected world, understanding different languages and cultures is essential. Arabic, with its rich history, is a key to Middle Eastern culture and thought. This article features Brian Powell, an experienced Arabic scholar and translator. Brian has founded the Jahiz Institute, a new online institution offering in-depth courses in classical Arabic and Arab/Islamic history. Brian's early interest in Arabic script led to the creation of the Jahiz Institute, where he shares his thoughts on Arabic literature and history. This is Brian's story and the opportunities the Jahiz Institute offers for learning Arabic and its culture. Exclusively for readers of Arabic for Nerds: Get a 10 percent discount on all courses at the Jahiz Institute with this coupon code:Use code: NERDS10 to get 10% off! View courses The discount applies to all upcoming Arabic classes at Jahiz Institute. Can you introduce yourself and tell us how your Arabic journey began? My name is Brian Powell, and at this point, I’ve been studying Arabic for about 20 years. I originally started studying Arabic just because I was fascinated by the beauty of the Arabic script, and I wanted to understand how it worked. This quickly became an obsession with the language and a fascination with Arabic history and culture. I was initially going down an academic path in Middle Eastern Studies, but then I moved to Egypt and never looked back. It was in Egypt that I began my career as an Arabic translator, and for the past 12 years, I... --- ### Translating taboos in Arabic subtitles: key insights - Published: 2025-01-08 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/translating-subtitles-english-to-arabic-issues/ - Categories: Translation, Movies & Series - Tags: Arab culture, Arabic subtitle, dual, Dubai, English subtitle, expression, how to, mistranslation, Riyadh, United Kingdom, wiederholen, YouTube - Authors: geralddrissner Translating subtitles into Arabic is challenging due to cultural differences and social taboos. A study looked at how subtitles in the US sitcom "Two and a Half Men" dealt with these issues. Here are the key findings and techniques used by the subtitlers. I watch a lot of TV series in Arabic or with Arabic subtitles. I see this as a way not only to practice my Arabic, but also to learn more about how to translate idioms, swear words, and cultural differences, especially taboos. In many Arab countries, taboos include sex, drugs, and same-sex relationships. Subtitling comedy is especially challenging in the Arab world because it's important to keep the original message intact. Cultural sensitivities, local dialects, and censorship affect how subtitles are created for Arab audiences. Lately, many researchers from mainly Arab countries have been studying how Western TV shows are adapted for Arab audiences. In this article, I will present a study which focused on the U. S. sitcom Two and a Half Men. The researcher compared the subtitles used on the satellite channel MBC4 and the DVD version and gave examples of changed, mistranslated, and censored subtitles in Arabic. This article summarizes his key findings and presents some insights and techniques for translating sensitive topics into Arabic. About the study Al-Adwan, A. Lost in subtitling: do Arabic satellite TV channels and DVDs speak the same language? . Humanit Soc Sci Commun 11, 1247 (2024). DOI: https://doi. org/10. 1057/s41599-024-03120-3 Dr. Amer al-Adwan (عامر العدوان) is an associate professor of audiovisual translation at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) in Qatar. He earned his BA in English Language and Literature from Yarmouk University, Jordan, in 2003. He then pursued an MA in Applied Translation from the University of Exeter, UK, in 2005,... --- ### Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 12/24 - Published: 2024-12-31 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-12-24/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster Quiz - Authors: geralddrissner Media Arabic Booster 12/24: Vocabulary Quiz This quiz lets you practice the vocabulary presented in each episode of Media Arabic Booster. This is about Media Arabic Booster 12/24Latest Media Arabic Booster Quizzes: --- ### Media Arabic Booster 12/24 - Published: 2024-12-31 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-12-24/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster, Learner's Corner - Tags: adverb, anki, Arab spring, Arabic literature, Arabic newspaper, Bashar al-Assad, Egypt, future tense, Hezbollah, how to, I-verb, II-verb, Jordan, Syria, United Nations, vocabulary list, wiederholen, X-verb, ألف, ألف خنجرية, اِسْتَفْعَلَ, فَعَّلَ - Authors: geralddrissner This month (12/24) in Media Arabic Booster: The fall of Bashar al-Assad and an article discussing the link between Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood As a journalist, I read Arabic newspapers daily, especially the opinion section. Every month, I want to share with you on Arabic for Nerds what I find interesting from a linguistic perspective and which vocabulary might be worth learning. I call it the Media Arabic Booster. A close look at a headline Headlines in Arabic media are generally easy to understand - but there are also some tricky words. Bashar al-Assad's fall: How the Arab press reacted The fall of the dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad (بشار الأسد) in Syria occurred on December 8, 2024, during a major offensive by Syrian revolutionary forces. This offensive, led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (هيئة تحرير الشام) and supported by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (الجيش الوطني السوري) and Kurdish forces, marked the end of the Assad family's rule, which had lasted since 1971. The capture of Damascus (دمشق) was a pivotal moment, leading to Assad fleeing to Russia (روسيا), where he was granted asylum. Let's check the headlines of some major Arab newspapers on 9 December 2024: Al Shorouk (Egyptian newspaper) al-Sharq al-Awsat (Saudi-financed, London) al Quds al Arabi (Qatar-financed, London) al-Masry al-Youm (Egyptian newspaper) Let's focus on the headlines: سوريا تطوي صفحة حكم الأسد Syria turns the page on Assad's rule سوريا تحتفي بإسقاط الأسد Syria celebrates the fall of Assad «نهاية الأبد» في سوريا... وفرار الأسد إلى روسيا The "end of forever" in Syria... and Assad's escape to Russia نهاية عهد »الأسد« The end of Assad's reign The collapse of the Syrian... --- ### How good is the Arabic grammar checker Sahehly? - Published: 2024-12-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/sahehly-arabic-grammar-checker/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: AI, common mistake, database, grammatical gender, jussive, mood, wiederholen, تشكيل, مجزوم - Authors: geralddrissner Sahehly, an Arabic AI tool from Sakhr, helps improve writing by fixing grammar mistakes, suggesting synonyms, and providing tashkeel. Our test showed it to be quite promising. Grammatical errors in Arabic are very common and can significantly affect the quality of Arabic texts and thus the reputation of the writer. There are well-established grammar checkers for English and German. Arabic, as is so often the case, has been left behind - but there are now some improvements. sahehly. com, for example, is a new product that is supposed to be good, at least according to its own description. In this article, we take a look at seven typical grammar mistakes in Arabic that a grammar checker should be able to fix, and we see how Sahehly fared. sahehly. comLet's first start with some background information about Sahehly. Sahehly is a language application by Sakhr. The company Sakhr was founded by Mohammed Al-Sharekh (محمد عبدالرحمن الشارخ), a Kuwaiti businessman known for pioneering Arabic computing and translating significant software like the Holy Quran. Mohammed al-Sharekh also created the Archive AlSharekh, a collection of Arab magazines and an Arabic lexicon (Sakhr). He passed away in 2024 (aged 82). The Sahehly team is made up of specialists in natural language programming, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and linguists focused on Arabic language sciences. Correcting common mistakes: Sahehly is more effective at identifying and correcting common Arabic language errors. Providing Synonyms: It offers synonyms to improve clarity in writing. Tashkeel (Diacritization): Sahehly offers four types of diacritization: Mandatory, Case-Ending, Partial, and Full Tashkeel. Dictionary Sakhr to quickly look up words. I asked the company about their training data. As usual with companies and... --- ### What are the best Christmas gifts for Arabic nerds in 2024? - Published: 2024-12-08 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/christmas-gifts-ideas-arabic-2024/ - Categories: Learner's Corner, Other - Tags: Alexandria, conjugation, Egypt, Gift Idea, Hadith, Palestine, podcast, transliteration, United Kingdom - Authors: geralddrissner Christmas and the holidays are just around the corner! Wondering what to get someone who is passionate about learning Arabic and likes Arab culture? Here are some gift ideas that will delight any Arabic enthusiast. Surprising people who love Arabic with gifts can be tricky. To help, I gathered a list of gift suggestions for those celebrating Christmas or seeking gift ideas for Arabic enthusiasts. The list of gift tips will also include a few current books that deal with the Islamic and Arab world in general. The gift tips include everything for children, for those interested in politics and things you can always give. Magnetic Arabic Letters Kit Small children can learn the alphabet easily with these letters. They are also good for adult beginners to practice their writing and listening skills by writing down words spoken by others. The box contains 265 letters, 38 double-sided flash cards, a double-sided magnetic board, and pens and erasers. Price: $39. 99 You can order it on amazon. com. Note that it may not be available on Amazon Germany or other Amazon stores, but you should also be able to find it elsewhere or simply choose a different brand. Lego-style Hajj Kit That's perhaps not only a present for young kids but also for grown-up nerds. The toy-set includes 8 parts: the Kaaba (الكعبة), Safa & Marwa (الصفا والمروة), Mount Arafat (جبل عرفات), Mina (منى), Muzdalifah (مزدلفة), Jamarat (الجمرات), and Hady (الهدي). Price: $39,99 Muslims and Non-Muslims can learn about the Hajj rituals, as it also provides additional information. You can order it on amazon. Note that it may not be available on Amazon Germany or other Amazon stores; however, you may also get it elsewhere. Carpet... --- ### Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 11/24 - Published: 2024-11-30 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-11-24/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster Quiz - Authors: geralddrissner Media Arabic Booster 11/24: Vocabulary Quiz This quiz lets you practice the vocabulary presented in each episode of Media Arabic Booster. This is about Media Arabic Booster 11/24Latest Media Arabic Booster Quizzes: --- ### Media Arabic Booster 11/24 - Published: 2024-11-30 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-11-24/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster, Learner's Corner - Tags: adjective, adverb, anecdote, anki, Arabic newspaper, dual, Hebrew, I-verb, II-verb, joke, vocabulary list, wiederholen, صفة, فَعَّلَ - Authors: geralddrissner This month (11/24) in Media Arabic Booster: What do the Houthis get out of attacking ships in the Red Sea? And an interesting headline following the election of Donald Trump as the new US president. As a journalist, I read Arabic newspapers daily, especially the opinion section. Every month, I want to share with you on Arabic for Nerds what I find interesting from a linguistic perspective and which vocabulary might be worth learning. I call it the Media Arabic Booster. A close look at a headline Headlines in Arabic media are generally easy to understand - but there are also some tricky words. al-Quds al-Araby weekly: on one's doorstep On 10 November 2024, after the US-elections, the weekly edition of the London-based al-Quds al-Arabi (القدس العربي الأسبوعي) had the following headline. Headline of the weekly edition of al-Quds al-Arabi after the US elections. Let's focus on the headline: حروب نتنياهو: على أعتاب ترامب Netanyahu's Wars: On Trump's Doorstep In Arabic newspapers, sentences are often repeated. This is also the case here, where the headline appears again in the body text. But here we should better translate it in a figurative rather than literal sense. The Arabic expression على أعتاب (on the verge of) in a newspaper article. على أعتاب وصول ترامب إلى البيت الأبيض On the brink of Trump's arrival at the White House... Go to vocab SectionEssential vocab: elections Here we want to look at the most important terms and verbs related to elections. electionاِنْتِخابٌ - اِنْتِخاباتٌfree electionsاِنْتِخاباتٌ حُرّةٌgeneral electionsاِنْتِخاباتٌ عامَّةٌearly electionsاِنْتِخاباتٌ مُبَكِّرةٌpresidential electionاِنْتِخابُ الرَّئِيسِvoting systemنِظامُ الْاِنْتِخابِnomination for the electionsتَرْشِيحٌ لِانْتِخاباتٍballot boxصُنْدُوقُ اِنْتِخابٍre-electionإِعادةُ الْاِنْتِخابِhis re-election as presidentإِعادةُ اِنْتِخابِهِ رَئِيسًاto have the right to vote (lit. : to enjoy the right)تَمَتَّعَ - يَتَمَتَّعُ بِحَقِّ... --- ### Unlocking Arabic #1: The difference between طول and طوال - Published: 2024-11-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/unlocking-arabic/difference-%d8%b7%d9%88%d9%84-and-%d8%b7%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84/ - Categories: Unlocking Arabic - Tags: adjective, adverb, adverb of time, conjugation, difficult construction, plural form, wiederholen, جمع, صفة, صفة مشبهة, ظرف, ظرف الزمان, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner There are many ways to say "during", "throughout" in Arabic. For example: طوال. But which vowel do you use on the ط in طوال? Is it "i", "u" or "a"? And do طول and طوال mean the same thing? An analysis. In the series “Unlocking Arabic”, I would like to address and discuss the finer points of Arabic grammar and word formation in a loose sequence - and do so quite concisely and precisely in small bites. This is the first article of an ongoing series. QUESTION: If you want to express all year round in Arabic, should you say طولَ السَّنَةِ or طوالَ السَّنَةِ? And how do you pronounce طوال correctly? Let us first examine the word طوال. What vowels could you put on the first letter ط? Option 1: طِوَال Meaning: long; large; high. This is a plural form! If we use the vowel "i" (كَسْرةٌ), we produce an adjective for the plural (صِفةٌ لِلْجَمْعِ). The pattern for the singular adjective (صِفةٌ مُفْرَدةٌ) is فَعِيل which would lead us to a word we probably all know: طَوِيلٌ. For example: رِجالٌ طِوالٌ جِسامٌ which means tall, strong men. طَوِيلٌ is derived from the verb طالَ which is based on the pattern فَعُلَ. The feminine form is طَوِيلةٌ with the plural طَوِيلاتٌ. Technically, we have a quasi-participle here (صِفةٌ مُشَبَّهةٌ). Words using this pattern are very common; for example, from the verb كَرُمَ, we get كَرِيمٌ. Option 2: طُوَال Meaning: (very) long If we use the vowel "u" (ضَمّةٌ), we usually deal with an adjective (صِفةٌ). It follows the patterns فُعالٌ (tall) or فُعَّالٌ (intensified version = exceedingly tall). So either with or without a doubling (شَدّةٌ) of the letter و. In general, طُوَالٌ (option 2) has a stronger signification than... --- ### Translating nonbinary gender expressions from English to Arabic - Published: 2024-11-10 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/translating-nonbinary-gender-english-arabic/ - Categories: Translation - Tags: adjective, agreement, Algeria, Arab culture, Arabic subtitle, difficult construction, dual, grammatical gender, how to, I-verb, Jordan, Netflix, vocabulary list, wiederholen, صفة, مطابقة, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner "They", "ze", "gender-fluid": Researchers of Arab universities analyzed how Netflix's subtitlers attempted to translate non-binary gender expressions into Arabic. This is particularly difficult due to the gendered nature of Arabic and societal perceptions. Some key findings and recommendations. Lately, the topic of "gender" seems to have charged and divided societies around the world, especially in the U. S. , where it is also a recurring theme in television series. Regardless of where you stand on the issue - when Netflix series are shown in other countries, the creators of subtitles in particular have to find a way to deal with it and present the topic. Apart from the religious and social barriers in Islamic countries, there are also language barriers in Arabic. A study by four researchers from Arab universities (published in August 2024) has looked at how this is dealt with in practice and what difficulties Netflix subtitlers faced in rendering gender-neutral pronouns and terms in Arabic, particularly focusing on two shows: Degrassi Next Class and One Day at a Time. STUDY: Challenges in Netflix Arabic subtitling of English nonbinary gender expressions Tair, S. A. , Haider, A. S. , Obeidat, M. M. et al. Challenges in Netflix Arabic subtitling of English nonbinary gender expressions in ‘Degrassi: Next Class’ and ‘One Day at a Time’. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 11, 1027 (2024). DOI: https://doi. org/10. 1057/s41599-024-03455-x Sausan Abu Tair: Applied Science Private University, Amman, Jordan Ahmad S. Haider: Middle East University, MEU Research Unit, Amman, Jordan Mohammed M. Obeidat: Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan Yousef Sahari: College of Arts and Letters, University of Bisha, Bisha, Saudi Arabia This article presents the research highlights and examines how cultural perceptions and grammatical limitations in Arabic create translation problems. The gendered... --- ### Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 10/24 - Published: 2024-10-31 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-10-24/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster Quiz - Authors: geralddrissner Media Arabic Booster 10/24: Vocabulary Quiz This quiz lets you practice the vocabulary presented in each episode of Media Arabic Booster. This is about Media Arabic Booster 10/24Latest Media Arabic Booster Quizzes: --- ### Media Arabic Booster 10/24 - Published: 2024-10-31 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-10-24/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster, Learner's Corner - Tags: adjective, adverb, al-Arabiya, anki, Arabic newspaper, I-verb, II-verb, Lebanon, opinion section, Saudi-Arabia, VIII-verb, vocabulary list, wiederholen, X-verb, اِسْتَفْعَلَ, اِفْتَعَلَ, صفة, ظرف, فَعَّلَ, نسبة, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner This month (10/24) in Media Arabic Booster: The situation in Lebanon and an article discussing why Saudi Arabia is reluctant to join the BRICs. As a journalist, I read Arabic newspapers daily, especially the opinion section. Every month, I want to share with you on Arabic for Nerds what I find interesting from a linguistic perspective and which vocabulary might be worth learning. I call it the Media Arabic Booster. A close look at a headline Headlines in Arabic media are generally easy to understand - but there are also some tricky words. al-Hadath TV: to identify On 16 October 2024, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar (يحيى السنوار), was killed by the Israeli military. On 17 October 2024, Israeli authorities said they were investigating whether Sinwar was among three people killed in an operation in Gaza the previous day, although neither Israel nor Hamas officially confirmed his death at the time. This was reported by Al-Arabiya al-Hadath television channel, which belongs to the MBC network (see background information below). The Arabic TV channel al-Hadath reporting on the killing of Hamas leader al-Sinwar Let's focus on the ticker: الشرطة الأسرائيلية: تم التعرف على جثة السنوار Israeli police: Sinwar's body has been identified The tricky phrase here is تَمَّ التَّعَرُّفُ which we will now analyze. With تَمَّ, we can create a passive meaning without using the passive voice. The I-verb تَمَّ - يَتِمُّ means to be finished; to become a fact. If you add a verbal noun (مَصْدَرٌ) after it, you paraphrase the passive, although constructions with تَمَّ do emphasize the result more than the process. We've covered that already in previous Media... --- ### Combining Arabic with ceramics - a teacher's story - Published: 2024-10-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/combining-arabic-with-ceramics/ - Categories: Guest Article - Tags: Arabic alphabet, Arabic script, calligraphy, Farsi, Hebrew, how to, Mesopotamia, Persia, student engagement, TAFL, teaching Arabic, wiederholen, YouTube - Authors: reginaldhefner Learning Arabic can be tough, especially with its tricky alphabet. Reginald Hefner, an Arabic teacher at York College, found a fun way to motivate his students by combining Arabic learning with ceramics and having them create personalized mugs. A hands-on approach that kept students engaged and excited. Learning Arabic can be challenging, and many learners quickly lose motivation due to the complex alphabet with its varying dots and connections. Keeping students interested can be difficult. Reginald Hefner, a teacher of Arabic, Modern Hebrew, Japanese and Mandarin, has found an innovative approach. He combines the Arabic alphabet with arts and crafts, resulting in students painting and firing their own mugs. In this article, he explains how he came up with the idea and how teachers can adopt it. How I came up with the idea During the fall 2016 semester when I revived the teaching of Arabic at York College of Pennsylvania (YCP) after a long hiatus (so long that Arabic was forced out of the catalog of courses... ), I spied a sign in Wolf Hall en route to my assigned classroom that said, "Ceramics Class Spring 2017," which triggered an idea: combine a ceramics project with my Arabic 101 students learning to write Arabic script. But, was it feasible? I contacted YCP art professor William Thompson and asked him whether he might consider coming to my classroom next semester and teaching my beginning Arabic students how to make a simple cup or bowl on which they could write their names in Arabic script and have a near-permanent souvenir of their Arabic study that may well serve as a conversation piece in the future to spur interest in both Arabic and ceramics among perhaps even their grandkids one day. I also mentioned to him that when I... --- ### An algorithm to find the ancient meaning of Arabic words - Published: 2024-10-07 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/arabic-meaning-old-words/ - Categories: Translation, Tools and Apps - Tags: anecdote, etymology, Hadith, Hans Wehr, how to, Lane's Lexicon, Lisan al-Arab, Mesopotamia, wiederholen, صيغة المبالغة - Authors: geralddrissner Reading old Arabic texts is often frustrating because you can't find the words in the dictionary. With the right tools and a clever approach, we can research what the words might have meant in certain periods. There are two fantastic databases for this task: The Doha and Sharjah Historical Arabic Dictionaries A few weeks ago, I talked to a friend about how we can understand the meanings of words in old texts. In Arabic, the grammar is not an issue because it was fixed with the Qur'an. Also, words that appear in the Qur'an are extensively documented. However, the challenge is understanding words that are not in the Qur'an. In this article, I would like to show what I do when I want to know what a word might have meant centuries ago. This happens to me a lot when I read old texts, especially poems. The discussion with my friend started with a line of the well-known pre-Islamic poet ʿAmr ibn Kulthūm (عمرو بن كلثوم): كَأَنَّ سُيُوفَنَا مِنَّا وَمِنْهُمْ – مَخَارِيقٌ بِأَيْدِي لَاعِبِيْنَا As though our swords, ours and theirs, were kerchiefs twisted for beating therewith, in the hands of players. If you copy the Arabic sentence and search it on Google, you'll find many translations like the one above. So, what's the problem? Understanding a sentence can be tricky, especially when words have multiple meanings or unclear meanings. I'm curious about the historical meanings of words at different times. Especially the poetry of the Jahiliyyah (جَاهِلِيَّة), the time before Islam was known, is really challenging. I would now like to explain step by step how we can approach the above questions and how to proceed in general when studying ancient texts. We will do this using the word مَخَارِيقُ. Wait, why do we write مَخَارِيقُ ("makhāriqu") here and not,... --- ### Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 09/24 - Published: 2024-09-30 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-09-24/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster Quiz - Authors: geralddrissner Media Arabic Booster 09/24: Vocabulary Quiz This quiz lets you practice the vocabulary presented in each episode of Media Arabic Booster. This is about Media Arabic Booster 09/24Latest Media Arabic Booster Quizzes: --- ### Media Arabic Booster 09/24 - Published: 2024-09-30 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-09-24/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster, Learner's Corner - Tags: adverb, al-Sharq al-Awsat, anki, comparative, dual, elative, Hezbollah, I-verb, II-verb, Islamic phrases, Israel, Shia, superlative, vocabulary list, wiederholen, X-verb, اِسْتَفْعَلَ, فَعَّلَ - Authors: geralddrissner This month (09/24) in Media Arabic Booster: Hezbollah and Nasrallah's death in Lebanon and how Iran wants to gain a foothold in Sudan As a journalist, I read Arabic newspapers daily, especially the opinion section. Every month, I want to share with you on Arabic for Nerds what I find interesting from a linguistic perspective and which vocabulary might be worth learning. I call it the Media Arabic Booster. A close look at a headline Headlines in Arabic media are generally easy to understand - but there are also some tricky words. al-Sharq al-Awsat: to cause someone to bleed The month of September in 2024 was dominated by the events in Lebanon surrounding Hezbollah (حزب الله). It began in mid-September with Israel's attack on thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah supporters. A few days later, on Friday, 27 September 2024, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah (حسن نصر الله) was killed in an Israeli air strike on Hezbollah headquarters in Beirut. Let us first look at how the London-based and Saudi financed newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat (الشرق الأوسط) reported the pager attack on Wednesday, 18 September 2024. al-Sharq al-Awsat headline after pager attack on HisbollahRead full articleLet's focus on two headlines: أَكْبَرُ اِخْتِراقٍ إِسْرائِيلِيٍّ يُدْمِي حِزْبَ اللّٰهِ Lit. : The biggest Israeli breach causes Hezbollah to bleedPossible translation: Israel's biggest breakthrough leaves Hezbollah devastated إِسْرائِيلُ تَتَأَهَّبُ وَتَسْتَدْعِي الْاِحْتِياطَ وَتُعَدُّ الْمَلاجِئَ Israel prepares, calls for reserves and prepares shelters I'm not sure how best to translate the title into English. There are several reasons for this: Firstly, al-Sharq al-Awsat prefers serious and rather detached, factual language in its headlines - it is anything but a... --- ### What's the best way to pick up Syrian Arabic? - Published: 2024-09-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/syrian-arabic-book-lisa-schor/ - Categories: Dialects - Tags: Arabic alphabet, Arabic script, Arabic slang, dual, emphasis, expression, Latin alphabet, Palestine, self-study, social media, Syrian Arabic, teaching Arabic, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner German scholar Lisa Schor has released a new textbook on Syrian Arabic. In this interview, she shares her expertise and discusses the obstacles encountered when learning a dialect. Lisa Schor is deeply passionate about helping people learn Arabic and changing how Arabic is taught. She is currently pursuing her doctorate at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and has written a book for beginners about Syrian Arabic. Encountering challenges while learning Arabic, she recognized the need for a better way to teach Arabic dialects, inspiring her to focus on the practical side of everyday language in her book. Through her book Akīd! : Kommunikatives Lehrwerk der syrischen Umgangssprache (Textbook of the Syrian colloquial language), Lisa wants to help a diverse group of people, including social workers, volunteers, tourists, and language enthusiasts, have natural conversations and understand the Syrian Arabic dialect spoken in Damascus. Her approach focuses on speaking skills, basic vocabulary, and cultural understanding, making it suitable for beginners to reach the A1 level. ABOUT Lisa Schor Lisa studied Arabic at the universities of Bamberg and Vienna, as well as at the German-Jordanian University in Amman. Currently, she is pursuing her Ph. D. in didactics of German as a second language at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. Her research focuses include teaching German as a second language and the use of digital tools in education. In this interview, Lisa tells us more about the needs and problems of Arabic beginners and the approach her new book takes. Notice: The book is unfortunately only available in German so far. How did you come up with the idea of writing a book for beginners of Arabic? The diglossia situation was one of the... --- ### The Qur'an Revisited: The use of the passive voice - Published: 2024-09-09 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/the-quran-revisited/quran-passive-voice/ - Categories: The Quran Revisited, Grammar, Islam - Tags: animal, emphasis, how to, I-verb, II-verb, Lane's Lexicon, Sura 2, Sura 5, vocabulary list, wiederholen, فَعَّلَ - Authors: geralddrissner A scholar has calculated that out of a total of 18,181 verbs in the Qur'an, only 957 have the passive form. When does the Qur'an use the passive? Some findings and insights. There is perhaps nothing in the Qur'an that has not been analyzed and counted – including the number of verbs in the passive voice. According to a scholar, out of a total of 18,181 verbs in the Qur'an, only 957 have the passive form1 – that's only 5. 27% of all verbs. I have not verified this number, and the exact number may vary depending on the reading tradition, but I can well understand that the passive voice rarely occurs in the Qur'an, and that the Arabic language generally prefers the active voice. When things are rare, they are easier to study, like the 5. 27 percent of verbs in the Qur'an that are in the passive form. Qur'an commentators and experts have tried to categorize their use from early on. Anyone who reads the Qur'an has to get used to the fact that things are not absolute. At first glance, a few Suras even seem to contradict each other or at least complement each other - and so it won't be a surprise that there are no universally valid rules for the use of the passive voice in the Qur'an. In this article, I will try to summarize the most important findings about the passive voice in the Holy Qur'an, which can be found in many books and works. Which passive forms are used in the Qur'an? All passive constructions occur in the Qur'an: the regular passive verb (changing the vowels: u-i-a) verbs in the active voice with a... --- ### Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 08/24 - Published: 2024-08-31 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-08-24/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster Quiz - Authors: geralddrissner Media Arabic Booster 08/24: Vocabulary Quiz This quiz lets you practice the vocabulary presented in each episode of Media Arabic Booster. This is about Media Arabic Booster 08/24Latest Media Arabic Booster Quizzes: --- ### Media Arabic Booster 08/24 - Published: 2024-08-31 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-08-24/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster, Learner's Corner - Tags: adverb, anki, Arabic media, Arabic newspaper, Bashar al-Assad, Hans Wehr, Hezbollah, I-verb, II-verb, opinion section, Palestine, Syria, Tunisian Arabic, United Arab Emirates, wiederholen, X-verb, اِسْتَفْعَلَ, صيغة المبالغة, فَعَّلَ - Authors: geralddrissner This month (08/24) in Media Arabic Booster: Emirati car owners and the word مُلاك and why Syria did not broadcast Nasrallah's latest speech As a journalist, I read Arabic newspapers daily, especially the opinion section. Every month, I want to share with you on Arabic for Nerds what I find interesting from a linguistic perspective and which vocabulary might be worth learning. I call it the Media Arabic Booster. A close look at a headline Headlines in Arabic media are generally easy to understand - but there are also some tricky words. Emarat al-Youm: Prices for car repairs On Wednesday, August 28, 2024, the daily newspaper Emarat al-Youm (الإمارات اليوم) reported on high prices at car repair shops. The newspaper is part of Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI), the official media organization of Dubai's government. DMI includes various print, radio, and TV channels like Dubai TV, Al Bayan, Dubai One, Dubai Sports, Emirates 24/7, Tawseel, and Masar Printing Press. Fun fact: In July 2009, the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal shut down the print and online versions of the paper for 20 days and fined its editor $5,445 due to an October 2006 article alleging that some ruling family's race horses were given steroids. Three months after the court ruling, in October 2009, the newspaper became part of the state-run Dubai Media Incorporated. al-Emarat al-Youm, headline, 2024-08-28Read full articleLet's focus on the headline: مُلاك سيارات: أسعار التصليح داخل الوكالات «غير مبررة» Car owners: Repair prices at dealerships are “unjustified” When Arabic newspapers write vowels, you should always look closely. We should also do that with the word مُلاك. Which form is that and... --- ### Top AI Tools for Arabic Speakers and Writers in 2024 - Published: 2024-08-17 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/ai-tools-arabic/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: AI, al-Arabiya, Android, chatGPT, Google Translate, LibreOffice, Linux, mobile app, transcribing Arabic, wiederholen, YouTube, تشكيل, همزة - Authors: geralddrissner AI is now quickly making its way into the world of Arabic. We present the best and most interesting AI Arabic tools that you should take a look at in 2024. There are now several AI tools for Arabic speakers and writers that make writing Arabic content much easier and better. This article presents some AI tools for Arabic that you should try out in 2024. Converting speech to text kateb. ai (mobile app) This tool grabbed my attention because it works well. It can transcribe Arabic text in real time. I tested it with al-Arabiya al-Hadath (almost perfect) and with friends speaking Arabic dialects (not perfect, but impressive! ). It's only available as a mobile app, but you'll mostly use it on your phone anyway. The developers are from Cairo, Egypt. Just to show you how well this tool works: I opened a YouTube video, turned on my desktop speakers, opened the kateb. ai app on my Android phone, pressed record, and started the video. In my opinion, the result is really amazing. https://www. youtube. com/shorts/DsepR9Fer34YoutTube: al-Arabiya al-Hadath Screenshot kateb. ai app on android device Here is the result: قالت صحيفة النهار اللبنانية عن مصدر وصفته بالمطلع أن حزب الله باشر بإخلاء عشرات المباني في الضاحية الجنوبية لبيروت وأنه ابلغ سكان المنازل الموجودة في المباني التي يقطن فيها مسؤولو الحزب أو تلك القريبة من مؤسسات الحزب ومكاتبه بضرورة المغادرة إلى أماكن أكثر أمانا وأوضح المصدر كما تنقل صحيفة النهار أن ذلك الإجراء وقائي ويأتي بعد قصف حارة حريك الذي أسفر عن مقتل القيادي في الحزب فؤاد شكر الات The Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar reported, citing an informed source, that Hezbollah has begun evacuating dozens of buildings in the southern suburbs of... --- ### Understanding the 'Talahon' Trend in Germany and its Arabic Origins - Published: 2024-08-07 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/talahon/ - Categories: Translation, Etymology - Tags: Algeria, dual, expression, German, Germany, imperative, wiederholen, YouTube - Authors: geralddrissner In Germany, the word "Talahon" is trending in summer 2024. It describes young men with mostly immigrant backgrounds and rather negative behavior, reflecting both a cultural trend and social tensions. If you think Talahon looks Arabic, you are not wrong. In the summer of 2024, there is a strange phenomenon in Germany: "Talahon". It is a term used on TikTok and is said to be so popular among young people that the word has been included in the list of possible youth words of the year 2024 in Germany. 1 There is hardly a medium that has not written about "Talahon". Talahon, what? Germany's biggest newspaper "BILD" asked in a headline: "Who are the Talahons? " In this article, we will take a look at the origin of the term "Talahon" in Germany. We will also analyze the imperative form تَعالَ and see that we are dealing with a rather old expression. And we will see why "Talahon" has become a topic of discussion in the first place. Let's first start and see how Germany ended up with the word "Talahon". The bizarre 'Talahon' trend in Germany "Talahon" is a self-designation and an external designation of young men. The Langenscheidt publishing house, which is well-known for producing dictionaries in Germany, recently selected "Talahon" as one of the top ten contenders for the German "Youth Word of the Year 2024". On its website, the publisher writes: The word "Talahon" is used for people with stereotypical characteristics or behavior. For example: "With my breast pocket, I feel like a Talahon today. " The German magazine Der SPIEGEL gave a more detailed description of the word "Talahon": In general, “Talahon” refers to men with a migrant background. They have some stereotypical characteristics. These... --- ### Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 07/24 - Published: 2024-07-31 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-07-24/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster Quiz - Authors: geralddrissner Media Arabic Booster 07/24: Vocabulary Quiz This quiz lets you practice the vocabulary presented in each episode of Media Arabic Booster. This is about Media Arabic Booster 07/24Latest Media Arabic Booster Quizzes: --- ### Media Arabic Booster 07/24 - Published: 2024-07-31 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-07-24/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster, Learner's Corner - Tags: adverb, anki, Bashar al-Assad, caliph, Egypt, etymology, Hebrew, I-verb, II-verb, Jerusalem, opinion section, Syria, Turkish, United Nations, vocabulary list, wiederholen, X-verb, اِسْتَفْعَلَ, تشكيل, فَعَّلَ, مصدر - Authors: geralddrissner This month (07/24) in Media Arabic Booster: The meaning of the word شرطة and how the drug Captagon affects the relations between Syria, Turkey and the Arab neighbors As a journalist, I read Arabic newspapers daily, especially the opinion section. Every month, I want to share with you on Arabic for Nerds what I find interesting from a linguistic perspective and which vocabulary might be worth learning. I call it the Media Arabic Booster. A close look at a headline Headlines in Arabic media are generally easy to understand - but there are also some tricky words. Akhbar al-Hawadith: The police and the military in Egypt On Thursday, July 4, 2024, the weekly Egyptian magazine Akhbar al-Hawadith (أخبار الحوادث), a state-owned semi-official publication and offshoot of the daily al-Akhbar newspaper, published the following article: Akhbar Hawadith, July 2024 On 30 June 2013, protesters demonstrated across Egypt against Mohammed Morsi (محمد مرسي), the elected president of Egypt at that time and a prominent figure in the Muslim Brotherhood (الْإِخْوان). The protesters expressed their anger at the Muslim Brotherhood, which they accuse of hijacking Egypt's revolution and using its electoral victories to monopolize power and impose Islamic law. Egyptian army chief General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (عبد الفتاح سعيد حسين خليل السيسي) led a coalition to remove President Mohamed Morsi from power and suspended Egypt's 2012 constitution. A few days later, on 3 July 2013, the Egyptian military seized power. On 14 August 2013, Egyptian police and the armed forces, led by Defense Minister Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, used lethal force to break up two protest camps in Cairo: one at al-Nahda Square (ميدان النهضة) and a larger one at Rabaa al-Adawiya... --- ### The AI bot that speaks Arabic better than most native speakers - Published: 2024-07-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/maqsam-arabic-ai-bot/ - Categories: Interviews, Tools and Apps - Tags: AI, dual, Google, Middle East, transcribing Arabic, transliteration, United Arab Emirates, wiederholen, YouTube - Authors: geralddrissner The Saudi company Maqsam has launched a new Arabic voice bot that sets new standards and can be used to communicate with customers. In this interview, Maqsam's developers explain why it is so difficult to create an Arabic AI voice bot — and how they finally managed to do it. Anyone who speaks Arabic knows the problem: as soon as you speak to someone from another Arab country, it quickly becomes difficult to understand what is being said. This is where AI technology can help. The new Arabic chatbot from the company Maqsam has an amazingly high level of Arabic grammar and pronunciation that makes most native Arabic speakers look old. I had previously tested Maqsam's Rana Qubain (رنا قبعين) explains on behalf of her colleagues and developers how Maqsam's chatbot works and where the difficulties lie in developing Arabic AI chatbots. About the company Maqsam Maqsam (مَقسَم) started as a phone company, offering cloud communication services. The startup company was co-founded by Sinan Taifour (سنان طيفور) and Fouad Jeryes (فؤاد جريس) in 2019, who are both specialists in the regional technology industry. Maqsam today is one of the leading AI companies in the Middle East. Maqsam is a Saudi company with subsidiaries in Cairo, Amman, UAE, and Qatar. Maqsam WebsiteBOT DEMO PAGE What is Maqsam's AI Voice Bot? Our AI Voice Bot is a dual-model chatbot capable of receiving and generating text and audio input. It has been trained to understand and reason across different domains and Arabic dialects, and has been instructed to interact in a conversational manner, especially in conversations involving customer interactions and inquiries. How is your Arabic voice bot different from other Arabic chatbots? The system manages both speech and text input and output, providing a flexible and comprehensive communication experience. It features enhanced reasoning... --- ### How to build the passive voice in Arabic easily - Published: 2024-07-09 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/arabic-passive-voice/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: conjugation, Hebrew, Hebrew alphabet, how to, V-verb, VIII-verb, vocabulary list, wiederholen, ألف, ألف خنجرية, اِفْتَعَلَ - Authors: geralddrissner The passive voice is rarely used in Arabic. So it is no coincidence that it is a popular source of errors, especially when translating. Reason enough to review the most important rules. The passive voice (المَبْني للمَجْهولِ) is rare in Arabic. This has to do with the nature of Arabic, which is very different from English in terms of the passive voice. But the good news is that the rules of the Arabic passive voice are actually quite simple. Please note: If you are viewing this page on a mobile phone, the tables may be a little confusing. It is best to read this page on your desktop to get all the details. Introduction The passive voice in Arabic is quite sophisticated. Let's first check the characteristics of the passive voice: The subject of active verbs performs the action: The student writes a book. The subject of passive verbs (= object of active verbs) undergoes the action: The book was written. Let's first check the DNA of the passive voice in English: The English passive voice lets you mention the doer of an action (= actual subject). We could say that the passive voice in English is more or less a stylistic variant of the active voice. Now let's look at some finer points of the Arabic passive voice: In Arabic, strictly speaking, we have to remove the doer of the action in the passive voice! The actual doer (= the subject of the active voice = الْفاعِلُ) simply disappears. The passive voice in Arabic is generally only used for anonymous speech. In Arabic, the direct object (مَفْعُولٌ بِهِ) becomes the "subject-like" of the passive verb (نائِبُ الْفاعِلِ). Note that نائِبُ الْفاعِلِ... --- ### Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 06/24 - Published: 2024-06-29 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-06-24/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster Quiz - Authors: geralddrissner Media Arabic Booster 06/24: Vocabulary Quiz This quiz lets you practice the vocabulary presented in each episode of Media Arabic Booster. This is about Media Arabic Booster 06/24Latest Media Arabic Booster Quizzes: --- ### Media Arabic Booster 06/24 - Published: 2024-06-29 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-06-24/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster, Learner's Corner - Tags: adjective, adverb, agreement, anki, Arabic media, Arabic newspaper, Egypt, I-verb, II-verb, Israel, opinion section, United Nations, VIII-verb, vocabulary list, اِفْتَعَلَ, صفة, فَعَّلَ, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner This month (06/24) in Media Arabic Booster: The List of Shame and an article on whether Israel cut off Egypt's gas supplies as political blackmail. As a journalist, I read Arabic newspapers daily, especially the opinion section. Every month, I want to share with you on Arabic for Nerds what I find interesting from a linguistic perspective and which vocabulary might be worth learning. I call it the Media Arabic Booster. A close look at a headline Headlines in Arabic media are generally easy to understand - but there are also some tricky words. al-Masry al-Youm: Israel on the "List of Shame" On Saturday, June 8, 2024, the Egyptian newspaper al-Masry al-Youm (المصري اليوم) published the following headline on its frontage: Al-Masry al-Youm, Headline 08 June 2024Full ArticleWhat is the reason and background for this article? For the first time, the Secretary-General of the United Nations has placed the Israeli Defense Forces on the so-called "list of shame". This annual list names armed groups and military forces that recruit children, harm them, commit sexual violence, or attack schools and hospitals. The list is part of a report on "Children and Armed Conflict," which aims to hold violators accountable and protect the rights of children in war zones. Being on this list means violating international laws for the safety of children in conflict zones. Let's see how this renders in Arabic. إسرائيل على «قائمة العار» Israel on the «List of Shame» Let's focus on the word العار. There are two roots which may produce the same output: ع-ي-ر ⇔ عارٌ The I-verb عارَ - يَعيرُ means to stray, to wander; to come and go. The II-verb... --- ### SATTS: The Arabic transliteration system used by the military - Published: 2024-06-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/satts-arabic-transcription/ - Categories: History, Translation - Tags: Arabic alphabet, Classical Arabic, expression, Latin alphabet, Moustapha Akkad, The Message, transcribing Arabic, transliteration, wiederholen - Authors: reginaldhefner In the days before the Internet, a decent system for transliterating Arabic was developed using Morse code. In this guest article, Reginald Hefner explains how this system, known as SATTS, works and when it was developed. If you don't speak Arabic, Arabic characters are of little help. Sometimes the technology just goes on strike and cannot display Arabic letters. In such cases, Arabic letters must be converted into another alphabet. In this guest article, 1. It is an expression of wonder and marvel at something. Until fairly recently, Morse Code was required to receive a Ham Radio License in the U. S. , though this requirement has since been discontinued and the former Boy Scouts of America (now called Scouting USA) required its scouts to learn it. More famously, a U. S. Prisoner of War (POW), Jeremiah Denton, in North Vietnam during a television interview blinked the word "torture" in Morse Code, feigning trouble with the bright lights, which was the first indication that the North Vietnamese were using torture on its POWs. Eventually schemes were worked out to send Morse Code to represent other languages like Russian and Arabic using various transliteration systems of English letters of the alphabet and punctuation marks arbitrarily to represent sounds not in the English alphabet. For Chinese series of four-digit numbers called Standard Telegraphic Code (STC) to circumvent the problem of transmission of Chinese characters; these series of four-digit groups would represent the most frequently used seven thousand characters (Taiwan used a series of three alphabetic letters in English called a Ming Code). Because of the bandwidth required for Morse Code was more efficient than the bandwidth for human voice, a great deal of information could be sent very... --- ### Arabic Workout 01 - Published: 2024-06-08 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/arabic-workout-01/ - Categories: Learner's Corner - Tags: adjective, basmalah, conjugation, Egyptian Arabic expression, etymology, Hans Wehr, hell, how to, I-verb, II-verb, imperative, Lane's Lexicon, Paradise, Upper Egypt, vocabulary list, wiederholen, ألف, ألف خنجرية, صفة, عدد, فَعَّلَ, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner This month in Arabic workout: the imperative of رَأَى, how to write the number 9,441,861 in Arabic, and the Egyptian-Arabic phrase "bala neela". Constant repetition mixed with something new - that's a recipe for getting better at Arabic. In the Arabic Workout series, we will refresh and deepen our knowledge from time to time. I'll serve up a little of the old and a few new surprises. In this issue: The verb رَأَى, the number 9,441,861, and the Egyptian-Arabic phrase bala neela. Sharpen up your conjugation skills The imperative of رَأَى - to see, to think The I-verb رَأَى -يَرَى means to see; also: to think. It is one of the most complicated verbs in Arabic as sometimes letters get mixed up. In particular, the imperative (أمر) is tricky as we end up with a form only consisting of one letter (plus one vowel) which is quite rare in Arabic. PRONOUNIMPERATIVE: "see! "أنتَ - you m. رَأنتِ - you f. رَيْأنتما - you bothرَياأنتم - you pl. m. رَواأنتنَّ - you pl. f. رَيْنَImperative of the Arabic verb رَأى - to see/to think Let's go one step further and quickly repeat the forms we often need: Active participle (اسمُ الفاعِل): راءٍ Passive participle (اسْمُ المفْعُول): مَرْئيّ Infinitive (مصدر): رَأْي or رُؤْية PRONOUN(ضَمير)PAST TENSE(الماضي)Indicative(المُضارِع)Subjunctive(منصوب)Jussive(مجزوم)هورَأىيَرىيَرىيَرَهيرَأَتْتَرىتَرىتَرَأنتَرَأَيْتَتَرىتَرىتَرَأنتِرَأَيْتِتَرَيْنَتَرَيْتَرَيْأنارَأَيْتُأَرىأَرىأَرَهما mرَأَيايَرَيانِيَرَيايَرَياهما fرَأَتاتَرَيانِتَرَياتَرَياأنتمارَأَيْتُماتَرَيانِتَرَياتَرَياهمرَأَوايَرَوْنَيَرَوايَرَواهنَّرَأَيْنَيَرَيْنَيَرَيْنَيَرَيْنَأنتمرَأَيْتُمْتَرَوْنَتَرَواتَرَواأنتنَّرَأَيْتُنَّتَرَيْنَتَرَيْنَتَرَيْنَنحنرَأَيْنانَرىنَرىنَرَConjugation of the Arabic verb رَأى - to see/to think - ACTIVE PRONOUN(ضَمير)PAST TENSE(الماضي)Indicative(المُضارِع)Subjunctive(منصوب)Jussive(مجزوم)هورُئِيَيُرىيُرىيُرَهيرُئِيَتْتُرىتُرىتُرَأنتَرُئيتَتُرىتُرىتُرَأنتِرُئيتِتُرَيْنَتُرَيْتُرَيْأنارُئيتُأُرىأُرىأُرَهما mرُئِيايُرَيانِيُرَيايُرَياهما fرُئِيَتاتُرَيانِتُرَياتُرَياأنتمارُئيتُماتُرَيانِتُرَياتُرَياهمرُؤوايُرَوْنَيُرَوايُرَواهنَّرُئينَيُرَيْنَيُرَيْنَيُرَيْنَأنتمرُئيتُمْتُرَوْنَتُرَواتُرَواأنتنَّرُئيتُنَّتُرَيْنَتُرَيْنَتُرَيْنَنحنرُئينانُرىنُرىنُرَConjugation of the Arabic verb رَأى - to see/to think - PASSIVE Thinking in Numbers Writing numbers correctly is challenging in Arabic and a kind of puzzle-solving and brain-jogging. Every month, we will analyze a number in depth. Rules for writing numbers in Arabic,... --- ### Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 05/24 - Published: 2024-05-31 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-05-24/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster Quiz - Authors: geralddrissner Media Arabic Booster 05/24: Vocabulary Quiz This quiz lets you practice the vocabulary presented in each episode of Media Arabic Booster. This is about Media Arabic Booster 05/24Latest Media Arabic Booster Quizzes: --- ### Media Arabic Booster 05/24 - Published: 2024-05-31 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-05-24/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster, Learner's Corner - Tags: adjective, al-Sharq al-Awsat, Algeria, anki, Arabic media, Arabic newspaper, dual, Hebrew, how to, I-verb, II-verb, Morocco, opinion section, Palestine, V-verb, vocabulary list, wiederholen, X-verb, اِسْتَفْعَلَ, صفة, فَعَّلَ - Authors: geralddrissner This month (05/24) in Media Arabic Booster: How to say "naturalized" and a translation of an article about tensions between Algeria and Morocco. As a journalist, I read Arabic newspapers daily, especially the opinion section. Every month, I want to share with you on Arabic for Nerds what I find interesting from a linguistic perspective and which vocabulary might be worth learning. I call it the Media Arabic Booster. A close look at a headline Headlines in Arabic media are generally easy to understand - but there are also some tricky words. al-Sharq al-Awsat: How to say "naturalized citizen" On Wednesday, May 29, 2024, the Saudi newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat (الشرق الأوسط) published the following article (bottom right) in its news section: Screenshot al-Sharq al-Awsat, Media Arabic Booster 05-24Full ArticleThe article is about Germany where last year many people of foreign origin were granted citizenship. The headline contains some interesting phrases that we should look at and remember. Note that I am using the headline of the online article, which is slightly enlarged because printed newspapers often have to stick to the number of characters possible by using a shortened style. أعداد قياسية من المجنسين في ألمانيا يتقدمهم السوريون Record numbers of naturalized citizens ("Einbürgerungen") in Germany, led by Syrians Let's focus on the word المجنسين. The root is ج-ن-س. First of all, you may know a quite common noun of this root: جِنْسٌ (plural: أَجْنَاسٌ), meaning sex, gender (also in linguistics) or species; category or genre. For example, if you want to express non-binary/third gender, you can say الْجِنْسُ الثّالِثُ. For asexuality, people use a new word, which is اللَاجِنْسِيَّة. Same-sex or homosexual... --- ### Muraija - an Arabic dictionary like you have never seen before - Published: 2024-05-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/arabic-collocation-dictionary-muraija/ - Categories: Guest Article, Tools and Apps - Tags: adjective, agreement, AI, Arab spring, database, diminutive, German, grammar books, how to, how to improve, wiederholen, صفة, نعت - Authors: mirkovogel Learning a language involves more than just memorizing words and grammar. The tool Muraija (مُرَيْجَع) can help you understand how Arabic words work together to form meaningful expressions. In this article, Mirko Vogel, the creator of Muraija, guides you through using this innovative tool to improve your everyday Arabic tasks. Learning Arabic can be hard because one word can have many meanings. For example, in Hans Wehr's Arabic-German dictionary, the verb قامَ - يَقُومُ has over 40 different German meanings in just the basic form. However, the dictionary doesn't tell you which meanings are most common or show you how to use the words in conversations or texts. A new tool developed by Mirko Vogel aims to address this issue and could raise the standard of how we work with modern Arabic dictionaries. In this guest article, Mirko Vogel describes his idea and shows how Arabic learners and translators can use his tool to their advantage. In a nutshell: What is Muraija (مُرَيْجَع) and how can it help people using Arabic? ➤ The Arabic language is vast and complex, similar to an ocean. Muraija offers a different approach to explore the language, as if you're surfing. ➤ Grammar books and dictionaries are guides for using language correctly. Muraija, with over 50 million words, shows you how people really use Arabic. ➤ Understanding the words and the rules of a language doesn't mean you really know the language. Muraija explains how Arabic words work together to make sense. Muraija websiteMotivation Do you remember the first time you encountered the verb انتهك? Did the context provide enough information for you to deduce its meaning, as in the following sentence? شارت إلى أن الولايات المتحدة تنتهك القانون الدولي باستمرار وحملتها المسؤولية الكاملة لفشل المفاوضات. Or did you look it up in a "classical"... --- ### Why is كَأَنَّ a sister of إِنَّ but لِأَنَّ is not? - Published: 2024-05-12 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/why-is-%d9%83%d9%8e%d8%a3%d9%8e%d9%86%d9%8e%d9%91-a-sister-of-%d8%a5%d9%90%d9%86%d9%8e%d9%91-but-%d9%84%d9%90%d8%a3%d9%8e%d9%86%d9%8e%d9%91-is-not/ - Categories: Guest Article, Grammar - Tags: al-Andalus, al-Kitaab, Basra, Classical Arabic, difficult construction, Egypt, emphasis, Gift Idea, grammarian, Kufa, Mecca, Medina, Morocco, suffix, Sura 16, Sura 2, Sura 5, wiederholen, YouTube, سيبويه - Authors: geralddrissner, kenan The inclusion of كَأَنَّ as one of the sisters of إِنَّ raises the question of why other combinations like لِأَنَّ or بِأَنَّ are not explicitly listed. This discrepancy points to a complex and relatively unexplored matter in Arabic grammar. Recently, I had a fascinating discussion with Kenan Kalajdzic from Sarajevo, Bosnia. Kenan is the operator of arabic. ba The topic in a nutshell: Why is كَأَنَّ listed explicitly as a sister of إِنَّbut بِأَنَّ and لِأَنَّ are not? Neither of us had a good answer right away. We both looked into the classic works of Arabic grammar, but couldn't find a clear conclusion. That's why we decided to share our ideas with others and invite them to join the discussion and share their thoughts. So let's get you on board and see what it's all about. How we ended up discussing كَأَنَّ It all started with an email I got from Kenan with the following line: There is an issue regarding إِنَّ and its sisters that I have been dealing with for a couple of days and have not been able to solve yet. "It seems that the old grammarians somehow understood that كَأَنَّ should be a single particle, whereas بِأَنَّ and لِأَنَّ are combinations of two particles. "Start of our discussion about the so-called Sisters of إِنَّ Now let's break down this thing and see what's going on here. In the following paragraphs, we will describe in more detail the thought process that led us to the original question: Why is كَأَنَّ a sister of إِنَّ but لِأَنَّ is not? Then we will examine the components and functions of كَأَنَّ and see how كَأَنَّ differs from, for example, بِأَنَّ. Finally, we want to share our ideas why the... --- ### Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 04/24 - Published: 2024-04-30 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-04-24/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster Quiz - Authors: geralddrissner Media Arabic Booster 04/24: Vocabulary Quiz This quiz lets you practice the vocabulary presented in each episode of Media Arabic Booster. This is about Media Arabic Booster 04/24Latest Media Arabic Booster Quizzes: --- ### Media Arabic Booster 04/24 - Published: 2024-04-30 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-04-24/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster, Learner's Corner - Tags: agreement, al-Arabiya, al-Sharq al-Awsat, anki, Arab spring, Arabic media, Arabic newspaper, Egypt, Egyptian Arabic expression, how to, I-verb, II-verb, imperative, Lisan al-Arab, mood, opinion section, VIII-verb, vocabulary list, wiederholen, اِفْتَعَلَ, فَعَّلَ - Authors: geralddrissner This month (04/24) in Media Arabic Booster: The expression بَعيد الْمَنالِ and a translation of an article discussing why Sudan had suspended "al-Arabiya" As a journalist, I read Arabic newspapers daily, especially the opinion section. Every month, I want to share with you on Arabic for Nerds what I find interesting from a linguistic perspective and which vocabulary might be worth learning. I call it the Media Arabic Booster. A close look at a headline Headlines in Arabic media are generally easy to understand - but there are also some tricky words. al-Sharq al-Awsat: The expression بَعيد الْمَنالِ On Wednesday, April 24, 2024, the Saudi newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat (الشرق الأوسط) had the following headline on its front page: Screenshot newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat The terrible situation in Gaza is a daily topic on the front pages of most Arab newspapers. In the title of this headline, I noticed a phrase that is worth knowing: 200 يوم... غزة تنتظر «هدنة بعيدة المنال» 200 days... Gaza awaits an elusive truce The phrase بعيد المنال - what does it mean? Let's analyze it. The word مَنالٌ means achievement; obtaining. It is the مصدر ميميّ of I-verb نالَ - يَنالُ which means to get; to receive; to achieve; to obtain. The expression بَعيدُ المَنالِ can be translated as unattainable; intangible; far from reality. You could also say صَعْبُ الْمَنالِ or عَسِيرُ الْمَنالِ which basically also means unattainable; unavailable. If you want to express the opposite, you can say قَرِيبُ الْمَنالِ or سَهْلُ الْمَنالِ which translates as easy to reach, achievable. Some nerd stuff: The root ت-ي-ل and thus the I-verb نالَ - يَنالُ means to obtain; to receive.... --- ### Arabic as a springboard to learning Hebrew - Published: 2024-04-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/arabic-hebrew-similarities/ - Categories: Guest Article, Learner's Corner - Tags: Arabian Peninsula, Arabic alphabet, Aramaic, Biblical Hebrew, consonant, dual, future tense, Hebrew, Hebrew alphabet, Latin alphabet, Middlebury College, Modern Hebrew, Semitic language, vocabulary list, wiederholen, ألف, ألف خنجرية, نون, همزة - Authors: reginaldhefner How hard is it to learn another Semitic language? If you know Arabic and want to learn Hebrew, you can do it relatively quickly. Our guest writer Reginald Hefner shares his experiences and tricks. One might ask why someone who spent so many years (really, decades) studying Arabic would suddenly switch to Hebrew. In my own personal case, it was not so much a sudden shift for me, as Hebrew had long been a "back-burner" language that I wanted to study. Originally, I sought to read the Old Testament in its original language because I learned that if one does that, then one discovers that Moses did not part the Red Sea but rather "the sea of reeds" in the original Hebrew. (Note: If you are not sure what we are talking about, keep on reading - you will get the answer at the end of this article). The other pressing reason for me was that when I was in the first-ever M. A. program for Arabic in the first cohort, the then-Director of the program told us that by the time we finished the program in four summers, there would be a Doctorate of Modern Languages (DML) program for Arabic that we could apply for. That did not turn out to be the case, so I looked at the requirements for Ph. D. programs in various U. S. universities and most of them indicated that one had to also know at least one other Semitic language, preferably Modern Hebrew, to at least an Intermediate High level of proficiency. So, I originally intended to only study Modern Hebrew for one summer in the Middlebury College Intensive Summer Immersion program. I had such a great... --- ### The best browser add-ons and extensions for Arabic - Published: 2024-04-06 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/the-best-browser-add-ons-and-extensions-for-arabic/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: add-on, Arabic keyboard, browser extension, chatGPT, Farsi, Firefox, Linux, mobile app, mood, transliteration, wiederholen, تشكيل - Authors: geralddrissner A list of the best browser add-ons and extensions (Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Safari) for Arabic learners, including add-ons for script conversion, display, dictionaries, and grammar checks. For people learning Arabic, there's a bunch of online tools that can help make things easier. In this blog post, we're going to talk about some of the best add-ons you can use in Chrome, Firefox, Edge or Safari. So let's take a look at what the best add-ons and extensions are for the most important browsers for the Arabic language. This list is constantly being expanded and updated. Convert English to Arabic and vice versa Chrome & Firefox: Writing Arabic ت If you don't have an Arabic keyboard, this Chrome add-on can be very useful: it allows you to type in English (with Tashkeel! ). Long vowels are written in capital letters (A, U, I); however, if you write a, u, or i, the diacritical marks are added (ضَمّة, كَسْرة, فَتْحة). Check this page to learn more about the Arabic transliteration. chrome ExtensionFirefox Add-ON Firefox: Lexilogos Arabic Transcriber The Lexilogos Arabic Transcriber allows users to phonetically type out Arabic words and have them transcribed into Arabic script. This can be a potent learning aid, as it bridges the gap between pronunciation and writing. Firefox Add-ONEdge: 3arbi Translator This tool is simple: write an Arabic word and see it transliterated using the English or French system. Or write Arabic words using the French or English transliteration system. 3arbi TranslatorMS EDGE Add-ON Displaying Arabic script Arabic is often displayed using a standard font (Times New Roman), which can make it difficult to read. In addition, Arabic is often displayed at a... --- ### Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 03/24 - Published: 2024-03-31 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-03-24/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster Quiz - Authors: geralddrissner Media Arabic Booster 03/24: Vocabulary Quiz This quiz lets you practice the vocabulary presented in each episode of Media Arabic Booster. This is aboutMedia Arabic Booster 03/24Latest Media Arabic Booster Quizzes: --- ### Media Arabic Booster 03/24 - Published: 2024-03-31 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-03-24/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster, Learner's Corner - Tags: anki, Arabic media, Arabic newspaper, dual, Egypt, I-verb, II-verb, Jordan, opinion section, Palestine, social media, VIII-verb, wiederholen, اِفْتَعَلَ, فَعَّلَ, همزة - Authors: geralddrissner This month (03/24) in Media Arabic Booster: The verb تَلَأْلَأَ and a translation of an article on five political trends in Jordan (al-Ghad) As a journalist, I read Arabic newspapers daily, especially the opinion section. Every month, I want to share with you on Arabic for Nerds what I find interesting from a linguistic perspective and which vocabulary might be worth learning. I call it the Media Arabic Booster. A close look at a headline Headlines in Arabic media are generally easy to understand - but there are also some tricky words. al-Akhbar al-Youm (Egypt): the verb تَلَأْلَأَ On Saturday, March 30, 2024, the Egyptian weekly state newspaper al-Akhbar al-Youm (الأخبار اليوم) had the following headline on its front page: Headline Al-Akhbar Al-Youm 30th March 2024 Before we get into the Arabic stuff, some background information: Egypt is working on a big project to create a new city for government work. This idea was started by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to make less crowded conditions in Cairo. The city will be built around 45 kilometers away from Cairo and will cover an area as large as Singapore. The costs for building the new capital city is thought to be more than $45 billion. Work started in 2015. By 2019, they had finished the second-biggest mosque in the world, called Al-Fattah Al-Aleem Mosque (مسجد الفتاح العليم). It's huge and can fit 17,000 people inside. The mosque has its own spot for helicopters to land, lots of parking for cars, places for people to get services, and an office building. In that building, 60 people work to take care of the mosque. The mosque itself... --- ### The Qur'an Revisited: Sura 76:18 - Published: 2024-03-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/the-quran-revisited/sura-76-18/ - Categories: The Quran Revisited, Islam - Tags: adjective, Basra, broken plural, diptote, etymology, Hadith, Hans Wehr, imperative, Lane's Lexicon, Paradise, Prophet Muhammad, wiederholen, جمع, سيبويه, صفة, ممنوع من الصرف, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner The word Salsabil (سَلْسَبِيل) occurs only once in the Qur'an. It is often translated as a spring in Paradise. But it is not that simple. The Qur'an is full of fascinating words that we want to take a closer look at. In this article, we will focus on the word Salsabil (سَلْسَبِيل). There is probably no big city in which there is not at least one Arabic restaurant called "Salsabil". In Berlin, for example, there are a few, like this one on Grünberger Straße in Berlin-Friedrichshain: Salsabil restaurant (Imbiss) in Berlin-Friedrichshain © Gerald Drißner What is the story of this mysterious word that sounds a bit like "Simsalabim" (the magic spell that sounds Arabic to some, but actually has nothing to do with Arabic)? Well, in the case of Salsabil, we can say that the word appears in the Qur'an. Reason enough to take a closer look at the word. Sura The Human 76:17-18 The word Salsabil (سلسبيل) occurs only once in the Holy Qur'an. This happens in Sura 76:18. وَيُسْقَوْنَ فِيهَا كَأْسًا كَانَ مِزَاجُهَا زَنجَبِيلًا 76:17 - and they will be given a drink infused with ginger عَيْنًا فِيهَا تُسَمَّىٰ سَلْسَبِيلًا 76:18 - from a spring called Salsabil. I use the English translation of the Qur'an by Abdel Haleem. He's definitely one of the best modern translators out there. Something interesting about his translation is that instead of translating the word, he simply writes "Sansabil. " So, is it just a proper name? To understand the motivation behind this choice, we need to take a closer look at the context and environment in which this word appears. So let's dive in and explore what... --- ### DeepL or Google Translate: Which is better at Arabic? - Published: 2024-03-06 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/deepl-google-translate-arabic/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: agreement, AI, Egypt, German, Germany, Google, Google Translate, Hebrew, Hebrew alphabet, how to, right to left, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner The popular translation tool deepl.com can now translate Arabic! We tested it and pitted it against Google Translate. Some of the results are surprising. Who comes out on top? DeepL is a translation tool that is particularly popular in Germany. The German company has been using deep learning algorithms for years. Compared to Google Translate, the translations are often more accurate and more natural. Arabic has been missing for a long time, which may have something to do with the lack of good translated Arabic texts in large quantities to train the engine. DEEPL. COMIn late January 2024, DeepL shared news that they will now add Arabic to their language options. I've been trying it out and I'm going to talk about what I noticed in this post. Arabic is DeepL's first language release that is written and read from right to left, so I guess Hebrew will follow soon. DeepL has launched Arabic first on their web translator and mobile and desktop apps, with browser extensions and the API capability to follow soon. Document translation, formality options, and glossary functionality will also be released at a later date. Alright, let's give it a try and see how it stacks up to Google Translate. Note: I haven't included religious texts like Suras of the Qur'an or Hadiths since they're usually translated accurately as they're well-represented in the data used to train translation engines. Also, I've steered clear of academic texts. They tend to have a uniform style and vocabulary, sticking to conventional writing methods. That's why translation tools usually handle them quite well; they're consistent and predictable, which is exactly what those translation systems prefer. Newspaper articles in Arabic... --- ### Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 02/24 - Published: 2024-02-29 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-02-24/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster Quiz - Authors: geralddrissner Media Arabic Booster 02/24: Vocabulary Quiz This quiz lets you practice the vocabulary presented in each episode of Media Arabic Booster. This is about Media Arabic Booster 02/24Latest Media Arabic Booster Quizzes: --- ### Media Arabic Booster 02/24 - Published: 2024-02-29 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-02-24/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster, Learner's Corner - Tags: adjective, adverb, agreement, Algeria, anki, Arabic media, Arabic newspaper, dual, I-verb, II-verb, opinion section, VIII-verb, vocabulary list, wiederholen, اِفْتَعَلَ, صفة, فَعَّلَ, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner This month (02/24) in Media Arabic Booster: How to write about people with disabilities (al-Akhbar newspaper) and a translation of an article about how Algeria is strengthening ties with Mauritania (al-Arab newspaper). As a journalist, I read Arabic newspapers daily, especially the opinion section. Every month, I want to share with you on Arabic for Nerds what I find interesting from a linguistic perspective and which vocabulary might be worth learning. I call it the Media Arabic Booster. A close look at a headline Headlines in Arabic media are generally easy to understand - but there are also some tricky words. al-Akhbar (Egypt): people with disabilities On Thursday, February 29, the Egyptian daily newspaper al-Akhbar had the following headline on its front page. We want to focus here on the terms that journalists use for people with disabilities. Above the headline الرَّئِيسُ يَشْهَدُ النُّسْخَةَ الْخامِسَةَ لِاِحْتِفالِيَّةِ ذَوى الهِمَمِ The president attends the fifth edition of the People with Disabilities Ceremony Headline تَوْجِيهُ الحُكُومَةِ بِتَخْصِيصِ 15 مِلْياراتِ جُنَيْهٍ لِصُنْدُوقٍ قادِرُونَ بِاِخْتِلافٍ Government directive to allocate EGP 15 billion to the fund "Differently Abled" Let's focus on the word ذَوَى. What does it mean? It is a form of the word ذُو which literally means owner; possessor of (صاحِبة); one who has; one with. In a more abstract way, it simply expresses that a person has certain qualities, for example, power or influence, but also physical things, like a beard or Dhu al-Qarnayn (ذُو الْقَرْنَيْنِ), lit. The Two-Horned One, who appears several times in the Holy Qur'an (most famously, as one who builds a wall to keep away Gog and Magog). So why do we have the letter ى here? ذُو is one of... --- ### 20 questions for: Eamonn Gearon (#34) - Published: 2024-02-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-eamonn-gearon/ - Categories: 9273 roots, Interviews - Tags: Arabist, Hadith, Ibn Khaldun, London, Ottoman Empire, United Kingdom, wiederholen, World War I - Authors: geralddrissner He started with the infamous orange book about Arabic by Peter F. Abboud. Today, after years of living in Arab countries, Eamonn Gearon makes the Middle East understandable in his lectures. Learn more about him in episode #34 of the 9273-roots interview series. Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493,934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Eamonn Gearonإيمون جيرونThe historian who makes the Middle East understandableEamonn Gearon, who specializes in the Near and Middle East Date of birth: · 29th of June 1970 Place of birth: England Place of residence: Somewhat peripatetic: currently Egypt Website: eamonngearon. com How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? Hello, I'm Eamonn. I love discussing and writing about the history and cultures of the past 1,500 years or so from across the greater Middle East, from Morocco to Afghanistan. Whether I’m speaking to general audiences, or working with western diplomats, my mission is always the same: to help dispel ignorance, and thus the fear this can create, and to promote empathy, and the greater understanding that follows. And boring people silly with my passion for the Arabic language. What was your first Arabic grammar book? Elementary Modern Standard Arabic, by Peter F. Abboud and Ernest N. McCarus (eds. ) I couldn’t stand it, with its dull, orange cover, poor print quality, and hard to read type-font. It was the course book at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies). I’m surprised I kept going with my language studies! What is your favorite Arabic book (novel, etc. )? al-Muqaddimah (المقدّمة) by Ibn Khaldun (ابن خلدون). It astonished me when I discovered and first read it in English. I worked hard... --- ### How to stream Arabic TV for free - Published: 2024-02-09 - Modified: 2025-03-21 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/arabic-iptv/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: Algeria, Egypt, how to, Istanbul, Jordan, Linux, Middle East, mobile app, Morocco, Palestine, United Arab Emirates, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Watching Arabic TV channels online is now very easy with the use of IPTV services and M3U playlists. You can enjoy more than 700 Arabic channels for free, and it is even possible to watch some channels in high definition. It takes less than five minutes to set up - here is how it works. Learning Arabic can be more engaging by watching Arabic TV. Thankfully, with online TV (IP TV), you can find and enjoy these programs right from your computer. It's simple; you only need a video player app and an updated list of links to Arabic channels. We'll show you how to start watching Arabic TV on your computer quickly — it'll take less than five minutes to set up. Of course, there are now excellent Arabic streaming services like Shahid. But they cost money and secondly, people also want to watch regular TV shows or old movies. For me as a journalist, it is also important to watch state television. Here you can find out how you can bring most of the channels that are otherwise only available via Nilesat to your home. Before the Internet was fast enough to stream video, I had satellite dishes on my roof where I lived. While in Egypt, a dish slightly larger than a plate was enough, in Istanbul, I needed a 1. 80-meter dish and 30 meters of cable to get the signal of Nilesat into my room. Streaming is therefore a blessing for anyone who wants to watch foreign channels. Let's take a look at what you need and have to install. Quick & Easy: Watch Arabic IP TV on your internet browser In this article, I will show an easy solution that should work on any operating system (Windows, Mac, Linux). You do not need to install anything, which makes it... --- ### Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 01/24 - Published: 2024-01-31 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-01-24/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster Quiz - Authors: geralddrissner Media Arabic Booster 01/24: Vocabulary Quiz This quiz lets you practice the vocabulary presented in each episode of Media Arabic Booster. This is about Media Arabic Booster 01/24Latest Media Arabic Booster Quizzes: --- ### Media Arabic Booster 01/24 - Published: 2024-01-31 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-01-24/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster, Learner's Corner - Tags: adjective, adverb, agreement, al-Jazeera, anki, economics, Egypt, I-verb, II-verb, London, Netflix, Ottoman Empire, VIII-verb, vocabulary list, wiederholen, X-verb, اِسْتَفْعَلَ, اسم المفعول, اِفْتَعَلَ, صفة, فَعَّلَ, مصدر, نعت, همزة - Authors: geralddrissner This month (01/24) in Media Arabic Booster: articles expressing solidarity with Wael Dahdouh and a translation of "From the Renaissance Dam to Somaliland" in Al Modon As a journalist, I read Arabic newspapers daily, especially the opinion section. Every month, I want to share with you on Arabic for Nerds what I find interesting from a linguistic perspective and which vocabulary might be worth learning. I call it the Media Arabic Booster. A close look at a headline Headlines in Arabic media are generally easy to understand - but there are also some tricky words. al-Quds: Responding to the tragedy of al-Jazeera journalist Wael al-Dahdouh I switch daily between Al-Arabiya and Al-Jazeera news channels and appreciate their live coverage and 24-hour documentation of events (live channels - مُباشِرٌ). Even if many of their reports include emotions and personal influences and views, it's mostly live and unfiltered. One face I have seen for years on TV is that of Wael Dahdouh (وائل الدحدوح), Al Jazeera's Gaza bureau chief. He has been working what feels like 24 hours a day since October 7. A good part of his family has been killed in Israeli attacks: His wife, 7-year-old daughter, and 15-year-old son were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Nuseirat refugee camp (مخيّم النصيرات) on October 28, 2023, along with 8 of his other relatives. On December 15, 2023, while covering the airstrike on the Haifa school in Khan Yunis (خان يونس), al-Dahdouh and his colleague cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa (سامر أبو دقة) were hit by an Israeli missile, injuring Dahdouh and killing Abu Daqqa. His son, journalist Hamza al-Dahdouh (حمزة الدحدوح), was killed in an Israeli... --- ### 20 questions for: Mennan Salih (#33) > Going dark (عَسعَسَ) is Mennan Salih's favorite Arabic word. We introduce the author of the great Arabic language blog "The Arabic Pages" in this interview - Published: 2024-01-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/mennan-salih-the-arabic-pages/ - Categories: 9273 roots, Interviews - Tags: Arabic literature, Arabic proverb, conjugation, Gift Idea, hell, how to, II-verb, Istanbul, London, Paradise, Semitic language, wiederholen, YouTube, فَعَّلَ, قَسَم, مصدر - Authors: geralddrissner The verb عَسعَسَ (to become dark) is Mennan Salih's favorite Arabic word. The author of the popular Arabic language blog "The Arabic Pages" recently began studying Akkadian, looking for similarities to Arabic. Learn more about her in episode #33 of the 9273-roots interview series. Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493,934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Mennan Salih منان صالح The Arabic literary scholar who sets out in search of similarities to Akkadian Mennan Salih Portrait Date of birth: 13th November 1997 Place of birth: London, UK Place of residence: London, UK How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? I’m originally from Cyprus, but I was born and mostly raised in London. I started teaching myself Arabic when I was 16 and then went on to study BA Arabic and Linguistics followed by MA Advanced Arabic at university. I’m currently working on my PhD in Arabic Literature and Psycholinguistic Theories of Metaphor whilst lecturing in Arabic part-time. I love languages – both modern and ancient. I’m currently taking classes in Akkadian (an ancient Semitic language that has remarkable similarities to Arabic) and I’m also greatly interested in the links between modern Turkic languages and their ancient ancestor, Göktürk. I set up my blog, The Arabic Pages, around four years ago, and have been blogging ever since. Did you know? The Göktürk language was written in runic script Göktürk, also known as Old Turkic or Early Turkic, is an ancient language that was spoken by the Göktürk Khaganate, a powerful Turkic empire that existed in Central Asia during the 6th to 8th centuries. The Göktürk language played a significant role in the development of Turkic... --- ### What does مرحبًا ("marhaban") actually mean? - Published: 2024-01-07 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/etymology/marhaban-meaning/ - Categories: Etymology, Translation - Tags: absolute object, adjective, Arabic proverb, Arabic saying, dual, Egypt, Hans Wehr, I-verb, II-verb, Levantine Arabic, Sahih al-Bukhari, VIII-verb, wiederholen, أَفْعَلَ, اسم المفعول, اِفْتَعَلَ, صفة, فَعَّلَ, مصدر, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner In Arab culture, "marhaban" (مرحبًا) is commonly used as a greeting to welcome someone. However, the core meaning of the root ر-ح-ب is somewhat surprising and shows how deeply the word is connected to Arab culture. In Arab culture, the expression marhaban (مَرْحَبًا) is used to greet guests, friends, and even strangers. It is a way to show hospitality and warmth towards others, and can be used in formal or informal settings. As is so often the case - especially in your own mother tongue - you don't give much thought to why you use this word and what it actually means. Reason enough for us to start a search for clues and take a closer look at the term مرحبًا and its root ر-ح-ب. Although "marhaban" is often simply translated as "welcome," this tiny expression actually represents the core of Arab culture: hospitality. The word embodies generosity and friendliness, both deeply rooted in Arab culture, creating a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere in social interactions. Additionally, "marhaban" is often followed by additional words of welcome and good wishes, further emphasizing the concept of hospitality and making people feel at home. About the root رَحُبَ The root ر-ح-ب denotes to be spacious. If we look up the root in the dictionary, we find the I-verb رَحُبَ, sometimes also رَحِبَ. So, the sentence رَحُبَ المَكانُ simply means: The place was spacious. In the old times, رَحْبٌ was also used to denote if someone had quite some kilos in the middle zone of the body, meaning, wide in the belly as mentioned by the 15th-century scholar al-Suyuti (السيوطي). Possible meanings of the root ر-ح-ب Let's dig deeper and check some nouns that are based on this root: رَحْبٌ means... --- ### Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 12/23 - Published: 2023-12-31 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-12-23/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster Quiz - Authors: geralddrissner Media Arabic Booster 12/23: Vocabulary Quiz This quiz lets you practice the vocabulary presented in each episode of Media Arabic Booster. This is about Media Arabic Booster 12/23Latest Media Arabic Booster Quizzes: --- ### Media Arabic Booster 12/23 - Published: 2023-12-30 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-12-23/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster, Learner's Corner - Tags: adjective, anki, Egypt, expression, I-verb, II-verb, London, United Nations, VIII-verb, vocabulary list, wiederholen, اسم المفعول, اِفْتَعَلَ, شيطان, صفة, فَعَّلَ, مصدر, نعت, همزة - Authors: geralddrissner This month (12/23) in Media Arabic Booster: The verb نَعَى and a translation of "Is the Palestinian cause an Egyptian problem?" (al-Ahram) As a journalist, I read Arabic newspapers daily, especially the opinion section. Every month, I want to share with you on Arabic for Nerds what I find interesting from a linguistic perspective and which vocabulary might be worth learning. I call it the Media Arabic Booster. A close look at a headline Headlines in Arabic media are generally easy to understand - but there are also some tricky words. al-Seyassah: Announcing the death of the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad (نَوَّاف الأَحمَد), the Emir of Kuwait, passed away on Saturday, December 16 at the age of 86. Sheikh Meshaal al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, 83, is now the new leader, taking over from Sheikh Nawaf, who ruled for three years. Newspapers in Kuwait expressed their condolences and respect by omitting color - all pages were black and white the next day. Al-Seyassah (السياسة) is a daily newspaper in Kuwait. It was established in 1965. On December 17th, it featured the following headline: Headline al-Seyassah: Announcing the death of the Rule of Kuwait Now let's take a look at the top line in particular نَوَّاف الْأَحْمَد... فِي رِحَابِ اللهِ. الدِّيْوَانُ الْأَمِيرِيُّ نَعَى فَقِيدَ الْكُوَيْتِ الْكَبِيرَ... وَمَجْلِسُ الْوُزَرَاءِ نَادَى بِسُمُوِّ وَلِيّ الْعَهْدِ أَمِيرًا لِلْبِلَادِ. In English: Nawaf Al-Ahmad... in the realms of Allah. The Amiri Diwan announced the passing of the great Kuwaiti loss... and the Cabinet declared His Highness the Crown Prince as the Amir of the country. ARABICEXPLANATIONيَنْعَى - نَعَىto announce the death of (person = direct object/مفعول به). If you... --- ### A Fortnight in the Life of a Hyperpolyglot - Published: 2023-12-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/keep-arabic-language/ - Categories: Guest Article, Learner's Corner - Tags: adult-improving, Ancient Greek, Arabic alphabet, Arabic slang, Hebrew, Hindi, how to, joke, life-long-learning, Middlebury College, TAFL, teaching Arabic, wiederholen, YouTube - Authors: reginaldhefner How do you manage to maintain and speak multiple languages? Reginald (Reggie) Hefner speaks more than ten languages. For Arabic for Nerds, he wrote down his daily language revision routine and shared his routines and tips. Once we learn languages (or any other skill), we quickly develop a fear of forgetting or unlearning. How do you manage to retain and speak multiple languages? Reginald (Reggie) Hefner speaks more than ten languages and is a real language nerd. For Arabic for Nerds, Mr Hefner wrote down what his daily language revision looks like, shares his routines and tips, and discusses the challenges he faces. 1 B. A. Russian Language and Literature, University of Maryland at College Park B. A. Mandarin Chinese, University of Maryland at College Park B. A. Spanish Summa cum Laude Shippensburg Univeristy of Pennsylvania B. A. French Summa cum Laude with German Minor Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania M. A. Arabic with concentration in Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language, Middlebury College Diploma, Modern Greek Diplomatic Language Services Diploma, Advanced Japanese, U. S. State Dept. Japanese Language and Research Center, Yokohama, Japan (one-year intensive program for interpreting/translating) Advanced Japanese (21 graduate credits) Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies Wesleyan University Advanced Arabic Immersion Summer Program Middlebury Summer Immersion program, Arabic (9 times), Hebrew (3 times), French MA (twice so far) Introduction I am not an expert in second-language acquisition and what follows are my own opinions in the light of my own personal experiences as a polyglot2, or, what the U. S. Government refers to as a multi-linguist. 3 I have often been asked how I maintain my knowledge of 14 or so languages other than my native English, so I thought I would... --- ### How to handle the number 8 in Arabic - a core analysis - Published: 2023-12-11 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/number-8-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: agreement, Aramaic, Basra, broken plural, Farsi, grammar books, grammarian, grammatical gender, Hadith, Hebrew, how to, Kufa, Ramadan, Semitic language, wiederholen, ألف, جمع, سيبويه, شدة, عدد, نسبة - Authors: geralddrissner In Arabic, the number 8 – ثَمَانٍ – has some tricky subtleties. We delve deep into the rules and see what the classic grammarians have to say about them. Writing numbers (عَدَد - أَعْداد) and treating them grammatically correctly, including spelling and pronunciation, is one of the most difficult and challenging areas in Arabic. The number 8 in particular has some special features that we want to look at in this article. We will learn why the masculine form of the number 8 is special, how to form and pronounce the number 18, and why the number 800 is always pronounced the same way by many people. If you don't have much time, you can skip to number 3. There, we'll give a brief overview of all the rules as they are used now. What makes 8 different from other numbers? First, let's check out all the numbers from 3 to 10 (cardinal numbers). This way, we can spot all the differences and have some fun along the way. Let's dive in. Quick overview: The numbers 3 to 10 in Arabic femininemasculine3ثَلاثَةٌثَلاثٌ4أَرْبَعَةٌأَرْبَعٌ5خَمْسَةٌخَمْسٌ6سِتَّةٌسِتٌّ7سَبْعَةٌسَبْعٌ8ثَمَانِيَةٌثَمَانٍ9تِسْعَةٌتِسْعٌ10عَشَرَةٌعَشْرٌNumbers from 3 to 10 in Arabic. The number 8, masculine form, is special. In this article we will put ثَمانٍ, the Arabic word for eight, under the microscope and focus on the last letter. Wait a second – what is the last letter? We will learn that we have to deal with a so-called اِسْمٌ مَنْقُوصٌ, a noun with a reduced, incomplete ending, because the word has a final weak letter, the ي. Such words have a pe­culiarity: the last letter is shortened (مَنْقُوصٌ) in the indefinite form; the last letter vanishes. This will become crucial in... --- ### Quiz: Media Arabic Booster 11/23 - Published: 2023-11-30 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/media-arabic-booster-quiz/quiz-media-arabic-booster-11-23/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster Quiz - Authors: geralddrissner Media Arabic Booster 11/23: Vocabulary Quiz This quiz lets you practice the vocabulary presented in each episode of Media Arabic Booster. This is about Media Arabic Booster 11/23Latest Media Arabic Booster Quizzes: --- ### Media Arabic Booster 11/23 - Published: 2023-11-30 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/learners-corner/media-arabic-booster/media-arabic-booster-11-23/ - Categories: Media Arabic Booster, Learner's Corner - Tags: adjective, al-Jazeera, anki, Egypt, expression, grammatical gender, I-verb, II-verb, Jerusalem, Lane's Lexicon, London, social media, VIII-verb, vocabulary list, wiederholen, X-verb, اِسْتَفْعَلَ, اسم المفعول, اِفْتَعَلَ, صفة, عدد, فَعَّلَ, مصدر, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner This month (11/23) in Media Arabic Booster: The verb احتضر and a translation of "The importance of documenting all the Israeli crimes" (al-Quds al-Arabi) As a journalist, I read Arabic newspapers daily, especially the opinion section. Every month, I want to share with you on Arabic for Nerds what I find interesting from a linguistic perspective and which vocabulary might be worth learning. I call it the Media Arabic Booster. A close look at a headline Headlines in Arabic media are generally easy to understand - but there are also some tricky words. al-Sharq al-Awsat: A way to express "to die" In November 2023, the Arab newspapers were full of coverage of Gaza. On November 14, the daily newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat, published in Saudi Arabia, had a headline with an interesting verb :تحتضر Headline of al-Sharq al-Awsat (print edition), 14 November 2023 How would you pronounce تحتضر in the above headline? ACTIVE voice: تَحْتَضِرُ ("tahtadiru")? PASSIVE voice: تُحْتَضَرُ ("tuhtadaru")? It is number 2: the PASSIVE voice! If this surprises you, read on because we will see why. The VIII-verb احْتَضَرَ is based on the root ح-ض-ر. The root has the core meaning of to be present. The VIII-verb form follows the pattern اِفْتَعَلَ. Form VIII verbs are often reflexive, meaning that you discover something for yourself. Now, what about the meaning of احْتَضَرَ? ACTIVE voice: احْتَضَرَ - يَحْتَضِرُ can be translated as to be present; to be in the presence (of someone = direct object); to attend; to exist. For example: he was there (احْتَضَرَ المَكانَ). PASSIVE voice: اُحْتُضِرَ - يُحْتَضَرُ, however, means to die (ماتَ)! To get the correct pronunciation and translation, we... --- ### What are the best Christmas gifts for Arabic nerds in 2023? - Published: 2023-11-22 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/best-gifts-arabic-2023/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: Arabic alphabet, Arabic literature, Arabic saying, Bedouin, calligraphy, camel, Gift Idea, Ibn Khaldun, Jerusalem, Palestine - Authors: geralddrissner Christmas isn't far away. So what should you get someone who is learning Arabic and loves Arabic culture? Here are some gift ideas for Arabic nerds. It's not that easy to surprise people who learn or like Arabic with gifts. It's often easy to be wrong. So I asked around and looked around and created a list of gift suggestions - for all those who are celebrating Christmas or are simply looking for a gift idea for Arabic nerds. Due to the current situation in the Middle East, this list is somewhat "Palestinian-centric" - for the simple reason that it is a way to recognize and economically support the people there. Original Palestinian Kufiya (كوفية) The Palestinian politician Yasir Arafat (ياسر عرفات) wore this traditional garment on his head as it was originally intended and made it an icon (الكوفية البيضاء). Today, people wear it around their necks, as climate activist Greta Thunberg recently did. Hirbawi is the last company in Palestine producing the Kufiya. You can read more about Hirbawi on their website. PRICE: ca. € 28 plus shipping Hirbawy Kufiya - Jenin (جنين) styleEU and worldwide: kufiya. org shopUS customers: hirbawiusa. comIf anyone is worried about cultural appropriation, this is how I see it: Westerners who wear the scarf in the West like the local Arabs (headscarf) look a little silly anyway. The scarf is rather a fashion accessory that helps preserve a piece of Palestinian Arab (Muslim & Christian) tradition and can be used in many ways, including to brighten up the home. The manufacturer in Hebron (الخليل), which claims to be the last weaving factory in the West Bank, explicitly offers its... --- ### How good is JAIS, the Arabic ChatGPT? - Published: 2023-11-13 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/jais-arabic-chatgpt/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: adjective, AI, chatGPT, database, Google Translate, Latin alphabet, Moustapha Akkad, Naguib Mahfouz, social media, The Message, United Arab Emirates, wiederholen, ألف, شدة, صفة, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner "Jais" is an Arabic language AI and is celebrated in the media as the Arabic ChatGPT. But how good is Jais? A practical test. Tools like ChatGPT work great for English and many other languages such as German or French. But Arabic? So far, the results have been more than disappointing. Arabic-language models were lagging behind. Although https://www. arabic-gpt. ai Later (can take some time) you will receive a password to log in. Arabic ChatGPT: Jais login form About the name Jais Jais is named after the highest mountain in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Jabal Jais (جَبَل جَيْس) is a mountain on the Musandam Peninsula (جَزِيرة مُسَنْدَم). It is part of the northwestern part of the Hajar Mountains (جِبال ٱلْحَجَر) in Oman and the Emirate of Ras al-Khaimah (رأس الخَيمة) in the United Arab Emirates. The peak reaches a height of 1934 meters (6345 ft). View from Jebel Jais Training data for Arabic language models The Internet is dominated by languages that use the Latin alphabet, especially English. This means that the datasets in these languages are the largest. Typically, language models trained in English have Western-oriented datasets and lack awareness of other cultures, which affects the user experience for people from different backgrounds. Jais uses English and Arabic datasets with a focus on Middle Eastern content. Jais was started with 13 billion parameters and has recently being updated to 30 billion parameters. Parameters quantify the size of a language model, but not necessarily its accuracy. According to OpenAI, ChatGPT-3. 5 has about 175 billion parameters. Raw data is mainly obtained from publicly available databases such as Abu El Khair or BAAI, as... --- ### Camels or rain clouds? The intriguing word إبل in the Qur'an - Published: 2023-10-27 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/camel-or-rain-cloud-quran/ - Categories: Islam - Tags: animal, Aramaic, Bedouin, camel, dual, etymology, Hadith, Hebrew, hell, I-verb, Lisan al-Arab, Mecca, Moustapha Akkad, Paradise, Prophet Muhammad, Sahih al-Bukhari, Semitic language, The Message, vocabulary list, wiederholen, همزة - Authors: geralddrissner The word Ibil – إِبِل – appears twice in the Qur'an. But what does it mean? Camels or rain clouds? An investigation. There are some words in the Qur'an whose meaning is not entirely clear to us – for the simple reason that we cannot know for sure what the words meant at the time. But perhaps that is part of the beauty of the Qur'an, that it allows people some leeway in interpreting verses that allude to the greatness of Allah. One of these words is a word we learned about in our series on Arabic terms for camel: إبِل. In this article, we want to look at how this word can be understood in two Qur'an verses. This is also the last part of our series about the words for camel in Arabic. The word إبل in verse 88:17 The translation of Quran verse 88:17 of Sura al-Ghāshiyah (الغاشية), The overwhelming event, is anything but trivial. If we look at the best-known translations, we come across two completely different approaches to the word إبل. Let's now take a closer look at the passage in question (88:17) and check two English translations: أَفَلَا يَنظُرُونَ إِلَى ٱلْإِبِلِ كَيْفَ خُلِقَتْ Do the disbelievers not see how rain clouds are formed - Abdul Haleem Do they not look at the camels, how they are made? - Yusuf Ali So, who is right? The noun إِبْلٌ usually means camels and is a generic term without a singular. However, according to the dictionary Lisan al-Arab it also means clouds carrying rainwater. If we look at the verse and the general idea of God's message to mankind,... --- ### How to use AI to transcribe Arabic videos - Published: 2023-10-13 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/how-to-use-ai-to-transcribe-arabic-videos/ - Categories: Tools and Apps, Translation - Tags: AI, al-Jazeera, expression, Firefox, Google, Google Translate, how to, Linux, transcribing Arabic, transliteration, wiederholen, YouTube - Authors: geralddrissner Creating Arabic transcripts has never been easier thanks to Whisper from OpenAI. You can even automatically translate videos - here's a step-by-step guide. Watching a video and reading what you hear is perhaps the best way to learn and understand a language. Arabic, however, offers few opportunities in this regard. Subtitles are often poorly written by volunteers and often summarize the content, but do not always accurately reflect what was said. Thanks to AI, however, it is now possible to create transcripts of videos yourself – and have them translated at the same time. In this article, I show how you can do this using OpenAI. It all looks a bit nerdy, but it's actually quite simple and can be done in 5 minutes, even for people without terminal/shell or programming skills. We'll do it all step-by-step. Using Whisper AI to transcribe and translate Arabic videos Whisper is a general-purpose speech recognition model developed by OpenAI (the company that created Chat-GPT). It is an automatic speech recognition (ASR) system trained on 680,000 hours of multilingual and multitask supervised data collected from the web. The developers used Python, so you need Python on your computer to run it. It works very well with Spanish, English and German and, surprisingly, Japanese. Arabic is in the middle in terms of word error rate. Compared to other speech-to-text systems, I have to say that Whisper is the best free system available so far. Let's see what it can do. An example of a machine-transcribed Arabic video The media coverage on the major Arabic news channels al-Arabiyya and al-Jazeera is more or less in standard Arabic – but... --- ### Collective nouns in Arabic: Do you use the same word for camels and a camel? - Published: 2023-09-24 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/collective-nouns-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: adjective, agreement, animal, broken plural, camel, comparative, diminutive, dual, elative, emphasis, Gift Idea, grammar books, grammarian, grammatical gender, sound plural, suffix, superlative, wiederholen, جمع, سيبويه, نسبة - Authors: geralddrissner Collective nouns, plurals and singular units are tricky in Arabic. What are the correct patterns, are they masculine or feminine and should we treat them as singular or plural? An overview The Arabic plural is a tricky thing. In many textbooks and dictionaries, the subtleties of the different patterns are lost, which is a shame because depending on which plural form a speaker or writer uses, they are naturally expressing something with that form. Arabic words often have multiple plural forms. There are also special collective forms, which we will look at in more detail in this article. Arabic plural forms - an overview Note: You can skip this if you have passed the beginner level and go to number 2. In Arabic, we have intact/sound plurals (الْجَمْعُ السَّالِمُ) and broken plurals (جَمْعُ التَّكْسَيرِ). Sound plural forms Sound plurals are easy to form and do not pose any grammatical problems. The main part of the noun remains untouched, hence the name "sound/intact". To create the plural, we just add a few letters. There are masculine (جَمْعُ الْمُؤنَّثِ السّالِمُ) and feminine (جَمْعُ الْمُذَكَّرِ السّالِمُ) forms. The masculine forms are used almost exclusively for male people. The feminine forms are used for people and things. Masculine form Example: teacher m. (مُدَرِّسٌ) CASESOUND MASCULINE PLURALnominative (حالةُ الرَّفْعِ)مُدَرِّسُونَgenitive (حالةُ الْجَرِّ) and accusative (حالةُ النَّصْبِ)مُدَرِّسِينَIn sound masculine plural forms, the و of the ending ونَ changes into ي resulting in ينَ Feminine form Example: teacher f. (مُدَرِّسةٌ) CASESOUND FEMININE PLURALnominative (حالةُ الرَّفْعِ)مُدَرِّساتٌgenitive (حالةُ الْجَرِّ) and accusative (حالةُ النَّصْبِ)مُدَرِّساتٍSound feminine plural forms look the same in all cases – but the case endings are different. Watch out: The accusative case is "-in" which can be confusing. As... --- ### Arabic letters in the "Gray Zone": a technique for guiding novice learners - Published: 2023-09-04 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/gray-zone-arabic/ - Categories: Guest Article - Tags: Arabic alphabet, German, how to, Jordan, Latin alphabet, right to left, TAFL, teaching Arabic, wiederholen - Authors: Roger Anderson Arabic beginners who have only learned a few letters often have difficulties in class. A new concept, The Gray Zone, could help, writes Dr. Roger W. Anderson Getting started with the Arabic language is extremely difficult. The Arabic alphabet alone is a major hurdle for anyone who decides to learn Arabic. The dots and dashes above and below the letters, the different shapes depending on the position, and especially the untrained eye muscles that have to get used to moving from right to left don't make it easy. But we all want to feel a sense of achievement quickly, to learn words and be able to speak after just a few hours. Prof. Dr. Roger W. Anderson is an assistant professor of French at the Is Arabic really so hard? The question has been asked for decades: "Is Spanish really so easy? Is Arabic really so hard? "1 As we know, transitioning from one Latin-alphabet-based language to another requires minimal effort when compared to learning a language with a distinct alphabet (or no alphabet at all! ). According to the Modern Language Association’s Fall 2020 study of enrollments in all world language courses within U. S. colleges and universities, the four years’ prior saw the largest drop in Arabic enrollments following those in German. 2 While reasons behind the decline remain unclear, it seems critical that researchers mobilize to understand this trend, and likewise that instructors establish best practices in Arabic language teaching- particularly at the foundational level. Signaling to learners Like all instructors, Arabic as a foreign language (AFL) language instructors must anticipate the aspects of language learning that will be difficult for their learners. One... --- ### The 70 most important Arabic words related to camels - Published: 2023-08-23 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/arabic-words-for-camel/ - Categories: Translation, Etymology - Tags: adjective, animal, Bedouin, caliph, camel, diminutive, Hadith, Hebrew, hell, I-verb, Lane's Lexicon, Lisan al-Arab, Mecca, Medina, Persia, Prophet Muhammad, Semitic language, wiederholen, مصدر - Authors: geralddrissner Arabic learners know the word جمل for camel. But Arabic has hundreds of terms and descriptions for the camel/dromedary. I've collected 70 fascinating Arabic words related to camels - a list Older Arabic dictionaries and collections list hundreds of words that mean camel in one way or another or that describe camels. The camel (the dromedary) has a special significance in Arab culture which is reflected in the Arabic language. Especially in classical Arabic, there are countless terms that are largely extinct today, but still have a special beauty. If you read old texts and descriptions of the desert and desert life, you will come across these words again and again. They also give anyone learning Arabic a sense of how flexibly words can be applied to many different things. What makes Arabic special is not its exactness, but its approximation - that one word can mean many things. Hint: click on "Show" above to open the list Note: Most of the words here are rarely used today. However, if you read old texts, including religious commentaries, you will come across them occasionally. There are also many other dialect expressions that are not listed here (but are welcome to add if someone knows such words! ) Most common Arabic words for camel - generic names إِبِل ('ibil) Camels / a group of camels in general إِبِل is a collective noun similar to the word خَيْلٌ for horses and بَقَرٌ for cattle. إِبِل is considered feminine in Arabic and does not have a singular form. The collective noun إِبِل includes the two main species: the dromedary with a single hump and the camel with two humps. Hump is سَنام in Arabic. If... --- ### What happens in your brain when you learn Arabic? - Published: 2023-08-05 - Modified: 2025-04-02 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/what-happens-in-your-brain-when-you-learn-arabic/ - Categories: Interviews, Learner's Corner - Tags: adult-improving, consonant, Egypt, German, Germany, life-long-learning, Syria, TAFL, teaching Arabic, wiederholen, YouTube - Authors: geralddrissner Learning Arabic requires different brain activity than learning German. What does this mean for adult learners? Can the brain adapt to the new demands? A study from the Max Planck Institute provides answers. In this in-depth interview, Dr. Matthias Schwendemann, who was part of the research team, provides fascinating insights into what happens in our brains when we learn Arabic or German. Does it make a difference in our brain whether someone learns Arabic or German as a small child? And if so, what happens later in the brain when a native Arabic speaker learns German as an adult? A new study by the renowned Max Planck Institute in Germany explored such questions. In this interview, one of the study's authors, Dr. Matthias Schwendemann, tells us more about their findings and why there's good news for anyone who wants to learn a new language late in life. What you'll learn in this interview (TL;DR) INTERESTING When we learn and speak Arabic, we use different brain pathways than when we do so in German. FASCINATING When a native Arabic speaker learns German later in life, some parts and functions of the brain gradually adapt to the specific features of native German speakers. MOTIVATING Researchers have shown that it is possible to successfully learn new things, such as Arabic, later in life. That's good news for adult learners and adult improvers. About: Dr. Matthias Schwendemann (ماتِياس شوِينْدِيمان)Matthias SchwendemannMatthias Schwendemann is a research associate at the Herder Institute of the University of Leipzig in Germany. His research and teaching interests are in the areas of lexicology (word formation), language of science, and acquisition and development of German as a foreign and second language. He is also an external visiting scholar at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences. ORCID-ID ResearchgateINTERVIEW The study and its setup What was the original idea behind the... --- ### How good is your Arabic? A quiz - Published: 2023-07-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/arabic-vocabulary-quiz/ - Categories: Quiz & Trivia - Tags: Biblical Hebrew, database, Hebrew, Hebrew alphabet, Modern Hebrew, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Vocabulary is one of the indicators of how well you know a language. In this test, you will be asked ten questions, randomly selected from a database containing the 6000 most common words in Arabic. Are you ready? Arabic is such a difficult language, especially at the beginning, because you have to learn almost every word from scratch. You can almost never link to words you know from your native language (unless it's Hebrew, in which case Arabic is easy). Language LevelNumber of Base Words NeededA1500A21000B12000B24000C18000C216000Source:  Common European Framework of Reference for Language Learning So, it takes a few years to acquire the necessary vocabulary. In this quiz, you can test how confident you are in Arabic. The 20 words are randomly selected - from a database of the 6000 most common words. --- ### What gender should you use for Arabic grammar terms? - Published: 2023-07-05 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/gender-arabic-grammar-terms/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: adjective, agreement, grammar books, grammatical gender, indeclinable, wiederholen, صفة, مبني, مطابقة, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner In Arabic, do you say مبنيّ or مبنيّة for "indeclinable"? Well, you can use both: masculine or feminine. Here is why. When you read grammar books, you get the impression that there are no rules for the correct gender of grammar terms. Let's take the Arabic term for indeclinable. Some authors choose the mas­culine form (مَبْنِيٌّ), others the feminine (مَبْنِيّةٌ). So, what is correct? Both are correct. Both forms are actually used as adjectives (نعت) – but for two different words which are not there, but understood anyway. What are these hidden words? Both are Arabic terms for word. Arabic has sev­eral words for word:لَفْظٌ, كَلِمةٌ or لُغةٌ. Now we are getting closer to the answer. Grammar terms like inde­clinable (word) are regarded as... Masculine – when they implicitly refer to the word لَفْظٌ. Feminine – when they relate to the gender of كَلِمْةٌ or لُغةٌ. مَبْنِيٌّ is used to further describe these words. It is an adjective, and adjectives need to be in grammatical agreement with the word to which they relate. Thus, it is a matter of taste whether the au­thor had لَفْظٌ مَبْنِيٌّ or كَلِمةٌ مَبْنِيّةٌ in mind. So, you can use either form. Excursus: What does مَبْنِيٌّ mean in Arabic grammar? When you see a particle (حَرْفٌ) – for example, a prepo­sition (حَرْفُ الْجَرِّ) –, you can be sure that it will stay the same and never change its form/shape, no matter what the position in the sentence is. Such words are called مَبْنِيٌّ which means set up, fixed, structured; in linguistics: inde­clinable. Basically, they have a cemented shape. You never have to think about which vowel... --- ### "He gives it to me" - How to add two pronoun suffixes in Arabic - Published: 2023-06-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/arabic-pronoun-suffixes/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: difficult construction, dual, German, Hadith, how to, personal pronoun, Prophet Muhammad, suffix, wiederholen, ضمير - Authors: geralddrissner In Arabic, some verbs can take 2 objects. But as soon as you have 2 pronominal suffixes, it gets tricky. Here's why. In this article, we will look at a rare construction that you may encounter in literature and religious texts. I recently stumbled upon a abbreviation of the phrase صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ which basically means May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. It is used after the name of Prophet Muhammad as a sign of respect and reverence. In English, you may also read PBUH instead (= peace be upon him). The word إِيَّاهُ is weird. The smaller and more general the words are, the more difficult they are to understand. An analysis of the word إِيَّاهُ The Arabic grammarians had different views on how to regard the word إِيّا. Let's cut إِيَّاهُ into two parts. The most logical approach seems to me to be the following: إِيّا As weird, it may look, إِيّا - in constructions like above - is an undefined noun (اِسْمٌ مُبْهَمٌ) with a cemented shape that does not convey a specific meaning on its own. It works as the first part of a genitive construction (مُضافٌ). The word إِيّا will only occur when the accusative form of a pronoun is needed (ضَمِيرٌ مُنْفَصِلٌ مَنْصُوبٌ). We can picture it as a helping word that enables us to add the usual pronoun suffixes(تَتَّصِلُ بِهِ جَمِيعُ الضَّمائِرِ) In short: It is a prefix occurring only with a pronominal suffix, forming with it an independent direct object personal pronoun. هُ This is a pronoun suffix (ضَمِيرٌ مُتَّصِلٌ) of the third person singular, masculine. Grammatically, it is located in... --- ### Understanding the levels of Hell in Islam - Published: 2023-06-04 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/names-of-hell-islam/ - Categories: Islam - Tags: devil, diptote, dual, etymology, Farsi, Hebrew, hell, Islamic phrases, Jerusalem, wiederholen, ممنوع من الصرف - Authors: geralddrissner In Islam, there are many names for hell and hellfire. Most of them are found in the Holy Qur'an. A list. There are several and most of them are found in the Qur'an. Some Islamic sources for the stages or types of Hell are contradict­ing. ‘Ali ibn ’Abi Talib said that the levels of Hell are ranked accord­ing to the degree of torture in descending order. Let's look at the most important terms. Jahannam Arabic: جَهَنَّم Generally used for Hell or Hellfire. Jahannam is mentioned in the Qur'an 77 times and is usually translated as Hell or Hellfire. A name of the fire with which Allah will punish in the life to come all disobedient, unbelieving slaves. Some linguists suggest that it was originally a Persian word. Others say that it originates from the Hebrew word Gehinnom (Old Hebrew: גהנום/גהנם, derived from a place outside ancient Jerusalem known in the Hebrew Bible as the Valley of the Son of Hinnom - in Hebrew: גֵיא בֶן־הִנֹּם or גיא בן-הינום, Gai Ben-Hinnom). At this place, some kings sacrificed their children by fire to the idol Moloch. Sura 50:24: "Hurl/throw every obstinate disbeliever into Hell. " أَلْقِيَا فِي جَهَنَّمَ كُلَّ كَفَّارٍ عَنِيدٍ Note: The verb here is in the dual (a special grammatical form in Arabic) and the ad­dressee is either the two recording an­gels or two angels who guard Hell. Hutama Arabic: الْحُطَمة Meaning: Crusher (which smashes or breaks into pieces). A vehement fire that breaks into pieces everything that is cast into it. Some say it is the fourth stage of Hell. Some say it is a gate of Hell. Sura 104:4:... --- ### New feature: Hear how ARABIC words are pronounced - Published: 2023-05-24 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/audio-version-arabic-for-nerds/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: AI, Google, podcast - Authors: geralddrissner Arabic for Nerds offers a NEW service to subscribers (plus members): Mark any Arabic text with mouse or finger (mobile) and hear how the word is pronounced in Arabic. Arabic for Nerds offers a NEW service to Mark any Arabic word and press PLAY to hear how it is pronounced Many users have requested this feature. Since Google Cloud - which I use for the AI audio - is not free, I cannot offer this feature to all users but only to supporters of the website. This is a beta feature, so please keep that in mind. I would appreciate suggestions for improvement. If you encounter any difficulties or problems, feel free to send me a message - as the service will be expanded and improved in the future. --- ### What are the best dictionaries for Palestinian Arabic? - Published: 2023-05-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/dictionaries-palestinian-arabic/ - Categories: Dialects, Tools and Apps - Tags: Android, Arabic alphabet, Arabic script, conjugation, database, Gift Idea, Hebrew, Jerusalem, Palestine, Palestinian Arabic, wiederholen, تشكيل - Authors: geralddrissner Maknuune is a new dictionary of Palestinian Arabic. I had a look at the excellent lexicon, but also checked other encyclopedias and study tools dealing with Palestinian Arabic. Having your own language, or at least your own dialect, is an important part of identity. It is therefore all the more gratifying that an excellent dictionary of Palestinian Arabic - Maknuune (مَكْنُونة) - is now available as an online encyclopedia and in the form of a book as a PDF version. This dictionary documents an important part of Palestinian identity. In this article, I briefly introduce the dictionary project. I also discuss other Palestinian Arabic resources and dictionaries. Maknuune Maknuune (مَكْنُونة) is a large and accessible free encyclopedia documenting the Palestinian Arabic dialect. It is a project of NYU University in Abu Dhabi and was published in February 2023. The encyclopedia is available as an online version and as a PDF version on the website www. palestine-lexicon. org The dictionary is the result of a collaboration between traditional linguists and computer linguists. Maknuune ("mac-new-nay") has over 36000 entries and contains 3700 roots. All entries are with Tashkeel, there is a phonological transcription and English translations. Some entries are enriched with additional information such as plural (جَمْع) and feminine (مُؤَنَّث) forms, associated phrases and collocations (تلازمات لفظية), notes on Standard Arabic usage (الفُصْحَى), and examples or notes on grammar. Palestinian Arabic Dictionary Maknuune's also includes idioms and collocations. In linguistics, collocations show how words go together or form fixed relationships. For example, in English, you say to take a quick shower, but to take a fast train. So it is important to know which words are usually used together. Palestinian... --- ### The legend of Tariq ibn Ziyad and the burning of ships - Published: 2023-05-05 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/conquest-andalus/ - Categories: Islam, History - Tags: al-Andalus, caliph, emphasis, Mecca, Morocco, Ramadan, wiederholen, YouTube, النفي, مسلسل - Authors: geralddrissner Tariq Ibn Ziyad (allegedly) burnt his own fleet after his warriors set foot on Iberian soil. His speech is legendary. The Islamic conquest of Spain is one of the most important chapters in the history of Islam. There is a famous legend about this conquest. The main character is Tariq ibn Ziyad (طارِق بن زِياد). Tariq is credited with one of the boldest moves in military history: He burned his own fleet. Who was Tariq ibn Ziyad? Tariq ibn Ziyad (~670-679; died: 720 in Damascus) was a convert to Islam from a Berber tribe of Algeria. He was said to be a freed slave. Later, Tariq bin Ziyad led the Muslim con­quest of Spain and conquered al-’Andalus (الْأَنْدلُس‎‎) which is called Andalusia in English. The name denotes those parts of Spain which were Arabized in the Middle Ages. The legend: The burning of the ships After his warriors set foot on Iberian soil, Tariq ibn Ziyad burnt his ships to fur­ther motivate his soldiers. He left them with only two choices: to either conquer Spain or to die in honor. His army consisted of around 12,000 sol­diers, and most of them were infantry. https://youtu. be/Za-Ko5OPccU? t=1748Scene: Tariq bin Ziyad burns his own fleet and sends a warning to his enemy. The famous speech of Tariq ibn Ziyad When I was studying Arabic in Egypt and later in other Arab countries, I learned about Tariq's famous speech and the story that he burned his ships many times. It is a true and powerful story of bravery and heroism. So, I wasn't surprised that the director of the film "Boy from Heaven,"... --- ### Key uses of إِنَّ in Arabic Grammar - Published: 2023-04-22 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/inna-in-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: adverb, difficult construction, emphasis, expression, wiederholen, جملة فعلية, حال, ظرف, قَسَم - Authors: geralddrissner The particle إِنَّ is often misused. In fact, there are not many situations when you have to use it. An overview. There are at least nine important situations. إِنَّ is translated as verily; indeed; certainly; that – or is even left untranslated. It all depends on the context. إِنَّ basically conveys emphasis and is thus often called an emphatic particle. This little device gives even native speakers a hard time. But it is not that difficult. In this article, we'll take a brief look at the most important situations. To start a nominal sentence إنّ is used at the beginning of a nominal sentence (جُمْلةٌ اِسْمِيّةٌ). It works as an amplifier. Certainly (indeed), work is im­portant for people. . إِنَّ الْعَمَلَ ضَرُورِيٌّ لِلإِنْسانِ After a quotation My professor said: "Indeed, the prices in this shop are high. "قالَ أُسْتاذِي:إِنَّ الأَسْعارَ فِي هٰذا الْمَحَلِّ مُرْتَفِعةٌ Good to know: almost always use إِنَّ after يَقُولُ - قالَ (R2=و)! I say firmly that... أَقُولُ جازِمًا إِنَّ After a particle of inauguration After أَلا, a so-called intensifying interjection or particle of inauguration (حَرْفُ اِسْتِفْتاحٍ). The expression أَلا can be rendered as oh yes, in­deed, truly, verily. It literally means: is it not. Oh yes, everything is ephemeral (lasting for a short time; not permanent)! أَلا إِنَّ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ زائِلٌAfter the Arabic word for "not at all"; "no way" After the word كَلَّا which denotes not at all; on the con­trary; by no means! Certainly not! Never! No! No! He has been stubbornly hostile to Our revelation. (Sura 74:16)كَلَّا إِنَّهُ كَانَ لِآيَاتِنَا عَنِيدًا After the Arabic word إذ After the particle إِذْ. In such constructions, إِذْ... --- ### 22 things you did not know about the Oxford Arabic dictionary - Published: 2023-04-05 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/oxford-arabic-dictionary/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: AI, Arabic slang, Arabist, browser extension, database, Hans Wehr, how to, Lisan al-Arab, wiederholen, شدة, همزة - Authors: geralddrissner The Oxford Dictionary is the most up-to-date Arabic dictionary on the market today. In this interview, Tressy Arts, the dictionary's editor-in-chief, talks about the creation of this gigantic work. We learn why swear words aren't easy to translate into Arabic, how computers helped create the dictionary, and which Arabic words are particularly tricky. The Oxford Arabic - English Dictionary (OAD) is the most up-to-date Arabic dictionary on the market. It contains more than 130,000 words and phrases and 200,000 translations. It also helps with verb conjugation and gives tips on how to write the numbers correctly. I am therefore delighted that the Editor-in-Chief and team leader of the Oxford Arabic Dictionary, Tressy Arts, is answering questions for us in this interview. Tressy Arts is an Arabist and lexicographer who worked on the Example Oxford Arabic Dictionary What is the biggest difficulty in writing a dictionary? What do you have to pay particular attention to? I have worked on dictionaries of many languages now over the years. I think the biggest challenge for editors of any bilingual dictionary is that it is really hard to translate a word, as opposed to a text. That sounds paradoxical – surely a text is composed of many words, so should be harder? But in practice, getting down to word level is really difficult. When you translate a text, you have the full context; if one word doesn't quite work, you can play around with the surrounding text to make sure that the translation matches the intention of the original. When writing a dictionary, you don’t have that space: every word needs to be perfect. Most words have several meanings, which we call senses, so you'll have to use indicators and collocates to explain to people in which context you use which translation. Some older dictionaries, like Hans... --- ### Fixing Arabic Font Issues in LibreOffice - Published: 2023-03-18 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/libreoffice-fix-font-arabic/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: Biblical Hebrew, browser extension, Hebrew, Hebrew alphabet, LibreOffice, Linux, Microsoft Word, Modern Hebrew, right to left, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner There is an annoying behavior in LibreOffice: if the system language (English) differs from the writing language (Arabic), the font cannot easily be changed. A new extension by Mejlad Alsubaie, a developer from Kuwait, addresses this issue. I've been using Linux for more than twenty-five years, so my software environment is completely open source. For writing, I use LibreOffice instead of Microsoft Word. At first, it was quite difficult to write Arabic texts in LibreOffice. At the end of 2016, however, LibreOffice expanded language support. LibreOffice provides support for both Complex Text Layout (CTL) and Right to Left (RTL) layout languages (such as Urdu, Hebrew, and Arabic). Today, I no longer have any difficulties when I switch between Arabic and English and German. For most of the time, I use templates. However, if you do not work with format templates and change fonts manually, you will have to contend with a strange and annoying behavior of LibreOffice. A developer from Kuwait (Font Name Fix (إصلاح اسم الخط أثناء الكتابة في ليبروفس) It fixes the name of the font while writing if the system language is different from the writing language. Many may not even be aware of the problem. You take LibreOffice's behavior for granted and just do a few more extra clicks to fix it manually. But once you understand where the problem lies, the extension makes life a little easier. So, let's see what the problem is about. The problem when switching languages in LibreOffice If you switch to Arabic and then select a font for Arabic from the font dropdown, LibreOffice always switches back to the default font. Why is that? It is related to the settings. In the settings of LibreOffice Writer, you... --- ### Transcribe Arabic dialects easily with Maqsam - Published: 2023-03-03 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/transcribe-arabic-videos/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: AI, Alexandria, Arab spring, Egypt, Google, Google Translate, how to, Linux, wiederholen, YouTube, بسم الله, نون, همزة - Authors: geralddrissner Maqsam is a new tool to transcribe Arabic audio. It recognizes almost all Arabic dialects. Does it also understand Gaddafi's Zanga Zanga speech? A song by Elissa? A critical test. Automatic speech recognition and transcription has made great advancements. This works very well in English and German, and even YouTube can do it. Arabic speech recognition has been a disaster so far, mainly due to the dialects and of course the lack of training data. Now, there is a new tool that is very promising: Maqsam (مقسم). The Jordan-based technology company Maqsam (مقسم) has done a lot of research in the fields of Arabic speech recognition. They offer a trial version online that everyone can access for free. Let's see what it is capable of. What is Maqsam? Maqsam (مقسم) has launched a new Arabic speech recognition tool (تحويل الكلام الى نص) and claims that it can outperform Google and Microsoft as well as other regional competitors in the race to transcribe Arabic dialects of the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) region. Here are a few keywords about the new tool: You can access the trial version at https://intelligence. maqsam. com Maqsam Speech to Text recognizes and annotates not only regular expressions, but also domain-specific jargon when mixed with other languages. Maqsam can deal with noise very well. Maqsam’s transcription model has been heavily trained with custom acoustic, language, and pronunciation models. It "understands" almost all Arabic dialects and variants, including the more difficult North African dialects. Does AI understand your spoken Arabic? Here is how to test it It's very exciting to check whether an automatic speech recognition will recognize and understand what you say in Arabic. If... --- ### 20 questions for: Dominic Herbert (#32) - Published: 2023-02-18 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-dominic-herbert/ - Categories: 9273 roots, Interviews - Tags: Alexandria, Arabic proverb, Arabic script, Arabist, Farsi, how to, London, Riyadh, Shia, wiederholen, YouTube - Authors: geralddrissner Long-distance athletes may find their stamina helps them persevere in the study of Arabic. Dominic Herbert is one of them. Learn more about him in this 9273 roots interview (#32). Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493,934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Dominic Herbert دومينيك هربرت The triathlete who treats Arabic like an exercise in endurance. Dominic Herbert Date of birth: 1971 Place of birth: London, England Place of residence: London How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? My name is Dominic Herbert and my relationship with the Arabic language began 30 years ago. I spend most of my time outside work engrossed in language learning and endurance sports, so you could say it makes sense that my favourite language is the "long-distance, endurance sport" of the world’s languages: Arabic. I first discovered the "east" in the summer of 1988 when I worked as a volunteer at Dar ul Sukun in Karachi, Pakistan, a home for abandoned children with disabilities (darulsukun. com). You might argue that the powerful influence working with vulnerable people had on my life was to be expected, but a more subtle awakening occurred that summer: I fell for the beauty of the Arabic script. On my way to and from work in a rickshaw I’d stare at the road signs, the majority of which showed place names written in both English and Urdu. In this way I pieced together the "Arabic" alphabet. An Iranian colleague at Dar ul Sukun waxed lyrical about all things Iranian, so on my return to London I set out to learn... --- ### How ChatGPT can enhance Arabic learning - Published: 2023-02-04 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/how-can-you-use-chatgpt-to-learn-arabic/ - Categories: Guest Article, Tools and Apps - Tags: AI, Arabic proverb, chatGPT, database, Google Translate, grammar books, grammatical gender, how to, imperative, Levantine Arabic, podcast, social media, wiederholen, جمع, عدد, مصدر, همزة - Authors: lisaschor Many of you may have heard of ChatGPT. There is a lot of praise for the new AI tool. So, how well does it do in Arabic? Our guest author, Lisa Schor, ran a few queries in Arabic and found interesting results. Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is rapidly advancing and changing the way we interact with the world around us. Recently, the launch of the AI-based chatbot ChatGPT has caused quite a stir on social media. It offers countless application possibilities. In this article, I will test the possibilities of ChatGPT in detail to see how good its Arabic skills are. What is ChatGPT? ChatGPT is the prototype of a chatbot, i. e. , a text-based dialogue system based on machine learning. GPT stands for: Generative Pre-trained Transformer. ChatGPT allows you to have human-like conversations. The AI tool can answer questions and help you with tasks like writing essays, translations, and produce or check code. Currently, people can use it for free. What can ChatGPT do in Arabic? To make the questions and answers easy to read, they are presented here as text. If Lisa Schor (the author of this article) asks something, the paragraph has a red border. If ChatGPT answers, the border is green. To start, I wanted to know from ChatGPT how it could help me learn Arabic. Let's see what happened. TASK: How can I use ChatGPT to learn Arabic? Lisa Schor: How can I use ChatGPT to learn Arabic? ChatGPT: There are a few ways that you can use ChatGPT to learn Arabic: Vocabulary practice: You can use ChatGPT to help you practice new vocabulary words. Simply input a word or phrase in English, and ChatGPT will provide the Arabic translation. You can also use it to... --- ### Sibawayhi: The father of Arabic grammar - Published: 2023-01-19 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/sibawayhi-al-kitab/ - Categories: History - Tags: al-Jazeera, al-Kitaab, Arabic saying, Aramaic, Basra, Classical Arabic, diminutive, Farsi, grammarian, indeclinable, Persia, wiederholen, YouTube, سيبويه, مبني - Authors: geralddrissner Sibawayhi's book al-Kitab was the first formal and analytical Arabic grammar. It is a groundbreaking work. Some background Nowadays, many learners of Arabic think of the name "al-Kitaab" (الكتاب) as a three-volume textbook that is used at US universities to teach Arabic to beginners and at the intermediate level. The name, however, holds monumental importance. al-Kitab (الكتاب) is the title of the most important and fundamental Arabic grammar book in history: written by Sibawayhi, one of the most brilliant grammarians of all time. In this article, we will have a brief look at his life and work. Who was Sibawayhi? Sībawayhi (سيبويه) was born in the middle of the 8th century in Shiraz, Persia. Later, he moved to Basra (الْبَصْرةُ) in present-day Iraq where he studied the early history of Islam, jurisprudence (الْفِقْهُ), and the traditions and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (الْحَدِيثُ). Bust of Sibawayh He took lessons from Hammād ibn Salama (حمّاد ابْن سَلَمة), a highly respected Islamic scholar – an encounter which, as it turned out later, was of great importance for Arabic. It appears to me that Sībawayhi's linguistic inability almost forced him to study grammar in the presence of his mentor. Like a man possessed, he began to analyze every aspect of Arabic. His findings about syntax, morphology, and phonology later became the founding text of Arabic grammatical science. Remark: Before the Arabs were introduced to Islam, despite having a strong language, there wasn't any formalized grammar. Schol­ars have suggested that Sībawayhi was perhaps familiar with Aramaic and took some rules of Aramaic as his guide for recording the Arabic grammar. Sībawayhi died... --- ### Understanding Quranic Arabic: The deletion of ن in كان - Published: 2023-01-05 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/delete-nun-kana/ - Categories: Grammar, Islam, Translation - Tags: conditional sentence, emphasis, grammar books, how to, Jesus, lost in translation, Mary, mood, Moustapha Akkad, Prophet Muhammad, Sura 16, Sura 19, The Message, wiederholen, YouTube, مجزوم, نون, همزة - Authors: geralddrissner In certain situations, we can delete the ن of the verb كان. This happens in the jussive mood (مجزوم) and is used in the Quran. Anyone who reads the Qur'an will always come across things that are very strange at first glance. For example, the expression: لَمْ نَكُ which means we were not; we did not. Is this a special verb or fossilized expression? No, it isn't. It looks strange because we only have one (root) letter left here, the ك. So, what happened? It is the verb كانَ in the jussive mood (مجزوم), but the letter ن was deleted. Many grammar books no longer go into this because such stylistic devices are not used in Modern Standard Arabic today. That is why Arabic learners may fail to understand and explain certain verses of the Qur'an properly. Such finesses of the Qur'an are fascinating, and probably there for reasons of sound harmony or meaning or emphasis. We can only speculate about that; there is no definite answer. Let's jump right in the water. When would it be possible to delete the ن of كان? We can only delete the ن of كان pro­vided that the follow­ing prerequi­sites are fulfilled: The verb كانَ is used in the present tense (فِعْلٌ مُضارِعٌ), i. e. , يكون. You cannot delete the ن of كان in any form of its morphological past tense (فعل ماضٍ). The verb must be in the jussive mood (مَجْزُومٌ). In our situation, this means that we need to negate the verb with لَمْ or need a conditional parti­cle before it. The jussive is marked by سُكُونٌ on the final letter. Since the verb in... --- ### 20 questions for: Jan Hoogland (#31) - Published: 2022-12-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-jan-hoogland/ - Categories: 9273 roots, Interviews - Tags: anecdote, Arab spring, Arabic music, Arabic proverb, Arabist, database, Egypt, expression, Gift Idea, Hans Wehr, Morocco, podcast, Spotify, teaching Arabic, wiederholen, YouTube - Authors: geralddrissner I am a big fan of the Oxford Arabic Dictionary. Therefore, I am honored that one of the creators of this exceptional dictionary was available for the 9273-roots series: Jan Hoogland, a Dutch Arabic scholar and Moroccan Arabic expert. Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493,934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Jan Hoogland يان هوخلاند The Arabist who created the lexical basis of theexcellent Oxford Arabic-English Dictionary Date of birth: March, 26th, 1957 Place of birth: Rotterdam, The Netherlands Place of residence: Den Haag (The Hague), The Netherlands Online presence: www. janhoogland. com and academia. edu How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? I am a Dutch Arabist, specialized in teaching and lexicography of Modern Standard Arabic and Moroccan Arabic (Darija). Since 1977 I am deeply in love with Morocco. What was your first Arabic grammar book? Ziadeh and Winder: An introduction to Modern Arabic. After having taught Modern Arabic for many years, I know wonder how such a poorly structured book still made me successful in learning Arabic. What is your favorite Arabic book (novel, etc. )? Hot Maroc (هُوتْ مارُوك) by Yassin Adnan (ياسين عدنان). It is the latest novel I have read, but it also depicts Moroccan society in a perfect way and it uses Moroccan Colloquial Arabic (called Darija in Morocco) in different ways. The written use of Darija in Morocco has been a main topic of interest since I wrote my MA thesis on it in 1983. The main character of the book "Hot Maroc" is Rahhal Laâouina, a slow-witted coward who becomes a hero in his dreams and online, whether on facebook or... --- ### What are the best Christmas gifts for Arabic nerds in 2022? - Published: 2022-12-04 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/best-christmas-gifts-arabic-nerds/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: Arab spring, Arabic literature, Egypt, Gift Idea, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine, Sura 2, Taha Hussein, United Kingdom, YouTube - Authors: geralddrissner Christmas is coming and for those who celebrate it or need a gift - Here are the TOP CHRISTMAS PRESENTS for Arabic nerds. If you celebrate Christmas or need to buy gifts for loved ones, you will know the problem. It is quite difficult to find unique presents related to Arabic. I've compiled a list of the top gifts for Arabic nerds and geeks. No matter what your budget is, there is something to fit into it. These gifts, of course, work for any occasion and not only Christmas. Seiko watch in Arabic design Price: between $150 and $230 The Japanese manufacturer of watches offers a special edition: The Seiko 5 has a remarkable black Eastern Arabic dial - you get the so-called Hindu-Arabic. Unfortunately, you can only order it in specific countries and not worldwide. If you cannot get it on Amazon, try to search for the following model names: SNKP21J1 (42 mm) and SNK063J5 (34 mm) The watch is available at amazon. com Here is a video about the watch: https://www. youtube. com/watch? v=MAXgvvcW9ms Gift card to study the Qur'an Price: One-year gift card for $89. 99; three months for $29. 97 Tarteel advances your Qur'an memorization by interacting with you as you recite: Be notified of mistakes in your recitation in real-time. Tarteel closely follows along with your recitation and notifies you of incorrect words. Tarteel enforces correct sentence structure and detects when you miss a word or recite the wrong verse. Buy Tarteel Gift CardMugs to show off you know Arabic Price: between $11 and $14 Square Kufic (خَطُّ كُوفِيٌّ مُرَبَّعٌ) uses the most basic forms of the Arabic... --- ### The many names of the Final Day in Islam - Published: 2022-11-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/islamic-name-final-day/ - Categories: Islam - Tags: hell, Islamic phrases, Paradise, vocabulary list, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner There are many names in Islam for the Final Day, the Day of Judgement. Here is a list with the Arabic names. Islam teaches that there will be a Day of Judgement when all humans will be divided between the eternal destinations of Paradise and Hell. On this Last Day the world will be destroyed and Allah will raise all people and Jinns from the graves to be judged. Until the Day of Judgement, deceased souls remain in their graves awaiting the resurrection. However, they will get a taste of their future destiny. Those who are checked-in for Hell will suffer in their graves, while those bound for heaven will be in peace during this waiting period. The resurrection is physical and Muslims believe that Allah will recreate the decayed body. The Day of Judgement has many names in Islam. In this article, we will focus on the most common names - especially those that appear in the Holy Quran. It is interesting to see with which terms the Last Day is associated. Let's check the names in the Qur'an, their meaning and how often they occur (last column). Here is a vocabulary list: يَوْم الْقِيَامةDay of Resurrection70الْيَوْم الْآخِرThe Last Day26الْآخِرةThe Hereafter111الدَّار الْآخِرةThe Abode of The Hereafter9السّاعةThe Hour39يَوْم الْبَعْثThe Day of Resurrection2يَوْم الْخُرُوجThe Day of Emergence1الْقَارِعةThe Striking Calamity4يَوْم الْفَصْلThe Day of Decision, Sorting out6يَوْم الدِّينThe Day of Recompense10الصّاخّةThe Deafening Blast1الطَّامَّة الْكُبْرَىThe Greatest Catastrophe1يَوْم الْحَسْرةThe Day of Regret1الْغاشِيةThe Overwhelming 1الْواقِعةThe Great Event2يَوْم الْحِسابThe Day of Account4يَوْم الْوَعِيدThe Day of the Threat1يَوْم الْآزِفةThe Approaching Day1يَوْم الْجَمْعThe Day of Assembly3الْحَاقَّةThe Sure Reality3يَوْم التَّنَادThe Day of Calling1يَوْم التَّلَاقThe Day of Meeting1يَوْم التَّغَابُنThe Day of Mutual Loss... --- ### Free online Arabic grammar test from Al-Jazeera - Published: 2022-11-06 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/how-to-pass-the-al-jazeera-arabic-grammar-test/ - Categories: Grammar, Quiz & Trivia - Tags: absolute object, adjective, adverb, agreement, al-Jazeera, conditional sentence, diptote, dual, future tense, grammatical gender, how to, I-verb, mood, sound plural, suffix, wiederholen, جمع, جملة فعلية, حال, ظرف, عدد, مجزوم, مصدر, ممنوع من الصرف - Authors: geralddrissner Al-Jazeera offers a grammar test. There are a couple of pitfalls. So, reason enough to take a look at the most important Arabic grammar topics. Al-Jazeera offers excellent material for free for Arabic learners. It is mainly for beginners and intermediate students who feel comfortable reading and listening to short articles. Al-Jazeera also offers an online quiz (اختبر مستواك في التراكيب والقواعد النحوية) to test your knowledge of grammar: 20 questions about صرف and نحو. About the Al-Jazeera grammar test The questions start from how to correctly use question words and pronouns and end in more advanced structures. You have two and a half minutes for the test. In this article, I will revise some grammatical problems which occur in the test. On the one hand because Al-Jazeera unfortunately does not explain on their website why answers are correct or wrong. (So even after having done the test, you may check here where and why you went with the wrong answer. ) Most importantly, however, if you understand these things, the test will be a piece of cake for you, and you can be sure that your level of grammar is quite bullet-proof. For those who are not interested in the Al-Jazeera quiz, the article may still be interesting, as I cover and review some important chapters of Arabic grammar. Note that in the online quiz, there is no English translation of the sentences. The vocab is not difficult and even if you don't understand a sentence, by merely looking at the skeleton of the sentence and the vowels, you should be able to find the correct answer. Arabic grammar test by Al-JazeeraAl-Jazeera Grammar Test... --- ### Top 5 reasons MBC Shahid is better than Netflix for Arabic speakers - Published: 2022-10-22 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/arabic-movies/shahid-streaming-platform-arabic/ - Categories: Movies & Series - Tags: al-Arabiya, English subtitle, Germany, Gulf Arabic, Iraq, Netflix, podcast, Turkish, wiederholen, مسلسل - Authors: geralddrissner Shahid is an Arabic streaming platform. It offers 25,000 hours of Arabic series and movies. Shahid clearly beats Netflix when it comes to Arabic. Shahid is cheaper, has better Arabic content, and best of all, it offers subtitles in English, French, and Arabic. A no-brainer for people who like Arabic. I am often asked which Netflix series I would recommend in Arabic. The main reason people choose Netflix is ​​the availability of English subtitles - without subs, even native Arabic speakers do struggle sometimes to understand subtleties. The various Arabic dialects, especially Moroccan, Iraqi and Gulf Arabic, are not always easy to understand. But as of now, I wouldn't recommend Netflix anymore. Anyone who can afford it should strongly consider taking out a subscription to Shahid (شاهد). The Arabic word شاهد, by the way, means witness or someone who is watching. Shahid is also a male given name. Shahid Logo: https://shahid. mbc. net/en Let's talk about money: Shahid costs 7. 99 euros per month (October 2022) in Germany. I assume that Shahid uses dynamic pricing, which means that the price may vary depending on your location. The company quite often offers special discounts that make the price more attractive, for example, you get 3 months for the price of one. Subscriptions are available in most countries around the world. MBC Shahid websiteNow, let's see what Shahid is all about. Here are five reasons why Shahid is the better Netflix - for anyone who enjoys or learns Arabic: The platform: top-notch, fast Optically, Shahid looks like a twin of Netflix. It seems to me that Shahid has embraced the look and structure of Netflix. The shows are sorted by genre or country of origin. You can see what's trending in your country. Streaming is ultra-fast and in very high quality (1080p... --- ### How do you say LGBTQ in Arabic? - Published: 2022-10-10 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/lgbtq-in-arabic/ - Categories: Translation, Tools and Apps - Tags: Arabic media, database, Egypt, expression, Google, grammatical gender, Jordan, Palestine, social media, United Nations, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Arabic dictionaries are often outdated. A database by the United Nations can help translate new political, economic or social terms. Here is how to use it. Arabic dictionaries often lack political terms, current terms used in media as well as academic terms. Furthermore, you will struggle to find good translations of names of international organizations or economic terms. A friend recently asked me how I would translate the English Term LGBTQI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex) into Arabic as he read something on Twitter. I was not sure because the words used in the abbreviation are words that you hardly hear in Arabic due to cultural and religious reasons. Especially in Arab countries, one has to be careful to use such words. The lead singer of the Lebanese indie rock band Mashrou' Leila (مشروع ليلى) is openly gay. In 2017, at a concert outside Cairo in Egypt, men and women were seen waiving rainbow flags, the symbol of gay pride. In the next days, the worst-ever crackdown on Egypt's gay community followed. In August 2023, Iraq's official media regulator has ordered all media and social media companies not to use the term homosexuality (المثلية الجنسية) and instead to say sexual deviance (الشذوذ الجنسي). The Iraqi Communications and Media Commission (CMC) document stated that the use of the term gender (الجندر) was also prohibited. It banned all telephone and Internet companies licensed by it from using the terms in any of their mobile applications. A government spokesman said the penalty for violating the rule has not yet been determined, but could include a fine. So, I tried to look it up on the internet and in... --- ### English tenses in Arabic - a comprehensive guide - Published: 2022-09-23 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/english-tenses-in-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar, Translation - Tags: adverb, apodosis, conditional sentence, difficult construction, dual, future tense, how to, imperative, mood, protasis, wiederholen, الماضي, النفي, مجزوم - Authors: geralddrissner The English tenses are not always easy to translate into Arabic. An overview of all English tenses and moods and how to express them in Arabic. Tenses are among the most difficult things in most lan­guages – but not in Arabic. In French, for example, expressing an act or event in the past can rather be complicated as you need to choose from l’imparfait, le passé simple, le passé com­posé, le plus-que-parfait, le passé an­térieur. And in Arabic? First of all, basically you can translate any idea, thought or concept into other languages. But you may need quite complex constructions or additional information, where other languages only need a word. In this article, I will give an overview of the English "tenses" and present some ideas how we could express them in Arabic. The concept of tenses in Arabic and English It might be surprising, but Arabic and English work pretty similar re­garding tenses and time. In Arabic as well as in English, there is only one form for the past and one for the present tense. Wait – but what about the future, the conditional, ... in English? Germanic languages exhibit only two tense forms. English is a Germanic lan­guage. In French or Spanish, this is different. The key word is form. Tense in English is a form as well as an idea. The future is formed by making the main verb condi­tional and by adding an adverb of time to the sentence. We need to introduce two linguistic terms in order to un­derstand the concept of tenses in Arabic: Arabic does not have accurate time-points as French. The imparfait in French, for example, is... --- ### EgyptAir flight 990: A tragic aviation mystery and its link to Islam - Published: 2022-09-05 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/egypt-air-flight-990/ - Categories: History, Islam - Tags: devil, Egypt, Egyptian Arabic, expression, future tense, Hadith, Islamic phrases, Israel, Prophet Muhammad, V-verb, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner After an Egypt Air flight crashed in 1999 at JFK airport, the US investigators stiffened on the last words of the flight officer: "tawakkaltu ala Allah". Egypt-Air flight 990 was a flight from Los Angeles to Cairo with a stop at JFK airport in New York. On October 31, 1999, the airplane - a Boeing 767-366ER named Tuthmosis III - crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, about 100 km (60 mi) south of Nantucket Island, Massachu­setts. All 217 people on board died. According to the voice recorder1, the captain excused himself to go to the lavatory. Thirty seconds later the first officer said in Egyptian Arabic: "I put my trust in Allah" (تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَى اللّهِ). A minute later, the autopi­lot was turned-off and immediately thereafter, both engines were reduced to idle. The first of­ficer repeated: "I put my trust in Allah" ten more times before the captain (who had returned) shouted re­peatedly: "What's happening, what's happen­ing? " (Notice: This was before 9/11 when it was possible to enter the cockpit from outside. ) The last words of the captain according to the voice recorder are: "What is this? What is this? Did you shut the engine(s)? Pull! Pull with me! Pull with me! Pull with me! " The reason for the crash is still unclear. The US investigators claimed that the expression "I put my trust in Allah" ("I rely on Allah") indic­ated that the first officer wanted to commit sui­cide (! ) and may have intentionally caused the crash. US officials concluded that the "prob­able cause" for the crash was deliberate action by the first officer. The Egyptians offered several control failure scenarios. Some Egyptians claimed... --- ### How do you form the imperative of ‎قالَ‎ in the dual? - Published: 2022-08-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/imperative-arabic-dual/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: consonant, dual, I-verb, imperative, mood, suffix, V-verb, wiederholen, الماضي, مجزوم - Authors: geralddrissner Arabic roots with weak letters are tricky. If you want to express "say!" (you both - dual) in Arabic, you use قُولا‎. Why do we keep the و here? An analysis. Admittedly, this is a form that you will rarely encounter, as the dual (الْمُثَنَّى) is pretty much not used in colloquial Arabic. Instead, in spoken Arabic, you use the plural of the imperative (أَمْرٌ) to express the dual. But it is a good exercise to test your feeling for tricky Arabic roots. Let us recall how we build the imperative in Arabic: Form the present tense. For example: you write (تَكْتُبُ) Put the verb into the jussive mood (مَجْزُومٌ) → you delete the last vowel and add سُكُونٌ resulting in: تَكْتُبْ Delete the prefix – which is the ت. → We get: كْتُبْ If you now have a word that has a vowel on the first consonant, you are already done. This would be the situation in all verb forms other than the forms of I-verbs (فَعلَ). For example, the V-verb you speak (تَتَكَلَّمُ)‎‎ → تَتَكَلَّمْ ‎‎→ ‎تَكَلَّمْ (speak! ) If you end up with a word starting with consonant plus سُكُونٌ, you need to add a helping device (prefix) based on the stem vowel. This is our situation: كْتُبْ If the stem vowel is "u" (ضَمَّةٌ), the prefix is اُ. This is what we have in كَتَبَ‎ / يَكْتُبُ. The final result is اُكْتُبْ (write! ) If the stem vowel is "a" (فَتْحةٌ) or "i" (كَسْرةٌ), the prefix is اِ. For example: جَلَسَ‎ / يَجْلِسُ (to sit). We get اِجْلِسْ (sit! ) This is the standard situation - but there are many spoilers. If there is a قُلْyou; masculineأَنْتَقُولِيyou;... --- ### What is the connection between Immanuel Kant and the Basmala? > To this day it is unclear why the "Basmala" was written on the invitation to the ceremonial awarding of Immanuel Kant's doctorate. An analysis - Published: 2022-08-04 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/why-did-immanuel-kant-write-the-basmalah-on-his-thesis/ - Categories: History, Islam - Tags: anecdote, basmalah, caliph, Hebrew, imperative, Jesus, Mesopotamia, Prophet Muhammad, Sura 2, wiederholen, YouTube, ألف, بسم الله, همزة - Authors: geralddrissner The German philosopher Immanuel Kant is one of the most important representatives of the Enlightenment. To date, it is unclear why the "Basmala" was written on the invitation to the ceremonial awarding of his doctorate. Let's see what happened. In 1755, Immanuel Kant received an academic title which we would today call a Dr. phil (PhD) from the University of Königsberg in Prussia. The Islamic Basmala (بِسْمِ ٱللَّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ - bismi ʾllāhi ʾr-raḥmāni ʾr-raḥīmi) was written on the invitation to the ceremonial awarding of Immanuel Kant's doctorate. The Basmala is usually translated as: In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. In this article, we will analyze the origin and application of the Basmala and look at some speculations about the Basmala on Immanuel Kant's thesis. Who was Immanuel Kant? Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. His idea of a categorical imperative is often cited: "Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law". To put it simple, one cannot make exceptions for oneself if one claims to be moral. The Basmala and Immanuel Kant - the document in question Let's first see what it is all about. In the following picture, on the very top, you will see the Basmala written in Arabic. source: wikimedia This document was discovered by Abdoljavad Falaturi in 1985, who was working with the University of Cologne. First of all, it is not a doctoral certificate, as has often been claimed. As the German scholar Prof. Hartmut Bobzin noted, it is "only" the invitation to the solemn award (gradum et insignia) of a doctorate in philosophy... --- ### Accessing the MADAR database for Arabic dialects > MADAR is a tool to analyze Arabic dialects. The corpus database contains 2000 sample sentences, each translated into the dialect of 25 Arab cities. - Published: 2022-07-18 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/arabic-dialect-corpus/ - Categories: Dialects, Tools and Apps, Translation - Tags: Aleppo, Alexandria, Basra, database, Egyptian Arabic expression, Jerusalem, Levantine Arabic, Palestine, Riyadh, Tunisian Arabic, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner MADAR is a remarkable tool to analyze Arabic dialects. The database contains 2000 sample sentences, each translated into the dialect of 25 Arab cities. Here is how to use it. The MADAR corpus is a collection of parallel sentences covering the Arabic dialects of 25 Arab cities, in addition to English, French, and MSA. In this article, I will show how this database can be used for learners of Arabic dialects. In Arabic, مَدار means axis, center but also orbit. MADAR, however, is an acronym and stands for Multi Arabic Dialect Applications and Resource. The goal of MADAR is to create a unified framework for Arabic dialects which could also be used for Machine Translation. There are two datasets: Corpus-26: a set of 2,000 sentences which were translated to 25 city dialects (each of these sentences has 25 corresponding parallel translations), in addition to MSA. Corpus-6: a set of 12,000 sentences translated to the dialects of five selected cities: Doha, Beirut, Cairo, Tunis, and Rabat, in addition to MSA. Unfortunately, the English or French translations are not publicly available. The authors state copyright restrictions. screenshot website madar: https://camel. abudhabi. nyu. edu/madarHow can you access the database? You can access the database on MADAR's website: https://camel. abudhabi. nyu. edu/madarMADAR databaseIf you are interested in the genesis and aim of the project, you can download a paper of the project members. How can this database be useful for Arabic learners? In principle, just typing in a word and looking at the results is enough - you can learn a lot from that alone. To show how valuable this database is, I would like to show two examples. Example 1: How do people... --- ### Understanding artificial infinitive nouns in Arabic - the case of حُرِّيّةٌ - Published: 2022-07-04 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/masdar-sinai/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: adjective, economics, suffix, vocabulary list, wiederholen, صفة, مصدر, نسبة, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner In Arabic, abstract words related to politics, economics or science like حُرِّيّةٌ often follow a certain model: the مصدر صناعيّ Artificial infinitive nouns, called مَصْدَرٌ صِناعِيٌّ, are important for understanding abstract terms in Arabic. These nouns are essential for expressing complex ideas in areas like politics, economics, and science. Let's start our discussion with the Arabic word حُرِّيّةٌ which means freedom. It is an artificial infinitive noun (مَصْدَرٌ صِناعِيٌّ), an artificial infinitive noun. Central to this topic are Nisba nouns, created by adding the suffix يّ to a base word, which changes it into an adjective indicating a specific origin or profession. Let's pick out the suffix يّ of حُرِّيّةٌ and think for a moment where else it appears. In Arabic, we call such words a Nisba (نِسْبةٌ or اِسْمٌ مَنْسُوبٌ). You add يّ to any اِسْمٌ and get a word that can be used as an adjective (صِفةٌ), often to de­note that someone is from a certain country or has a special profession. For example, Egyptian (مِصْرِيٌّ/مِصْرِيّةٌ). Now, if we add a ة to a Nisba resulting in يَّة, it becomes a noun indicating an abstract meaning which it did not have before this augmentation. By this operation, we produce a so-called artificial infinitive noun (مصدر صناعي). Many of such nouns describe abstract political, economic, or scientific terms (chemistry, biology). In the following vocabulary list, we will see some important examples. Source: Arabic for Nerds 1 - © Gerald Drißner If you have any questions, please use the comments section. --- ### 20 questions for: Betül Aslan (#30) - Published: 2022-06-18 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-betul-aslan/ - Categories: 9273 roots, Interviews - Tags: Arabic literature, Arabic music, Arabic proverb, expression, Gift Idea, Istanbul, Jibran Khalil Jibran, Palestinian Arabic, Sura 16, teaching Arabic, wiederholen, YouTube - Authors: geralddrissner I have always come across excellent Arabic speakers in Turkey. Betül Aslan is one of them. "The reason for learning a language is the most critical point that affects the learning process", says Betül in interview #30 of the 9273 roots series. Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Betül Aslan بتول أصلان The woman who presents the beauty of Arabic literature to Turkish readers. Betül Aslan Date of birth: December, 4th, 1995 Place of birth: Eskişehir, Turkey Place of residence: Sakarya, Turkey How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? Hi, my name is Betül and I am from Turkey. I have been a fan of Arabic and a bookworm since childhood. I graduated from Istanbul University with a Bachelor's degree in Arabic Language and Literature, and I am currently studying for a master’s degree in the same field. Meanwhile, I work as an Arabic teacher for children aged 9 through 14. Learning another language is a very inspirational process, and I am seeking to discover the world through literature. One of the things I enjoy the most is observing the development of the language learning process in myself and the children I am teaching. I am also a member of the Arabic language and literature platform called Mirkat. We publish some translations of poems and texts selected from classical and modern Arabic literature. Thus, our translations are from Arabic to Turkish. In addition to those translations, we also publish a monthly newsletter to our subscribers and followers that compiles the latest developments and news regarding the Arabic language and literature around the world. If you... --- ### Top dictionaries for learning Arabic dialects - Published: 2022-06-06 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/what-are-the-best-dictionaries-for-arabic-dialects/ - Categories: Dialects, Egyptian Arabic, Tools and Apps - Tags: Android, Arabic proverb, Arabic script, Arabic slang, database, Farsi, Gulf Arabic, Hebrew, Hindi, Latin alphabet, Levantine Arabic, Linux, Palestinian Arabic, Sudanese Arabic, Syrian Arabic, Tunisian Arabic, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Dictionaries for Arabic Dialects are rare. Here is a list of tools for Egyptian, Syrian, Iraqi, Tunisian, and Moroccan Arabic. Anyone who starts learning Arabic will quickly realize that there is one major disadvantage compared to other languages: dictionaries. It is even worse with colloquial Arabic (عامية). There are almost no up-to-date reference works at all which can be counted as comprehensive. Moreover, it is almost impossible to find good and reliable material about how young people in Arab countries speak. The good news is that the internet is starting to fill that void, with some solo fighters spending countless unpaid hours on it. Here are some suggestions for tools (online and offline) for Arabic dialects. Dictionaries covering several dialects English Arabic DIGITAL: Lughatuna (Egyptian, Levantine, Moroccan Arabic) This free (! ) dictionary will probably become the standard dictionary for Arabic dialects in the future. It is constantly updated and developed by its founder, Hossam Abouzahr, who is doing a tremendous job! It covers three Arabic dialects: Egyptian, Levantine, Maghreb. Moreover, you will find many useful examples - in Arabic script! Screenshot: website livingarabic. com LIVINGARABIC. COMArabic Arabic I have had good experiences with the following two websites. But you have to know some Arabic to understand the explanations as they are given only in Arabic. DIGITAL: mo3jam. com (good for Saudi and Algerian slang) Mo3jam is a large online dictionary of colloquial Arabic covering all variations of Arabic. However, not every Arabic dialect is covered comprehensively. The dictionary works best for Saudi (more than 3100 terms), Algerian (2151 terms) and Moroccan (910 terms) Arabic. It explains words in plain... --- ### Test Your Knowledge: 99 Names of Allah Quiz - Published: 2022-05-31 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/99-names-allah/ - Categories: Quiz & Trivia, Islam - Tags: Islamic phrases, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner A quiz about the 99 names of Allah أسماء الله). The 99 words are attributed to God by Muslims. The 99 names of Allah (أَسْمَاءُ ٱللّهِ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ) are names attributed to God by Muslims. They are often part of Muslim names, usually the second part after عَبدُ (servant of... ). Muslims are advised to learn them. This is the ultimate quiz - you will be asked all 99 names! --- ### Test Your Knowledge: 99 Names of Allah Quiz - 20 questions - Published: 2022-05-31 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/quiz-99-names-allah/ - Categories: Quiz & Trivia, Islam - Tags: wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner A quiz about the 99 names of Allah أسماء) الله). The 99 words are attributed to God by Muslims. The 99 names of Allah (أَسْمَاءُ ٱللّهِ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ) are names attributed to God by Muslims. They are often part of Muslim names, usually the second part after عَبدُ (servant of... ). Muslims are advised to learn them. So, let's see how many of them you know. --- ### 20 questions for: Georg Binder (#29) - Published: 2022-05-17 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-georg-binder/ - Categories: 9273 roots, Interviews - Tags: Arabic proverb, Classical Arabic, Egypt, Egyptian Arabic, German, I-verb, II-verb, Jibran Khalil Jibran, Moustapha Akkad, self-study, The Message, VIII-verb, wiederholen, اِفْتَعَلَ, فَعَّلَ - Authors: geralddrissner An Austrian kid goes on vacation to Egypt and is so enthusiastic about Arabic that the 14-year-old starts learning Arabic on his own back in Austria. That's the story of Georg Binder. Learn more about him in episode 29 of the "9273 roots"-interview series. Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Georg Binder جورج بِندَر The man who taught himself Arabic as a 14-year-old kidafter a vacation in Egypt. Georg Binder (while on vacation in the Maghreb). Date of birth: April, 20 Place of birth: Oberwart, Austria Place of residence: New South Wales, Australia Georg started teaching himself Arabic (الفصحى) when he was 14 years old after a vacation in Egypt. This happened when the Internet had not yet been invented. Georg grew up in a small town in Burgenland, Austria (النِّمْسا), close to the Hungarian border. The teenager started to look for Arabic-speaking residents, and, later, took lessons from a Palestinian woman who lived in the same town in Burgenland. Until today, Georg is passionate about Arabic. Georg studied International Business Administration (IBWL) and Arabic Studies (Arabistik) as a second degree at the University of Vienna (Austria). He frequently travelled to Egypt and later worked in Cairo for a year and a half (2006/2007). In Cairo he learned the Egyptian dialect through friends. Since 2013 Georg lives in Australia (أُسْتُرالِيا). How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? I grew up in a small country town in Burgenland, Austria. I have always been interested in foreign languages and learning about different cultures from very early on. After returning home from a dive trip to the Red Sea with... --- ### Do you understand Egyptian TikTok? - Published: 2022-05-01 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/egyptian-arabic/egyptian-slang/ - Categories: Egyptian Arabic, Dialects, Translation - Tags: adjective, adverb, Alexandria, Arabic slang, Egypt, Egyptian Arabic, Egyptian Arabic expression, elative, social media, vocabulary list, wiederholen, صفة, ظرف, نعت, همزة - Authors: geralddrissner Do you know what fasheikh means? Anyone trying to follow young Egyptians on social media will often fail because of the language. TikTok, rap and chat culture are changing dialects like never before. Some background and examples of slang. I grew up with 56k modems, BBS (bulletin board systems) and Turbo Pascal. We were nerds and shared pretty much everything on BBSes. Every time, every generation has its media. I find it remarkable how today's trending platforms like TikTok give rise to new art forms and create new forms of youth and pop culture. I am well aware that social media, blending cultures and identities, rap and hip hop are changing languages at warp speed. German has many weird dialects that are often not understood by each other (let alone by non-native speakers). Egyptian Arabic, in turn, is almost like a standard language, quite similar from Alexandria to Aswan. That always made it easy for learners. Egyptian Arabic had previously developed in slow motion. It had embodied Turkish, French, and Italian words, later words from English. When cinema got big, films in particular had a great influence on the language, which remained quite cultivated and relatively tame. Now everything is changing dramatically - and without any control by the regimes. Egyptians on TikTok It is difficult to list names as the rankings are constantly changing. It also depends on the channel and the "target group". To give you some examples, I checked the website Influcencer Marketing Hub. They list Egypt's most important influencers by followers, engagement rate and authentic engagement. Here are some examples: Mayan el-Sayed: 4M followers, 14. 2M likes Doongool: 3. 3M followers, 48. 5M likes Gehad Hassan: 7. 5M followers, 174. 4M likes https://www. tiktok. com/@mayanelsayed/video/7082433778785799430?... --- ### Best tools for learning Arabic touch typing skills - Published: 2022-04-18 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/how-to-learn-touch-typing-in-arabic/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: Arabic keyboard, German, how to, Linux, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Typing without looking at the keyboard - touch typing - can be learned - also for Arabic. A few suggestions on how to become a fast typist. The average person spends at least three hours a day using the keyboard while working, writing emails, writing messages, and also using social networks, etc. If you increase your typing speed by 20%, you can save up to 35 minutes per day, which equates to 213 hours per year. Thus, if you increase your typing speed, you can save up to 21 days per year. One way to achieve that is touch typing. Touch typing (German: Zehnfingersystem) is a complex process. The human body has the ability to develop what is called "muscle memory". When we learn to touch type, we are essentially teaching our hands and brains to coordinate with one another so that we can press the right keys in the right sequence. An average professional typist usually types around 65 to 75 words per minute (WPM). If you want to enter touch typing competitions, you should achieve at least 150 wpm. If you spend about 30 minutes a day to train your touch typing skills, you will see your keyboard input speed improve within two weeks. You can test your speed in English here. For Arabic, click here. Screenshot of the program There are many ways to express the term touch-typing in Arabic. They are basically literal translations of the English terms: تعلم الكتابة السريعة تعليم الكتابة باللمس ‏‏تعلم الكتابة بدون النظر إلى لوحة المفاتيح tybaa. com - learn Arabic typing skills The Arabic website tybaa. com (موقع أكاديمية الطباعة لتعلم الطباعة باللمس) offers free lessons that... --- ### Who invented the Arabic typewriter (keyboard)? - Published: 2022-04-02 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/who-invented-arabic-typewriter-keyboard/ - Categories: History - Tags: agreement, anecdote, Arabic keyboard, Arabic script, browser extension, how to, Mesopotamia, Palestine, podcast, Spotify, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner The Arabic keyboard we use today was invented in 1899 by two men who almost simultaneously worked on an Arabic typewriter: Selim Haddad and Philippe Waked. In this article, we will look at the history of the Arabic typewriter and, by extension, the Arabic keyboard - and see what Theodor Herzl has to do with it, even indirectly. In a following second part I will show how to learn touch-typing in Arabic. The English keyboard QWERTY The most common story about the QWERTY-system goes as follows. The QWERTY-system was created to slow typists down. Mechanical typewriters could jam if the keys were hit too fast; hence, they had to put the common letters far apart from each other. But that is perhaps an urban legend. Japanese researchers1 came up with another explanation. They say that the QWERTY system emerged as a result of how the first typewriters were being used. Telegraph operators who needed to quickly transcribe messages, found the alphabetical arrangement inefficient for translating Morse code. The Japanese researchers suggested that the QWERTY keyboard evolved over several years as a direct result of input provided by these telegraph operators. The letter "Q" is rarely used in English and is therefore in the upper-left corner. In French, however, the "Q" is more common, which is why the letter is one line below and therefore easier for the fingers to reach. For French, the layout is AZERTY. The highest typing speed ever recorded was 216 words per minute, set by Stella Pajunas in 1946, using an IBM electric typewriter. The average speed is 41. 4 words in one minute. The Arabic keyboard غفقثصض Keyboard in Arabic means... --- ### How to access Arabic lyrics on Spotify - Published: 2022-03-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/spotify-arabic-lyrics/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: database, Spotify, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Spotify (also the free version) can show the lyrics of the song you are playing in real time. This works surprisingly well for Arabic songs too. Here is how you can turn Spotify into a great study tool for Arabic! Listening to songs and understanding what the song is about brings you closer to a foreign language and culture. Arabic song lyrics can be a headache, not only for beginners of Arabic. I, personally, have never used any Apple product, but I have heard that paid services such as Apple Music include an option to display the lyrics of a song, which is definitely a great study tool for Arabic. Now, the good news is: the free version of Spotify (desktop version) also offers this option. Let's see how it works. Lyrics are available on all Spotify versions: desktop, browser, and mobile phones. The best thing about it: the lyrics follow the song in real time; so you can jump right into the middle of a song that's already playing and check the lines. The lyrics are provided by Musixmatch. Musixmatch is an Italian music data company and platform for users to search and share song lyrics with translations. It is the largest platform of this kind in the world, with 8 million lyrics (according to the company). Spotify desktop app (free version) On the Now Playing bar, click the microphone icon while a song is playing. Spotify Play Bar - press the "microphone" icon. You'll see the lyrics scrolling in real time during playback. Spotify mobile app (paid) The free version of Spotify works very well on the desktop and browser version. However, there are some limitations in the mobile version. You cannot choose songs but can only play... --- ### Beginner's toolkit: best resources for Arabic learners > A collection of the best Arabic tools and apps for learners of Arabic: dictionaries, browser add-ons, audiobooks, streaming tools. - Published: 2022-03-05 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/best-arabic-learning-tools/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: Android, Arabic keyboard, Arabic script, browser extension, database, Firefox, Google Translate, Hans Wehr, how to, Lane's Lexicon, LibreOffice, Linux, Microsoft Word, Netflix, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner A collection of the best Arabic tools and apps for learners of Arabic: dictionaries, browser add-ons, audiobooks, streaming tools. Over the years, I've collected and presented many resources, apps and tools that make learning Arabic easier - be it dictionaries, conjugation apps, tools for Netflix, etc. Anyone starting out with Arabic has similar questions: what is a good online Arabic dictionary? How can I change the Arabic font in the browser? Where can I get an Arabic keyboard? I have therefore summarized the most important questions and created a list: a starter package with the most important tools, all of which are suitable for the everyday life of an Arabic learner. Note: The list mainly contains open-source apps or products that are distributed for free, but also some paid apps. I, personally, use Linux (Arch, KDE), my mobile phone is based on an open source operating system. Unfortunately, I have almost no experience with Apple products. Therefore, it would be great if Apple users can share their recommendations. Typing in Arabic I can only recommend buying an Arabic keyboard as soon as possible. This way you get used to the letters. I myself can't do much with keyboard stickers, since they don't last long with my typing volume. Google Ta3reeb - convert transliterated Words into Arabic If you don't have an Arabic keyboard, you can still write Arabic on your computer. You can write with English letters and the text will be automatically converted into Arabic script. Yamli used to be a good add-on but is not maintained anymore. I can recommend Google Input Tool (Ta3reeb) which works very... --- ### Understanding ف in Arabic conditional sentences - Published: 2022-02-23 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/conditional-sentence-in-arabic-fa/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: apodosis, conditional sentence, difficult construction, how to, indeclinable, mood, Prophet Muhammad, protasis, wiederholen, الماضي, النفي, جملة فعلية, مجزوم - Authors: geralddrissner When and how to use ف in Arabic conditional sentences is difficult. We explain its grammatical importance, tense usage, and the relationship between the conditional and the intended meaning. In part three of our series on the conditional sentence in Arabic, we will learn when and how to use ف in a conditional sentence and whether you should use the present or past tense in a conditional sentence. Why do we need‎‎ ف‎ in a conditional sentence? In most conditional sentences with لَوْ or مَنْ or إِذا, you will find the letter فَ in the second part. Some remarks about the character of فَ: فَ emphasizes the time or sequential aspect (then, hence) and therefore can work as a rhetorical element. فَ offers us greater flexibility since فَ can be followed by the future, a negation, etc. فَ often indicates that the second part/ main clause (apo­dosis) is not the logical result of the conditional clause. The فَ in a conditional sentence is used to separate the 1st from the 2nd part for grammatical reasons. But at the same time, it links both parts. The فَ is necessary when the condi­tional device of the first sen­tence cannot extend its power to the verb of the second part. This may need some thought process. The condition (الشَّرْطُ) and the conse­quent (الْجَوابُ) are closely linked. This is done by... the conditional device plus two verbs in the مَجْزُومٌ-mood. ➡ You don't use ف; by connecting the first to the second part using the letter فَ, a so-called حَرْفٌ رابِطٌ لِلْجَوابِ. This فَ has the grammati­cal effect that the nature of the second part (past tense or present tense in the مَجْزُومٌ-mood;... --- ### Ola's Journey: From Ayza Atgawez to Netflix's Finding Ola - Published: 2022-02-11 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/arabic-movies/finding-ola-netflix/ - Categories: Movies & Series - Tags: Arab spring, Egypt, German, Middle East, Netflix, Ramadan, wiederholen, YouTube, مسلسل - Authors: geralddrissner Ayza Atgawez was a big hit in the Arab world in 2010. The Netflix series Finding Ola portrays the life of the main character ten years later: a divorced woman with children, 40 years old, belonging to the 1% very rich people in Egypt, who is searching for a new start and meaning in her life. Many people who lived in Egypt in the years leading up to the Arab Spring, when the Internet was catalyzing social debate and the Egyptian dialect found a new self-confidence in written form, will be familiar with the title Ayza Atgawez - عايزة أتجوز (I want to get married). Now there's a Netflix series that shows us what happened to the main character and the challenges she's struggling with now, ten years later. The series is called Finding Ola (البحث عن عُلا). Finding Ola continues the story of pharmacist Ola Abd elSabour (علا عبد الصبور) from the TV comedy series Ayza Atgawez - عايزة أتجوز (I Want To Get Married) which was launched in 2010. The main character is now forty years old, belongs to the 1% rich people in Egypt, and faces life-changing events. The story follows the quest of a recently divorced housewife and mother of two to start all over in the search for a new purpose and self-discovery. What is the story of Ayza Atgawez? In 2006, Ayza Atgawez started out as a blog: https://wanna-b-a-bride. blogspot. com Screenshot: Blog by Ghada Abdel Aal The author, Ghada Abdel Aal (غادة محمد عبد الرازق), a pharmacist, wrote about her quest to find a good and suitable husband - in Egyptian Arabic. I represent about 15 million girls between the ages of 25 and 35 years, whom society is chasing and insulting to get married. 1 Ghada Abdel Aal on her blog profile at the time Blogs where a... --- ### Perfect Strangers: Arabic Film Sparks Debate in Egypt - Published: 2022-01-30 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/arabic-movies/perfect-strangers-subtitles/ - Categories: Movies & Series - Tags: al-Jazeera, Arab spring, browser extension, Hebrew, Netflix, social media, Sunni Islam, wiederholen, YouTube, مسلسل, نون - Authors: geralddrissner Netflix’s first Arabic movie "Perfect Strangers" touches difficult topics in the Arab world: being gay, betrayal in marriage and lying and pretending. Unfortunately, there are no English subtitles on Netflix. But there is a way to watch the movie with English subs. The first Arabic Netflix movie Perfect Strangers - in Arabic: 'As-hab wala 'A'azz (أصحاب ولا أعزّ); "No Dearer Friends") has sparked a public debate, especially in Egypt. On social media and TV talk shows, critics have denounced the film as a threat to family and religious values, encouraging homosexuality and unfit for Arab societies. Others say that many people are in denial about what happens behind closed doors in real life. The Netflix movie offers several subtitles (German, French, Hebrew, Modern Standard Arabic), however, for unknown reasons, there are no English subs. But there is a trick, as you will see in this article. The Plot The movie Perfect Strangers (2022) is based on a movie written by Italian writer and director Filippo Bologna. The film is listed in Guinness records as the most remade movie in the history of cinema. The plot of Netflix's Arabic version is more or less a blueprint of the Italian original. The film tells the story of seven close friends, including three couples, who agree during a dinner party to leave their cell phones unlocked on the table so that they can all have unfettered access to everything on them. All the events of the film take place in one location, namely the dining room of the house of one of the seven friends. By reading incoming messages out loud, and placing all calls on speaker, the seven friends reveal secrets about their personalities and their day-to-day life, some of them shocking, even to... --- ### Challenges of adult learners in Arabic > Learning Arabic as an adult is a challenge. Understanding how our brain works can help to find the right method. Recommendations for adult improvers. - Published: 2022-01-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/adult-learners-arabic/ - Categories: Tools and Apps, Learner's Corner - Tags: adult-improving, broken plural, conjugation, dual, elative, how to, life-long-learning, personal pronoun, podcast, Spotify, teaching Arabic, wiederholen, YouTube, أَفْعَلَ, جمع, ضمير - Authors: geralddrissner Learning Arabic as an adult is a challenge. Understanding how our brain works can help to find the right method. Recommendations for adult improvers. As we get older, there is one thing we get worse at: being a beginner. Aging is a natural process that involves some physical, mental, psychological, and other types of changes that negatively affect adult learning. This is true for people who start learning Arabic relatively late in life or want to continue after a long break. In this article, we will explore the difficulties adult learners face, how our brain works, what we can learn from chess and how adults should approach studying Arabic. Five needs of adult learners Adult learners are sometimes pretty demanding and arrogant. They may not respect what a teacher suggests or reject certain methods. They do not want to be treated like children. All this is understandable, but also complicates the process of learning. From my experience, I would say that many adult learners share the following points: Adults need meaningful, relevant information (whatever this is). Adults need feedback on their performance. Adults need opportunities to apply new knowledge and skills immediately. Adults need to be actively involved in the learning process. Adults learn best when they are mentally and physically relaxed. They often hate being reminded of school exams. Adults need to know what is expected of them. Adults need to feel that their experiences are respected. How our brain works Neuroscientists say that the brain of a 7-year-old child is almost fully developed, but has a synaptic density 30 to 40 percent higher than the adult mean. In our central nervous system,... --- ### Exploring Types of 'If' in Arabic - Published: 2022-01-09 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/conditional-sentence-in-arabic-particles/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: apodosis, conditional sentence, difficult construction, emphasis, indeclinable, mood, protasis, Sura 2, wiederholen, النفي, شيطان, قَسَم, مجزوم - Authors: geralddrissner There are many words to express "if" in Arabic conditional sentences. In this article we will look specifically at the differences between إن and إذا. In part two of our series on the conditional sentence (جملة الشرط) in Arabic, we will check the different types of "if" in Arabic and the most common conditional words. We will also look at the difference between إن and إذا. How many types of if are there in Arabic? Arabic con­ditional devices and words (أَسْماءُ الشَّرْطِ) differ from those in Eng­lish. In Arabic, they are either a par­ticle (حَرْفٌ) or – which is the normal situa­tion – a noun (اِسْمٌ). Particles as conditional words While there are many words for “if” in Arabic, there are only two general types with varying degrees of influence. Arabic con­ditional devices and words (أَسْماءُ الشَّرْطِ) differ from those in Eng­lish. In Arabic, they are either a par­ticle (حَرْفٌ) or – which is the normal situa­tion – a noun (اِسْمٌ). The particles The following three words are a حَرْفٌ, a so-called حَرْفُ شَرْطٍ. They are all indeclinable (ٌمَبْنِيّ) and never change their shape. They do not have a place in إِعْرابٌ which is typical for a حَرْفٌ. The word إِنْ When, if, etc. إنْ simply indicates a condition. It ties the sec­ond part of the sentence (الْجَوابُ) by the con­dition. Watch out: إنْ de­scribes the "realness" (actual happening) of an event as un­certain. The word إِنْ has some flexibility and specialties as we will see. Specialty I: after إِنْ two verbs in the مَجْزُومٌ-mood have to follow. The first verb is the فِعْلُ الشَّرْطِ and the second the جَوْابُ الشَّرْطِ; the sec­ond is the... --- ### Does the term "foreign language" still fit our times? - Published: 2021-12-30 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/term-foreign-language/ - Categories: Guest Article - Tags: dual, elative, Google, Middlebury College, TAFL, teaching Arabic, wiederholen - Authors: Roger Anderson Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language (TAFL); the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL): we need to talk about the "F"-word in these acronyms, writes Dr. Roger Anderson. If Arabic is a "foreign" language, then every time Arab-Americans speak it within their home, they are performing something foreign in every conversation. Hence, the "foreign" has to be abandoned, opines Dr. Anderson in a thought-provoking guest article. Anyone learning Arabic will encounter four letters fairly quickly: TAFL. They stand for "Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language". But what is a foreign language? This may sound trivial at first glance, but it is not. For example, someone born in the U. S. , whose parents are originally from an Arab country, wants to learn Arabic later in life. This raises the following question: Is Arabic a foreign language for this person? There is another abbreviation that people in the United States in particular know: ACTFL. According to foundation documents, the abbreviation stands for "American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages". Dr. Roger Anderson is a member of ACTFL and argues in the following guest article that the letter F - standing for "foreign" - should be replaced in ACTFL. His article explores the question of whether English is actually the official language of the United States, how complex identities are today, and why we should be wary of the term "foreign" in general. Introduction What's in a name? Names are nothing more than words that reference people, places, and things within written and spoken forms of communication. And yet names are so much more. They provide an identity to its owner, and for entities like non-profits and corporations, names encapsulate a whole universe of ideologies within them. The social awakening the U. S. has been experiencing in the past four years or so has called for all Americans to re-examine our relationship to society's marginalized members. We... --- ### Conditional clauses in Arabic: step-by-step breakdown - Published: 2021-12-19 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/conditional-sentence-in-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: apodosis, Basra, conditional sentence, difficult construction, grammarian, how to, imperative, Mesopotamia, mood, protasis, wiederholen, النفي, جملة فعلية, مجزوم - Authors: geralddrissner This article introduces Arabic conditional sentences, exploring their structure, essential elements, and specific grammatical rules over a three-part series focused on their complexities. The conditional sentence (جُمْلةُ الشَّرْطِ) is one of the most difficult sentence struc­tures in any language. In a three-part series of articles, we will look at tricky things in Arabic conditional clauses. In this part one, we look at the basics: the two parts of a conditional sentence, its DNA and specialities. In part two, we will check the different ways to express if in Arabic and the most common conditional words. We will also look at the difference between إن and إذا. In part three, we will learn when and how to use ف in a conditional sentence and whether you should use the present or past tense of the verb. Let's start with part one. What does a conditional sentence in Arabic consist of? In Arabic, a conditional sentence (جُمْلةُ الشَّرْطِ) con­sists of three things: The condition (الشَّرْطُ) or if-clause. This is the first part of the sentence, the subordinate clause (Nebensatz), also called protasis. The answer (الْجَوابُ), also called complement, consequent to the condition, main sentence, apo­dosis. Another term is الْجَزاءُ which literally means re­ward; punish­ment or penalty and is often translated as final clause. For some readers, الْجَزاءُ might be easier to remember because the Arabic expres­sion for penalty kick in soc­cer is ضَرْبَةُ جَزاءٍ. Important: the جَوابُ الشَّرْطِ does not have a place in إِعْرابٌ - you don't need to worry about cases or moods or place values (لا مَحَلَّ لَها مِن الْإِعْرابِ). Both parts are linked (we could also say bound) by a condi­tional... --- ### 20 questions for: Uchechi Kalu (#28) - Published: 2021-11-28 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-uchechi-kalu/ - Categories: 9273 roots, Interviews - Tags: al-Kitaab, Arabic proverb, Classical Arabic, how to, joke, Levantine Arabic, Middle East, podcast, self-study, Syrian Arabic, United Nations, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner "From zero to fluent" is possible, says Uchechi Kalu. Learn more about Uchechi in Episode 28 of the "9273 roots"-interview series: The woman who developed a curriculum to reach conversational fluency in 1,5 years. Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Uchechi Kalu The woman who developed a curriculum to reach conversational fluency in 1,5 years. Uchechi Kalu Date of birth: Jan, 5 Place of birth: South Carolina Place of residence: Los Angeles https://marhabtainarabic. com Uchechu Kalu was raised in a Nigerian immigrant household where her parents told her to believe that she could do anything. "I think they had to believe the same thing in order to make it in America, and so naturally, they taught us the same thing," she says. She later learned Arabic and developed a method which helped her become fluent in Arabic in record time. How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? I am Uchechi Kalu, writer and founder of marhabtain. What was your first Arabic grammar book? al-Kitaab. Still scarred from those days, but honestly, who isn’t? What is your favorite Arabic book (novel, etc. )? Returning to Haifa (عائد إلى حيفا) by Ghassan Kanafani. This is a deeply harrowing novella about what "identity" really means, how to forgive ourselves for our past mistakes, and how to move on even if we’re not healed. How much time does a native speaker of English need to master Arabic? I believe one can reach conversational fluency in a year and a half. This was my experience. Mainly I’ve used mass immersion and comprehensible... --- ### What is a guarding Aleph? Unterstanding its role in كَتَبُوا - Published: 2021-11-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/%d9%83%d8%aa%d8%a8%d9%88%d8%a7-function-of-the-aleph/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: wiederholen, ألف - Authors: geralddrissner The Aleph at the end of certain Arabic verbs serves to protect the و from being misinterpreted, ensuring clarity and preventing confusion with conjunctions. Have you ever thought why we spell كَتَبُوا (they wrote) with an Aleph at the end? When a conjugated verb has a و at the end, and when this و is preceded by ضَمّةٌ or by فَتْحةٌ, then the ا is often used (and written), particularly in the plural of verbs. Let's see some examples: they (m. ) remindedذَكَّرُواthey (m. ) sawرَأَوْاthey (m. ) wroteكَتَبُواthey (m. ) visitedزارُواTable: conjugated verb in the plural So, why is it there? In short: 💡 This Aleph, in itself superfluous (Aleph otiosum), is in­tended to guard the و. The Aleph protects it against the possibility that the و could be separated from the body of the word to which it belongs – and thus could be mistaken for the word "and" (i. e. , the conjunction وَ). For this reason, this Aleph is called أَلِفُ الْوِقايةِ, the guarding Aleph, or الْأَلِفُ الْفاصِلةُ, the separating Aleph. Note that there are other explanations as well, but most of them share the idea of guarding and protecting the و from being mistaken for other letters or from being absorbed. Excursus: In which position will you never find an Aleph? The Aleph can never stand at the beginning of an utterance. The Aleph (ا) is a sound of prolongation after فَتْحةٌ (="a") and can't carry any vowel – which makes it different from و and ي since they are capa­ble of that. The Aleph, although mostly unwritten, al­ways has a سُكُونٌ on it (اْ). In Arabic, you can... --- ### The role of the second vowel in past tense Arabic Verbs - Published: 2021-11-10 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/vowel-second-root-letter/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: active participle, adjective, consonant, wiederholen, اسم الفاعل, الماضي, صفة, صفة مشبهة - Authors: geralddrissner The vowel on the second root letter of an Arabic past tense verb tells you a lot about the character and meaning of the verb. The second radical is the most important component of the past tense. Only the second root letter can have any of the three vowels (a, i, u) in the past tense whereas the first and third must have فَتْحةٌ. The second vowel can help us understand verbs better and may tell us more about the character and meaning of the verb. Let's see why. "a"فَعَلَan act; someone initiates something"i"فَعِلَa transitory state;"u"فَعُلَa permanent state;The underlying idea of the vowel associated with the second root letter. Some examples: "a"قَتَلَto kill"a"فَعَلَto do; to act"i"لَبِسَto dress"i"عَلِمَto know"u"حَسُنَto be beautiful"u"كَبُرَto be bigNote that the first column refers to the vowel associated with the second root letter. This is generally but not universally true. There are exceptions be­cause neighboring consonants have influenced the vowels (or the other way round). There is a rule of thumb for verbs of cate­gory 3 (فَعُلَ): They usually don't form an active participle – but a pseudo, quasi participle that describes the state of things (صِفةٌ مُشَبَّهةٌ). For example: big (ٌكَبِير), nice (لَطِيفٌ). Have an Arabic grammar question or problem? Leave a comment or message me. --- ### Why do superheros and villains have Arabic or Hebrew names? > Superman is called Kal El. Batman's enemy is Ra's al-Ghoul. Many names in the comic universe have an Arabic or Hebrew flavor. Why is that? - Published: 2021-10-30 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/arabic-movies/superheros-villains-arabic-hebrew-names/ - Categories: Movies & Series, Etymology, History, Translation - Tags: adjective, agreement, Arabian Peninsula, etymology, Farsi, Hebrew, I-verb, Jesus, Shia, Turkish, صفة, مصدر, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner Superman is called Kal El. Batman's enemy is Ra's al-Ghoul. Many names in the comic universe have an Arabic or Hebrew flavor. Why is that? And what do they mean? The portrayal of superheroes and villains in comics has always intrigued me. One interesting aspect is how many character names come from Arabic or Hebrew origins or borrow ideas from these languages. This article looks at the names of notable superheroes and villains, analyzing the connections to cultural and linguistic traditions. Before we start, which characters will we take a look at? I will mainly focus on DC Comics. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies producing Superman, Batman, Green Arrow, or Supergirl. The Marvel Universe knows Spider-Man, Iron Man, The Hulk, and the Avengers (just to name a few). Superman and Supergirl Superman was created in the 1930s by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two Jewish-American children of European refugees. There are surprisingly many books about the Jewish influence in superhero comics. Let's focus now on some names. Kal El (Superman) Superman's real name is Kal-El. The word El (אֵל) in Hebrew is a word which expresses God. In names, El (אֵל) normally refers to Elohim (אֱלֹהִים), the Hebrew God. For sure, you know the names Michael, Daniel, and Gabriel. They all contain the Hebrew word for God. Michael actually is an entire sentence (a question) and means Who is like God (מי כאל); Gabriel (גַבְרִיאֵל) can be interpreted as God is my strength and Daniel (דָּנִיֵּאל‎) as God is my judge/my law. The word Kol (קוֹל), in Hebrew, means voice which is perhaps what the comic writers had in mind. The word... --- ### What does‎ لا سِيَّما‎ mean? - Published: 2021-10-07 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/what-does-%d9%84%d8%a7-%d8%b3%d9%90%d9%8a%d9%91%d9%8e%d9%85%d8%a7-mean/ - Categories: Grammar, Translation - Tags: difficult construction, dual, elative, expression, wiederholen, النفي - Authors: geralddrissner Arabic لا سيما means above all, specially, in particular, mainly. If you use it, you should know some grammar rules. The expression لا سِيَّما‎ is quite common in Modern Stan­dard Arabic. You might also encounter the extended version لا سِيَّما وَأَنَّ which means especially for the reason that... , particularly be­cause... In this article, we will do a deep-dive and also check the underlying grammar. Let's start the discussion and check the meaning and function of لا سِيَّما‎. When is لا سِيَّما‎ used? The ex­pression لا سِيَّما‎ is used when you mention two related things in a sentence and prefer the latter. What comes last in the sentence has more power (قُدْرةٌ) than the things mentioned earlier. I love books, especially literature books. أُحِبُّ الْكُتُبَ وَلا سِيَّما كُتُب الْأَدَبِ Components of the expression لا سِيَّما‎ consists of three words and means (liter­ally): there is not the equal or like of. لا: absolute negation (النَّافِيةُ لِلْجِنْسِ) سِيَّ: This is the اِسْمُ لا. It expresses equal, simi­lar, alike (for mascu­line & femi­nine). Syn­onyms are: مِثْلُكَ or هُوَ سِيُّكَ or نَظيرُكَ. ما: This is a ما الْمُتَّصِلةُ. This ما can be redundant/extra with no sepa­rate meaning (زائِدةٌ) or a relative pronoun (اِسْمٌ مَوْصُولٌ) expressing الَّذِي or an indefinite, vague word (نَكِرةٌ مُبْهَمةٌ). Watch out: It is quite common to use the word سِيَّ in the dual form: سِيّ + سِيّ = سِيَّانِ. The predicate (خَبَرُ لا) is always deleted (مَحْذُوفٌ دائِمًا) in such constructions. Its assumed, underlying meaning is مَوْجُودٌ. Case endings of the word after لا سِيَّما Now comes the exciting part. Which case should you use for the word after لا... --- ### 20 questions for: Marco Rateitschak (#27) - Published: 2021-09-26 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/marco-rateitschak-interview/ - Categories: 9273 roots, Interviews - Tags: Arabic literature, Arabic proverb, diminutive, Farsi, Gulf Arabic, Hebrew, Netflix, Paradise, Ramadan, self-study, United Nations, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner "7 years for fluency plus a lifetime for mastery", that's the time needed to master Arabic, says Marco Rateitschak. Learn more about Marco in Episode 27 of the "9273 roots"-interview series: The man who traveled for 4 hours across mountains to attend Arabic classes. Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Marco Rateitschak ماركو راتيتشاك The man who traveled for 4 hours across mountains to attend Arabic classes. Marco Rateitschak Year of birth: 1978 Place of birth: Berlin, Germany Place of residence: Fribourg, Switzerland Marco Rateitschak is an economist who has been liaising with institutional investors across the Middle East for over 15 years while also developing a keen interest in the region's languages, literatures, and cultures. In a well-appreciated guest article for Arabic for Nerds, Marco had described his Arabic journey. His passion for the Arabic language is perhaps best described by the 4-hour drive (2 hours each way) across the Hajar Mountains that he took to reach his Arabic class in Buraimi, Oman. You can read more about that in this article. How would you introduce yourself t someone who doesn't know you? It depends on the person and context, but to a language enthusiast I'd say that I'm Marco, a "Bani Adam" from Berlin with a passion for the languages and literatures in which these words mean "human". Remark: The term Bani Adam (بنی‌آدم‎) is a Persian expression, but it is also found in Hebrew (בן־אדם) and Arabic (ابن آدم‎). It denotes a human being. It is also the title of a famous poem by Saadi Shirazi, a Persian poet (1210 - 1291/92), who is regarded as one of... --- ### What are the sources of sunnah.com and shamela.ws? - Published: 2021-09-11 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/sources-of-sunnah-com-and-shamela-ws/ - Categories: Guest Article, Islam, Tools and Apps - Tags: Arabic saying, Basra, Farsi, Hadith, Prophet Muhammad, Sahih al-Bukhari, Shia, Sunni Islam, wiederholen - Authors: kentoseth sunnah.com and shamela.ws are popular websites among Arabic and Islamic students. What sources do they use and who is behind these websites? Guest author Mohamed has some answers. Those who search for a Hadith, the sayings and traditions of the Islamic prophet, often end up on sunnah. com. Those looking for an Arabic book often get what they need at shamela. ws. But hardly anyone questions the sources which those two websites use for their content. Mohamed, an Arabic nerd and open-source developer, did some research and summarized his findings in this interesting guest article. The following article investigates the source references of two popular websites that provide Islamic content: https://sunnah. com https://shamela. ws The two main websites SUNNAH. COM If you use the internet to look for Hadith in English, you have likely stumbled upon the website sunnah. com. Sunnah. com is a great website for providing digital copies of the famous al-Sahih al-Sittah/Kutub al-Sittah (الكتب الستة). website: https://sunnah. com For the unaware reader:The Kutub al-Sittah are the 6 famous Hadith books (or collections) that have Hadith compilations. Sunnah. com provides the Arabic, English, source-references and grading of Hadith. SHAMELA. WS For native Arabic speakers who study Islamic or historical texts, the website shamela. ws is very popular. Shamela. ws1 mainly provides software for reading, searching, and indexing Islamic texts. It also provides thousands of Islamic books that have Arabic text that behaves like regular text on computers. website: https://shamela. ws For the unaware reader:The problem with non-Latin texts is that these texts are "trapped" within scanned PDFs and if you were to attempt to highlight or copy a portion of the text, it would not be... --- ### Is Arabic a gender-inclusive language? - Published: 2021-08-28 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/is-arabic-a-gender-inclusive-language/ - Categories: Guest Article, Grammar, Translation - Tags: adjective, agreement, Arabic proverb, conditional sentence, dual, expression, Germany, grammarian, grammatical gender, how to, joke, Prophet Muhammad, social media, Sura 2, United Nations, wiederholen, ألف, جملة فعلية, مصدر, نون - Authors: lisaschor, geralddrissner "The students are lazy" - how do we express that in gender-inclusive Arabic? It's not that difficult, writes Lisa Schor who has specialized in this topic Gender-neutral language has sparked a fierce battle in many societies. It is the old debate whether the role of language is to shape a society or to reflect it. For languages with grammatical gender such as Arabic, using and establishing gender-neutral structures is taking more effort and time than in English. What about gender-neutral language in Arabic? What is the current status, and how could gender-neutral language be applied in practice? Lisa Schor from Germany has dealt with the topic for several months and wrote her master's thesis on gender-inclusive Arabic. In this very interesting guest article, she describes the current status, her research results and gives valuable tips on how to use gender-neutral language in Arabic. Here is her guest article. Why do we need gender-inclusive language in Arabic? Gender-neutral or gender-inclusive language is a non-sexist language. It means avoiding word choices that may be interpreted as biased, discriminatory, or demeaning by implying that one sex or social gender is the norm. An example is using the terms "police officer" or "chairperson" instead of "policeman" or "chairman". "In general, the Arabic language has the appropriate means to fulfill all the requirements to be gender-inclusive. " Lisa Schor Arabic-speaking countries rank last on the Global Gender Gap Report and there seem to be more pressing issues to overcome than to change one’s habits of language use. Nevertheless, using gender-inclusive language is more than a matter of political correctness. Language powerfully reflects and influences attitudes, behaviors, and perceptions. By choosing to... --- ### What does Nunation express in Arabic? - Published: 2021-08-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/what-does-nunation-express/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: diptote, dual, grammarian, Syria, wiederholen, تنوين, سيبويه, ممنوع من الصرف, نون - Authors: geralddrissner Nunation (تنوين) in Arabic is used when there is no definite article ال. But that is only half of the truth. The idea is much deeper. In Arabic grammar, nunation (تنوين) is often treated as an indefinite article, similar to "a" or "an" in English, or as a marker of indetermination. However, the concept of nunation is much deeper and more nuanced. This article explores the intricacies of nunation, particularly focusing on why the first part of an إِضافة (idafa) construction does not receive nunation, despite lacking a definite article. We will delve into the insights of the renowned grammarian Sibawayhi, who described nunation as a sign of a noun's "firm establishment" (تَمَكُّنٌ or أَمْكَنِيّةٌ). This quality allows a noun to undergo various case inflections, distinguishing it from particles and verbs. Additionally, we will examine the reasons behind the absence of nunation in the first part of an إِضافة, highlighting how the following word in the construction further specifies and determines the noun, thus altering its grammatical behavior. This article is part two of a two parts series. In case you missed part one, click here. Some basic ideas Grammarians treat nunation/tanween (تنوين) is as an indefinite article (English: a or an) or as a marker of indetermination. But the idea is much deeper. In this article, we will see why the first part of a إِضافة does not get nunation, although it does not have a definite article. Some scholars have suggested that the function of the nuna­tion is to mark the absence of the article ال. In English, we use words to mark in­definiteness (a or an). In Arabic, we don't use words; we... --- ### What is Tanwīn? A guide to Arabic Nunation - Published: 2021-08-07 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/nunation-in-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar, History - Tags: Classical Arabic, diptote, grammarian, II-verb, wiederholen, تنوين, سيبويه, فَعَّلَ, نون - Authors: geralddrissner Nunation (تنوين) can tell you something about the character and personality of a word. It is a deep idea developed by the first Arab grammarians. Nunation or Tanwīn (تَنْوِينٌ) stands for an extra نْ at the end of a noun (اِسْمٌ), which you pronounce (لَفْظًا) but do not write (لا خَطًّا). It practically means that you add a pronounced "n"-ending to an indefi­nite noun if you mark it with case endings. In this article, we will have a closer look about the origin and idea of the term nunation. In a second article, we will check what nunation actually expresses. The term تنوين The term تَنْوِينٌ is the مَصْدَرٌ of the II-verb يُنَوِّنُ - نَوَّنَ (R2=و) denot­ing adding Nun(-ation) to a noun. At the early stages of Arabic, it indi­cated the nasalization of the final vowel of the word in the case ending of the noun. Therefore, تَنْوِينٌ is nothing but an extra ن without a vowel (نُونٌ زائِدةٌ ساكِنةٌ) at the end of a word. In the early stages of Arabic, Tanwīn was not primarily a marker of indefiniteness (a; an) which ex­plains why it is found on proper names like مُحَمَّدٌ (Muhammad-un). Instead, it simply marked the absence of the definite article. The sign of the Nunation is the doubling of the relevant vowel sign. Early application of Nunation (تنوين) Let's see an example: a book (كِتابٌ), pronounced "kitābun". Schol­ars disagree whether the word, in early stages of Arabic, used to be written like this: كِتابُنْ. In other ancient Semitic languages, the let­ter Mīm had been used for a similar purpose. Nevertheless, the form with the writ­ten ن helps us to understand what... --- ### How a US Military Arabic Course went global - Published: 2021-07-22 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/arabic-course-us-military/ - Categories: Guest Article, History - Tags: Farsi, Germany, Hebrew, Hebrew alphabet, Hindi, how to, transliteration, wiederholen - Authors: reginaldhefner In the 20th century, Arabic language material was scarce. During the Vietnam War, Reginald Hefner, had access to a language lab of the US military - and later discovered, how the Military's Arabic material was used by publishers around the world. He shares some reminiscences and anecdotes in this guest article. Half a century ago, it was almost impossible to get Arabic textbooks in English. Hard to imagine today that people often did not even know how languages were pronounced. One of the most distinguished foreign language learners in the U. S. , Reginald Hefner, recounts in this guest article how a widely used Arabic language course came about - and what the U. S. military has to do with it. Toward the end of my Active Duty Army tour of 4 years 6 months and 24 days (not that I was counting... ) during the Vietnam War when I served as a Mandarin Chinese interpreter, translator, and interrogator, I was assigned to an Army post that actually had an old WW II-style barracks converted into a Language Laboratory replete with multi-tiered levels of individual plexiglass enclosed booths with 70-lb. TNH-11 metal 7-inch reel-to-reel tape-recorders at each position. The laboratory was manned by a paid civilian employee to help those there to use the facility, and on the second floor there was a language library of materials in more than 50 languages. This is a TNH11 tape recorder, used by the US military. Source: nsa. gov In 1965 I started to study some Arabic, but my problem then was finding any material at all on how to learn Arabic, which may sound very odd nowadays when at the touch of a single button or keystroke one can find non-stop Arabic at just about any proficiency level that one would want, though... --- ### Confessions of a lifelong learner of Arabic > How do you manage to motivate yourself to learn Arabic? Marco Rateitschak has managed to retain his enthusiasm for Arabic for over 20 years. Here is his story. - Published: 2021-07-10 - Modified: 2025-04-02 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/lifelong-learning-arabic/ - Categories: Guest Article, Learner's Corner - Tags: al-Kitaab, Arabic literature, Hebrew, how to, Levantine Arabic, Netflix, Syrian Arabic - Authors: marcorateitschak How do you manage to motivate yourself to learn Arabic for years, even decades? Marco Rateitschak has been learning Arabic since 1999. In a guest article, he describes his journey and offers valuable advice for anyone in such a situation. A survival guide for lifelong learners of Arabic. Many people who start with Arabic quickly lose motivation because they lack a sense of achievement. Learning vocabulary takes too long, unvocalized texts are too annoying and, most importantly, many people in Arab countries can only speak in their dialect anyway. But some people do manage to bestir themselves to keep on learning. One of them is Marco Rateitschak, a German native now based in Switzerland. He has managed to retain his enthusiasm for Arabic for over twenty years. Marco RateitschakMarco Rateitschak is an economist who has been liaising with institutional investors across the Middle East for over 15 years while also developing a keen interest in the region's languages, literatures, and cultures. Originally from Berlin, he lives with his family in Fribourg, Switzerland. In the following guest article, Marco describes his journey to Arabic, what motivated and demotivated him - and he reveals tricks and tips for all those who are in a similar situation. Here is his story. In Search of Magnets What 20 years of learning Arabic have taught me about learning languages. By Marco Rateitschak Marco Rateitschak Introduction "Arabic is difficult", I had been told when, in the fall of 1999, I had decided to enrol in a three-week introductory Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) course in Cairo. Originally, my plan for a break after my first-year economics exams had been to travel to Latin America and learn Spanish. But an unexpected internship opportunity with the German Trade Mission in Riyadh, Saudi-Arabic, due to start a few... --- ### How to translate 'Nerd' into Arabic > The English term "nerd" is difficult to translate and should be left untranslated. However, if one insists on a translation: what is "nerd" in Arabic? - Published: 2021-06-25 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/how-do-you-say-nerd-in-arabic/ - Categories: Translation, Dialects - Tags: Algeria, Egypt, expression, Google, Google Translate, Gulf Arabic, how to, I-verb, Saudi-Arabia, wiederholen, YouTube, صيغة المبالغة - Authors: geralddrissner The English term "nerd" is difficult to translate and should be left untranslated. However, if one insists on a translation: what is "nerd" in Arabic? Let's have a look at various Arabic dialects. I have been asked many times how to translate "nerd" into Arabic. I am convinced that one should not translate the term and simply use nerd (نيرد). The translation into German is already almost impossible. I would need an entire sentence to roughly explain what a nerd is: eine Person, die für ein spezielles Fachgebiet besonders großes Interesse zeigt und viel Zeit damit verbringt (a person who shows particularly great interest in a special field and spends a lot of time on it). Wikipedia, which I otherwise very much appreciate, is almost insulting: "A nerd is a person seen as overly intellectual, obsessive, introverted or lacking social skills. Such a person may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular, little known, or non-mainstream activities. " Arabic - an unpopular, little known activity? I very much doubt it. So, let's see what people in Arabic-speaking countries use to express the English word nerd. My approach was to ask a few people in Arab countries. Of course, this is not a complete list and there are certainly other expressions. In principle, you could always form a noun of exaggeration (صِيغةُ الْمُبالغةِ) which would often work quite well. However, I tried to find some unusual expressions. The official translation: مَهْوُوس This is how the Oxford Dictionary and how Google translate the word nerd. Meaning: It is the passive participle (اِسْم الْمَفْعُولِ) of the I-verb هَوِسَ which denotes to the point of madness; to be obsessed; to be crazy. If you want to say... --- ### Sajdah: High-Tech Islamic Prayer Rug with LED Guidance - Published: 2021-06-13 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/e-rug-sajdah/ - Categories: Islam, Tools and Apps - Tags: Android, animal, Egypt, how to, Prophet Muhammad, Ramadan, Sahih al-Bukhari, wiederholen, YouTube - Authors: geralddrissner Must-have for geeks: a smart prayer rug with an LED display - to pray and recite the Qur'an correctly. The only downside: the price. I love all kinds of tech tools, especially those that have a certain geek factor. What I'm presenting today is actually something new and quite sophisticated (if it really works because mass production is still pending): the world's first smart educational Islamic prayer carpet. Sajdah is the name of a smart prayer rug (سجادة ذكية). It can work as an educational tool that guides Muslim converts and young adults through the ritual prayer and can help adults memorize verses of the Qur'an - thanks to the integrated LED screen! This can be helpful during night prayers or the hourly long praying sessions in Ramadan. Sajdah, as the company writes on its website, may also help elderly Muslims with dementia remember their prayers. The e-rug tells you what to do. The company behind Sajdah Frankly speaking, when I first read about this project of Thakaa Technologies, I had some doubts. The company is a startup based in Qatar (Qatar Science and Technology Park) that specializes in the design and manufacturing of smart hardware products. Th crowdfunding campaign was successful. Some days ago, the company announced that the funding goal had been exceeded by more than 200%1. The company has raised some $36,000 to develop the product. I guess that everything is set now, and they will start producing the prayer rug. When and where to get it Order should be accepted later in 2021. This new gadget is also quite an expensive device and definitely not affordable for anybody. Price: around... --- ### Exploring tricky Arabic roots and their meanings - Published: 2021-06-05 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/identify-arabic-root/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: Aramaic, diptote, etymology, Hebrew, I-verb, II-verb, VIII-verb, wiederholen, X-verb, ألف, اِسْتَفْعَلَ, اِفْتَعَلَ, فَعَّلَ, ممنوع من الصرف, همزة - Authors: geralddrissner Some letters can lead you in the wrong direction when trying to figure out the Arabic root. Some tricky examples. In the Arabic language, understanding word roots can seem simple. However, some words are more challenging and show the complexity of Arabic morphology. This article explores a few of these tricky words, discussing their roots, meanings, and interesting linguistic patterns. Join us as we navigate through the depths of Arabic etymology and discover the remarkable stories behind these words. The word اِزْدَحَمَ The root is ز–ح–م. The verb means to be crowded. يَزْدَحِمُ / اِزْدَحَمَ is a VIII-verb following the pattern اِفْتَعَلَ. Arabic is often described as a language that sounds harsh. Interestingly, just the opposite is true. Arabic takes great care that sounds fit together. The root of اِزْدَحَمَ is ز–ح–م. So, what on earth is the letter د doing here? Well, د has replaced ت in the VIII-pat­tern اِفْتَعَلَ to facilitate the pronunciation! ت in VIII-verbs always turns into د if the first root letter is ز. Hence, the pattern اِفْتَعَلَ changes into اِفْدَعَلَ. meaningrootpresent tensepast tenseto be crowdedز-ح-ميَزْدَحِمُاِزْدَحَمَto swallow; to gulpز-ر-ديَزْدَرِدُازْدَرَدَto increaseز-ي-ديَزْدادُاِزْدَادَ The word تَارِيخٌ The root is ء-ر-خ. The word means history. It is worth putting this root on the operating table. The corresponding verb for history is يُؤَرِّخُ - أَرَّخَ which is a II-verb following the paradigm فَعَّلَ. The active participle (اِسْمُ الْفاعِلِ) of the II-verb, the person who writes down the history, is the مُؤَرِّخٌ. The مَصْدَرٌ of II-verbs is formed using the pattern تَفْعِيلٌ. Thus, the مَصْدَرٌ of أَرَّخَ is تَأْرِيخٌ ‎‎‎– notice the هَمْزةٌ on top of the Aleph. The word تَأْرِيخٌ... --- ### Social Media & Palestine: Dotless Arabic outwits censorship - Published: 2021-05-19 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/dotless-arabic/ - Categories: Tools and Apps, History - Tags: Android, Arabic alphabet, Arabic newspaper, Arabic script, how to, Israel, Palestine, social media, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Social media platforms deleted Palestinian content - now people use dotless Arabic to bypass that. Here is how to write Arabic without dots I am against all kinds of censorship. We all should say what we want. After all, nobody should presume to determine what is right or wrong. In my opinion, the judgment of things or events depends on your experiences, your socialization, your wealth and above all: from which geographical and historical point you look at it. Therefore, we all should have the right to express our perspective. Palestine and social media In the current coverage of Palestine, many principles of a free-speech world have been disregarded. Some videos showing disturbing events in Palestine were deleted. Some accounts were even blocked. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram officially say it was a technical failure, a "technical glitch". 1 Regardless whether the officially stated reason is true, there is a trick to get around these so-called "technical glitches" on most social media platforms - by writing Arabic without dots. Many activists have shared posts about that. https://twitter. com/MadaMasr/status/1394630967311183877 https://twitter. com/nahw_w_sarf/status/1394001390767415303 Of course, it is only a matter of time before the automated systems also understand dotless Arabic script. But there are many other possibilities. Dialects in non-uniform transcription, for example, are still difficult - for computers. Can you read dotless Arabic? An example This is a random paragraph from the Arabic newspaper al-Quds - in dotless Arabic: عره: اسٮسهد ڡلسطٮٮٮاں وأصىٮ 7 آحروں، حرّاء ڡصڡ إسرائٮلى طال مٮرلٮں، ڡى مدٮںه حاٮٮوںس حٮوٮى ڡطاع عره، ومحىم حٮالىا ڡى السمال. وڡال سهود عٮاں إں ڡلسطٮٮٮاً اسٮُسهد، وأصىٮ آحر، ڡى الڡصڡ المٮواصل على مٮطٯه العطاطره ڡى ٮىٮ... --- ### How to tell adjectives and ‎حال‎ apart - Published: 2021-05-15 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/adjective-and-hal-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: adjective, agreement, II-verb, wiederholen, اسم الفاعل, اسم المفعول, الماضي, حال, صفة, صفة مشبهة, صيغة المبالغة, فَعَّلَ, مطابقة, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner The adjective and حال are often confused and mistranslated in Arabic. Checking whether the targeted word is definite or not will help. Understanding the nuances of the adjective (صفة) and the circum­stantial qualifier or circumstantial description (حال) in Arabic can greatly enhance one's grasp of the language. While both terms might appear similar at first glance, they serve distinct functions that are crucial for accurate communication. This article delves into the intricacies of the adjective (صفة) and the circumstantial qualifier (حال), exploring their forms, uses, and how they fundamentally differ from one another. The adjective in Arabic In English, the word beautiful is an adjective. In Arabic, the corresponding word جَمِيلٌ is a noun (اِسْمٌ) that may have the function of an adjective (صِفةٌ or نَعْتٌ). This is confusing for native speak­ers of English because Arabic doesn't know a specific word class called adjective. If we use the term adjective in Arabic, we only denote a function and not a type or class. But that is the only difference. Like in English, an adjective in Arabic is a word (or phrase) that describes or clarifies a noun or pronoun. Adjectives tell us more about size, shape, age, color, origin, or material of a person, thing, a place, or time. In Arabic, adjectives are called صِفةٌ or نَعْتٌ. Both terms denote description, characterization. The صفة is a derived noun (اِسْمٌ مُشْتَقٌّ) from a root. There are several types. We will check them now. What can be used as an adjective in Arabic? The active participle (اِسْمُ الْفاعِلِ) The active participle (اِسْمُ الْفاعِلِ) is a description of an action (صِفةُ بالْحَدَثِ). This is pretty... --- ### Alephia 2053: A Dystopian Reflection of the Arab World - Published: 2021-05-02 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/arabic-movies/alephia-2053-film/ - Categories: Movies & Series - Tags: Alexandria, Algeria, Arab spring, Arabic subtitle, Egypt, English subtitle, Jordan, Morocco, Syria, wiederholen, YouTube - Authors: geralddrissner The animated movie Alephia 2053 portrays a dystopian future of a fictional Arab state. It was viewed 8 million times on YouTube. A bonus for Arabic learners: it is in Standard Arabic with subtitles (English, French, Arabic). Alephia 2053 isn't really suitable for a relaxing Sunday afternoon. The animated movie depicts a bleak future for the Arab world. I have lived in Alexandria, Egypt, during the Arab Spring of 2011 and witnessed the fall of Hosni Mubarak's dictatorial regime. It was a time of hope, followed by massive disappointment. Now, there is despair and fear. Therefore, some scenes in the film Alephia 2053 seem familiar. They could also be set in Egypt, today, in the year 2021. screenshot of Alephia 2053 Even though the film does not refer to a specific Arab country, one can recognize events that happened in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Algeria, Jordan, Morocco (just to name a few Arab countries). The film is therefore highly political and important. Even if you have no connection to the Arab Spring or the current political situation in many Arab countries, I can still recommend the film - for language reasons because the film is an excellent Arabic listening exercise. What's the story of Alephia 2053? It is the year 2053 in the fictional Arab state of Alephia (أليفيا). The state is the world's biggest exporter of lithium; food and fuel are strictly rationed. There are cameras everywhere which observe everyone and record everything. We follow a group of insurgents who try to take down the ruler of the oppressive regime which is described as "the most tyrannical in the world". Crowds take to the streets chanting the famous Arab Spring slogan: the people demand the fall... --- ### The best app for the Hans Wehr Arabic dictionary > A new Hans Wehr app makes full-text search in Arabic (and English) possible. - Published: 2021-04-30 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/best-app-hans-wehr/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: Android, database, Egyptian Arabic, German, Hans Wehr, Lane's Lexicon, Linux, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner The Hans Wehr remains the top Arabic dictionary for Modern Standard Arabic, with new apps developed for easier access, especially for Android users. The Hans Wehr is still the best reference work if you want to translate a word quickly from Standard Arabic - especially because it is organized by roots and indicates vowels and prepositions. In German, the 6th edition was published just a few weeks ago, which includes new terms from technology and from dialects. The 5th edition was published in 1985 and was partly completely outdated. I have no information when the new edition will also be published in English. The German publisher of the Hans Wehr (Harrassowitz Verlag) does not offer a digital version, let alone an app for cell phones which is very disappointing and questionable. Digital Hans Wehr Gibreel Abdullah is a developer from India. He created a new app for the Hans Wehr dictionary because all other available Hans Wehr dictionary apps used scanned pages which made it difficult to navigate. I guess that the 4th edition was used as a database, but I am not sure. FEATURES Free and Open Source (FOSS). No Ads No internet connection needed Search in Arabic or English Search for words or search in the definition It shows how often and where the word in question occurs in the Qur'an Dark or light theme Browse the entire dictionary without searching Disclaimer: I have no idea if there are any copyright issues. You can download the Hans Wehr app in the Google App Store! Apple users So far, there is no version for Apple users, but there is another app that... --- ### Top Arabic YouTube channels with subtitles - Published: 2021-04-21 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/arabic-videos-with-english-subtitles/ - Categories: Dialects, Egyptian Arabic, Tools and Apps - Tags: Arabic subtitle, Egypt, Egyptian Arabic, Egyptian Arabic expression, English subtitle, expression, Google, Lebanon, Palestinian Arabic, United Kingdom, wiederholen, YouTube - Authors: geralddrissner Arabic videos with English or Arabic subtitles are rare. Some YouTube vloggers and channels do offer that. Here are some recommendations. In many languages, you can watch videos with subtitles. Arabic, however, falls out of line in this regard. YouTube is a wonderful resource for finding films and vlogs. In this article, I will show how you can search for Arabic Videos with subtitles and use an extension to find certain sequences in a video. Furthermore, I will give some recommendations of Arabic YouTube vloggers and channels which offer English subtitles. How to find Arabic videos with subtitles on YouTube The built-in function of YouTube You can use a filter on YouTube to only show videos with subtitles. Enter your keywordsState what you are looking for in the YouTube search bar. If you don't search for a specific video, you should use Arabic letters to make sure that the video is most probably in Arabic. Then press search. Open the filterClick on "Filter" and choose Subtitles/CC (German: Untertitel/CC). ResultNow you should only see videos with subtitles. The Chrome extension: Language Learning with Netflix and YouTube This extension works quite well with YouTube. It is only available for the Chrome browser. There is a free and a paid option, but the free option is usually enough. You can download the extension from the Google Web Store:Download the extensionAfter the installation, go to YouTube and refresh your browser (F5). You now have to set your target language and your mother tongue. You should then see a small icon now (CC) next to the search bar. Press on this button to only show videos... --- ### 20 questions for: Andreas Dietrich (#26) - Published: 2021-03-31 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-andreas-dietrich/ - Categories: 9273 roots, Interviews - Tags: Arabic literature, Aramaic, etymology, Farsi, Germany, Hebrew, self-study, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner "Obviously you collect languages", says Andreas Dietrich. Episode #26 of "9273 roots": The man who is interested in how Semitic languages are connected. Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Andreas Dietrich أندرياس The man who is interested in how Semitic languages are connected. Date of birth: 1952 Place of residence: Berlin, Germany For more than 20 years, Andreas worked as the Public Relations Officer for an ambassador of an Arab country in Germany. Writing speeches, press releases, briefings - it was all in Arabic. During the Cold War, Andreas worked as a language teacher in the eastern parts of Poland, just a 15-minutes' walk to the Russian border. He has now retired - but still continues to study languages and explore the Arab world. Despite his professional career, Andreas works as a tour guide in the Middle East and North Africa. "Join my tour and you will return as an almost perfect Arabist", Andreas says. Andreas studied Semitic Languages at the University of Leipzig (in former Eastern Germany/DDR) which back then was one of the leading European universities for Arabic and Semitic Languages. Diplom with magna cum laude. Andreas is fluent in Arabic and other Semitic languages such as Hebrew, Aramaic and Assyrian (only passive). His field of interest is lexicology/etymology. Beside Semitic languages, Andreas also likes his native Germanic language(s): German, English, Dutch, and Flemish. He mastered Dutch at the age of approximately 60 in a short-time of self-study. He has a working knowledge of Russian and some Modern... --- ### LibreOffice Tips: Color Tashkeel in Arabic Text - Published: 2021-03-15 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/change-color-of-arabic-vowels-diacritics-libreoffice-microsoft-word/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: Biblical Hebrew, Hebrew, Hebrew alphabet, how to, LibreOffice, Microsoft Word, Modern Hebrew, wiederholen, تشكيل, تنوين - Authors: geralddrissner LibreOffice - unlike Microsoft Word - does not offer to change the color of Arabic diacritical marks (tashkeel/harakat). Here is how to fix this. I like open-source software and have been using LibreOffice for many years. I haven't encountered many - actually: any - disadvantages compared to Microsoft Office - except one: the ability to set different colors for diacritical markers - tashkeel (تَشْكِيل) - in Arabic! Using colors for diacritical marks in LibreOffice has been a topic in forums for many years. I have no idea why it has never been implemented, since it seems to me that this shouldn't cause too many difficulties. However, at least there are two tricks which partially solve our problem. The basics What are diacritical marks in computer terms? In Arabic, diacritical marks (tashkeel), the Harakat or short vowel marks, are separate glyphs. So, basically, they are separate letters. This should give us the option to select them and change the size, font or color. screenshot LibreOffice How can I add Taskheel? This is an easy task. You just type the Arabic letter and then add the diacritical mark you want. For example, you type the Arabic letterبand then press Shift+q which produces a Fatha (فتحة) resulting in:بَ Vowel Fatha: shift + q Fatha with Tanween: shift + w Vowel Kasra: shift + a Kasra with Tanween: shift + s Vowel Damma: shift + e Damma with Tanween: shift + r Non-vowel Sukuun: shift + x Shadda: shift + tilde key (in German: °) OPTION 1: Using a makro This is the sophisticated solution. With a simple click, you can automatically change the color of every diacritical... --- ### The origins of the Islamic minaret: historical insights - Published: 2021-03-01 - Modified: 2025-03-20 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/minaret-mosques-islam/ - Categories: Islam, Etymology, History - Tags: Alexandria, caliph, database, Hadith, Hebrew, Moustapha Akkad, Prophet Muhammad, Sunni Islam, The Message, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Answer: Probably not. The minaret today is one of the most important and prominent symbols of Islam. But in the very beginning, this was different. The minaret today is one of the most important and prominent symbols of Islam. But in the very beginning, this was different. In this article, you will learn more about the origin of the Islamic prayer call (Adhan) and the history of the minaret attached to the main building of mosques. We will answer the following question: Did the first mosques in Islam have minarets? Before Islam: What Jews and Christians used The very first Muslims came to pray without answering a specific call. When Islam was revealed in the early 7th century, Jews called the faithful to prayer with the shofar (Hebrew: שׁוֹפָר) - a ram's horn -, and Christians used a bell, a wooden gong, or a clacker. The sound of a bell from a distant monastery was a frequent image in pre-Islamic poetry. When Muslims became aware of that, they wanted something equivalent. One of the companions sugges­ted using the human voice. It is not entirely clear who had the idea of a call to prayer, the so-called al-’Adhān (الْأَذان). Did you know? In Sunni Islam, the Muezzin says "prayer is better than sleep". But is he really saying "better"? Read this article to get the answer. Islamic source for the Adhan There is a Hadith telling the story of ‘Abd Allah ibn Zayd (عَبْد الله بن زَيْد). One of the Prophet's com­panions narrated that when the Messenger of Allah ordered a bell to be made so that it might be struck to gath­er the people for... --- ### 20 questions for: Connor Seidenschwarz (#25) - Published: 2021-02-19 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-connor-seidenschwarz/ - Categories: 9273 roots, Interviews - Tags: Arab culture, Arabic literature, Classical Arabic, expression, how to, Lebanon, Spotify, wiederholen, X-verb, اِسْتَفْعَلَ - Authors: geralddrissner Episode #25 of my series "9273 roots": 20 questions for the man who likes over-complicated board games and is passionate about Arabic: Connor Seidenschwarz Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Connor Seidenschwarz كونور سايدينشوارز The man who likes over-complicated board games and is passionate about Arabic. picture credit: Conor Seidenschwarz Date of birth: 24th of May 1988 Place of birth: Missoula, MT (USA) Place of residence: Washington, DC (USA) How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? If I had to give an elevator pitch and sum up my general life trajectory really fast: I was born and grew up in Missoula, Montana. I started learning Arabic in undergrad there, started studying linguistics, and became just knowledgeable enough about it to be really annoying at parties. Since then, I continued studying Arabic, then got a masters in Arab Studies which roundaboutly led me to a position at QFI (Qatar Foundation International), where I worked on a variety of programs promoting Arabic language and Arab culture education. Now, I work as a research partner at Gartner. I like to box, practice Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, play over-complicated board games, go hiking, and talk about history. What was your first Arabic grammar book? Either Arabic Verbs & Essentials of Grammar (2nd Edition) or Arabic: An Essential Grammar. I might have purchased them at the same time. I don’t know if I would recommend it as the best book out there for grammar, but I had a really enjoyable time with Arabic... --- ### Essential Egyptian Arabic phrases: next and last - Published: 2021-02-05 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/next-last-egyptian-arabic/ - Categories: Translation, Dialects, Egyptian Arabic - Tags: active participle, adjective, Egyptian Arabic, vocabulary list, wiederholen, اسم الفاعل, صفة, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner Students of Egyptian Arabic are often confused when they want to say "next week" or "last week". In fact, there are several ways. Let's look at them. In Egyptian Arabic, knowing important phrases can improve communication. This article explores two keywords - next and last - and how they are used in daily conversations. Let us start with the Arabic word for "next". The word "next" "Next" expressed by the word for "second" We use an ordinal number here to express next. It is the word second: تانِي Some examples: the second year = the next year taani sanaتانِي سَنةes-sana t-tanyaالسَّنة التَانْية the second time = the next time taani marraتانِي مَرّةel-marra t-tanyaالْمَرّة التّانْية the second day = the next day taani yoomتانِي يُومel-yoom et-taaniالْيُوم التّانِي Using an active participle This is very common. You use the Arabic verb to come (جاء) and build the active participle (اِسْم الْفاعِل). And you need to pay attention to the gender and number. Furthermore, you first need to add the definite article to the active participle and then harmonize the gender with the preceding noun. masculinefemininepluralالْجايّالْجايّةالْجايِّينig-gayyig-gayyaig-gayyeen Some examples. next Saturdayالسّبْت الْجايّes-sabt ig-gayynext weekالْأُسْبُوع الْجايّel-usboo3 ig-gayynext monthالشّهْر الجتيّesh-shahr ig-gayynext yearالسَّنة الْجايّةes-sana g-gayyathe next timeالْمَرّة الْجايّةel-marra g-gayya Now, what about the word last? It is quite similar. Let's see... The word "last" Option A: using a إضلفة-construction Using aa5ir (آخِر ) You use the word aa5ir (آخِر ) and put it before the noun. In this application, you produce an إِضافة. You do not need to harmonize the gender or number. It is always آخِر. Watch out: Although you want to express a definite construction (e. g. the last time), you don't... --- ### How to use Unicode for special Arabic characters - Published: 2021-01-30 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/list-of-special-arabic-letters-and-signs/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: Arabic keyboard, basmalah, Farsi, how to, LibreOffice, Microsoft Word, mood, wiederholen, ألف, ألف خنجرية, تشكيل, نون, همزة - Authors: geralddrissner An Arabic keyboard aids in writing Arabic, but lacks special characters like dagger aleph. Unicode allows users to include these characters in documents. An Arabic keyboard helps a lot if you want to write in Arabic. Nevertheless, not all Arabic letters and symbols that you may need are on an Arabic keyboard. Especially, the dagger aleph or superscript aleph (Arabic: ألف خنجرية‎ - aleph khanjarīyah) above certain letters (لٰكِنَّ) is missing. Case and mood markers, if they are to stand alone, are difficult to display. And also Persian letters with three dots are not on it. Not to speak of abbreviations like pbuh (ﷺ), which Muslims use when talking about the Prophet. The good news is that most standard fonts (Arial, DejaVu Sans, Noto Sans) recognize these characters. They can be inserted with so-called Unicode. What is a Unicode? The Unicode Standard provides a unique number for every character, no matter what platform, device, application or language. Your computer or phone can only process numbers. It stores letters and other characters by assigning a number for each one. Before Unicode, there were dozens of different systems which were used to assign these numbers. They are called character encoding. You may know that term from your browser or email program. Special Arabic characters and signs (Unicode) In the following table you see the most important and most common special characters of Arabic that are not listed on your keyboard: letters with dagger aleph, the abbreviation for the Islamic calendar (Hijri date), isolated tashkeel symbols, the most used Islamic eulogy, etc. How to use it: Mark and copy the sign you need and paste it... --- ### Forming plural adjectives in Egyptian Arabic - Published: 2021-01-24 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/egyptian-arabic/plural-of-adjectives-egyptian-arabic/ - Categories: Egyptian Arabic, Dialects - Tags: adjective, Egyptian Arabic, wiederholen, جمع - Authors: geralddrissner Egyptian Arabic adjective plurals can be tricky. We analyze common patterns and show examples for both human and non-human nouns. Previously, we had looked at the basics of forming and using adjectives in Egyptian Arabic. We only focused on the singular form. Now, it is time to move on and check the plural. Forming plurals is not so easy in Egyptian Arabic because you don't hear them so often. But if you know two patterns, you can actually form the plurals of the most common adjectives. The pattern fu3aal: فُعال This pattern is pretty common and is used for many very basic adjectives. Some examples. translationsingularpronunciationpluralpronunciationbigكِبِيرkibeerكُبارkubaartallطَوِيلTaweelطَوالTuwaalmanyكِتِيرkiteerكُتارkutaarcheapرِخِيصri5eeSرُخاصru5aaSfarبِعِيدbe3eedبُعادbu3aadnewجِدِيدgideedجُدادgudaadoldقَدِيم'adeemقُدام'udaamniceلَطِيفlaTeefلُطافluTaaflightخَفِيف5afeefخُفاف5ufaafheavyتِقِيلti'eelتُقالtu'aal The ending "-een": ين Adjectives for human beings That's logic. You use a corrupted form of the standard plural ending of masculine sound plurals. It is always "-een" in Egyptian Arabic - no matter if the plural targets male or female human beings. Some examples. translationsingularpronunciationpluralpronunciatongoodكوَيِّيkwayyesكوَيِّسِينkwayyiseenbadوِحِشwi7ishوِحْشِينwi7sheenquietهادِيhaadiهادِيِنhadyeensweetحِلُو7ilwحِلْوِين7ilweenterrificهايِلhaayilهايِلِينhayleen What we have checked so far are adjectives that are mainly used for human beings - thus, the usual ending for human plurals does make sense, of course. But that is not the end of the story! Sometimes, the ending ين is used for non-human nouns! Adjectives for non-human (inanimate) nouns Let's go directly to the examples as it is quite obvious what we are dealing here. translationsingularpronunciationpluralpronunciationdryناشِفnaashefناشِفِينnashfeenexpensiveغالِي3'aaliغالِييِن3'alyeencoldبارِدbaaredبارْدِينbardeen --- ### Mastering Egyptian Arabic comparatives and superlatives - Published: 2021-01-10 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/egyptian-arabic/comparative-and-superlative-egyptian-arabic/ - Categories: Egyptian Arabic, Dialects - Tags: adjective, comparative, Egyptian Arabic, I-verb, superlative, wiederholen, أَفْعَلَ, اسم التفضيل, صفة, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner Comparative and superlative forms in Egyptian Arabic have some features. Let's analyze some unique constructions and usage patterns. The adjective in Egyptian Arabic has some special features. We already took a look at the basic singular and plural forms. In this last part of our miniseries about adjectives, I will examine some peculiarities of the comparative and superlative forms. "more tired": the comparative of long adjectives If you want to say bigger in Egyptian Arabic, you use the standard pattern that is also used in Modern Standard Arabic: أَفْعَل. So, we eventually get أَكْبَر. This formula works perfectly for short adjectives that are derived from I-form verbs (not augmented). But what should we do if we have adjectives that are quite long regarding the number of letters? We use the additional word أَكْتَر and put it after the adjective. This helping construction works very well for most adjectives and is often used instead of the regular comparative. tiredتَعْبانmore tiredتَعْبان أَكْتَرmore tired than youتَعْبان أَكْتَر مِنَّك How do you build the superlative in Egyptian Arabic? That is tricky! In Egyptian Arabic, you have three options. waa7id and wa7da You often just use a helping construction with the word waahid (واحِد) or wahda (واحِدة) which are placed after the comparative! the (fem. ) best oneأَحْسَن واحِدةa7san wahdaThis (fem. ) is the nicest one I have. دِي أَجْمَل واحِدة عَنْدِيda agmal wa7da 3andy. This (masc. ) is the cheapest one. دَه أَرْخَص واحِدda ar5aS waa7id. Standard solution: genitive construction This is the standard solution that is also used in Modern Standard Arabic. Use the comparative form and add the noun. It... --- ### How al-Adly al-Rumi solved the Knights Tour in chess - Published: 2020-12-28 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/knights-tour-ancient-arab-chess-puzzle/ - Categories: History - Tags: caliph, Egypt, German, Persia, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner The Knight's Tour problem is a famous mathematical chess puzzle. The first solution provided an Arab philosopher in the 9th century from present-day Iraq. The chessboard with its 64 squares is a huge playground for people who like solving puzzles. The knight's tour problem is a classical chess problem that has been studied for centuries. The Knight's Problem The Knight is the piece with the trickiest move in chess. The Knight moves in an L-shape in any direction. Perhaps one of the oldest puzzles is the so-called Knight's Tour: Can the knight (the horse) visit each square exactly once and return to the starting square? Knight's Tour problem The Knights Tour. credit: wikimedia. Al-Adly's solution Around 845, al-Adly al-Rumi (العدلي الرومي) from Baghdad gave the answer: Yes, it is possible. Al-Adly al-Rumi's books are all lost, but referenced in later works. The "Knight's Problem" is found in a manuscript from around 1350 by Abu Zakariya Yahya Ibn Ibrahim al-Hakim. The title of the manuscript نزهة أرباب العقول في الشطرنج is usually translated as The Delight Of The Intelligent (a description of chess). This is al-Adly's solution to the Knight's Tour. It is most probably the first documented solution of this intriguing problem. In the diagram, the tour begins from "1" and finishes at "64". The tour is re-entrant, and if a line were drawn connecting 1 and 64 by a knight's move, the result would be a knight's circuit. Who was al-Adly al-Rumi? Al-Adly al-Rumi (800 - 870) was a philosopher who lived in Baghdad. He became the best player (of a pre-version of modern chess) in the courts of the caliphs of al-Wathiq (842-847) and... --- ### 20 questions for: Yehia Moldan (#24) - Published: 2020-12-15 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-yehia-moldan/ - Categories: 9273 roots, Interviews - Tags: calligraphy, Classical Arabic, Farsi, Ibn Khaldun, Kufa, mood, Palestine, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Episode #24 of my series "9273 roots": 20 questions for the man who takes Arabic calligraphy to a new level: Yehia Moldan. Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Yehia Moldan يحيى مولدان The man who takes Arabic calligraphy to a new level. Date of birth: 1990 Place of birth: Palestine Place of residence: Sweden Personal website: https://www. instagram. com/yehiamoldan/ left (سوريا), middle (شايف البحر شو كبير), right (أمل)picture credit: https://www. instagram. com/yehiamoldan/ How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? It depends on the person and the area that I'm introducing myself to, but generally, I'd say that I am a writer and graphic designer. What was your first Arabic grammar book? My school books. What is your favorite Arabic book (novel, etc. )? The polymath (العلّامة) by Bensalem Himmich (بنسالم حميش) --> What's the story? The polymath is an award-winning historical novel that tells the life of the Arab philosopher Ibn Khaldun, using historical sources, and particularly material from the writer's works, to construct the personal and intellectual universe of a fourteenth-century genius. The dominant concern of the novel the uneasy relationship between intellectuals and political power, between scholars and authority addresses our times through the transparent veil of history. Bensalem Himmich, born in Meknes/Morocco in 1945, is a novelist, poet, essayist, professor of philosophy, and a former Minister of Culture for Morocco. He received his PhD in Philosophy from the University of Paris and writes in both Arabic and French. The Egyptian Writers’ Union... --- ### The best translated Arabic Novels from Yemen, Kuwait, Iraq, Sudan and Saudi-Arabia - Published: 2020-11-24 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/literature/modern-arabic-novels-translated-english-yemen-kuwait-iraq-sudan-saudi-arabia/ - Categories: Literature - Tags: Arabic literature, Iraq, Mecca, Ramadan, Saudi-Arabia, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Many modern Arabic novels have recently been translated into English. In this article, we highlight works from Yemen, Kuwait, Iraq, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia. In recent years, modern Arabic literature has gained recognition globally, with many novels being translated into English. In this series, we look at contemporary Arabic novels that have been translated well, helping English-speaking readers connect with the rich stories and characters from Arab authors. Part THREE presents modern Arabic literature written by authors from Yemen, Kuwait, Iraq, Sudan, and Saudi-Arabia. Here are book cover The Daughter of Suslov takes place in the seaport city of Aden, Yemen, spanning from the 1960s until the 21st century. As a young man growing up under communism in South Yemen, Imran finds himself drawn to Hawiya, the daughter of a high-ranking official in the ruling Marxist party. He departs Aden, the seaport city of his childhood, to study literature in Paris, hoping to see "the sunset of capitalism with his own eyes". Years later he returns to Yemen and meets Hawiya again - only to find that she is now a niqab-wearing Salafist, calling on people to join the conservative Islamist movement. Authors from KUWAIT The Old Woman and the River السبيليات by Ismail Fahd Ismail (إسماعيل فهد إسماعيل), Kuwait book cover After the ceasefire in 1988, the devastation to the landscape of Iraq wrought by the longest war of the twentieth century the Iran-Iraq War becomes visible. Eight years of fighting have turned nature upside down, with vast wastelands being left behind. In southeastern Iraq, along the shores of the Shatt al-Arab River, the groves of date palm trees have withered. No longer... --- ### Is Arabic taught differently in Germany than in the USA? - Published: 2020-11-08 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/teaching-arabic-in-germany/ - Categories: Interviews - Tags: al-Kitaab, Arabic literature, emphasis, Germany, Jordan, Middlebury College, TAFL, teaching Arabic, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner "Real-life-situations" (USA) versus "lots of grammar" (Germany) - that's what studying Arabic used to be in both countries. But that is changing, says Paula Rötscher, who has studied Arabic at university level in the US and in Germany - and, moreover, teaches Arabic at several institutions. A significant number of refugees from Arabic countries live in Germany. In the streets of Berlin, you can hear people talking in Arabic. So, is Arabic trending in Germany? Let's learn more about that from Paula Rötscher, who is not only passionate about Arabic, but also very committed to the teaching of Arabic in Germany. Paula is 26 years old and will work as an Arabic teacher in GERMANY soon. You can follow Paula on Twitter: @fachverband_ara Paula grew up in a small German town called Buttstädt in Germany. She began learning Arabic at the age of 11 as a student at the Salzmannschule Schnepfenthal in Thüringen and continued to study Arabic Language and Literature as a minor for four years at the University of Florida after that. In 2017, she received a scholarship to attend the Middlebury College Arabic Language School for a summer and applied to the CASA (Center for Arabic Study Abroad) Program afterwards. This scholarship program allowed her to study at the Qasid Arabic Institute in Amman, Jordan for 9 months. In the fall of 2019 she came back to Germany and began her master's in Arabic Studies at the University of Bamberg which she finished in summer 2020. Over the course of the last year, she has taught at the Volkshochschule (adult education center) Würzburg and the Volkshochschule Schweinfurt and is currently a lecturer at the University of Erfurt. She is also active in the Fachverband Arabisch e. V. (association of Arabic). She will soon... --- ### The best translated Arabic novels from Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco - Published: 2020-10-26 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/literature/arabic-novels-translated-into-english-egypt-tunisia-morocco/ - Categories: Literature - Tags: Arabic literature, Egypt, Morocco, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner In recent years many outstanding modern Arabic novels were translated into English. Part 2: authors from Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco. In recent years, contemporary literature has become richer thanks to modern Arabic authors, whose works have reached new audiences through English translations. This three-part series highlights the best modern Arabic novels from various regions, showcasing the narratives and cultural insights these writers offer. Part TWO presents modern Arabic literature written by authors from Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco. In Part Two, we look at literary gems from Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco, revealing their unique perspectives and storytelling styles that reflect their societies. These novels, which explore personal struggles and identity in the diaspora, will engage readers and deepen their understanding of modern Arabic literature. Authors from EGYPT Hunger جوع by Mohamed El Bisatie (محمد البساطي), Egypt book cover The book is a detailed account of the ordinary lives of those at the very bottom of society, sufferers of continuous hunger. Through a detached yet intimate portrait of the day-to-day lives, the Egyptian author explores how, despite their sufferings, these neglected people can still reflect on human existence and ask questions about their surroundings. You can get the Arabic version on almost any web store, for example, Neelwafurat. Brooklyn Heights بروكلين هايتس by Miral-al-Tahawy (ميرال الطحاوي), Egypt book cover Brooklyn Heights tells the story of the New York’s Arab immigrants and those who live among them through the eyes of the female narrator. By contrasting her experiences in her chosen home, America, and her homeland Egypt, the author reveals the problematic relationship between East and West. Embrace on Brooklyn Bridge عناق عند... --- ### Demystifying Arabizi: Numbers as letters in Arabic chats - Published: 2020-10-12 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/3arabi-how-to-decode-arabic-chat-language/ - Categories: Tools and Apps, Dialects, Egyptian Arabic - Tags: Egyptian Arabic, transliteration, wiederholen, همزة - Authors: geralddrissner Many Arabs do not use the Arabic alphabet to write messages. Instead, they prefer to use their English keyboard. It is called Arabizi. Some hate it, some love it. A quick overview. In my articles about Egyptian Arabic, I occasionally used the Arabic chat language and not the international transliteration. I did this because it is reality. I quickly want to give an overview about the numbers used in Arabic chats for letters. The Arabic chat-alphabet is also called Arabizi (عربيزي). It uses numbers. The numbers represent Arabic characters which are not found in English. Since there are different dialects of the Arabic language, the Arabizi writing system is not standardized. But if you use the following numbers and signs, most Arabs will be able to read your text. ء = 2 This is rare. Often the Hamza is not pronounced in Arabic dialects. Nevertheless, you may see the number 2 when someone needs to type ؤ or ئ or any kind of Hamza. ع = 3 The number 3 is like a mirrored ع. غ =' 3 The apostrophe represents the dot on the غ. خ = 5 In order to be consistent, some people prefer to use the number 7 with an apostrophe resulting in: 7' ط = 6 Some people also use the capital letter T. What is the reason for the 6? Well, it has almost the same shape. ظ =' 6 The apostrophe represents the dot on the letter ظ. ح = 7 The letter ح has some similarities to the number 7. ق = 8 If the two dots of the ق closed the gap, we would get an eight lying on its side. ص =... --- ### The best translated Arabic novels from Syria, Lebanon and Palestine - Published: 2020-09-30 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/literature/best-modern-arabic-novels-translated-into-english-syria-lebanon-palestine/ - Categories: Literature - Tags: Aleppo, Arabic literature, how to, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner In recent years many outstanding modern Arabic novels were translated into English. Part 1: authors from Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. Many Arabic students get tired of reading Arabic classics which were written long before. They want to read modern books which use contemporary language and deal with topics that are closely connected to modern Arab societies. Modern Arabic literature features diverse novels that explore contemporary Arab experiences, highlighting unique author voices and important social issues. With more English translations available - thanks to the International Prize for Arabic fiction -, non-Arabic speakers can access these rich narratives. This series will present notable modern Arabic novels that were translated into English. In a three part-series, I will present the finest modern Arabic novels which were translated into English. I will use Amazon to give you an idea where to buy them (the English AND the Arabic edition) - but any good book store should be able to order them for you. Part ONE presents modern Arabic literature written by authors from Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. Here is book cover The book describes the experience of oppression under fundamentalist organizations in a Syrian society devoid of democracy. In the 1980s Syria, our young narrator is living a secluded life behind the veil in the vast and perfumed house of her grandparents in Aleppo. Her three aunts, Maryam the pious one; Safaa, the liberal; and the free-spirited Marwa, bring her up with the aid of their ever-devoted blind servant. Sarmada سرمدة by Fadi Azzam (فادي عزام), Syria book cover Sarmada, Arabic for perpetuate or the eternally-not-changed, is the novel's fictitious setting. In the... --- ### Quiz: How well do you know the Arabic terms for animals? - Published: 2020-09-22 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/quiz-animals-arabic/ - Categories: Quiz & Trivia - Tags: animal, camel, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner There are plenty of names for lion or camel in Arabic. How well do you know Arabic terms for animals? A quiz. It roughly takes a week to learn all the names for lion in Arabic. And perhaps another week for camel. So, let's start with the basics. --- ### Are the Arabic verb forms XI to XV (11-15) really so rare? - Published: 2020-09-12 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/arabic-verb-forms-xi-to-xv-11-15/ - Categories: Guest Article, Grammar - Tags: Classical Arabic, grammar books, Hebrew, Lane's Lexicon, Middlebury College, mood, Ramadan, self-study, triliteral, wiederholen, William Wright - Authors: reginaldhefner There are ten verb forms in Arabic. That is what most people learn - even at universities. But that is not the end of the story, as we will learn in this article. Arabic is a complex language with many verb forms that students often overlook. This guest article by Reginald Hefner explores less common verb forms from XI to XV that are often seen as rare. These forms, however, remain important and can improve our understanding of modern Arabic, as they appear in literature and everyday conversation. We will examine these unique Arabic verbs, highlighting their relevance through examples and personal stories. This exploration will offer valuable insights, beneficial for both beginners and advanced learners, into the richness of Arabic verb forms that are worthy of study. Here is Reginald Hefner's article. Introduction I started to study Arabic in 1965 in a small rural town called Chambersburg in the mountains of South-Central Pennsylvania about a one-half hour drive by automobile (some people still use horses and buggies in this area) from the Mason-Dixon Line, which divides "the North" from "the South" in the United States. Reginald Hefner At that time, the only resource that I had for self-study of Arabic was William Wright’s Arabic Grammar, which was originally translated from Caspari’s German text into Latin about 1844 and translated from Latin into English about 1896. I remember thinking at the time that one day I would like to travel to Germany to purchase the original Caspari text in German since Wright’s text was an abridgment with a lot of editing and commentary like, "No need to explain this, as it is just like the Ancient Greek, Latin, or Hebrew... " in an... --- ### Ulric Shannon on learning Iraqi Arabic: a diplomat's journey - Published: 2020-08-29 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/iraqi-arabic-introduction/ - Categories: Interviews, Dialects - Tags: Arabic literature, Basra, caliph, expression, Farsi, Gulf Arabic, how to, Iraq, self-study, vocabulary list, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Ulric Shannon is currently studying and absorbing Iraqi Arabic in Baghdad. In a long interview, the Ambassador of Canada, who is not only passionate but also impeccably knowledgeable of Arabic, tells us about the characteristics and specialities of Iraqi Arabic and gives some book recommendations. Ulric Shannon, Canada's Ambassador (السفير الكندي) to Egypt (and previously to Iraq), belongs to a new generation of diplomats who are far removed from the old-fashioned behavior of arrogant and ignorant ambassadors (who, above all, know how to tie a tie). So, what's this new generation of diplomats about? They know how and when to listen and show great and true interest in the culture of their host country. They are sharp minds who don't shy the pain of learning a new language, and, in Ulric's case, even passionately fall in love with that language, i. e, Arabic. Ulric has been learning Arabic for almost twenty years in several countries and spares no opportunity to tweet and give interviews in Arabic. The Canadian Ambassador Ulric Shannon Ulric and his wife Robin Wettlaufer are two role models of this new generation of diplomats. Robin was Canada's head of political affairs for Syria in Istanbul and achieved many diplomatic breakthroughs in a tough and difficult environment. Currently, she is the Canadian representative to the Palestinian Authority. Besides, she is also an Arabic nerd. Like Ulric, she doesn't mind at all giving live interviews in Arabic. And like Ulric, she also studied Arabic at Middlebury College. Robin & Ulric are, as far as I know, the only couple in the Western diplomatic sphere which is fluent in Arabic. I am very grateful that Ulric shares his experiences with Iraqi Arabic in this interview and tells us more about the differences to other dialects... --- ### 20 questions for: Sami Morcos (#23) - Published: 2020-08-10 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-sami-morcos-tafqit/ - Categories: 9273 roots, Interviews - Tags: Aleppo, Alexandria, devil, Dubai, how to, Upper Egypt, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Episode #23 of "9273 roots": An interview with Sami Morcos - the man who created a great website that converts any number into Arabic text. Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Sami Morcos سامي مرقص The man who created a great website that converts any number into Arabic text (تفقيط). Date of birth: 1st November 1981 Place of birth: Latakia, Syria Place of residence: Latakia, Syria Website: https://tafqit. com How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? I was born in Syria and studied Computer Science in Lebanon. Later, I worked in Dubai in the IT industry until I returned to Syria in 2010 to join a family business in maritime shipping and tourism. I have done some freelance work in programming and worked on some web related projects including tafqit. com. Tafqit (تفقيط) is a tool which helps people to avoid mistakes when they need to convert numbers into Arabic text (which, by the way, is difficult for many native Arabic speakers as well). What was your first Arabic grammar book? Some official elementary schoolbook. What is your favorite Arabic book (novel, etc. )? Azazeel (عزازيل), a novel by Youssef Ziedan. What is the book Azazeel about? Azazeel won the Arab Booker Prize. Set in the 5th century AD, Azazeel is the story of a Coptic monk's journey from Upper Egypt to Alexandria and then Syria during a time of massive upheaval in the early Church. Azazeel tells you how the history of our civilization has been warped... --- ### Top 5 European Arabic grammarians You should know - Published: 2020-07-31 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/who-are-the-greatest-arabic-grammarians-from-the-west/ - Categories: History - Tags: Arabic literature, Classical Arabic, comparative, Farsi, Germany, grammar books, grammarian, Hans Wehr, Hebrew, Lane's Lexicon, Semitic language, wiederholen, William Wright - Authors: geralddrissner Arabic grammar was of special interest in Europe, especially in the 19th and early 20th century. Here is a list of the TOP FIVE Arabic grammarians from the West The best Arabic grammarians were nerds, geniuses, and some of them died tragically. In a previous article, I had compiled a list of the TOP FIVE grammarians of Arabic and Persian descent. Today, I will feature the top five grammarians from Europe. My list is very subjective and marked by the ups and downs of my own learning. It does not follow academic standards. Why and when Europe became interested in Arabic The study of Arabic goes back to the Middle Ages. The earliest motivation to study Arabic was religion. Christian missionaries tried to convert Muslims to Christianity. This attempt and motivation was slowed down when the Mongols converted to Islam in the 14th century. Another reason for studying Arabic was the classical scientific work of the Arabs in the fields of medicine, astronomy, mathematics, philosophy (between the 8th and 12th century). Besides, there was the similarity of Arabic and Hebrew and its use for Bible studies. It was believed that studying Arabic helps to gain a deeper understanding of Hebrew. And there was the money, of course: Arabic was needed for trading which became more and more important since the 13th century. Furthermore, geographers, archeologists, botanists, zoologists were expanding their knowledge and needed to understand the Arabic names. In the 16th and 17th century, Turkish prisoners-of-war and Arabic-speaking Christians were used as teachers. The first Arabic grammar books in the West It all goes back to Christian Arabists who arrived in Toledo in the 12th century. In Muslim Spain,... --- ### Who are the best Arabic grammarians of all time? - Published: 2020-07-19 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/who-are-the-greatest-arabic-grammarians/ - Categories: History - Tags: al-Andalus, anecdote, Arabic saying, Basra, Bedouin, Farsi, grammarian, Kufa, Lisan al-Arab, Persia, wiederholen, تشكيل, سيبويه - Authors: geralddrissner Hard to imagine today, but the grandmasters of Arabic grammar were superstars during their lifetime. Here is a list of the TOP 5 Arabic grammarians of all time. The grammarians of the prime of Arabic grammar were nerds, geniuses, and some of them died tragically. Many of them weren't native speakers of Arabic - but of Persian origin. My list in this article is very subjective and marked by the ups and downs of my own learning. It does not follow academic standards. Where Arabic grammar emerged We have relatively little information about the time between the death of Muhammad (632 CE) and the emergence of Arabic grammar in the 7th and 8th century. But there is some common ground. We can roughly say that... The study of Arabic grammar emerged in what we today know as Iraq. We can say that Iraq is the cradle of Arabic grammar. It began in the city of Basra and later spread to Kufa. Both cities were engaged in a long-lasting famous contest over the sovereignty of grammar. The Basran scholars applied more of a dry and rational logic and were mainly driven by trying to seal the Islamic texts and stop the corruption of the speech. Many say that the founder of Arabic grammar is the Basran Abu al-Aswad al-Du'ali. There are many legends and anecdotes about why he felt the urge of codifying Arabic - but there is no final proof. Top 5 Arabic Grammarians and Scholars Let's see who the stars are: Sibawayhi (سيبويه) Sibawayh (died ca. 796/180 AH) was a Persian grammarian who later moved to Basra. He is in my opinion one of the best grammarians of all... --- ### Explore arabic.ba: Your tool for learning Arabic numbers - Published: 2020-07-11 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/arabic-rules-for-numbers/ - Categories: Grammar, Tools and Apps - Tags: agreement, diptote, wiederholen, عدد, مطابقة - Authors: geralddrissner Numbers in the Arabic language are like solving mathematical equations. But there is good news: a new online tool - which is of great help to learn the rules: arabic.ba Applying the correct case endings (and gender) in constructions with numbers in Arabic is tricky even for native speakers. In this article, I will explain the basic rules of numbers in Arabic and will introduce a new tool which is offered on the website arabic. ba arabic. ba - A tool to train and learn Arabic numbers You can learn all the rules by hard. But as soon as you come across a number while reading or speaking, Arabic may feel like an oral exam. The rules for Arabic numbers must become intuitive, their application playful, like learning multiplication tables - where nobody thinks about it anymore. There is only one method for this: practice. Check out this new website:arabic. baarrabic. ba is a new and great online tool to learn and train numbers. Why arabic. ba is outstanding arabic. ba has many useful features: It uses Taskheel (تَشْكِيلٌ)! You get the correct pronunciation of the entire sentence. You can change the range according to your level: from 1 to 10, 1 to 19, 1 to 99 up to 1 to 999999999. The number and the thing numbered are always shown in red, so they are easily identified within the solution. Offline use - you can download and print exercises. For experts: The number (written in digits) and the numbered things (shown as a picture) are used in a sentence. You have to figure out all by yourself! screenshot: arabic. ba Tip: Practice reading on arabic. ba The website arabic. ba also... --- ### 20 questions for: Nesrin Amin (#22) - Published: 2020-07-01 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/nesrin-amin-interview/ - Categories: 9273 roots, Dialects, Egyptian Arabic, Interviews - Tags: agreement, al-Andalus, Alexandria, Arabic proverb, Levantine Arabic, podcast, Spotify, wiederholen, World War I - Authors: geralddrissner Episode #22 of my series "9273 roots": 20 questions for the woman who explains Egyptian Arabic expressions by annotated movie clips: Nesrin Amin. Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Nesrin Amin نسرين أمين The woman who explains Egyptian Arabic expressions by annotated movie clips. Date of birth: 18th of June Place of birth: Cairo, Egypt Place of residence: Cambridge, UK Website: www. bilmasri. com How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? I recently started the Bilmasri blog and podcast, to provide a free Egyptian dialect resource for intermediate to advanced learners of Arabic. My career has revolved around the Arabic language one way or the other, as a translator, teacher, and language assessment expert. On a personal level, I’m a perpetual language learner, and a mother of three. Remark: Nesrin told me that her name is spelled in its original Turkish - "even though it is always being mispronounced in English". What was your first Arabic grammar book? It would have been an unattractive textbook imposed by the Egyptian ministry of education! What is your favorite Arabic book (novel, etc. )? The poetry of Bayram al-Tunsi, written in Egyptian dialect in the first half of the 20th century. BACKGROUND: Who was Bayram al-Tunsi (بيرم التونسي)? The Egyptian poet Bayram al Tunisi (1893-1961) was a grandmaster of Egyptian Arabic poetry. He is a hero in Egypt (and in Tunisia), especially among the poor and working-class. I have lived in Alexandria in Egypt for many years and almost... --- ### Grammatical breakdown: فأسْقَيْناكُمُوهُ in Sura 15:22 - Published: 2020-06-19 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/sura15-quran-al-hijr-tafsir/ - Categories: Grammar, Islam - Tags: emphasis, Hans Wehr, how to, indeclinable, Medina, Prophet Muhammad, wiederholen, أَفْعَلَ, الماضي, مبني - Authors: geralddrissner The Arabic expression فأسقيناكموه means "and we gave it to you to drink". This intriguing phrase is from the Quran. Let's analyze it. Some people say that فَأَسْقَيْنَاكُمُوهُ - which is found in Sura 15:22 - is the longest word mentioned in the Quran. This is true if we only look at the number of letters. However, it is also quite some nonsense because although فأسقيناكموه may look like a word, what we actually have here is a sentence. Since we deal with a sentence, this also means that we need to do a comprehensive analysis: a full إعراب ('Irab). Let's do a deep analysis step by step. Grammatical analysis - إعراب We start with the expression in question: فأسْقَيْناكُمُوهُ First part: ف ف - and, so Grammatical analysis: Letter of attraction (conjunction). It connects words or clauses. The فاء usually connects two clauses and indicates that the information before the فاء happened first (that is the difference to و where actions usually happen simultaneously. )حَرْفُ عَطْفٍ Good to knowSome scholars suggested that the ف here is a letter of introduction and renewal (حَرفُ اسْتِئْنافٍ). Such a device also does not have a place in the analysis and does not induce any grammatical issues. It is used to indicate the start of a sentence which has been cut off from what preceded it. It is not suitable to The و can also be used in this function and is often translated as while/when then. All in all, it wouldn't change our analysis, but you may translate the sentence differently with some emphasis on a new thought. Second part: أَسْقَى أَسْقَى - to give... --- ### Mai Ahmed's journey to vegetarian cooking in Egypt - Published: 2020-06-05 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/interview-mai-ahmed-vegetarian-in-egypt/ - Categories: Interviews, Egyptian Arabic - Tags: Arabic newspaper, Egypt, Egyptian Arabic, Gift Idea, how to, Ramadan, vocabulary list, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Mai Ahmed from Cairo has written a book about Egyptian recipes for vegetarians. PLUS: We will check the 20 most important verbs for cooking in Egyptian Arabic. It is quite difficult to be a vegetarian in Egypt. But even if you get food without meat, it is often extremely heavy which is not the type of food vegetarians prefer. Mai Ahmed (مي أحمد) had often been annoyed about not getting vegetarian food in Cairo - and therefore decided to solve the problem herself: by writing a cookbook for vegetarians. Mai Ahmed It is called 20 Shades of Salad and features 20 vegetarian recipes - based on the delicious everyday Egyptian cuisine. Mai is thirty years old and lives in Cairo. She works as a professional data analyst and runs her own baking start-up. She literally "designs" cakes. Mai loves cooking and baking. During Ramadan, she is known for cooking meals for the needy so that they can also have Iftar (إفطار رمضان) with their family and loved ones. How do you call a vegetarian in Arabic? Many native Arabic speakers just use the English terms vegetarian and vegan. In Arabic newspapers, you may come across the following two terms: vegetarianنَباتِيّvegan (lit. : absolute, mere vegetarian)نَباتِيّ صِرْف Interview with Mai Ahmed I have conducted the following short interview with Mai. She tells more about her recipes and the daily struggle of being a vegetarian in Egypt. Mai, when and how did you discover that you are a vegetarian? Mai: My favorite dish was Rokak (رقاق) which basically are filo layers stuffed with minced meat. Later I was trying different diet plans to see what suits me and when... --- ### Famous Arabic proverbs and their meanings - Published: 2020-06-03 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/famous-arabic-proverbs/ - Categories: Translation, Egyptian Arabic - Tags: animal, Arabic proverb, Basra, Egypt, Egyptian Arabic, expression, German, Iraq, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Famous Arabic proverbs and sayings about life, fate, friendship, luck, a person's character, etc. In Arabic and English. Proverbs are wise sayings about life. Arabic is the language of proverbs and sayings. Especially in dialects, people love to use proverbs, which is a nice way to discuss certain things in life without mentioning it by name. Furthermore, you can express a whole chapter about moral teachings in a single line. Character, personality . السَّبْع سَبْع ولو في قَفَص El sab’ sab’ walaw fi qafas means (literally): A lion is a lion even if in a cage. Meaning: You can't keep a good man down. Someone with moral substance will remain so under duress. This saying is not very much in use, but listeners will get the drift if you use it. It is one of a genre of sayings that assert the innate worth of someone by repetition of the same epithet twice. In Egyptian Arabic, "el-Gada’ gada’" is another one that asserts that a "genuine person (is always) a genuine person". . أسد عليَّ وفي الحروب نعامة You behave with me as if you were a lion, while in battle you are like a black ostrich (that flees even at the voice of a whistler. ) This is a famous line of the poet عِمْران بن حِطَّان (Imraan bin Hittaan). Imraan (died: 703/84 AH) was an Arab poet who grew up in Basra (present-day Iraq). He was first a Sunni and is mentioned by Ibn Saʿd in the second class of the "followers" ( اَلتَّابِعُونَ‎) of Basra. It is said that he was converted by his wife... --- ### Test your knowledge: Quiz Arabic Proverbs - Published: 2020-06-02 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/quiz-proverbs-arabic/ - Categories: Quiz & Trivia - Authors: geralddrissner Arabic proverbs about life, friendship, faith, courage and happiness - a quiz. Proverbs are a supreme discipline in every language. At the end of the quiz, the correct answers will be explained in detail. I will also give an English translation. --- ### Discover fun Arabic quizzes for language learners - Published: 2020-06-02 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/quiz/test-arabic-knowledge-quiz/ - Categories: Quiz & Trivia - Tags: wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Test your knowledge of the Arabic language with quizzes on Arabic for Nerds: vocabulary, grammar, إِعراب, history, proverbs, etc. On Arabic for Nerds, we offer quizzes on topics like vocabulary, grammar, and إعراب. Check your knowledge and learn, as we provide correct answers and sometimes extra explanations. If you would like to share a quiz you have created, feel free to contact me. Here is a list of the latest quizzes: --- ### Step-by-step guide to Arabic subtitles on Netflix - Published: 2020-05-23 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/arabic-movies/how-to-add-arabic-subtitles-on-netflix-the-ultimate-guide/ - Categories: Movies & Series - Tags: Arabic subtitle, Biblical Hebrew, Google, Hebrew, Hebrew alphabet, Hindi, how to, Modern Hebrew, Netflix, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner With a simple trick you can add Arabic subtitles on Netflix. You don't need any plugin or add-on. It works on all devices. A step-by-step guide. I watch Netflix in English and was always annoyed that I can add German and French subtitles - but not in Arabic. I had installed several add-ons and plugins to fix that but, to be honest, I was never really satisfied. Sometimes the quality of the subtitles was bad; sometimes the plugins didn't work on my Chromecast or Amazon Fire Stick. As an alternative, I watched movies on MBC2 because they show English films with Arabic subtitles. But Netflix is just so much better... In this article, you will learn... how to add Arabic subtitles to Netflix movies; how to list all available movies with Arabic subtitles; how to apply this trick to other languages - you can also watch Netflix stuff with Hebrew, Japanese, Hungarian, Greek, etc. subtitles; how to use other tools for language learning with Netflix. I thought that all this was related to copyright issues, broadcasting rights, or IP geoblocking. But now I know, that's just nonsense. By chance, I found a way to easily add ARABIC subtitles to almost any movie or series. It works on TVs and with streaming sticks. You don't need to install anything. It is just a little trick in your Netflix account settings. Here is a step-by-step guide. Step 1: Go to "manage profiles" on Netflix Here is a direct link: https://www. netflix. com/profiles/manage screenshot Remark: If you are not logged in, you need to sign-in first. After you have done that, you may need to click on the above... --- ### Dual subtitles on Netflix: A guide for Arabic learners - Published: 2020-05-12 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/arabic-movies/dual-subtitles-netflix/ - Categories: Movies & Series, Tools and Apps - Tags: Arabic subtitle, English subtitle, Farsi, Google, Google Chrome, how to, Linux, Netflix, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner LLN is a Google Chrome extension that gives you superpowers over Netflix. You can watch films and series with two subtitles. One of the most annoying things about learning Arabic is the limited availability of subtitled movies and series - which is no longer a problem in almost all other languages. But there is a pretty cool tool that solves at least part of the problem. (Thanks to reader faruq for telling me! ) Netflix and subtitles Netflix is adding more and more original Arabic films to its program. However, Netflix has two major disadvantages: You can't set Arabic subtitles for movies that are originally in English or German, etc. You can only see one subtitle at a time. Especially for learning a language it is useful to see the original language and a translation. This way you hear, see, and translate the words of the movie. The Chrome extension Language Learning with Netflix (LLN) There is a Google Chrome extension that solves at least one of the two issues and makes it possible to see subtitles in English and Arabic at the same time. It is called LLN: Language Learning with Netflix. A scene from the Arabic movie "sand storm" on Netflix - with both, the Arabic and German subtitle. credit: screenshot Netflix LLN is a Chrome extension that supercharges Netflix - but it only works on your desktop or laptop (not on mobiles phones, tablets, or sticks). How the extension LLN works First, you should choose a suitable movie. You can search for Netflix stuff on LLN's website:NETFLIX catalogOnce you found a good movie, you can play with the... --- ### Best tools for Arabic number conversion to text - Published: 2020-04-30 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/the-best-tools-that-convert-numbers-into-arabic-text/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: Android, Germany, Google, how to, mobile app, wiederholen, عدد - Authors: geralddrissner Several tools (desktop and mobile apps) can convert numbers into written Arabic text. Some recommendations. I think everyone who learns Arabic has had similar experiences. You always avoid writing out numbers and reading them aloud. With a little practice, the numbers are actually easy to learn because they follow strict rules. This fact is used by app developers and programmers because there are now wonderful tools that generate Arabic written numbers from conventional numbers. Our test number: 14415 I have randomly picked a number to check how accurate the tools are. I use 14,415. Furthermore, I assume that the counted thing which determines the gender of some numbers is feminine. In Arabic, we would get: أَرْبَعَةَ عَشَرَ أَلْفًا وَأَرْبَعُ مِائَةٍ وَخَمْسَ عَشْرَةَ Note that some people prefer to write numbers with 100 together. I've separated them for reasons of clarity only. Website: Tafqit In my opinion, this is the best tool. Tafqeet converts Arabic numbers into a written form (words). What is really great: it takes the gender into account! You just have to look for a masculine or feminine measurement. For example, ليرة for feminine "counted" words; ريال for masculine. Furthermore, you can adjust the writing of the Arabic word for hundred. screenshot website It works very well. The result is perfect. How to access Tafqit Tafqit is an online tool. It is for free. You can access it online:https://tafqit. comMobile App: التفقيط‎ Although I prefer the website version, the mobile app called التفقيط‎ is also quite handy. It is a bit outdated and was last updated in May 2017. I have tested it... --- ### What are the best websites for free Arabic lessons? - Published: 2020-04-17 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/websites-free-arabic-lessons/ - Categories: Tools and Apps, Dialects - Tags: Arabic subtitle, Egyptian Arabic, English subtitle, Gulf Arabic, Jordan, Levantine Arabic, student engagement, Sudanese Arabic, teaching Arabic, transliteration, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Many websites offer free Arabic lessons. Two of the best are Playaling and material of the Defense Language Institute. There are many good websites offering Arabic lessons. Many of them only offer material for beginners or do charge money. In this article, I would like to present two websites that offer free lessons. Playaling Who is behind it? Playaling was founded by Jordan Gerstler-Holton (a former CASA-fellow which is an elite Arabic program for US students). Part of his inspiration came from Nadia Harb, a professor at American University in Cairo (AUC). Advantages of Playaling Real-world content Interactive captioning: you get Arabic subtitles and English translations Fast and easy website screenshot Playalingo How does it work? It is straightforward. You choose your level and dialect, start the video and choose whether you want to add the Arabic transcription (in Arabic! ) and/or English subtitles. This is what the website says about it: Search individual clips by filtering for preferred level, content, dialect, or Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). Play them once to train your ear, and then activate interactive captioning to learn what you missed. All content is equipped with optional transcription and translation, though some also includes conversion to MSA and transliteration. Simply move your cursor over the transcribed text to discover meanings, along with grammatical and contextual information. screenshot Playalingo Where can you find it? Go to the website: http://playaling. com Defense language institute It might sound weird that you get some of the finest language lessons from an institute that is linked to the US army. They have developed great language learning material for Arabic that is... --- ### 20 questions for: Nikolaos Van Dam (#21) - Published: 2020-04-03 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-nikolaos-van-dam/ - Categories: 9273 roots - Tags: Aleppo, Ancient Greek, Arabic literature, Arabic music, Arabic proverb, Bashar al-Assad, expression, Hebrew, Oman, Palestinian Arabic, Syria, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Episode #21 of my series "9273 roots": 20 questions for the ambassador and authority on Syria who worked in almost all Arab countries: Dr. Nikolaos Van Dam. Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Nikolaos Van Dam نيقولاوس فان دام The ambassador and authority on Syria who worked in almost all Arab countries. Dr. Nikolaos Van Dam Date of birth: 1st April 1945 Place of birth: Amsterdam, The Netherlands Place of residence: Andalusia and The Hague Personal website: nikolaosvandam. academia. edu Studied Political & Social Sciences at the University of Amsterdam, including International Relations and History of the Modern Middle East, as well as the Arabic Language and Islam. Graduating cum laude in 1973 with the degree of Doctorandus (Drs) of Political & Social Sciences. Was awarded the degree of Doctor of Literature at the University of Amsterdam in 1977, after successfully defending his thesis on The Role of Sectarianism, Regionalism and Tribalism in the Struggle for Political Power in Syria. 1970-1973: Taught Modern Middle Eastern History at the University of Amsterdam. 1970-1975 and 1974-1980: Field research in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan. Interpreter/translator of Arabic (Egypt, Lebanon, the Netherlands). 1975-1976 and 1976-1980: Staff Member of the International Technical Assistance Department of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dealing with Yemen. Staff Member of the Middle East Section of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 1980-1983: First Secretary at the Netherlands Embassy in Beirut,covering Lebanon, Jordan, Palestinian occupied territories(West Bank) and Cyprus. 1981: Secretary of the European Middle East mission of the Dutch presidency. 1983-1985:... --- ### Exploring Masameer: Saudi Arabia's first animation film - Published: 2020-03-19 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/arabic-movies/the-first-saudi-comic-movie-is-hitting-netflix/ - Categories: Movies & Series - Tags: AI, diptote, English subtitle, Gulf Arabic, Netflix, Riyadh, Saudi-Arabia, wiederholen, YouTube, مسلسل, ممنوع من الصرف - Authors: geralddrissner Masameer is a Saudi Arabian animation film which is now available on Netflix! It uses Gulf Arabic and Fosha - and has pretty decent English subtitles. Saudi Arabia was once a black box to outsiders, but it is now opening up rapidly. In December 2017, the country lifted its 35-year ban on cinemas, allowing them to operate again. The first cinema opened in Riyadh on April 18, 2018. Since then, the movie industry has restarted and is making movies, مسلسلات, and other content. In this article, we will explore one of the first products: Masameer (مسامير), the first Saudi Arabian animation film that was screened worldwide. The comic movie features Dana. Let's see what it is all about. The Netflix animation film Masameer Dana is a girl from Saudi-Arabia who is passionate about the use of artificial intelligence. Together with Saad, Saltooh and Trad, three crime-fighting superheroes, she is embarking on a journey of making the world a better place. screenshot trailer What you need to know about Masameer The meaning of the title The Arabic word مَساميرُ (a diptote! ) is the plural of مِسْمارٌ which means nail. However, according to several sources, the title does not refer to nails at all. It is rather simple. مَساميرُ is a Saudi-Arabian neighborhood about 300 km (186 miles) west of the Saudi capital Riyadh. What are the topics of Masameer? The series Masameer pokes fun at the conservative kingdom and the current situation of the country. Thus, it addresses issues such as women's rights, corruption, drug use and religious tension. It talks sarcastically about these issues through short stories represented by quirky and funny-looking characters. Most Arab... --- ### Key features of Egyptian Arabic adjectives - Published: 2020-03-10 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/egyptian-arabic/tricky-things-about-the-adjective-in-egyptian-arabic/ - Categories: Egyptian Arabic, Dialects - Tags: adjective, agreement, comparative, diminutive, Egyptian Arabic, superlative, vocabulary list, wiederholen, اسم التفضيل, صفة, نسبة, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner Do you know how to say "small", "upper", "Turkish coffee", or "secondary" in Egyptian Arabic? This article will explain tricky things about the adjective. The adjective in Egyptian Arabic has some special features. In several articles on Arabic for Nerds, we will examine some peculiarities such as comparative, superlative, agreement, plural forms, etc. In this article, I will focus on the basics: the forming of the adjective. An adjective (صِفةٌ) is a word that describes another word. Adjectives are masculine and feminine and take the singular and plural form - because they grammatically need to agree with the word they describe. Small, short, thin: diminutive in form - but not in meaning In Modern Standard Arabic, the word for small is صَغِيرٌ. In Egyptian Arabic, however, you don't say Sagheer. You say Sughayyar. Why on earth is that? This has to do with one of the distinctive features of Egyptian Arabic! The pattern that is used for certain adjectives is actually a diminutive form, for example, the word Sughayyar. A diminutive is a word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its core meaning, to convey the smallness of the object. For example: a book (كِتاب) - a booklet (كُتَيِّب). That is weird because Egyptian Arabic is famous for speeding up Arabic and getting rid of everything that would lengthen speech acoustically. What is crucial here: These words are diminutive in FORM - but not in MEANING! In fact, you don't have any other option but to use the diminutive form if you want to express words such as small, short, or thin. Some examples. translationsingularpronunciationpluralpronunciationsmallصُغَيَّرsughayyarصُغَيَّرِينSughayyareennearقُرَيِّب'urayyib minقُرَيِّبِين'urayyibeenshortقُصّيَّر'uSayyarقُصَيَّرِين'usayyareenfewقُلَيِّل'ulayyilقُلَيِّلِين'ulayyileenthinرُفَيَّعrufayya3رُفَيَّعِينrufayya3een Adjectives formed from prepositions... --- ### 20 questions for: Ghada Wali (#20) - Published: 2020-02-27 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-ghada-wali/ - Categories: 9273 roots - Tags: Classical Arabic, Egypt, Egyptian Arabic, Israel, Naguib Mahfouz, Taha Hussein, wiederholen, YouTube - Authors: geralddrissner Episode #20 of my series "9273 roots": 20 questions for the woman who uses LEGO to teach Arabic: Ghada Wali. Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Ghada Wali غادة The woman who uses LEGO to teach Arabic Date of birth: 14th November 1989 Place of birth: Cairo, Egypt Place of residence: Cairo, Egypt Website: https://ghadawali. com Ghada Wali took part in TED Speaker (Idea Search) in Nairobi 2017 - she was the youngest female speaker representing MENA region. She believes that graphic design can change the world. The multiple-award-winning designer developed an Arabic typeface that was chosen as one of the best 100 graphic design pieces in the world by the Society of Typographic Arts in Chicago. Her work has been featured in art exhibits around the world and showcased in various articles internationally such as the World Economic Forum. Most importantly, Wali made it to Forbes Europe's List 2017 (Arts & Immigrants category) which makes her the first Egyptian woman ever to appear in this category. Ghada Wali - one of the most influential designers and speakers in the Arab world. photo credit: Ghada Wali How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? I am the founder of Wali's Studio. I'm a human, designer, and artist who believes that design can change the world. What was your first Arabic grammar book? It was called What is your favorite Arabic book (novel, etc. )? Karnak Café by Naguib Mahfouz (1974). What is the story?... --- ### Ways to say 'to have' in Arabic - Published: 2020-02-01 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/how-do-you-say-to-have-in-arabic/ - Categories: Translation - Tags: adverb, emphasis, expression, personal pronoun, suffix, wiederholen, ضمير, ظرف - Authors: geralddrissner Arabic does not have a verb "to have". Instead, you use constructions with prepositions and adverbs to express the same idea. There are many ways to express "to have" in Arabic. You can use prepositions, adverbs, or verbs. It depends on what you want to express. In Modern Standard Arabic, mainly for words are used to convey the idea of belonging or owning. They are of different nature and work differently. Note that dialects have their own ways to express "to have". Words to express "to have" The four words are: لَدَىعِنْدَمَعَلِ What they have in common All of them aren't verbs. In English books, you often read that they are prepositions. That is only half of the truth. The construction is usually as follows: You use the word, add a personal pronoun and add the thing that you possess/have. I have a book. Four ways to express it Let's check them quickly: 1لِي كِتابٌ2مَعِي كِتابٌ3عِنْدِي كِتابٌ4لَدَيَّ كِتابٌ The usage of لِ We will now check several applications of the ل. Meaning of لِ when used as "to have" The focus is on belonging. The meaning of لِي كِتابٌ is that I have a book in the sense that "it belongs to me". Do we know where it might be right now? No. We can only guess it from the context. The main emphasis is on the notion of the book belonging to me - by right. It can also be used for actions that are abstract or in the future. For example: a book is reserved for me in the library. Should you pronounce ل as "li" or "la"? There... --- ### Six linguistic techniques in the Qur'an - Published: 2020-01-18 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/style-quran-iltifat/ - Categories: Grammar, Islam, Translation - Tags: emphasis, expression, Moustapha Akkad, personal pronoun, Sura 5, The Message, VIII-verb, wiederholen, اِفْتَعَلَ, صيغة المبالغة, ضمير, قَسَم, نون - Authors: geralddrissner In the Holy Quran there are certain rhetorical styles that are unique. Among them are Iltifat and various forms of emphasis. An overview. Many beautiful stylistic forms that are used in the Quran are not common anymore. This is one of the reasons why people sometimes find it hard to read the Holy Book - despite the vocabulary. In this article, I will show six of the most important styles and linguistic tricks the Qur'an uses. Why is the Qur'an so difficult to read? Well, it depends on what you mean by "difficult". If you know the main finesses the Quran uses, it suddenly becomes pretty easy and more enjoyable - because you start to feel the beauty of the language of the Qur'an. The use of oaths Many Suras of the Meccan period are written in the form of oaths (قَسَم). We don't talk like that in English anymore, but in ancient times, this was a very effective way of talking. Allah swears as to the validity of the statements and the truth of the message. How can Allah Himself take an oath? Allah swears by natural phenomena like the night or the day. The sun and the moon. They are signs of Allah's power. Only Allah can keep them in the correct order - otherwise, the world would turn into chaos or all life will die. Two examples. وَالشَّمْسِ وَضُحَاهَا - 91:1 By the sun in its morning brightness! وَالْقَمَرِ إِذَا اتَّسَقَ - 84:18 By the full moon (! ), ... The expressions: think, see how, etc. The expression think occurs in the Quran over 60 times. The same is true... --- ### The Dajjal and Netflix's Messiah: An Islamic perspective - Published: 2020-01-02 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/the-new-netflix-series-messiah-why-do-some-muslims-claim-that-this-is-about-the-al-dajjal/ - Categories: Islam, Movies & Series - Tags: Hadith, Hebrew, Jesus, Medina, Netflix, Sahih al-Bukhari, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Muslim viewers of the Netflix series "Messiah" were irritated - because they were reminded of the al-Dajjal. Who is the Dajjal? UPDATE: Netflix announced in April 2020 that they cancelled season 2 of the series Messiah. Some people who had watched the Netflix series Messiah, which aired 1st January 2020, were irritated. What happened? Well, the main character, played by Belgian actor Mehdi Dehbi, calls himself the Messiah - he gives his name as al-Massih (الْمَسِيح). Muslims were reminded of the al-Masih al-Dajjal (الْمَسِيح الدَّجّال‎‎) – the False Christ or Anti-Christ. He is an evil figure in Islamic eschatology. What's the Netflix series Messiah about? When CIA officer Eva Geller (Michelle Monaghan) uncovers information about a man (Mehdi Dehbi) gaining international attention through acts of public disruption, she begins an investigation into his origins. As he continues to cultivate followers who allege he's performing miracles, the global media become increasingly beguiled by this charismatic figure. Screenshot: NETFLIX. COM Geller must race to unravel the mystery of whether he really is a divine entity or a deceptive con artist capable of dismantling the world’s geopolitical order. As the story unfolds, multiple perspectives are interwoven including that of an Israeli intelligence officer (Tomer Sisley), a Texas preacher (John Ortiz) and his daughter (Stefania LaVie Owen), a Palestinian refugee (Sayyid El Alami) and the journalist (Jane Adams) who covers the story. The word Dajjal The word Dajjāl means swindler, charlatan. It comes from the root d-j-l (د-ج-ل) which means to deceive, to be a swindler; in Classical Arabic it was also used in the meaning of to cover. The Dajjāl will appear before the... --- ### 20 questions for: Daniel Falk (#19) - Published: 2019-12-30 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-daniel-falk/ - Categories: 9273 roots, Interviews - Tags: Arabist, Germany, Gulf Arabic, Jerusalem, Levantine Arabic, Palestine, United Arab Emirates, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Episode #19 of my series "9273 roots": 20 questions for the the man who masters simultaneous Arabic - German interpreting: Dr. Daniel Falk Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Daniel Falk دانيال فالك The man who masters simultaneous Arabic - German interpreting. Dr. Daniel Falk from Germany - arabist and interpreter Date of birth: 1984 Place of birth: Heidelberg, Germany Place of residence: Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany Personal website: www. falk-translations. com How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? Hi, my name is Daniel Falk and I am a professional translator and interpreter for Arabic-German and vice versa. I love this job, because there are always new challenges ahead and it never gets boring. I started teaching myself Arabic about 20 years ago. From 2005 onwards, I enjoyed an intensive Arabic training at the Institute of Oriental Studies at Leipzig University – where I finally graduated with an M. A. in Political Science/Arabic Studies/Conference Interpreting and wrote my PhD thesis. Today I live in Freiburg, Baden-Württemberg, together with my wife and two children. What was your first Arabic grammar book? "Lehrbuch des modernen Arabisch" by Krahl/Reuschel/Schulz which nowadays has been transformed into an interactive new Arabic textbook including an electronic edition in many languages: www. modern-standard-arabic. net What is your favorite Arabic book (novel, etc. )? I can't decide which of the following three is my favorite: Saud al-Sanousi's Saaq al-Bambuu (The Bamboo Stalk). I spent a lot of time in the Gulf region (mainly UAE and Oman) when writing... --- ### How Forvo can help you pronounce Arabic correctly - Published: 2019-12-17 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/pronunciation-arabic-words/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: Arabic alphabet, database, expression, grammarian, how to, Istanbul, triliteral, wiederholen, William Wright - Authors: geralddrissner Arabic is usually written without vowels (tashkeel). The website Forvo can help you find the correct pronunciation of Arabic words and names. The fact that vowels in Arabic are usually not written, favors native and fluent speakers - and makes it difficult for learners. Not only that learners mispronounce words - reading also becomes less enjoyable. Furthermore, sometimes it is really difficult to find out how an Arabic word is actually pronounced. Many websites nowadays use an AI to pronounce words which eventually sound like google. The internet helps. There is a great tool which tells us how native speakers pronounce an Arabic word: Forvo. But let us first take a brief look at the history and development of Arabic. Why is Arabic written without vowels? We don't know and can only guess. When the Phoenician script (from which the Arabic alphabet was developed) was taken and adopted by the Greeks, it probably happened that some consonants were interpreted as vowels, and so we ended up with vowels in our (English) alphabet. However, I don't think we will ever be able to solve the great mystery of the Semitic bi- and triliteral roots - because we have too little information. With a few exceptions, every Arabic root consists of three letters, and these three are consonants. The vowels have only a secondary role. The consonants give the meaning of the word. The vowels express its modifications. The famous British grammarian has worded it as follows: The letters are the bones of a skeleton, which the vowels clothe with flesh and endow with life. William Wright in: Lectures On The Comparative Grammar Of... --- ### 20 questions for: Zora O'Neill (#18) - Published: 2019-11-23 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-zora-o-neill/ - Categories: 9273 roots - Tags: camel, Classical Arabic, Egypt, Egyptian Arabic expression, how to, Lebanon, life-long-learning, Middle East, Morocco, self-study, United Arab Emirates, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Episode #18 of my series "9273 roots": 20 questions for the woman who wrote a book about her journey to the Arabic language: Zora O'Neill Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Zora O'Neill زورة أونيل The woman who wrote a book about her journey to the Arabic language. Date of birth: 15th of July 1972 Place of birth: California, but grew up in New Mexico Place of residence: Queens, New York City Website: https://www. zoraoneill. com Zora O'NeilPHOTO CREDIT: CHRISTINE HAN How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? I am the author of the book All Strangers Are Kin: Adventures in Arabic and the Arab World, a perpetual student of Arabic, and generally language-obsessed. What was your first Arabic grammar book? I started studying Arabic in 1990, so now it’s been so long I can’t remember! I see Ziadeh and Winder (Introduction to Modern Arabic) still there on my shelf, so that might have been one of my early references? What is your favorite Arabic book (novel, etc. )? Tayeb Salih's موسم الهجرة إلى الشمال (Season of Migration to the North): complex, vivid and beautiful, right down to the level of individual words. How much time does a native speaker of English need to master Arabic? "Seven years to learn it, a lifetime to master it," one of my teachers once told me, and that seems to ring true. I am absolutely still slogging. Zora's book about Arabic. picture credit: Zora O'Neill Zora's book: All Strangers Are Kin... --- ### Comparing Arabic and Japanese calligraphy techniques - Published: 2019-11-08 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-articles/learn-arabic-calligraphy/ - Categories: Guest Article, Etymology, History, Islam - Tags: al-Jazeera, animal, Arabic alphabet, Arabic script, calligraphy, Egypt, etymology, how to, Iraq, Kufa, Middle East, Oman, Ottoman Empire, right to left, wiederholen - Authors: mihosato Arabic calligraphy is an exceptional art. Many Arabic students want to learn it - however, it is a long journey. Arabic calligraphy is more than just a way to communicate; it is a unique art form connected to Islamic culture and history. Starting in the early days of Islam, this tradition has changed over the years, showcasing the beauty of the Arabic language. In this guest article, Miho Sato from Tokyo, Japan, looks at the key aspects of Arabic calligraphy, including its tools and history, while comparing it to Japanese calligraphy, or shodō, showing how art crosses cultural lines. The etymology of the word calligraphy Calligraphy, which means "beautiful writing" in Greek originally, has been recognized as a sort of art in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Arabic calligraphy, sometimes equally referred to as Islamic calligraphy, is a unique Islamic art form that is centuries old. Calligraphy has been developing since the dawn of Islam. Arabic writing vitally combines with Islam. Reading the Qur'an ( القرآن ), the Holy Book of Islam, required reforming parts of the spelling system, devising the structure of the Arabic language, and developing calligraphy. This article will also show the differences to Japanese calligraphy. Japanese calligraphy is called shodō (書道). Early Japanese calligraphy was originated from Chinese calligraphy. Many of its principles and techniques are very similar, and it recognizes the same basic writing styles: The Basics Calligraphy requires three tools; pen, ink, and paper. Many people pay slight attention to the function of these tools, instead, they focus on the work of calligraphers or the historical aspects. It is, however, crucial to... --- ### Semitic languages: Tracing the term and its history - Published: 2019-10-26 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/semitic-language-meaning/ - Categories: History - Tags: Arabian Peninsula, Aramaic, expression, German, Germany, Hebrew, Hebrew alphabet, Mesopotamia, Palestine, Semitic language, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner The term Semitic Language was invented by a German scholar in 1781: August Ludwig von Schlözer. The term Semitic is a strange word. It is mainly used in the expression "anti-Semitic". How does Arabic fit into that? In this article, we will explore the term Semitic and its connection to the Arabic language. We aim to keep things simple, as many in-depth studies exist on this topic. We just want to provide a brief overview. Semitic languages include well-known ones like Arabic, Hebrew, and Aramaic, as well as Amharic, Tigrinya, and Maltese. Understanding these terms helps us see cultural identities and the complexities of language development over time. Let's first check the main terms. The term Semitic often raises questions about its meaning, especially concerning anti-Semitism. It comes from the Biblical story of Noah's sons - Shem, Ham, and Japheth - and was first used in the 1770s by historians in Göttingen, Germany. The Merriam-Webster lexicon describes anti-Semitic as follows: feeling or showing hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a cultural, racial, or ethnic group. According to the dictionary, the term anti-Semitic was first used in 1854. This leads us to the following question: Is there a connection between Semitic languages and anti-Semitism? Yes, if we only look at the meaning and origin of the word, there is. If we look at its application in a political and cultural framework, there is no connection. The term Semitic is related to the Biblical story about the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The sons of Ham ended up in Africa. The ancestors of Japheth are... --- ### 20 questions for: Mohammad Wehbe (#17) - Published: 2019-10-18 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/mohammad-wehbe/ - Categories: 9273 roots, Interviews - Tags: Arabic music, Arabic subtitle, expression, Google Translate, joke, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, wiederholen, YouTube - Authors: geralddrissner Episode #17 of my series "9273 roots": 20 questions for the man who subtitles Arabic songs on youtube: Mohammad Wehbe. Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Mohammad Wehbe محمد وهبي The man who subtitles Arabic songs on YouTube. Mohammad Wehbe aka MohCoolMan on youtube. Date of birth: 5th April 1996 Place of birth: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Place of residence: Beirut, Lebanon YouTube channel: MOHCOOLMAN How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? Hello, my name is Mohammad Wehbe and I am a Lebanese Arab. I have always been a language enthusiast, with a particular passion and a keen interest in Arabic and its many varieties. A few years back, I started uploading translated Arabic music on my YouTube channel "MohCoolMan" to provide Arabic learners with a fun and possibly helpful language practice tool. Two years ago, my friend and classmate joined the channel, and we both undertook the "100 Songs Initiative" project in which we decided to upload 100 of the most popular Arabic songs from all around the Arab world in an effort to help spread the language and demonstrate to the people the diversity and beauty of Arabic music. My friend has helped elevate the channel in ways I could have never done on my own, and therefore, I must thank him and give him credit for all what he has done for the channel. TRIVIAThe name MohCoolMan is one I actually chose as a username for a different website... --- ### Iblis and Shaytan: Symbols of Evil in Islam - Published: 2019-10-05 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/difference-shaytan-iblis/ - Categories: Islam, Etymology - Tags: Aramaic, devil, Hebrew, hell, Jesus, Lane's Lexicon, Paradise, Sura 16, Sura 19, wiederholen, شيطان - Authors: geralddrissner There is a difference between Satan, Iblis, and the Devil in Arabic. Let's analyze the terms and see how to use them. The concepts of Shaytan (شيطان) and Iblis (إبلِيس) are important in Islamic theology as symbols of evil and moral struggle. Shaytan, meaning "any Jinn that does not believe and obey Allah," represents both a devil and any immoral human behavior. Iblis, the first Shaytan, was cast out for refusing to bow to Adam, making him a key figure in creation and human temptation. This article explores the origins and meanings of these terms, their roles in the Qur'an, and interpretations in Islamic studies. Understanding Shaytan and Iblis enhances knowledge of Islamic beliefs and encourages reflection on the moral choices in human life. Shaytan (شَيْطان) is a word which refers to any Jinn (demon) that does not believe and obey Allah. It is rendered as devil, demon. But also as jinn or powerful spirits or evil forces. The term Shaytān is often used in a broader sense – as a metaphor for every human im­pulse that is immoral. Satan, as some scholars have put it, fulfils a def­inite function in Allah's plan. He is the eternal tempter who enables man to exercise his God given freedom of choice between good and evil, and thus to be­come a being en­dowed with a moral free will. With the definite article, it is rendered as the Devil, Satan or Iblis. In the Qur'an, Shaytān can refer to the group of all Shaytāns in general as well as to ’Iblīs only. Iblis (إِبْلِيسُ) is the name of the first Shaytān who disobeyed Allah's order to... --- ### 22,222 men - How do you write this number in Arabic? - Published: 2019-09-27 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/numbers-in-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: difficult construction, dual, grammatical gender, how to, wiederholen, عدد - Authors: geralddrissner Numbers in Arabic are like solving mathematical puzzles. If you like logical games, this is perfect for you. In the end, it just comes down to two major steps. In Arabic, the writing of numbers is quite a head calculation task. Singular, plural, which grammatical gender, which case? In this article, we will analyze a difficult construction in Arabic - a rather tricky number used in the following short sentence:22,222 men came. This is a tricky sentence because although it looks easy, there are duals and other cool stuff involved. The entire sentence reads as follows: . جَاءَ اثْنانِ وَعِشْرُونَ أَلْفًا وَمِئَتانِ وَاثْنانِ وَعِشْرُونَ رَجُلًا We have two ask ourselves two questions: Why do we write اثْنانِ and not اثْنَيْنِ? --> see step 1 Why do we write رَجُلًا - in the singular form and with the accusative case? --> see step 2 How do you write numbers correctly in Arabic? It is good to step back for a second and take a look at the number - عدد - in detail. Let us break down the number 22,222 into parts: A: tells you how to write the number in Arabic. B: tells you the numeric value of the number. C: tells you how the number eventually sums up over the process. AعِشْرُونَوَاثْنانِوَمِئَتانِوَأَلْفًاعِشْرُونَوَاثْنانِB202200100020+2C22,22222,20222,20022,000222 These are the important steps: Step 1: Identify the grammatical function of the number In the English sentence, the word men would be the subject. Arabic, however, works differently: the number itself occupies a certain spot and thus has the grammatical function. So in the Arabic sentence, the word men is NOT the subject. It is the number. Therefore, the number takes the nominative case (مَرْفُوع)... --- ### 20 questions for: Brian Powell (#16) - Published: 2019-09-18 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/interview-brian-powel/ - Categories: Translation, 9273 roots, Interviews - Tags: al-Andalus, Arab spring, Basra, caliph, Egypt, Farsi, grammarian, how to, Istanbul, Kufa, Lisan al-Arab, Mecca, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner "9273 roots" interview: 20 questions for the man who works for one of the best translation companies for Arabic: Brian Powell Lisān al-'Aarab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Brian Powell براين The man who works for one of the best translation companies for Arabic Date of birth: August 9th, 1984 Place of birth: Alabama, USA Place of residence: Mexico Website: https://industryarabic. com and https://www. jahizinstitute. com Picture credit: Brian Powell How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? My passion for literature became a passion for languages. My passion for languages became a career, and I’m now a professional Arabic translator. For the past seven years, I’ve been the translation manager for Industry Arabic, a translation firm specialized entirely in Arabic translation. In that time, I’ve learned more Arabic than I ever expected to know, worked with some wonderful colleagues, and been driven half-crazy by the sheer number of untranslatable expressions between English and Arabic. What was your first Arabic grammar book? The famous al-Kitab fii Ta’allum al-Arabiyya that most universities in the US tend to use. What is your favorite Arabic book (novel, etc. )? The Kitab al-Aghani (كتاب الأغاني) by Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani. What is the story of Kitab al-Aghani, and who was Abu al-Faraj? Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Isfahani (أبو الفرج الأصفهاني‎), also known as Abul-Faraj (897 - 967 CE), was a scholar and historian. He was born in Isfahan (Persia - present-day Iran) and it is said that he was a descendant of... --- ### Arabic songs with English subtitles on YouTube - Published: 2019-09-08 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/arabic-songs-with-english-translations-on-youtube/ - Categories: Translation, Dialects, Tools and Apps - Tags: Arabic music, Arabic subtitle, English subtitle, Iraq, Lebanon, life-long-learning, student engagement, TAFL, transliteration, wiederholen, YouTube - Authors: geralddrissner To all people who like Arabic dialects: There is a youtube channel called MohCoolMan which is, in fact, a great tool for learners of Arabic: It provides Arabic songs with English translation. There is now a lot of material on the Internet for Arabic learners. However, most Arabic videos lack good subtitles or practice translations. Especially with songs, the lyrics are often impossible to find or are automatically generated, which doesn't always work well with Arabic dialects. However, there is a great YouTube channel called MohCoolMan which turns out to be a remarkable tool for learners of Arabic. (@Marian, thanks for the tip! ) Behind all that are two guys from Lebanon (Mohammad Wehbe and one of his best friends) who have translated hundreds of songs from all Arab countries. They also provide a lot of information about the origins of the songs and about the singers. The audio quality is great. MohCoolMan provides the Arabic lyrics as well as the English translation and the transliteration. picture credit: youtube Mohammed and his best friend have translated songs from many Arabic countries. Note that the translation is not always a literal translation - which makes sense because it is very difficult to translate songs. picture credit: youtube Let's take, for example, a famous song of Amr Diab (عمرو دياب) calledالليلة: https://www. youtube. com/watch? v=LWiC-mSF85YSource: YouTube About MohCoolMan's project - what he writes about it When we started MohCoolMan as a channel on YouTube, we never expected that one day we'd be adding content that people would actually view; hence why the name does not relate to the page's choice of content. However, as we discovered that the Internet, and YouTube, in particular, lacked... --- ### The mystery of the Arabic broken plural - Published: 2019-08-31 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/why-is-arabic-a-south-semitic-language/ - Categories: History - Tags: broken plural, Classical Arabic, consonant, diminutive, diptote, etymology, grammarian, Hebrew, plural form, sound plural, wiederholen, William Wright, جمع, نون - Authors: geralddrissner The Arabic broken plural has the effect that scholars still debate how to properly classify the several branches of Semitic languages. A short history of the DNA of the broken plural - it will help us to better understand how Arabic actually works. The history of the Arabic language (and the Semitic languages in general) is fascinating. Although we have only little information about the genesis of these ancient languages, it is worth looking at some specialties. The broken plural is one of the most interesting and unique features of Arabic - and all the other South Semitic languages. Are there different groups of Semitic languages? Yes, Semitic languages are usually divided into main two groups: East (North) and West (South). The position of Arabic is not so easy to determine. The classical view is that it is part of the main family of South Semitic languages (which has to do with our main topic here: the broken plural). Examples of South Semitic languages are Ethiopian and Old South Arabian (which by the way has nothing to do with "Classical Arabic"). Others say that it is in the same family as Hebrew/Aramaic: Central Semitic (see below). Others argue that Hebrew is part of the Northern Semitic family. If we compare Arabic with Hebrew, you may find more similarities than differences. It is all very complicated and academic. I would like to focus on the idea why we could put Arabic in a different language family than Hebrew - into the group of the South Semitic languages. The main reason has to do with the plural forms - namely, the broken plural... --- ### Essential tips for improving Arabic fluency - Published: 2019-08-25 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/how-can-you-improve-your-arabic-by-using-dictionaries/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: adult-improving, database, economics, how to, how to improve, life-long-learning, TAFL, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Online dictionaries are great - but they come at a price: they do not really train your memory. Here is how using dictionaries can improve your Arabic. We all know the problem on our journey to learn Arabic: you feel stuck, think you have gaps in your knowledge, and struggle to find the right books because the texts seem either too easy or too difficult. So, how do we get out of this situation? In this article, we will look at some practical tips to help you make the leap to a higher level of Arabic. Learning plateaus as a problem Why we all get stuck at some point You know pretty much all the basics but feel like you are not improving anymore. This is because getting better (in any field, not only Arabic) is much harder once you know the basics. It is weird, but if you are a beginner, it is much easier for you to understand what needs to be studied and what does not. If you want to improve, you need to address your particular weaknesses. "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. "Henry Ford I noticed many times that no matter how much you read, watch or listen to Arabic, you feel like you are stuck - that you do not learn much anymore. These moments when you feel like "hey, wow, I am really improving" are getting rare. Why? The problem with the "I am fluent" statement When people tell me that they are fluent, I always ask: What do you mean by that? Oftentimes, people think that they are... --- ### 20 questions: Habib Kassem (#15) - Published: 2019-08-15 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/20-questions-habib-kassem-15/ - Categories: 9273 roots - Tags: Android, database, Farsi, grammar books, imperative, Lebanon, mood, Moustapha Akkad, The Message, triliteral, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Episode #15 of the "9273 roots" series: 20 questions for the man who created a mobile app that can conjugate Arabic verbs perfectly: Habib Kassem. Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Habib Kassem حَبِيب قاسِم The man who created a mobile app that can conjugate Arabic verbs flawlessly. Habib Kassem is a developer and Arabic expert. Photo credit: Habib Kassem Date of birth: 2nd April 1980 Place of birth: Houla/Lebanon Place of residence: Nice - France His app Assiraj Almonir (السراج المنير) is available here: Google Play Store.   How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? My name is Habib Kassem. I'm Franco-Lebanese and 39 years old (born 1980). I'm a native Arabic speaker. After obtaining a Master's degree in Physics and Electronics in Lebanon, I worked as a telecom and computer science engineer in France where I worked for many companies such as General Electrics, Orange, Amadeus. Currently, I work with Ekinops. Since my childhood, I have been fascinated by the Arabic language and how its complexity creates beauty. Arabic is my passion. I got it from my father who was an Arabic professor. When I discovered the gap between technology and Arabic support, I decided to start my after-work project with a unique aim: helping native Arabic speakers to not forget their language and also helping non-native speakers to learn Arabic. It is my dream to spread the Arabic language all over the world. My project started in 2011. I started preparing the database by hand typing.... --- ### The Islamic expression لَبَّيْكَ: grammar and usage explained - Published: 2019-08-09 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/labbaika-islam/ - Categories: Grammar, Islam, Translation - Tags: absolute object, difficult construction, dual, emphasis, expression, how to, II-verb, Islamic phrases, personal pronoun, wiederholen, ضمير, فَعَّلَ, مصدر - Authors: geralddrissner The phrase لَبَّيْكَ (labbaika) is said during the pilgrimage in Islam (Hajj) before the pilgrims enter Mecca. It means: "Here I am! At your service!" But what kind of form is لَبَّيْكَ? In this article, we explore the significant Arabic phrase لَبَّيْكَ (labbaika), often used during the Hajj pilgrimage. This expression means "Here I am" or "At your service", showing commitment and readiness to serve Allah. We will examine its roots, grammar, and cultural context, emphasizing its importance in Islamic rituals and the Arabic language. The Arabic phrase لَبَّيْكَ (labbaika) translates to "Here I am" or "At your service" in English. It is often used during the Hajj pilgrimage by Muslims as a declaration of their readiness and willingness to serve and obey Allah: لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ The phrase signifies continuous submission and devotion. Let us check it step by step. The root of لَبَّيْكَ It is ل - ب – ى. This root is only used as a II-verb and means to follow, to obey (a call, an invitation), to say "labbaika". The مَصْدَر of لَبَّي The مَصْدَر of لَبَّي - a form-II-verb (فَعَّلَ) - would be تَلْبِية . But we don’t use this word for our expression. Instead, we use لَبٌّ which is the so called اِسْم الْمَصْدَر of the verb لَبَّى. If you are not sure what a ism al-Masdar is, click here. The dual of لَبٌّ The word لَبٌّ is put into the dual form for the sake of corroboration (emphasis). It has somehow the meaning of: "answer after answer", "saying after saying", etc. --> أُلَبِّي لَبَّيْكَ=تَلْبِيَة بَعْدَ تَلْبِيَة Check the table below for other examples. The dual is لَبَّانِ in مَرْفُوع (nominative case) or لَبَّيْنِ in مَجْرُور... --- ### Best way to adjust Arabic fonts on Android devices - Published: 2019-07-31 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/how-to-adjust-arabic-font-on-mobile-phone-browser/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: add-on, AI, Android, Arabic script, Firefox, Google, Google Chrome, how to, mobile app, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Reading Arabic on a mobile phone can be difficult because the font is too small. The open-source browser Kiwi solves this problem. In today's digital world, reading content in various languages is important, especially for bilingual users. Arabic, with its special script, can be challenging on mobile browsers. In this article, we will see how we can change the Arabic font on Chrome for Android. While there are solutions for desktops, mobile browsing has different challenges. Luckily, the Kiwi browser offers a good alternative. This article will guide you on adjusting the Arabic font on Android phones using Kiwi, making it easier to read Arabic texts. I had previously written an article that explains how to adjust the Arabic font on Chrome and other browser - but that only works on desktop computers. But there is a solution for mobile phones too, thanks to a great open-source browser called Kiwi. How to adjust the Arabic font on Android Here is a step-by-step guide to adjust the Arabic font on Android mobile phones. Unfortunately, Wudooh is not yet available as an extension for Firefox Mobile (as of 2024). Chrome does not allow to install extensions. So we have to install an alternative browser. Download Kiwi browser First, you need to install a mobile app called Kiwi. screenshot Google Play Store Download it here https://play. google. com/store/apps/details? id=com. kiwibrowser. browser Install Huruf or Wudooh extension Once you have installed the Kiwi browser, you need to install an add-on (extension) for the browser. Open the Kiwi Browser. On the right you will see the three vertical dots/hamburger menu. Open it and click on extension. You... --- ### Find Arabic movies on Netflix using genre codes - Published: 2019-07-19 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/arabic-movies/the-secret-netflix-codes-that-unlock-hidden-arabic-movies/ - Categories: Movies & Series - Tags: Aleppo, Bedouin, Egypt, English subtitle, how to, Netflix, Ramadan, Upper Egypt, wiederholen, مسلسل - Authors: geralddrissner Finding Arabic movies on Netflix can be challenging, but genre codes can help access a wide selection easily. Finding Arabic movies and dramas on Netflix can be tricky because there isn't a specific category for them. However, Netflix uses genre codes that can help you discover hidden Arabic gems in its library. While not all codes are publicly available, some users have shared lists that include Arabic genre codes, focusing on films and series, mostly from Egypt, all featuring ARABIC audio with English subtitles. This guide helps you easily search and explore Arabic cinema on Netflix. We will check the so-called genre codes. Most of them are not public. However, some people have made lists of these secret codes. I have collected all the Arabic codes. You may actually find hidden films and musalsalat (مسلسلات) that are under the surface of the standard dashboard of Netflix. What is great about itMost of the Arabic movies are Egyptian movies - and all have ARABIC audio with English subtitles. How to use Netflix genre codes It is easy - just follow these 3 steps: You find the code in the following list at the end of the link: https://netflix. com/browse/genre/xyz xyz stands for the code I give on this page. You can enter the code in the Netflix search bar or use the link. Watch out:This only works if you’re using Netflix on a browser and if you are logged-in. It does not work on the app. Furthermore, it may depend on the country from which you access Netflix. Not all codes may work. Netflix also changes its codes from... --- ### How a wrong case marker in Sura 9:3 can lead to blasphemy - Published: 2019-07-13 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/analysis-sura-9-tawba/ - Categories: Grammar, Islam, Translation - Tags: anecdote, basmalah, caliph, difficult construction, expression, hell, wiederholen, بسم الله, قَسَم - Authors: geralddrissner The correct vowel endings ضمة, كسرة, فتحة in Arabic can be a headache. If you are careless, you could turn verse 9:3 of the Qur'an into blasphemy (kufr). Language is crucial for understanding religious texts and their meanings. An example is a famous verse of Sura 9 (al-Tawba - التَّوْبة - Repentance). Small differences in Arabic grammar, like case endings (إعراب), can change interpretations. This article aims to clarify this verse by emphasizing the importance of correct pronunciation and grammar to prevent misunderstandings. We will look at the language and vocabulary to show how these grammatical choices influence the verse's meaning and its broader theological relevance. Through this exploration, we hope to enhance our understanding of Arabic and the Qur'an, highlighting the need for linguistic precision in religious conversations. It is just a short sentence which could lead to a terrible misunderstanding - if you get the case ending of a single word wrong. In this article, we will gradually learn the subtleties and grammatical background to avoid such misreadings of the Holy Qur'an. Warm up: Vocabulary we need Before we get into the analysis, let us first clarify two words so that the vocabulary is clear. بَرِيءٌ مِنَ means to keep aloof of; devoid of, free from (obligation).  In Arabic, we could say خالِصٌ نَقِيٌّ الْمُشْرِكُونَ means polytheists The verse 9:3 of the Qur'an Now let's look at the verse in question that we are going to analyze: ... وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ بَرِيءٌ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ وَرَسُوله ... ➤ The crucial question: How would you pronounce the last word رَسُوله? Pronunciation of رَسُوله in verse 9:3 There are three options: OPTION 1 - مرفوع/marfoua (nominative case): ُرَسُولُه (rasouluhu) OPTION 2 - مَجْرُور/majrour  (genitive case):... --- ### Best Arabic keyboards for easy typing - Published: 2019-07-10 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/what-is-the-best-arabic-keyboard/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: add-on, AI, Android, Arabic keyboard, Arabic script, Google Chrome, how to, Linux, mobile app, transliteration, wiederholen, تشكيل, تنوين - Authors: geralddrissner There are many options for Arabic keyboards: hardware (qwerty and qwertz), mobile applications, or online virtual keyboards. Here is a list of the best Arabic keyboards. Whether you're an experienced writer or just someone who types in Arabic sometimes, having the right tools can improve your experience. There are many options, from mechanical keyboards to online typing solutions, to meet different needs. This article looks at various resources to help you write effectively in Arabic, whether you're at home, traveling, or working. Note that some physical keyboards may no longer be available. If you know of a good product, please let me know and use the comment section or send me a screenshot google input tools - Try it out here https://www. google. com/intl/ar/inputtools/try/ Taereeb Previously: Hameem's Arabic Keyboard If you quickly need to type some words in Arabic but don't have a physical keyboard, this web-based keyboard is quite handy. You can use the English keyboard and just type the word phonetically. screenshot Hameem's keyboard ACCESS it here https://taereeb. netlify. app/ Note: For the desktop version of Taereeb, scroll further down or click here. Lexilogos You can access it here https://www. lexilogos. com/keyboard/arabic. htm Desktop: Google Chrome extensions There are some handy extensions for Internet browsers. Google Input Tools With Google Input Tools, you can easily type in Arabic - using Latin characters or, if you have a tablet, using your handwriting. You can install Google Input Tools in the Chrome Webstore. Get it on the Chrome Webstore https://chrome. google. com/webstore/detail/google-input-tools/mclkkofklkfljcocdinagocijmpgbhab You can choose your preferred input methods - for Arabic, you have three options. This is how it works: You type in English/Latin letters and... --- ### 20 questions for: Yassir Abbasi (#14) - Published: 2019-07-06 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-yassir-abbasi/ - Categories: 9273 roots, Interviews - Tags: al-Jazeera, Algeria, Arabic proverb, Classical Arabic, Morocco, wiederholen, YouTube - Authors: geralddrissner 9273 roots interview: 20 questions for the man who makes Arabic texts talking: Yassir Abbasi. Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Yassir Abbasi ياسر العباسي The man who makes Arabic texts talking. Date of birth: April 20, 1980 Place of birth: Témara (تمارة), Morocco Place of residence: Casablanca (الدار البيضاء), Morocco How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? My name is Yassir Abbassi. I’m 38 years old and I work as a sales Manager for ReadSpeaker which is a leading Text-to-speech/TTS company. I can describe myself as a highly motivated person, who would always go one step further. What was your first Arabic grammar book? My first grammar book was called قراءة. What is your favorite Arabic book (novel, etc. )? I really do not have any preference. I'm a newspaper reader. How much time does a native speaker of English need to master Arabic? It all depends, but I think 3 years. What is Readspeaker? Yassir works at ReadSpeaker, a company that makes websites and robots talk - also in Arabic. The website of Al-Jazeera, for example, uses this technology for text-to-speech (audio). Read Speaker is a global voice specialist, providing dozens of languages and lifelike voices. Using its own industry-leading technology, the company delivers some of the most natural-sounding synthesized voices on the market. ReadSpeaker uses next-generation Deep Neural Network (DNN) technology to structurally improve voice quality at all levels. Here is an example: If you... --- ### Understanding the مصدر ميمي vs. مصدر أصلي in Arabic - Published: 2019-06-30 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/masdar-mimy-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: conjugation, wiederholen, مصدر - Authors: geralddrissner Both سُؤال and مَسْألة are translated as "question". مَسْألة is a so-called مصدر ميمي - which is a special form of a verbal noun (مصدر) in Arabic. Some insights. Most Arabic dictionaries provide basic translations, which can leave you confused about which word to use when there are multiple options. For example: Both سُؤال and مَسْألة are usually translated as question in dictionaries, which is correct. But do they both mean the same thing? It often helps if you know what form a word has. Before we dive into the difference in meaning, we need to look at two important Arabic terms: The مصدر ميمي (masdar mimy) and the مصدر أصلي (masdar asly). The difference between the مصدر ميمي and مصدر أصلي Let's use both examples, سُؤَالٌ and مَسْأَلةٌ, and analyze the pattern: سُؤَالٌ is the original verbal noun (مصدر) of the verb سَأَلَ. It is the so-called الْمَصْدَرُ الْأَصْلِيُّ. مَسْأَلةٌ is the so-called Masdar Mimy (الْمَصْدَرُ الْمِيمِيُّ), so a verbal noun where the letter م got involved. ➤ A مَصْدَرٌ مِيمِيٌّ basically means the same as the standard مَصْدَرٌ. So, what is it good for? Well, the po­ets needed it. The extra م changes the length of the word. It has more rhythm and melody as the original مَصْدَرٌ. But that's not all. The مَصْدَرٌمِيمِيٌّ may also indicate a stronger meaning and reinforce the original مَصْدَرٌ. If you find a ة at the end of a مَصْدَرٌمِيمِيٌّ, it may signal a slight exaggeration or widening of the action or a special focus on the abundance/frequency of the action. Remark: If you are not familiar with the word Excursus). In daily talk and especially in newspapers, you will find many... --- ### How to use Arabic on Google Home - Published: 2019-06-22 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/google-home-arabic/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: AI, Android, Egypt, Egyptian Arabic, German, Google, how to, joke, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Google Home is now entering the abyss of learning Arabic. And the little device with the flashing lights is actually doing quite well. Let's see how it works. Google Home now also enters the abyss of learning Arabic. And that tiny device with the blinking lights is actually doing quite well. Let's see how it works (and sounds). Google Assistant (Google Home) now supports Egyptian Arabic and Saudi Arabic (in beta). It used to be limited to certain users, but now you can use it also in Europe, and I am sure also in the US. Update: Google has announced in December 2019 that Googles Assistant supports now 15 more Arabic countries besides Egypt and Saudi Arabia. I couldn't figure it out what is the idea behind Egyptian and Saudi Arabic because my Google device speaks a version of Standard Arabic and definitely not a dialect. It would be also a miracle if Google understood the probably fastest spoken dialect in the world - Egyptian Arabic. This will take some more time, I guess. However, my Google Home did understand the question "izayyak? " which was pretty cool. But let's see how it sounds. This is the answer if you ask Google: "What time is it"? (السّاعة كم؟) Google Home tells the time in Arabic. video source: Gerald Drißner How do you tell Google Home to speak Arabic? It is easy. Open the Google Home app on your phone. Go to account - settings (general) - assistant (you see it at the top) - languages. photo credit: Screenshot of google. com You can then choose two languages: I have only tried Egyptian Arabic. To be honest, it is... --- ### 20 questions for: Reginald Hefner (#13) - Published: 2019-06-15 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-reginald-hefner/ - Categories: 9273 roots - Tags: Ancient Greek, grammar books, Hebrew, Hindi, Middlebury College, Modern Hebrew, Naguib Mahfouz, TAFL, teaching Arabic, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner 20 questions for the man who speaks all the languages which the famous Middlebury Language School offers (except for Korean): Reginald Hefner Lisān al-'Aarab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Reginald Hefner راجي The man who speaks all the languages which the famous Middlebury Language School offers (except for Korean) Date of birth: I'd rather not share that. Place of birth: Chambersburg, Pennsylvania Place of residence: Chambersburg, Pennsylvania These are the languages Reginald Hefner speaks: Arabic, Modern Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Modern Greek, Russian, Hindi, Urdu, German, and Swahili. He can read Latin and Sanskrit. His addiction to language learning started while he was a kid - with a book about Ancient Greek. During Vietnam War, Reggie was sent to Chinese language training at the Defense Language Institute. He worked as a Chinese interpreter for four years. B. A. in Russian (University of Maryland; 1979) B. A. Chinese (University of Maryland; 1982) Advanced Japanese (Foreign Service Institute, Yokohama, Japan; 1985) Japanese to English interpreter at the U. S. Embassy in Tokyo Modern Greek (Diplomatic Language Services; 1992); Certificate in Biblical Greek (1988) B. A. in French (Summa Cum Laude) and a minor in German (Shippensburg University; 2015) B. A. in Spanish (Summa Cum Laude; Shippensburg University; 2013) German and Russian language specialist (US army; Fort Bragg, North Carolina) Reggie has attended the Middlebury College Summer Intensive Arabic program nine times, more than any other student in the history of Middlebury College and has earned an M. A. in Arabic with a concentration... --- ### Palindromes in Arabic: examples and history - Published: 2019-06-09 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/palindromes-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: Aleppo, German, right to left, wiederholen, تشكيل, نون - Authors: geralddrissner Palindromes in Arabic do exist. You can read it right to left or left to right - the letters are the same. Palindromes are an interesting part of language that shows the beauty and symmetry of words. They are phrases or numbers that read the same forwards and backwards, allowing for a fun exploration of creativity. Found in many languages and cultures, palindromes each bring their own uniqueness. This article will look at palindromes in Arabic along with notable examples, their history, and the enjoyment they provide. Do palindromes exist in Arabic? Yes, palindromes exist in Arabic! Let's check the following sentence: زوج عجوز The sentence means an old spouse/husband. It is a palindrome. You can read it from right to left or right to left. The arrangement of the letters is the same. Try to read the following examples in Arabic first from right to left (as usual) and then from LEFT to RIGHT. The letter combination is the same! Libya (Remark: As reddit user TiconderogaShill correctly pointed out, this word looks symmetrical but is actually not a palindrome as the first and last letters are different - thanks! )ليبياan old spouseزوج عجوزDates hang under(neath) a citadel in Aleppo. بلح تعلق بقلعة حلب Do palindromes exist in the Qur'an? Yes, they do. A famous example of the Qur'an is found in Sura 21, al-Anbiya (the Prophets), verse 21:33. Note: Obviously it doesn't work when the Tashkeel are written. each floating in its orbit كل في فلك In Arabic, palindromes are called الْقَلْب المُسْتَوي The term is derived from the verb قَلَبَ (to turn around; to invert, ... ). قَلْب grammatically speaking... --- ### Top Arabic grammar resources for students - Published: 2019-06-07 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/books-arabic-grammar/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: al-Kitaab, Classical Arabic, Egyptian Arabic, grammar books, grammarian, how to, teaching Arabic, wiederholen, William Wright, سيبويه, همزة - Authors: geralddrissner What are the best Arabic grammar books (nahw and sarf) for beginners, intermediate and advanced students? Some recommendations (in English, German and Arabic). I have been studying Arabic intensively since 2006 and have also written books myself (Arabic for Nerds) on Arabic grammar. I have several shelves filled with books about Arabic grammar and literature. On this page, I present books that have been very helpful during my years of studies and have a prominent place in my bookshelf. If you can't find them in your preferred book store, check out this blog post where you can find sellers for Arabic books. Let's look at some books. I’ll begin with two books on Arabic grammar that I wrote. It’s up to you if you find them helpful. You can skip this and go straight to section 3. Arabic for Nerds 1: 270 Questions about Arabic grammar LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE 548 pages. 19. 99 US-Dollars / £ 15. 99. ISBN-13 (paperback): 978-3-9819848-7-3. ISBN-13 (hardcover): 978-3-9819848-2-8 You can get it on amazon. ARABIC FOR NERDS 1 pushes you from the intermediate to the advanced level. Reading about Arabic grammar is usually as thrilling as reading telephone directories. I used a new approach and have compiled 270 interesting questions drawing from my years of studies in the Arab world to create a colorful journey into Arabic grammar. You can find more information (and the table of contents) here. Arabic for Nerds 2: 450 (more) Questions about Arabic Grammar LEVEL: ADVANCED 828 pages. 25. 99 US-Dollars / £ 21. 99. ISBN-13 (paperback): 978-3-9819848-0-4. ISBN-13 (hardcover): 978-3-9819848-1-1 You can get it on amazon. Have you been in the following situation?... --- ### 20 questions: Mahmoud Gomah (#12) - Published: 2019-06-04 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-mahmoud-gomah/ - Categories: 9273 roots, Interviews - Tags: Classical Arabic, common mistake, Egypt, grammar books, Istanbul, Lisan al-Arab, Riyadh, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Episode #12 of my series "9273 roots": 20 questions for the man who tells native Arabic speakers what mistakes they make: Mahmoud Gomah. Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Mahmoud Gomah مَحْمُود عَبْد الرّازِق جُمعة The man who tells native Arabic speakers what mistakes they make. Date of birth: 19th September 1980 Place of birth: Al-Mansourah, Egypt Place of residence: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Website: nahw. w. sarf Poet (شاعِرٌ), linguist (مُدَقِّقٌ لُغَوِيٌّ), editor of the Journal of Iranian Studies at the International Institute of Iranian Studies. Mahoumd won several awards and prizes for his literary work and poems: 2007: Award for Young Poets (جَايْرَئِزة الْمَجلِسِ الأعْلَى لِلثَّقافةِ في شعر الفُضحَى للشعَرَاء الشباب) 2008: First prize for Fusha poetry (جَائِرَة عَبْدِ الْمُنعِم الصّاوي التَّشْجِيعيّة لِشغرِ الفضحَى); in 2007 Mahmoud was awarded with the second prize. 2005: First prize in the competion "Read! " (افْرَأْ) for Fusha poetry in Egypt. Besides being a poet, Mahmoud is an expert on Arabic grammar. On his Facebook page, Mamoud discusses common language Arabic speakers. The book is aimed primarily at native speakers of Arabic as the kind of mistakes committed by native speakers are pretty different from the mistakes of non-native speakers.   Picture credit: Mahmoud Gomah How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? I am a poet and linguist. What was your first Arabic grammar book? القواعد الأساسية في النحو والصرف Remark: This book was used in Egyptian schools. What is your favorite Arabic book (novel, etc. )? The book/diwan الشوقيات... --- ### Regrets and future avoidances: 'should have' and 'will not have done' in Egyptian Arabic - Published: 2019-05-26 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/should-would-egyptian-arabic/ - Categories: Translation, Egyptian Arabic - Tags: conditional sentence, Egyptian Arabic, Egyptian Arabic expression, expression, future tense, how to improve, personal pronoun, wiederholen, ضمير - Authors: geralddrissner The expressions "should have" and "will have done" are quite tricky in Egyptian Arabic. Let's see some solutions. Tenses in Arabic are easy compared to other languages. The Arabic verb basically knows only two different (morphological) forms: the present and past tense. I know that the term tense is problematic since the meaning (and translation! ) depends on the situation, the context, the position of the narrator, etc. In other words, past tense is just a morphological term - because a verb that is conjugated in the past tense form does not always express an action that happened a long time ago! It may, for example, also express a wish. Arabic can be pretty difficult if we express ideas of time - in other words, if we need to deal with compound tenses. Today, I am going to analyze some constructions in Egyptian Arabic that are often misunderstood. The expression: "should have" This structure is very difficult to understand if you don't know it. There are mainly two options. Formula 1: maa (ما) + past of kaan (كان) + past tense of a verb Note that you have to conjugate both verbs referring to the same person Let us check some examples. Example 1: You should have called the police. Ma kunt ittaSalti by-sh-shurTa. ما كنت اتّصلت بالشرطة Example 2: You should have taken a cab, it would have been easier for you. Ma kunti 5adti taksi, ashal-lak. ما كنت خدت تاكسي, أسهل لك Formula 2: past of kaan (كان) + laazim (لازم) + present tense of a verb Note that you have to conjugate both verbs referring... --- ### Explore free Arabic audiobooks at arabcast.org - Published: 2019-05-23 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/audio-books-arabic/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: Alexandria, Android, Arabic literature, Classical Arabic, Egypt, Israel, mobile app, Naguib Mahfouz, Syria, Taha Hussein, Upper Egypt, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner arabcast.org offers a huge library of free Arabic audio books. What's great is that it aims to help people with disabilities. This article came about because I received a message from Ulric: "I've gotten into the habit of reading while listening, which I feel strengthens both skills at once. " He told me about a great resource: arabcast. org It is a remarkable collection of free audiobooks of classical Arabic literature, read extremely professionally and with excellent sound quality. "It also assists with reading where there are words where the i3raab isn't clear", Ulric said. screenshot of arabcast. org I hadn't heard about it, so I checked it out... . IT IS FANTASTIC! The website is free, although you do need to register an account with an email address. You can find almost all famous authors such as Naguib Mahfuz or Taha Hussein. But there are also many audiobooks of contemporary authors such as the novel Azazeel (عزازيل) by Youssef Ziedan. (Note: There is also an English translation available. ) You can listen to the novel Azazeel on arabcast. org What is the novel about? Set in the 5th century AD, Azazeel tells the story of a Coptic monk traveling from Upper Egypt to Alexandria and Syria during a turbulent time in the early Church. Winner of the Arab Booker Prize, Azazeel shows how greed and corruption have distorted our civilization's history and how one man's faith is tested by both evil and the early Church's wrongdoings. Who is behind arabcast. org? Abbass Abbass is suffering from a disease of the retina - he cannot tell a person's skin color, eye... --- ### 20 questions: Ulric Shannon (#11) - Published: 2019-05-15 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-ulric-shannon/ - Categories: 9273 roots, Interviews - Tags: al-Kitaab, Arabic literature, Arabist, consonant, etymology, Farsi, Hebrew, Ibn Khaldun, Iraq, Istanbul, Middlebury College, Naguib Mahfouz, Ottoman Empire, self-study, Sura 2, Taha Hussein, wiederholen, World War I - Authors: geralddrissner Episode #11 of my series "9273 Roots": 20 questions for the Western diplomat and Canadian ambassador who likes to give interviews in Arabic: Ulric Shannon. Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Ulric Shannon اولرك شانن The Western diplomat and ambassador who enjoys giving interviews in Arabic Date of birth: 1974 Place of birth: Montreal, Quebec Place of residence: From 2024: Cairo, Egypt. Previously: Baghdad, Iraq Twitter:@UlricShannon Ulric Shannon is one of the few diplomats who do not mind giving (live) interviews in Arabic. Picture credit: Ulric Shannon How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? I'm a Canadian diplomat with years of experience in the Middle East and broader region, with postings in Egypt, the Palestinian Territories, Pakistan, and currently Turkey where I serve as Canada's Consul General in Istanbul. I learned Arabic 15 years ago prior to my posting in Cairo and I have kept it up, including through a full year of additional study in 2012-2013 which featured a stay at the intensive summer program at Middlebury College in the US. I continue to devote many hours a week to self-study including reading Arabic literature. I expect that I will have future opportunities to serve in the Arab world so this feels like a wise investment of my time. Remark: Since November 2019, Ulric Shannon serves as the Ambassador of Canada to Iraq in Baghdad. What was your first Arabic grammar book? I suppose my first textbook, period, was Mastering Arabic by Wightwick/Gaafar. That was the standard introductory textbook used then at... --- ### Al-Khalil ibn Ahmad: The father of Arabic lexicography - Published: 2019-05-04 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/first-arabic-dictionary/ - Categories: History - Tags: Basra, camel, grammarian, Iraq, Oman, vocabulary list, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Al-Khalil ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi (الخليل بن أحمد الفراهيدي), a grammarian born in 718 (100 AH) in what is now Oman, wrote the first Arabic dictionary. Al-Khalīl ibn ’Ahmad al-Farāhīdī (الْخَلِيل بن أَحْمَد الْفَراهِيدِي), a gram­marian who was born in 718 (100 AH) in present-day Oman. But that was not his only achievement... His work Kitāb al-‘Ayn (كِتاب الْعَيْن), "the Book of the Let­ter Ayn", is regarded as the first dictionary of the Arabic language and one of the ear­liest known dictionaries of any lan­guage. In the early days of Islam, scholars and commentators had already started to paraphrase words of the Qur'an. Abd Allah ibn ‘Abbās (عَبْد الله بن عَبّاس), one of the Prophet's cousins and com­panions, com­piled a list of words of foreign origin. These compila­tions were mainly based on topics, e. g. , words that dealt with a camel or a horse. Who was al-Khalīl, who is often just called al-Farāhīdī? He lived in Basra in present-day Iraq and was a famous grammarian of the Basra school (الْبَصْرِيُّونَ) of grammar. He was the first scholar to classify the consonants of Arabic and ex­plained why they are impor­tant: the root. He found out that ev­ery quadriliteral root (4 root let­ters) contains at least one of the following consonants: ب – ف – م – ر – ن - ل. How did he arrange words? Al-Farāhīdī's arrangement of the letters does not follow the alpha­betical order we use today. He used a phonetic order according to the place of articulation in the mouth and throat, from the pharyngeal conso­nants (ع, ح) to the labials (ف, ب). You produce pharyngeals by mak­ing the muscles in your... --- ### 20 questions: Sirine Demarchkie (#10) - Published: 2019-04-28 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-sirine-demarchkie/ - Categories: 9273 roots, Interviews - Tags: Classical Arabic, expression, Jesus, Jibran Khalil Jibran, Lebanon, Naguib Mahfouz, Prophet Muhammad, wiederholen, YouTube - Authors: geralddrissner Episode #10 of my series "9273 Roots": 20 questions to the woman who writes books for bilingual children (Arabic-English): Sirine Demarchkie Lisān al-'Aarab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Sirine Demachkie سيرين دمشقية The woman who writes books for bilingual kids (Arabic-English) Date of birth: 16th March 1982 Place of birth: Beirut, Lebanon Place of residence: Sydney, Australia Personal website: https://sirinedemachkie. com. au Sirine Demachkie: "My happy place is when I’m mixing up Arabic and English (Arablish) to bring stories to life. "photo credit: Sirine Demachkie How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? "Hi, I’m Sirine. " :) What was your first Arabic grammar book? I can't recall, and I would also say, yet to be discovered :) Naughty me, didn't continue my Arabic education when I was younger! What is your favorite Arabic book (novel, etc. )? The prophet by Khalil Jibran (English version ;) Jibran Khalil Jibran (جبران خليل جبران) was a Lebanese-American writer and poet (1883-1931). The Prophet is his most famous work. It is a book of 26 prose poetry fables written in English. It is one of the most translated books in history. What is the story? The prophet, al-Mustafa, has lived in the city of Orphalese and is about to board a ship to go home. He is stopped by a group of people, with whom he discusses topics such as life, love, freedom, pain, friendship, etc. How much time does a native speaker of English need to master Arabic?... --- ### Mastering the final Hamza in Arabic - Published: 2019-04-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/spelling-hamza-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: Aramaic, Hebrew, Hebrew alphabet, how to, Modern Hebrew, plural form, wiederholen, جمع, نسبة, همزة - Authors: geralddrissner In Arabic, if you see a Hamza at the end of the word, you have to watch out. Here are the spelling rules of the Arabic letter Hamza. The spelling of the Hamza is challenging in Arabic, and many native speakers find it difficult. This article will focus on how to spell the final Hamza. Let's start with an example and take the word سَماءٌ‎. How did هَمْزة‎‎ get into this word? Usually, a final Hamza is related to the last root letter. In our example of sky (سَماءٌ‎), it is the weak letter و. سَماءٌmeans sky. If we want to answer our question, we need to take a look at the root of this word – which isس-م–و. First thing we should notice: There is no Hamza in the root! It is a very ancient Semitic root that is found in Aramaic, Ugaritic, and Hebrew and finally also entered Arabic. Its origi­nal meaning is probably high place, height. Some scholars assume that the verbal root was deducted from the noun, as the noun came before the verbal meaning – which is to be high, elevated; to be above. In grammar, we call them denominal verbs - verbs derived from nouns. The final Hamza in Arabic words Let's start our analysis by applying the root letters to our word. If we do that, we will get the wordArabic for Nerds 1, you will find many examples and discussions about this topic. You never run out of grammar: --- ### Discover 10,000 free Arabic e-books online - Published: 2019-04-12 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/free-arabic-books/ - Categories: Tools and Apps, History - Tags: life-long-learning, self-study, student engagement, TAFL, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner The Arabic Collections Online offers 10,000 Arabic e-books on 6,000 subjects - for free. And it is legal. The Arabic Collections Online are offering 10,000 Arabic e-books across 6,000 subjects - for free. And it is legal. Note that I do not recommend illegal download sites here. Let's focus on the website Arabic Collections Online. What is the Arabic Collections Online? Arabic Collections Online (ACO) is a publicly available digital library of public domain Arabic language content. ACO currently provides digital access to more than 10,000 volumes across more than 6,000 subjects drawn from rich Arabic collections of distinguished research libraries. Important Arabic language content is not widely available on the web. ACO will ensure that this content will be saved digitally for future generations. screenshot of http://dlib. nyu. edu/aco/ Who is behind the project? NYU Abu Dhabi and major grants from Arcadia, a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin, and Carnegie Corporation of New York. How can I access it? You can access it on: http://dlib. nyu. edu/aco/ Which books can I find there? Mainly books of the following genres: Many older Arabic books that are out-of-print; Literature, philosophy, law, religion Other websites for free Arabic books Jan Hoogland told me about the following online library: https://www. maktabatalfeker. com Other useful tools - check it out: --- ### 20 questions: Widad Nabi (#9) - Published: 2019-04-05 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-widad-nabi/ - Categories: 9273 roots - Tags: Aleppo, anecdote, Farsi, Germany, Hadith, Mary, Sura 19, Syria, wiederholen, YouTube - Authors: geralddrissner Episode #9 of my series "9273 Roots": 20 questions to the woman who uses Arabic poetry to deal with the senselessness of war: Widad Nabi. Lisān al-'Aarab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Widad Nabi وداد نبي The woman who processes the futility of war through Arabic poetry Date of birth: 12th October 1985 Place of birth: Kobanê (مدينة كوباني), Syria Place of residence: Berlin, Germany Widad Nabi was born in Kobanê in Syria. She currently lives and works in Berlin. The Kurdish-Syrian poet and author completed her Bachelor of Economic Studies at the University of Aleppo. Her work has been published in numerous magazines and newspapers. Some of her writing has also appeared in English, for example in Tulips Magazine in Washington, or in French, for example in the anthology L’amour au temps de l’insurrection et de la guerre (Maison de la Poésie). In 2013 her book Time for Love, Time for War was published in Aleppo. Her book Syria and the Senselessness of Death was published in 2016 in Beirut. photo credit: Widad Nabi How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? I am a Syrian-Kurdish writer and poet. I do not believe in borders between countries and maps or nationalities. I believe in human beings. What was your first Arabic grammar book? It was a grammar book in primary school. What is your favorite Arabic book (novel, etc. )? The novel East of the Mediterranean (شرق المتوسط) by Abd al-Rachman Munif (عبد الرحمن منيف). East of the Mediterranean or... --- ### Best Arabic dictionary extension for Chrome - Published: 2019-03-23 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/arabic-dictionary-chrome/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: add-on, browser extension, Google, Google Chrome, mobile app, wiederholen, تشكيل - Authors: geralddrissner If you want to read Arabic texts on the web and look up words on the fly, there is an excellent extension for Google Chrome called "Arabic Dictionary". Reading Arabic on the Internet can be a pain, especially, if the text is not part of your basic vocabulary. You can copy/paste the word and use Google or Bing Translate or other web services. Another issue is that it's hard to know the correct pronunciation. If you use Google Chrome, try the Arabic Dictionary extension. Why should you use this extension? Some useful features include: It tells you the root. It lists words with Tashkeel (Since the extension lists the entries with vowel signs, it is a perfect tool for learners of Arabic. How can you get it? You can get the extension on Google Chrome's webstore. Just search for "Arabic Dictionary" or click here! The extension should work instantly. Who is the author? His name on GitHub is Haikal Zain. He is from Melbourne, Australia. He has won many awards: Gold Medal - Australian Informatics Olympiad (Senior) Gold Medal - Australian Informatics Olympiad (Intermediate) Silver Medal - Asia Pacific Informatics Olympiad This is his github page: https://github. com/haikalzain This is what the author says about the extension: Arabic Dictionary is a brand new take on what a dictionary should be. Say goodbye to endlessly flipping through volumes upon volumes of paperback dictionaries and lexicons. Just hover over an Arabic word, Arabic Dictionary brings you the definition in English, on-the-fly, complete with harakat in a simple, easy to read popup. Works seamlessly on almost all websites, no configuration required! Download now and supercharge your learning today! Haikal Zain There... --- ### 20 questions: Graeme Andrews (#8) - Published: 2019-03-16 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-graeme-andrews/ - Categories: 9273 roots - Tags: Arabic alphabet, Classical Arabic, Egypt, English subtitle, Lane's Lexicon, Lebanon, Linux, London, United Kingdom, wiederholen, تشكيل - Authors: geralddrissner Episode #8 of my "9273 Roots" series: 20 questions for the man who coded the best desktop application for Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon: Graeme Andrews. Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Graeme Andrews The man who coded the perfect desktop-app for Lane's famous Arabic-English Lexicon Year of birth: 1955 Place of birth: Liverpool, UK Place of residence: Liverpool, UK Website: https://github. com/laneslexicon/lexicon Graeme Andrews in his office. photo credit: Graeme Andrews How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? --- ( I prefer not to answer this question. ) What was your first Arabic grammar book? A New Arabic Grammar by J. A. Haywood and H. M. Nahmad. What is your favorite Arabic book (novel, etc. )? Ghadi and Rawan (غدي وروان) by Fatima Sharafeddine (فاطمة شرف الدين) and Samar Baraj (سمر براج).  The first novel I read without an English version to check against. Thankfully, it has some tashkil. About Ghadi and Rawan This book was published in 2013 and was on the short-list for the Etisalat Award. It is suitable for children (from 12 to 16). What's the story? Fatima Sharfeddine gives the following information on her website: After the summer vacations in Lebanon, Gahdi returns to his school in Belgium were his father works, and Rawan goes back to her routine far from Ghadi, her childhood friend. What is going to happen to Ghadi in Belgium this year? And what crisis does Rawan go through at home? Ghadi and Rawan keep in touch through emails, sharing... --- ### Almased: The German diet that confuses Arabic speakers - Published: 2019-03-08 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/almased-name/ - Categories: Translation - Tags: German, Germany, wiederholen, YouTube - Authors: geralddrissner Recently I met a man who told me that he was trying to lose weight. I asked him about his diet and he replied: "Al-Mazeed". What?! Recently, I met a guy telling me that he is trying to lose some weight. I asked him about his diet, and he answered: "al-Mazeed". What? ! He really pronounced it very much like the Arabic word الْمَزِيد. It was a bizarre situation. The Arabic word مَزِيدٌ is based on the root ز-ي-د. The root means to become greater; to increase; to amount more; to go beyond an amount or number; to add; to extend; to expand... The word مَزِيدٌ denotes, for example, superabundance; excess; increase. I guess there are not many Arabic roots which would corrupt the intended meaning of a diet that much. When I told him what the name (as he pronounced it) would mean to Arabic speakers, he was totally surprised. He had no idea about that. So, I googled the product. The registered brand name is "Almased". Photo credit: screenshot website almased. de On the company's website, you can read that this product is "the market leader in Germany". Unfortunately, I couldn't find any information about the history and meaning of the brand name - but only that around 30 years ago, "Hubertus Trouillé’s passion for holistic science lead to the development of Almased – a product he created to help his patients with their slow metabolism. " Okay, maybe he was just unlucky and mispronounced it. Nope! He was not the only person. I met other people who also told me that they use "al-Mazeed". It wanted to dig deeper. Even on YouTube, you... --- ### What are the best Arabic series and movies on Netflix? - Published: 2019-03-01 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/arabic-movies/netflix-arabic-series-movies/ - Categories: Movies & Series - Tags: Dubai, Egyptian Arabic, English subtitle, Gulf Arabic, Jordan, Netflix, Oman, Palestinian Arabic, Ramadan, Saudi-Arabia, Syrian Arabic, Upper Egypt, wiederholen, مسلسل - Authors: geralddrissner Netflix offers Arabic movies, series and dramas (musalsalat - مسلسات). Since you can watch them in Arabic with English subtitles, this is a great way to improve your Arabic. This page is regularly updated. Learning Arabic dialects is exciting but challenging. An effective way to immerse yourself in various Arabic dialects is through TV series, in Arabic called مُسَلْسَلات (musalalat). With platforms like Netflix offering many Arabic shows with English subtitles, it's easier than ever to practice and improve your language skills. Here are some recommendations. ➤ Follow this link to get an overview of all Arabic series and movies on Netflix. Arabic movies and TV series on Netflix The numbers are not a ranking, they are just to help you find the series. Overall, it's all a matter of taste. Note that some shows may not be available in all countries. Please consider this article as a list of good Arabic movies. Crashing Eid This is the second Netflix comedy series based in Saudi-Arabia and is created by Saudi filmmaker Nora Aboushousha What's the story? In the Netflix comedy Crashing Eid, Razan tries to convince her Saudi Arabian family that her British-Pakistani fiancé is the one for her. The family drama-comedy tackles social romantic taboos and tries to show the new face of Saudi Arabia (women do not necessarily have to be fully covered, etc. ) The actors are from Saudi Arabia or at least have a connection to Saudi Arabia. Dialects? Saudi Arabic. Watch it on netflixThe Secret of the Nile Original title: Grand Hotel. This was a big hit in Egypt and was aired during Ramadan 2016t! It is based on a Spanish show (Grand Hotel)... --- ### 20 questions: Matthew Aldrich (#7) - Published: 2019-02-24 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/matthew-aldrich-lingualism/ - Categories: 9273 roots - Tags: adult-improving, Classical Arabic, Egypt, Egyptian Arabic, Egyptian Arabic expression, expression, German, Istanbul, Levantine Arabic, Palestinian Arabic, self-study, Tunisian Arabic, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Episode #7 of my "9273 roots" series: 20 questions for the man who made learning Arabic dialects easy: Matthew Aldrich of Lingualism. Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Matthew Aldrich ماثيو The man who made learning Arabic dialects easy Year of birth: 1974 Place of birth: California, USA Place of residence: Sonora, California Personal website: https://www. lingualism. com Matthew Aldrich's author page on Amazon Photo credit: Matthew Aldrich How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? I'm Matthew Aldrich. I'm a recovering polyglot. I spent most of my adult life teaching in countries like Turkey, South Korea, China, and Thailand. And now I'm back in my home state of California enjoying a more quiet life and publishing language-learning materials. What was your first Arabic grammar book? A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic by Karin C. Ryding. Books written by Matthew Aldrich. Photo credit: lingualism. What is your favorite Arabic book (novel, etc. )? Taxi by Khaled al-Khamissi. Remark: Taxi (published 2006) is a collection of 58 short stories - and was a bestseller in Egypt. The author tells the stories of taxi drivers in Cairo and gives the reader an idea about real life in Egypt. The dialogues in the book are written in very colloquial Egyptian Arabic. Book Taxi The book was translated into several languages (e. g. , English, German, French) and - together with the Arabic source - it is a great tool to study the Egyptian dialect. How much time does a... --- ### Using كِلَا and كِلْتا for 'both': Arabic dual explained - Published: 2019-02-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/both-in-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar, Translation - Tags: adjective, difficult construction, dual, expression, imperative, suffix, wiederholen, صفة, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner Arabic has a special way of expressing the English word "both". You use the words كِلَا or كِلتا in a dual construction. The expression "both" is not that easy to use in Arabic - because Arabic has the dual, which requires a lot of thought. You use the dual form of a special word. In Arabic, there is a special way to express the English word both. The following to words are essential for the construction: كِلا (kila): both; masculine singular كِلْتا (kilta): both; feminine singular They both express the dual (مُثَنَّى), however, grammatically, they are singular (مُفْرَدٌ)! The only difference between كِلا and كِلْتا is the gender. كِلا is masculine and كِلْتا is feminine. So far, so good – but where should we put them in a sentence? There are two possibilities. Option 1: 1st part of the إِضافة. The 2nd part must be a definite, dual noun. both men (كِلَا الرَّجُلَيْنِ) both times (كِلْتا الْمَرَّتَيْنِ) In this application, both words – كِلَا and كِلْتا – are proper nouns of genus (اِسْمُ عَلَمٍ جِنْسِيٌّ). Option 2: Apposit­ion (بَدَلٌ). Placed after a dual noun. You have to add a dual pronoun suffix (ضَمِيرُ الْمُؤَكَّدِ) to كِلَا and كِلْتا respectively. both men (الرَّجُلانِ كِلاهُما) both times (الْمَرَّتانِ كِلْتاهُما) Let's focus on the interesting part: the grammar. Both words must agree in gender with the noun or pronoun they refer to. So, we match كِلْتا and كِلَا either with... the gender of the second part of the إِضافة-construction, i. e. , مُضافٌ إِلَيْهِ; the gender of the word to which كِلَا or كِلْتا refer. It is the word before them, i. e. , مُبْدَلٌ... --- ### 20 questions: Dina Elabed (#6) - Published: 2019-02-10 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-dina-elabed/ - Categories: 9273 roots - Tags: camel, Classical Arabic, Egypt, expression, Prophet Muhammad, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Episode #6 of my series "9273 roots": 20 questions for the woman who makes children (0-12) read and love Arabic books: Dina Elabed. Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Dina Elabed دينا العبد The woman who makes children (0-12) read and love Arabic books Dina Elabd, the founder of arabicbookamonthphoto credit: Dina Elabd Date of birth: April 6, 1990 Place of birth: California, USA Place of residence: Cairo, Egypt Personal website: https://www. arabicbookamonth. com Dina Elabed's author page on Amazon Dina Elabd is a children's author and critic, and the founder of Arabic Book A Month. For over ten years, she has worked in children's book publishing, presented at conferences and contributed to the production of over 35 books and magazines. Dina has also completed a Masters of Education at the University of Cambridge specializing in Critical Approaches to Children's Literature. Dina has published three children's books, with her fourth coming out soon. Her titles include Melouq (2016), The Lion that Dressed as a Sheep, The Magic Palm (2017), and Mila, The Beautiful Cat (ميلا القطة الجميلة). How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? I am a children's book author and critic. I believe that quality children's books can make a huge difference in the lives of children, from improving literacy to empathy. I love spending my time at the beach or reading/writing a book. Dina Elabd creates Arabic books for children. photo credit: Dina Elabd What was your first Arabic grammar book? --- What is... --- ### 20 questions: Omar Safa (#5) - Published: 2019-02-03 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-omar-safa/ - Categories: 9273 roots - Tags: Arabic literature, calligraphy, Dubai, how to, Jibran Khalil Jibran, Mary, Sura 19, wiederholen, YouTube - Authors: geralddrissner Episode #5 of my series "9273 Roots": 20 questions to the man who turns Arabic letters into beautiful art: Omar Safa. Lisān al-'Aarab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Omar Mahmoud Safa عمر محمود صفا The man who turns Arabic letters into beautiful art. Omar Safa - He turns Arabic letters into art. photo credit: Omar Safa Date of birth: 15th January 1979 Place of birth: Libya Place of residence: Dubai Website: www. omarsafa. com or www. fluidbrandmakers. com How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? I am a designer at heart, started in graphic design at AUB (American University Beirut) and ran my creative agency for 15 years. During which I started calligraphy, product design with calligraphy. With an artistic passion on the side, I also started inking tattoos, mostly in Arabic Calligraphy. What was your first Arabic grammar book? Suffice to say, I remember better the grammar than the book. Examples of Omar's outstanding work - you can see and buy his art on his website, www. omarsafa. com. What is your favorite Arabic book (novel, etc. )? I like the The Prophet by Jubran Khalil Jubran. Always good material in there for my calligraphy. Jibran Khalil Jibran (جبران خليل جبران) was a Lebanese-American writer and poet (1883-1931). The Prophet is his most famous work. It is a book of 26 prose poetry fables written in English. It is one of the most translated books in history. What is the story? The prophet, al-Mustafa, has... --- ### The mysteries behind the spelling of مِائَة‎ in Arabic - Published: 2019-01-31 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/how-do-you-spell-and-pronounce-hundred-in-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar, Dialects, Etymology - Tags: Aramaic, Biblical Hebrew, common mistake, difficult construction, Hebrew, Hebrew alphabet, Modern Hebrew, wiederholen, عدد, همزة - Authors: geralddrissner The Arabic word for "hundred" is written مِائَة - but pronounced as مِئَة. Why is this? The Arabic word for hundred is written مِائَة - but pronounced as مِئَة. How is it possible to have aكَسْرةbefore the Arabic letter Aleph? This is actu­ally impossible in Arabic. Well, let's see... Ideas behind the different spellings of hundred in Arabic There are several ideas to justify the strange spell­ing ofمِاْئَة. Some scholars date it back to the first writers of the Qur'an. The letter Aleph ا was probably meant to indicate the vowel of the second syllable but, for whatever reason, it was placed before – and not after – theئ. Others say it was used to differentiate between the words hun­dred (مِئَة), cate­gory (فِئَة) and from him (ُمِنْه). Arabic was writ­ten without vowel signs and dots, thus the wordsمِئَةandمِنْهwould have looked exactly the same! How is it in other Semitic languages? A version of the word hundred similar to the Arabic version is also found in other Semitic languages, e. g. מֵאָה ("me-a") in Hebrew. The Hebrew word is related to the Phoenician and Aramaic word. The He­brew letter Aleph (א) is sometimes re­lated to the Hamza in Ara­bic which may explain the spelling of the Arabic wordمِئَة. What is the correct pronunciation ofمِائَة‎? Whatever the reason is, the Aleph in the wordمِائَةis nothing but extra (مُجَرَّدزِيادة). Therefore, don't pro­nounce the word as if it were written with a long vowel "aa" which would result inمَائَة("maa’a"). This is wrong! The vowels are pronounced short and with "i", i. e. ,مِئَة. In many Arabic dialects, the ­wordمِيّةis used.... --- ### 20 questions: Dr. Hanada Taha Thomure (#4) - Published: 2019-01-27 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-hanada-taha-thomure/ - Categories: 9273 roots, Interviews - Tags: Algeria, comparative, Dubai, Levantine Arabic, Saudi-Arabia, superlative, teaching Arabic, United Arab Emirates, wiederholen, اسم التفضيل - Authors: geralddrissner Episode #4 of my series "9273 roots": 20 questions for Hanada Taha Thomure, who develops standards for measuring text levels in Arabic. Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Hanada Taha Thomure هنادا طه تامير The woman who develops standards to measure text levels in Arabic and upgraded the Arabic language curriculum in many Arab countries Prof. Hanada in her office. She is an expert for measuring text level in Arabic and created standards for Arabic books (especially school books for native Arabic speakers). picture credit: Hanada Taha Thomure Date of birth: Jan 8th, 1968 Place of birth: Beirut, Lebanon Place of residence: Dubai, United Arab Emirates Personal website: www. hanadataha. com Hanada Taha is the Endowed Chair Professor of Arabic Language at Zayed University (Dubai, United Arab Emirates). She was previously acting Dean of Bahrain Teachers College. She earned her Ph. D. in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of New Orleans. She holds a Master's Degree in Educational Psychology and a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from the American University of Beirut D. , Education (4. 0 GPA), University of New Orleans, USA, 2001; A. , Educational Psychology, American University of Beirut, 1997; A. , Social & Behavioral Science with Arabic minor (With Distinction), American University of Beirut, 1988 Teaching Diploma, American University of Beirut, Lebanon, 1988 Lebanese Baccalaureate, Khalid Bin AlWaleed High School (Valedictorian), 1985. How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? I am Hanada: a teacher and lover of the Arabic language. What... --- ### 20 questions: Hossam Abouzahr (#3) - Published: 2019-01-19 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/hossam-abouzahr-livingarabic/ - Categories: 9273 roots, Interviews - Tags: al-Andalus, Android, Arab spring, Classical Arabic, database, Egypt, expression, Hans Wehr, hell, life-long-learning, self-study, TAFL, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Episode #3 of "9273 roots": 20 questions for Hossam Abouzahr, who has created one of the most up-to-date online dictionaries of Arabic dialects: Lughatuna (Living Arabic). Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Hossam Abouzahr حسام أبو ظهر The man who created the best online dictionary for Arabic dialects: Lughatuna (livingarabic) Date of birth: rather not say Place of birth: USA Place of residence: outside of Washington, DC Personal website: http://www. livingarabic. com You can find Hossam's apps (dictionaries) on the Google Play Store (Android) and on the Apple Store. Hossam Abouzahr is the founder of lughatuna (livingarabic. com), the most up-to-date online dictionary for Arabic dialects (as well as MSA and Classical Arabic). photo credit: Hossam Abouzahr How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? I'm a practical Arabic linguist: I've studied enough linguistics to roll with the best of them, but focus on creating practical tools that serve laymen and advanced linguistics. Lughatuna (livingarabic. com) is the name of Hossam's project: to create the best and most comprehensive dictionaries for contemporary Arabic. It is already HUGE and in my opinion the BEST dictionary for DIALECTS! Regarding the Egyptian dialect, his dictionary (in 2018) already contains over 23,000 words and 34,000 definitions. But it is also a great tool for Modern Standard Arabic and Classical Arabic. Hossam is a very humble person and offers his dictionaries for FREE: "I do want to show how alive Arabic, as both the dialects and formal language, really is, and I want to show... --- ### The role of the Bedouins in shaping Arabic grammar - Published: 2019-01-12 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/bedouins-arabic-grammar/ - Categories: History, Grammar - Tags: Arabian Peninsula, Bedouin, grammarian, Mecca, Shia, wiederholen, تنوين - Authors: geralddrissner What role did the Bedouins play in the development of Arabic grammar? A big one. There are many anecdotes about scholars who went deep into the desert to find Bedouins who could answer their questions about Arabic grammar. The Bedouins were significant for the creation of the (Classical) Arabic grammar we know today. The early works on grammar, as well as the first dictionaries, were very much based on the spoken Arabic of Bedouins. The grammarians regarded the Bedouin as the true speaker of Arabic. How should someone from a city know all the nu­ances of words that are linked to camels, tents, and the desert? Dust storm in Saudi Arabia by NASA Goddard Photo and Video is licensed under CC-BY 2. 0 It is related that Caliphs, who wanted their sons to speak impeccable Arabic, had sent their sons into the desert to the Bedouins. There are many anec­dotes about scholars who went deep into the desert to find Bedouins who could answer their questions about Ara­bic grammar. A famous legend tells the story of Abū Mansūr al-’Azharī (أَبُو مَنْصُور الْأَزْهَرِيّ), a grammarian and lexicog­rapher, who was born at the end of the 9th century (282 AH). He was returning from Mecca in 924 (312 AH) when the Qarāmita (الْقَرامِطة), a Shia (Ismā‘īlī) offspring, attacked the pil­grimage caravan. Many travelers were massacred; al-’Azharī was taken captive. The at­tackers were led by Abū Tāhir al-Jannābī, who outraged the Muslim world around five years later (317 AH) when he raided Mecca and stole the Black Stone (الْحَجَر الْأَسْوَد). He forced the Abbasids to pay a huge sum for its return, which happened around 941 (330 AH). Mecca in Saudi-Arabia As a captive, al-’Azharī spent about two years with the Bedouins... --- ### 20 questions: Badrul Aini Sha’Ari (#2) - Published: 2019-01-06 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/9273-roots/interview-badrul-aini-shaari/ - Categories: 9273 roots, Interviews - Tags: Ancient Greek, Arabist, hell, Kufa, London, Paradise, Saudi-Arabia, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Episode #2 of the series "9273 roots": 20 questions for the man who brings Arabic to South-East Asia: Badrul Aini Sha’ari. Lisān al-'Arab (لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Badrul Aini Sha'ari بدرالعيني شعاري The man who brings Arabic to South-East Asia Date of birth: 25 February 1987 Place of birth: Sungai Petani, Kedah, Malaysia Place of residence: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Personal website: https://www. facebook. com/AkademiBADR photo credit: Badrul Aini Sha’ari How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't know you? I would describe myself as an Arabist in the making, since I tried everything possible for me to achieve a proficiency level in this beautiful language, since I chose to enroll in the Department of Arabic Language & Literature at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) in 2008. Since then, I tried my best in anything related to Arabic, especially in Arabic debate and translation. I worked as an Arabic translator for 5 years at the Malaysian Institute of Translation & Books (ITBM), and recently, I have changed my career and now work at the Malaysian National News Agency (BERNAMA) as an Arabic news officer, learning new things about media Arabic and journalism. What was your first Arabic grammar book? Al-Naḥwu al-Wāḍiḥ (النحو الواضح) by 'Ali al-Jarim & Mustafa Amin. What is your favorite Arabic book (novel, etc. )? I love all Arabic short stories written by Kāmil Kīlānī. Remark: Kāmil Kīlānī (كامل كيلاني) was a famous Egyptian writer (1897–1959),  born in Al Qala'a district in Cairo. How much... --- ### 20 questions: Antoine Robert El Dahdah (#1) - Published: 2018-12-31 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/interviews/antoine-robert-el-dahdah/ - Categories: Interviews, 9273 roots - Tags: Classical Arabic, Egypt, grammarian, Jibran Khalil Jibran, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Episode #1 of the interview series 9273 Roots: 20 questions for the grammarian Antoine Robert el-Dahdah (الدحداح), who put Arabic grammar into charts and tables. NOTE: Sadly, Antoine-Robert (Abu Farès) el-Dahdah passed away on November 14, 2021. Lisān al-'Arab لسان العرب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493. 934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic such as... Antoine-Robert (Abu Farès) El Dahdah أنطوان الدَّحْداح The man who put Arabic grammar in charts and tablesOne of the greatest Arabic grammarians of the last decades Date of birth: 22nd of March 1930 Place of birth: Beirut, Lebanon Place of residence: Beirut, Lebanon Personal website: arabic-grammar. org (formerly: www. arabic-grammar. com) Born 1930; married to Lisette El Chemor; two children, Carole and Fares. General El Dahdah is a graduate of: The Military Academy (Fayadieh, Lebanon); The Royal School of Artillery (Larkhill, England); L'École Navale (Brest, France); The Command and General Staff College (Fort Leavensworth, USA). In the course of his career, Ambassador El Dahdah held the following posts: Aide-de-Camp to the President of Republic (1952). Artillery Battalion Commander in the Lebanese Army (1961). Commander of the Lebanese Navy (1963). Director Geographic Affairs, Ministry of Defense (1968). Director General of the General Security (1971). Lebanese Ambassador to Brazil (1987) He has received the following decorations: Medal of Palestine 1948; Lebanese Merit; Order of the Cedar; Order of the Nile (Egypt); Order of the Independance (Jordan); Order of the Sun (Peru); Order of the Banner (China); Légion d'Honneur (France); Order of the Republic (Italy); Order Cruzeiro do Sul (Brazil). Antoine-Robert El Dahdah How would you introduce yourself to someone who doesn't... --- ### A comprehensive guide to واو الحال and مفعول معه - Published: 2018-12-12 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/waw-al-hal/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: common mistake, difficult construction, Egypt, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner The و does not always mean "and". It can also work as واو الحال or مفعول معه. Such constructions are tricky because we need different words in English. There are situations when وَ‎ does not express and, but when, with or while. Such constructions withhere. Now let's move on and check an example of aWaw al-Hal! We know that in our example, theمَفْعُول مَعَهُI walked with Zayd. سِرْتُ وَزَيْدًا2مَعْطُوفI and Zayd walked. سِرْتُ وَزَيْدٌ In the book Arabic for Nerds 2, I cover this topic in detail. If you want to dig deeper regarding the fineness of the مفعول معه, the following article might be a good start: Do you think grammar is boring? Then check out these articles: --- ### How to write Allah in Arabic correctly - Published: 2018-11-29 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/arabic-font-allah/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: basmalah, how to, Islamic phrases, LibreOffice, Microsoft Word, wiederholen, ألف, ألف خنجرية, بسم الله, نون - Authors: geralddrissner The word Allah is often written like calligraphy - with the Aleph dagger. There are several ways to do this in Microsoft Word or LibreOffice. Many fonts do not display the name Allah in Arabic correctly. The main reason is that some ignore the dagger Aleph (like in لكن). In this article, we will take a look at how to write "Allah" in a nice and correct way. Examples of Allah with dagger Aleph Let us first look how common fonts render the Arabic word for God: الله. Times New Roman and Arial do a good job, I have to say. One of my favorite fonts is Amiri which you can get for free at Google fonts. In one of my articles, I showed how to install the Amiri font. If you haven't installed Amiri, you can follow the steps which I am going to show by using Arial or Times New Roman. So, let's see, how it works that we can write the word Allah with a beautiful Arabic face. By the way, the solution which I will present does not only work for the word Allah - but also for famous Islamic salutations such as pbuh or SAW as well as the so-called Basmallah. How to write Allah in Arabic This is actually easily done as either the font knows how to render it, or we can use a Unicode. If the font can render it It should usually work by simply typing the word without any diacritical marks. Just type the letters ا - ل - ل - ه  and press space. Your system will automatically do it if the font supports that.... --- ### Choosing the right font for Arabic texts - Published: 2018-11-15 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/arabic-font-microsoft-word/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: Google, how to, LibreOffice, Linux, Microsoft Word, wiederholen, تشكيل - Authors: geralddrissner Times New Roman or Arial are not the only fonts for writing in Arabic. Google Fonts offers many beautiful Arabic fonts for free - it also works for Apple/Mac. Writing in Arabic on a mobile phone works like a charm. But writing texts in Microsoft Word or LibreOffice is still quite challenging. To fix that, we have to find a good font. Both - Times New Roman and Arial - offer Arabic support. They are not bad at all, but sometimes they may look weird and become hard to read - especially if you use diacritical marks (Tashkeel/ The DejaVu fonts are a font family based on the Vera Fonts. Its purpose is to provide a wider range of characters. The best thing - they are under a free license. In other words, you can download them and use them in your documents without worrying about copyright issues. You can download it here: https://dejavu-fonts. github. io/ Unless you are using Linux, I would recommend downloading the ZIP-file. You will find the fonts in the TTF (TrueType)-format. If you don't know how to install such files, I will give some hints later in this blog post. Option 2: Noto Sans Google offers a great font with Arabic support for free. The font family is called Noto Sans and displays all diacritical signs very nicely. Where can you get it? Just follow this link: Download Noto SANSOption 3: Google Fonts There is a great option which is called GOOGLE FONTS: fonts. google. com Google offers professional fonts for free. You don't need to buy them. Many people forget that you can't just download a font and use it. You need to obtain... --- ### How do you say 'My Mustafas' in Arabic? - Published: 2018-11-04 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/my-mustafas-in-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: broken plural, difficult construction, expression, how to, plural form, sound plural, suffix, wiederholen, جمع - Authors: geralddrissner The plural of the name Mustafa in Arabic is difficult because there is a weak letter involved. It becomes even more difficult when we add "my". A grammatical analysis of how to add a possessive pronoun to masculine plurals. I admit that you usually won't use this expression ("My Mustafas"), but nevertheless, the construction is pretty challenging. Please answer the following question and choose an answer. مُصْطَفُي (Mustafuy) مُصْطَفَيَّ (Mustafayya) مُصْطَفُوني (Mustafuuny) مُصْطَفَوْيّ (Mustafawiy) We will analyze it step by step. Background: sound masculine plural Mustafa (مُصْطَفَى), since we are talking about a human being, forms a sound masculine plural (جَمْعُ الْمُذَكَّرِ السّالِمُ). Such plurals have the suffixونَattached to them in order to indicate the plural in the nomi­native case. In the genitive and accusative case the ending isينَ Note that the finalنis not the marker of the case and does not have any significance in our grammatical analysis. The cases are marked by theوand theي. How do we deal with a sound masculine plural when it is the first part of a  مُوَظَّفُو الشَّرِكةِII: My employees. Note: Example II is pronounced "muwaththafiyya". The word looks the same in all three cases. مُوَظَّفِيَّ Now let's return to our example. Forming the plural ofمصطفى مُصْطَفَىis grammatically speak­ing one of the harder ones because it has a weak letter at the end. When forming the plural, the weak letter drops, so we getمُصْطَفَونَ(instead ofمُصْطَفَيُونَ) andمُصْطَفَيْنَ(instead ofمُصْطَفَيِيْنَ). Now let's continue and add my. I use the word in the nominative case (مَرْفُوعٌ). However, the result would be the same if we took the genitive or accusative form. Step 1: We add my to the sound masculine plural:Arabic for Nerds 2, I deal with stuff like that extensively. --- ### How to use Google Translate for Arabic text recognition - Published: 2018-10-25 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/google-translate-arabic-instant/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: AI, Android, Arabic script, Google, Google Translate, how to, mobile app, transcribing Arabic, transliteration, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Google Translate can process images with Arabic text and decode Arabic like an OCR tool. This means you can use your phone's camera to take a picture of any Arabic text - and instantly get a translation (plus the Arabic text!). Here is how it works. You can talk to Google Translate because Google understands Arabic much better! Google Translate will convert your speech into text and instantly translate it. And if you don't wanna talk to Google, then use your phone's camera. Google Translate now can process images with Arabic texts and decode Arabic. Just take a picture of any Arabic text and mark what you want Google to translate into English. Hate it or love it - Google Translate is, in my opinion, a great gadget, especially, if you are traveling and don't have a clue about the language which is spoken in your destination. Even though Arabic is one of the official UN-languages, Google Translate's support of Arabic was pretty weak. One of the best features of Google Translate is the camera option. By a simple click, the camera analyzed a text in a foreign language. Eventually, you could highlight what you want to translate. Regarding Arabic, however, the camera icon was greyed out and a message was displayed that said camera input was not available for this language. This has dramatically changed! It works now! Google Translate has now added Arabic to its "image translation feature". The latest version of Google Translate for Android and iPhone allows users to use the phones' cameras to translate texts. This visual translation feature allows users to point their phone at a menu, sign, or any other text in order to convert it. Once the image has been analyzed, you can select any part to see the... --- ### This tool helps you to understand Al Jazeera better - Published: 2018-10-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/al-jazeera-audio/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: AI, al-Jazeera, how to, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner The first frustrating experience for many Arabic students is usually the moment when the teacher turns on Al-Jazeera or Al-Arabiya. Most of the time, teachers have to pause after each sentence and ask which words were actually understood. But there is hope: a great audio option on Al-Jazeera. NOTE: As of 2024, it appears that Al-Jazeera no longer offers this service. If this is no longer the case, please let me Al-Jazeera offers a great service which is called: listen to the article!  There is an audio option on their website. The words are pronounced in a natural way (with correct vowels). It shows you the word which is currently pronounced (by highlighting it with a different color). You can download the audio file at the end to listen to it in one go. The Al-Jazeera listening option It is really easy but very useful: STEP 1: Go to the Arabic site of Al-Jazeera - https://aljazeera. net Notice the domain . net because . com usually directs you to the English site. STEP 2: Click on any article. STEP 3: Under the headline, you should now see a loudspeaker symbol: STEP 4: Click on it. STEP 5: You should now be able to listen to the text. The AI highlights the word that is currently pronounced. Here is how it sounds (Video): REMARK: This also works on your mobile. You don't even have to use the app. Just use your browser and go to aljazeera. net By the way: I have interviewed an employee of the company which develops the AI for text to speech - you can read it here. Furthermore, if you want to know the "real" and authentic pronunciation - try out this tool. Don't miss the latest posts on useful tools: --- ### Common phrases for closing letters and emails in Arabic - Published: 2018-10-13 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/emails-formal-letters-in-arabic-2/ - Categories: Translation, Tools and Apps - Tags: common mistake, expression, German, how to, vocabulary list, wiederholen, نون - Authors: geralddrissner Writing formal letters and emails in Arabic is not difficult: Sentences and expressions for the last parts of a letter. The conventional ending or Schlussformel in German (هل يمكن أن تمدوني بمعلومات عن شكليات محتملة, وأنترسلوا لي الاستمارات المطلوبة كذلك؟Could you inform me about the formalities and provide me with the necessary forms? Könnten Sie mir die diesbezüglichen Formalitäten mitteilen und mir die erforderlichen Formulare zukommen lassen? . سنكون في غاية الامتنان لسيادتكم للمعلومات الخاصة بهذا الشأنWe would be very grateful for your information concerning that matter. Für Ihre diesbezüglichen Informationen wären wir Ihnen äußerst dankbar... . مرفق بهذا الخطاب صورة  لAttached you will find a photocopy of ... In der Anlage finden Sie eine Photokopie des ... ... أنا أعتذر مرة أخرى عن المضايقات الناجمة عنذلك, وأعدكم بأن هذه الأخطاء لن تتكرر مرة أخرىI once again apologize for the inconvenience caused to you and promise you that such mistakes will not happen again. Ich entschuldige mich noch einmal für die Ihnen verursachten Unannehmlichkeiten und verspreche Ihnen, dass solche Irrtümer nicht wieder vorkommen werden. . ولقد انتهت هذه المدة,ونحن ننتظر السداد الفوري للفاتورة المذكورة أعلاهThe deadline has now expired and we expect the immediate settlement of the above mentioned invoice/bill. Die Frist ist nun abgelaufen und wir erwarten die sofortige Begleichung der oben genannten Rechnung. . نحن ننتظر ردكم بشغفWe are looking forward to your answer. Wir sehen Ihrer Antwort gern entgegen. . إذا كانت لديكم أي استفسارات عن هذه التغييرات فلا تترددوا أن تلجأوا إليناIf you have any questions about these changes, please do not hesitate to contact us. Wenn Sie Fragen zu diesen Änderungen haben, zögern Sie nicht,... --- ### How do you write emails and formal letters in Arabic? - Published: 2018-09-29 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/how-do-you-write-letters-in-arabic-part-1/ - Categories: Translation, Tools and Apps - Tags: Arab culture, expression, vocabulary list, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Writing formal letters and emails in Arabic is not difficult. Here are some sentences and expressions for the salutation (المخاطبة) and examples of opening sentences. Writing letters or emails in Arabic is actually not that difficult. Once you have started writing letters or emails, you will get used to the standard phrases pretty quickly.  Never forget the most important rule: try to be polite! This is part 1 of the series How do you write emails and formal letters in Arabic? (Here is صندوق بريدP. O. box(Postfach) 1234 يصل ويسلم ليد السيد بركاتFor the attention of Mr. BarakatZu Händen von Herrn Barakat Salutation The proper and respectful greeting is very important in Arab culture. السادة المحترمون جدًاDear gentlemenSehr geehrte Herren السيدات المحترمات والسادة المحترمونDear ladies and gentlemenSehr geehrte Damen und Herren السيد سالم المحترم جدًاDear Mr. SalemSehr geehrter Herr Salem السيد الدكتور سالم المحترمDear Dr. SalemSehr geehrter Herr Dr. Salem أمي الحبيبةDear MotherLiebe Mama عزيزي حسنDear HassanLieber Hassan عزيزتي فاطمةDear FatimaLiebe Fatima فضيلة الشيخEsteemed SheikhGeschätzter Scheich حضرة القاضيYour HonorHerr Vorsitzender (Anrede eines Richters) Phrases to start the letter Here are some example that may be useful if you have to write a letter or an email. نحن نشكركم على المعلومات التي نهتم بمعرفتهاWe thank you for your information which we found interesting. Wir danken Ihnen für Ihre Informationen, die wir mit Interesse zur Kenntnis genommen haben. . نحن نشكركم على طلبكم 7 أغسطسWe thank you for your order dated 7th August. Wir danken Ihnen für Ihre Bestellung vom 7. August. . شكرًا جزيلا على العرض الذي قدمتموه يوم 15 أغسطسThank you very much for your offer dated 15th August. Herzlichen Dank für Ihr Angebot vom... --- ### Common uses of ما in Egyptian Arabic explained - Published: 2018-09-15 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/egyptian-arabic/ma-in-egyptian-arabic/ - Categories: Egyptian Arabic, Translation - Tags: common mistake, difficult construction, Egyptian Arabic, elative, emphasis, expression, how to improve, lost in translation, personal pronoun, TAFL, wiederholen, اسم التفضيل, ضمير - Authors: geralddrissner The word ما is one of the most difficult words in Egyptian Arabic (and standard Arabic, for that matter). It is often misunderstood. The word ما can give you a headache in Egyptian Arabic because it can be use in various ways - which also means it can express many things. Let's take a look. What are the functions of ma (ما)? In Egyptian Arabic, there are mainly three functions: ما can work as a question word meaning what; ما can also work as a negation; طَبّ ما تِرَوَّح بَقَىShe left (went out) quite a while ago. "Ma-hiyya kharaget min badri. "ما هي خَرَجِتْ مِن بَدْرِيI have already told you (that) twice! "Ma 2ult-illak marreteen! "ما قُلْت لَك مَرَّتِينStay here some time. "Ma titfaddal shwayya! "ما تِتْفَضَّل شويّةFor sure, she is in the same airplane. "Ma hiyya fi-nafs ettayyara! "ما هي في نَفس الطَّيّارة The wordsبِتْحِبّ أُمّ عَلِي؟ ده أنا بامُوت فِيهWe are delighted that you came. "Di-7na fi muntaha ssa3aada innak geet. "ده اِحْنا فِي مُنْتَهى السّاعَدة ِنَّك جِيت Both words used together in a sentence Now, we will check a tricky situation: That is what I have been saying! "Ma-huwwa da-illi ana ba2uulu". ما هو ده اللِّي أنا باقُولُه Learn more about Egyptian Arabic: --- ### Fixing Arabic grammar mistakes: Usage of أَبَدًا and قَطُّ - Published: 2018-09-02 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/never-in-arabic/ - Categories: Translation - Tags: adverb, adverb of time, common mistake, how to, indeclinable, lost in translation, Sura 5, wiederholen, أَفْعَلَ, ظرف, ظرف الزمان, مبني - Authors: geralddrissner قَطُّ can express "never" in the past. Instead, people often use أَبَدًا - which is a common mistake. Here is why. In this article, we will analyze how to say never in Arabic. Let's open the discussion with a famous and common mistake in Arabic: NOT CORRECTI have never done that.  لَمْ أَفْعَلْ ذٰلِكَ أَبَدًا Why is there a mistake? Because the word أَبَدًا (abadan) is an adverb that is used for the future (ظَرْفُ زَمانٍ لِلمُسْتَقْبَلِ) only. It basically means al­ways, for­ever; ever. أَبَدًا con­veys the meaning of continu­ity (اِسْتِمْرارٌ) in the future. It may receive case inflections (مُعْرَبٌ). So, what is the solution? How would you say: “I have never done that”? You use a different word! CORRECTI have never done that. . لَمْ أَفْعَلْ ذٰلِكَ قَطُّ The word قَطُّ (qattu) means never; ever, at all. It is an adverb of time (ظَرْفُ زَمانٍ) that engages in the past tense (لاِسْتِغْراقُ الْماضِي). The word قَطُّ has an indeclinable, fixed shape (مَبْنِيٌّ) and never changes its form. قَطُّ must be used with the negation (نَفْيٌ). Since we have to use the past tense, we negate the verb with لَمْ or with ما. Some examples: incorrectI have never visited him. . ما زُرْتُهُ أَبَدًاcorrectI have never visited him. . ما زُرْتُهُ قَطُّcorrectI will never visit him. . لَنْ أَزُورَهُ أَبَدًا Remark: The translation of أَبَدًا depends on the context and – more important – whether there is a negation involved or not. With a negation: Never (in the future), not at all, on no ac­count Not negated: Never! Not at all! By no means! Let us now check an example of the... --- ### The role of و in كُلُّ عامٍ وَأَنْتُمْ بِخَيْرٍ - Published: 2018-08-22 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/kull-aam-kull-sana/ - Categories: Grammar, Translation - Tags: adverb, adverb of time, difficult construction, Egyptian Arabic expression, expression, grammarian, lost in translation, wiederholen, حال, ظرف, ظرف الزمان - Authors: geralddrissner What's the function of وَ‎‎ in the saying: ‎كُلُّ عامٍ وَأَنْتُمْ بِخَيْرٍ‎‎‎?‎‎ It is a dubious one. Most grammarians say that you don't need the وَ and that it would be of better Arabic style to skip it! Let's see why. The sentence kull Aam wa antum bi Khayr (كُلُّ عامٍ وَأَنْتُمْ بِخَيْرٍ) is used in Modern Standard Arabic and in Arabic di­alects - kull sana winta tayyeb - to congratulate at birth­days, wed­dings, etc. The translation depends on the context: Con­gratulations! Happy birthday! Happy new year! Have you every thought about the reason why we usearticle if you want to know more about the letter Waw). The sentence is a bit awkward if we approach it from a grammati­cal perspective and worth studying it. Let's give it a try. The problem isactually focusedon theand its function. This discussion is not only about a finesse, it is crucial. Why? Because the job of theكُلَّ عامٍ أَنْتُمْ بِخَيْرٍBصَحِيحة Correct – with وَ. كُلُّ عامٍ وَأَنْتُمْ بِخَيْرٍ Before we move on, check the case endings of the wordArabic for Nerds 2 many topics like that are covered. Once you understand how Arabic sentences actually work, Arabic will become much easier. Life without grammar would be boring. Do you know which verb form you should use with the word kull? Singular or plural? --- ### Master Arabic verb conjugation with CAVE - Published: 2018-08-15 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/conjugation-arabic-verbs-app/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: Android, conjugation, Germany, mobile app, transliteration, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner The Arabic verb system is very logical, but there are exceptions. However, beginners often have trouble conjugating verbs. Now there is help: the app CAVE. A programmer and Arabic expert, Graeme Andrews (who by the way has written a great tool for Lane's dictionary) told me about the app CAVE - a very good tool to conjugate Arabic verbs. The CJKI Arabic Verb Conjugator (CAVE) can be used to conjugate almost every Arabic verb in all tenses and moods. 1,700 Arabic verbs are fully conjugated English translations for all Arabic inflected forms Romanized transliteration to indicate the word stress pronounced audio for each of the inflected forms (410,000 items! ) search for verbs in Arabic, transliterated form or English user-friendly interface Here is how the app looks like: Cave (Android and iOS. Who should use the app? The author writes on his website: "As the learner is increasingly exposed to Arabic using CAVE as a learning aid, he or she gradually internalizes the rules by osmosis, rather than through a conscious process of rote memorization. Eventually, producing the correct form becomes an automatic, mostly unconscious, process". I still believe that memorizing verbs helps a lot, especially if you want to speak fluently. But, as the author puts it, "CAVE puts at the user's fingertips a wealth of detailed information on every aspect of Arabic verb conjugation. " Who is behind the app? CJKI Arabic Verb Conjugator was developed by the CJK Dictionary Institute (CJKI). The author, Jack Halpern, is a lexicographer by profession. He was born in Germany and has lived in Japan over 35 years. He specializes in Japanese and Chinese lexicography and has studied... --- ### Top Arabic bookstores beyond Amazon - Published: 2018-07-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/best-websites-to-buy-arabic-books/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: Egypt, Germany, grammar books, Lebanon, Middle East, Ramadan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner What are the best bookstores to buy Arabic books online? Over the years, I have used many online bookstores. Here are my recommendations. Whether you hate or love it: if you want to buy Arabic books, Amazon is not the best place. There are many specialized online booksellers for Arabic books - novels in Arabic, Islamic books, book on Arabic grammar, etc. Over the years, I have used many of them to fill my personal library. I would like to tell you about my experiences, so you may save yourself the hassle. Here are some recommendations. Some shops are based in the EU or in the USA, others ship directly from the Middle East. Dar al-Salam, Egypt If you are looking for a book that is out of print at many stores, try Dar al-Salam. They have almost every Arabic book in their warehouse. They ship with EMS (Express Mail Service) and provide you with a tracking number. Payment can be done via Western Union or Money Gram in US-Dollars. Once you have completed your order, they usually email you with a special offer (discount and shipping costs) and tell you the banking account number (SWIFT transfer). If you have troubles sending the money via Western Union, try the TranserWise (low fees, fast, reliable). Pros: Shipping is expensive Usually you don't get the best deals (prices) - although you may get a discount (5 to 10 %) Website is only in Arabic (except for completing your order - there you can opt for English Cons: Payment cannot be made via PayPal or credit card. They recently launched a new website which is a bit... --- ### Al-Kindi: The pioneer of cryptology - Published: 2018-06-23 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/cryptologist-arab/ - Categories: History - Tags: Basra, Bedouin, Farsi, how to, Moustapha Akkad, Persia, Saudi-Arabia, The Message, wiederholen, World War I - Authors: geralddrissner One of the greatest Arab scholars, al-Kindi (الْكِنْدِي), was one of the pioneers of cryptology. How did he manage to decrypt messages? I recently was in Poznań, Poland, where I learned that one of the greatest Arab scholars, al-Kindi (الْكِنْدِي), was one of the pioneers of cryptology. How did he manage to en- and decrypt messages? The museum in Poznan Recently, I had visited the monuments of Marian Rejewski, Henryk Zygalski and Jerzy Różycki. Monument in Poznan in Poland: Marjan Rejewski. Picuture credit: Gerald Drißner They were Polish mathematicians and cryptologists who cracked the secret code of the Nazi cipher machine Enigma which is considered as one of the most sophisticated cipher machines in history.   Based on the Polish knowledge, the British scientist Alan Turing managed to build a huge computer that would finally crack the cipher. I, personally, found it very interesting that in the small Polish exhibition, a genius of the 9th century was also mentioned: al-Kindī (الْكِنْدِي). His full name was Abū Yūsuf Ya‘qūb bin Ishāq(a-Kindi was of South Arabian descent, which his name already indicates: Kinda( Al-Kindī was born probably at the beginning of the ninth century (ca. 800/~185 AH) in Kūfa, where his father was a governor. He was educated in Basra and Baghdad, then the great centers of learning. Why did the exhibition mention al-Kindi? Answer: Because he set a milestone in the field of cryptology: the frequency analysis. For almost a thousand years, from 500 to 1400, the knowledge of cryptology of Western civilization did not really progress. People used very basic systems which were mainly based on steganography. Steganography, in simple words, denotes that a secret message is... --- ### How do you pronounce Allah correctly? - Published: 2018-06-16 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/pronunciation-allah/ - Categories: Islam - Tags: Arabic script, basmalah, consonant, emphasis, Hezbollah, Lebanon, Shia, triliteral, wiederholen, بسم الله, شدة - Authors: geralddrissner The word Allah (الله) is a special word in many ways. Especially the pronunciation can be tricky if you don't know the rules. Here is how to pronounce Allah correctly. The correct pronunciation of the word Allah is tricky. Let's see why. The most important rules to pronounce Allah You have to focuson the second "l" (write Allah in a beautiful way on your computer? Some further readings: --- ### Mastering grammatical analysis in Arabic: How to do the إعراب - Published: 2018-06-15 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/irab-steps-formula/ - Categories: Grammar, Tools and Apps, Translation - Tags: adult-improving, adverb, adverb of time, elative, grammar books, grammarian, how to, how to improve, indeclinable, self-study, TAFL, teaching Arabic, wiederholen, حال, ظرف, مبني - Authors: geralddrissner Parsing Arabic sentences to determine the function and case of their parts can be a headache. Many people struggle with the إعراب. But there is a formula. Recently, a reader asked me how he should read a typical grammatical analysis in Arabic grammar books. Reading grammar books in Arabic can be challenging if you cannot decode the language of the grammarians. For example, the sentence: ضمير متصل مبني على الفتح في محل نصب مفعول به مقدم It is actually not difficult. Of course there are many varieties and styles, but we can break it down to mainly two formulas. The main problem is that the grammarians do not use commas or dashes which makes it sometimes difficult if you are not familiar with the language of the analysis. Formula 1: Standard situation of a noun (اِسْم) ➤ The word is declinable مُعْرَب) and has no anomalies. This is the formula: Tell the function of the word in the sentence, for example: subject of a nominal sentence (مُبْتَدَأ), circumstantial qualifier (حال). Tell the case: nominative (مَرْفُوع). Tell how the case is expressed: by a visible marker for the nominative (بِالضَمَّةِ الظَّاهِرةِ) or the extended version: وَعَلامةُ رَفْعِهِ الضَّمّةُ الظَّاهِرةُ. An example: The dog is at home. الْكَلْبُ فِي الْبَيْتِ Let's put the word الْكَلْبُ under the microscope. step 3step 2step 1nounوَعَلامةُ رَفْعِهِ الضَّمّةُ الظَّاهِرةُمَرْفُوعٌمُبْتَدَأٌالْكَلْبُthe sign for the nominative is a visible ُ_nominativesubjectthe dog Formula 2: Complicated sentences The word which we want to analyze is not a standard noun. It could be a particle, a word that has a fixed shape, etc. This is the formula: Now we don't start with the function. We first tell the type... --- ### The Question of the Wasp: The most famous grammar showdown in Arabic - Published: 2018-05-26 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/question-of-the-wasp-sibawayhi/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: al-Jazeera, Basra, Bedouin, grammarian, Kufa, Persia, personal pronoun, wiederholen, YouTube, سيبويه, ضمير - Authors: geralddrissner The question of the wasp or the hornet - Masʾalat al-Zunbur (مَسْأَلة الزُّنْبُور) is a clash between two giants of Arabic grammar: Sībawayhi and al-Kisā'i. Legend has it that it caused Sibawayhi to die of anger. According to the story, Sibawayhi (سيبويه), the famous grammarian from Basra, was challenged by his ri­val from Kūfa, al-Kisā’i (الْكِسائِي), to pronounce himself on an ab­struse question. It is mainly about the correct usage of a pronoun and later became famous as the Question of the Wasp (المسألة الزنبورية or مسألة الزنبور). So let's take a look at what perhaps the most famous grammar dispute of all time was about. What is the "Question of the Wasp"? If you say the following sentence in Arabic, should you use both pronouns in the nominative case (هُوَ and هِيَ) or do you use the sec­ond pronoun in the accusative case (هُوَ and إِيّاها)? كُنْتُ أَظُنُّ أَنَّ الْعَقْرَبَ أَشَدُّ لَسْعَةً مِن الزُّنْبُورِ فَإِذا هُوَ هِيَ ‏ كُنْتُ أَظُنُّ أَنَّ الْعَقْرَبَ أَشَدُّ لَسْعَةً مِن الزُّنْبُورِ فَإِذا هُوَ إِيّاها The sentence means: I used to think that the sting of a scorpion was more intense than that of a wasp, but it was the same. The following translation clarifies what the pronouns refer to: I used to think that the scorpion was more vehement in stinging than the hor­net, and lo, he is (as vehement as) she. Sībawayhi said that هُوَ هِيَ was correct. Al-Kisa’i said the opposite. Sībawayhiهِيَ must be in the nominative (مَرْفُوعٌ)فَإِذا هُوَ هِيَAl-Kisā’iإِيّاها must be in the accusative (مَنْصُوبٌ)فَإِذا هُوَ إِيّاها A similar question in English would be whether it is she or it is her should be correct. In other words, whether the word in question should be nominative, i.... --- ### The role of حَيَّ in the Call to Prayer in Islam - Published: 2018-05-22 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/come-to-prayer-islam/ - Categories: Islam, Grammar, Translation - Tags: adverb, Ancient Greek, Aramaic, difficult construction, expression, grammar books, Hebrew, Hebrew alphabet, imperative, indeclinable, Islamic phrases, Sunni Islam, wiederholen, ألف, مبني - Authors: geralddrissner The word حَيَّ ("Hayya") is used in the call of the muezzin: حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلاةِ means "Come to prayer". What type of word is حَيَّ? The phrase حَيَّ عَلَى الصَّلاةِ (ḥayya ʿalā ṣ-ṣalāh) which in Islam means "Come to prayer! " is one of the most used and famous phrases in Islam. حَيَّ is a special kind of word. Such nouns share characteristics of verbs and carry their meaning as well as its time and function. There are some important things to know about them, which we will analyze in this article. The special features of حَيَّ Let us first look at the characteristics of the word حَيَّ. Such a word is not a pure noun (اِسْم) only. Why? Other than nouns, a اِسْم الْفِعْل only conveys a meaning on itself when it is linked to time. We also don't call it a pure verb be­cause it does not carry the signs and markers of a verb, i. e. , the usual endings. All forms of a اِسْم الْفِعْل are indeclinable (مَبْنِيّ). Furthermore, it is not affected by other parts of the sen­tence. In other words, it does not have a regent (عامِل) and doesn't have a po­sition in إعراب. However, a اِسْم الْفِعْل has governing power of a verb and works as a regent (عامِل). It can govern other words and in­duces cases - note the cases after such a word. Therefore, it can carry a direct object (مَفْعُول بِهِ) in the accusative case (مَنْصُوب). This object, however, can never precede the اِسْم الْفِعْل. It has to be placed after. In Arabic grammar books, the اِسْم الْفِعْل is classified by the tense/time it relates... --- ### Top alternatives to Pupil HD for Arabic TV streaming - Published: 2018-05-21 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/stream-arabic-channels-amazon-fire/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: add-on, al-Arabiya, al-Jazeera, Farsi, how to, Istanbul, Ramadan, Turkish - Authors: geralddrissner PupilHD is the best app to watch Arabic TV with an Amazon fire TV stick. You can stream hundreds of Arabic TV channels. Since February 2024 PupilHD is no longer available and the website has been deleted. If this was only temporary, please Screenshot pupil hd website The tool is called pupil HD which is, frankly speaking, a weird name for a TV streaming app, but I assume that the creator had the pupil of the eye in mind as the logo suggests. PupilHD offers live TV and has more than a thousand channels to choose from (mainly Arabic channels but also Turkish, Kurdish, Persian, Afghani, Indian, Pakistani). You will find channels such as MBC 2 and MBC Drama, almost all Egyptian and Saudi channels (and from every other Arab country), religious channels (Islamic and Christian), news channels such as Al-Arabiya al-Hadath, al-Jazeera Documentary, channels for children (and Arabic learners ;-), etc. It works fast and you can add favorites. It works perfectly on Amazon Fire. Steps to watch Arabic TV Step 1: Download the app Pupil HD Pupil HD is available for: Android Apple iOS & tvOS Windows Mobile 10 Amazon Fire I still prefer to watch TV on a TV which means that I opted for the Amazon Fire App which can be installed and downloaded easily. It used to be easy to get it for free on Amazon - just download and install it. Apparently, this is not working anymore. You need to download it from the developer's website directly - the developer offers a How-to-guide. Step 2: Activate the service (6$ per month) Unfortunately, there is no trial option.... --- ### Effective Arabic learning strategies for all levels - Published: 2018-05-02 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/five-things-that-will-improve-your-arabic/ - Categories: Tools and Apps, Grammar - Tags: adult-improving, anki, Arabic newspaper, Arabic script, Arabic subtitle, conjugation, dual, Egyptian Arabic, how to, how to improve, Netflix, self-study, student engagement, vocabulary list, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Once you've mastered the basics of Arabic, many people feel stuck on a learning plateau. How can you improve your Arabic and reach the advanced level? The main problem of studying Arabic is that even many native speakers struggle to speak and write Arabic correctly. They can only communicate flawlessly in their dialect. Books written by European scholars are not only boring, you also need a Latin dictionary. Books written by American scholars are too simplified and ruin the beauty of Arabic. Books written by Arabic scholars usually are not written for beginners. So, you are mostly on your own. In fact, it is all about dedication and patience. How can you improve and become better at Arabic? Be a copy machine - for beginners Take an Arabic newspaper, the Qur'an, or a novel and write down (copy) two or three sentences every day. Write them on a paper - by hand. If you are a beginner, don't worry about the content. It is not relevant to understand the sentences. Your brain will get used to Arabic patterns. It might sound old school, but it worked for me. Also, your eyes will get used to the Arabic script. Create a playlist - for beginners Conjugate verbs and record them (ask a native speaker), listen to them, again and again. After a year, the conjugation of the dual and the feminine plural will feel somehow natural. If you don't want to do it on your own: Matthew Aldrich (Lingualism) has developed some pretty good materials for Arabic dialects (Egyptian Arabic verbs, etc. ) He also offers Anki vocab files and mp3 files (recorded by native speakers). Watch Netflix... --- ### Best offline and online Arabic dictionary tools - Published: 2018-01-26 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/best-online-arabic-dictionaries/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: al-Andalus, Android, Hans Wehr, imperative, Lane's Lexicon, Levantine Arabic, Lisan al-Arab, mobile app, personal pronoun, triliteral, wiederholen, ضمير - Authors: geralddrissner A list of the best Android and iOS apps and websites for translating Arabic words into English. Most of them are free. There are many online and offline Arabic dictionaries available. This article explores a variety of both online and offline Arabic dictionaries, highlighting their features, advantages, and drawbacks. Whether you're a beginner seeking basic vocabulary or an advanced learner aiming to refine your skills, this guide will help you navigate the wealth of resources available to support your Arabic language journey. In this article, I will review some dictionaries and show their advantages and disadvantages. Let's delve into the world of Arabic dictionaries, starting with offline options. Offline: Classical Arabic and MSA Lane's Lexicon by Graeme Andrews The biggest advantage of this dictionary is that it allows full-text searches in Arabic and English. Furthermore, Greek and Hebrew text is shown, and the Arabic font is very nice. This dictionary is a desktop application. It can be used offline. The program runs on Linux, Mac, and Windows. Screenshot of Lane's Lexicon You can download it here: Windows, Mac: https://github. com/laneslexicon/lexicon/releases Linux: https://laneslexicon. github. io/lexicon/site/dev-guide/build Arabic Almanac by Abdurahman Erik Taal This is a very good collection of the most commonly used dictionaries. screenshot of the app ejtaal It contains not only Hans Wehr and Lane's Lexicon, but also the Egyptian-Arabic dictionary by Al-Badawi and classical works. The collection is fast, and it can be downloaded for offline usage. There are also many Arabic-Urdu dictionaries available. Website - offline and online use: http://www. ejtaal. net/aa/ Al-Mawrid by Abdurahman Erik Taal Al-Mawrid is a famous and widespread dictionary for looking up Arabic words and its English... --- ### Add Arabic subtitles on Netflix: A simple guide - Published: 2017-11-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/arabic-movies/add-arabic-subtitles-netflix/ - Categories: Movies & Series - Tags: Arabic subtitle, Biblical Hebrew, English subtitle, Hebrew, Hebrew alphabet, how to, Modern Hebrew, Netflix, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner A step-by-step tutorial on how to add Arabic subtitles to Netflix using the OpenSubtitles extension, which works great for Arabic. TRY THIS FIRST: With a small trick applied to your account settings on Netflix, you can get quite many Arabic subtitles - here is how it works. If you have tried many tricks to add Arabic subtitles on Netflix and nothing worked for you, you should read on... One of the big advantages of internet streaming is clearly its flexibility. Not only that you can choose when and where and what you want to see; you can also adjust the audio, namely, the language. I like watching Netflix with subtitles to expand my foreign language skills. Unfortunately, however, there aren't many Arabic subtitles available. But there is a nice solution to fix it as we will now examine. You are lucky: Netflix offers it If you are lucky, Netflix offers Arabic subs in your country. You can check if there is Arabic audio/subtitles available by clicking on this link:  http://www. netflix. com/browse/audio/AR/ A work-around: the extension OpenSubtitles This always works not matter where you live. It is completely free and legal. You need to use Chrome as a browser and follow these steps: STEP 1: Download the extension OpenSubtitles from the Chrome Webstore Click HERE to download it for free! picture credit: screenshot chrome store STEP 2: Register an account with opensubtitles. org It is for free. Once you have registered and activated your account, you are almost done. Register here:opensubtitles. orgSTEP 3: Go to netflix. com Go to netflix. com and click on the extension OpenSubtitles in your Chrome panel.... --- ### An analysis of the verb تَهَتْلَرَ in Hans Wehr: 'to behave like Adolf Hitler' - Published: 2017-10-01 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/arabic-verb-imitate-adolf-hitler/ - Categories: Grammar, Etymology, Translation - Tags: Aleppo, Arabic newspaper, Arabist, basmalah, Germany, Hans Wehr, I-verb, II-verb, triliteral, wiederholen, World War I, فَعَّلَ - Authors: geralddrissner Have you ever looked up the Arabic root ه-ت-ل-ر in Hans Wehr's dictionary? You will be surprised: It means "to behave like Adolf Hitler". In the Hans Wehr dictionary, the most widely used dictionary of Modern Standard Arabic in the West, there is a verb that you will hardly encounter in the Arab world: tahatlara - "to behave like Adolf Hitler". In this article, we will deal with roots consisting of 4 letters and their corresponding verb forms. Let's start with the strange verb تَهَتْلَرَ. The Arabic verb tahatlara (تَهَتْلَرَ) Let's take a look at how you can express behave like Adolf Hitler; imitate Adolf Hitler with just one verb in Arabic. تَهَتْلَرَtahatlarapast tenseيَتَهَتْلَرُ‏‎yatahatlarupresent tenseThe Arabic verb "to behave like Adolf Hitler" To be honest, I never came across this weird verb in daily talks. I also have never encountered it in newspapers or books. I quickly checked with my Arabic-Arabic dictionaries and couldn't find it. So don't ask me why the editors of the Hans Wehr's dictionary have included it. I don't even want to imagine what "to behave like Hitler" should express. This "root", which is of course not an Arabic root, is found in the latest 6th edition (year 2020) of the original German version of the Hans Wehr dictionary: Source: Hans Wehr dictionary, 6th edition (German, page 959) It is also included in the enlarged 4th edition of the English version (page 1194)  of Hans Wehr: Screenshot Hans Wehr Nevertheless, there is something interesting about it: the morphology of the verb. The verb تَهُتْلَرَ is the second form of a quadriliteral root derived from the name Hitler, in Arabic: هِتْلِر... --- ### Watch Black Crows: Streaming options and insights - Published: 2017-06-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/black-crows-online-english-subs/ - Categories: Translation, Etymology, Movies & Series - Tags: adjective, emphasis, English subtitle, expression, Hadith, Islamic phrases, Netflix, Prophet Muhammad, Ramadan, wiederholen, صفة, مسلسل, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner The Arabic TV series (musalsal) Black Crows غرابيب سود is on Youtube - with English subtitles (and on Netflix). It depicts life under ISIS. This article is about an Arabic TV series (Musalsal) called Black Crows . We will show where you can watch it and what the Arabic meaning of the TV series' name is. Black Crows on Netflix UPDATE (spring 2019): The entire Musalsal (غرابيب سود - Gharabeeb Soud) is now online on Netflix! If you don't have Netflix The good news is: MBC has started to upload them with English subtitles. Unfortunately, the whole series is not available so far, but at least the first episode is online. Here we go:Watch Black Crows on Youtube! (it is the official MBC-channel, so I guess it is not illegal) But don't be disappointed! The dialogues are pretty short and not really abundant... I had mixed feelings when I watched it. There are many stereotypes and the acting is, in my opinion, pretty poor. But nevertheless, you could give it a try. About the MBC drama Black Crows The channel MBC described Al Gharabeeb Al Soud (Black Crows) as "the first Arabic drama series to delve into the rise of extremism in the region from a female perspective. " The musalsal Black Crows was created and produced by MBC. It took only 18 months to develop and required a large team of writers and researchers, who spent months interviewing real-life ISIL (Daesh) survivors and gathering first-hand accounts from women living within the organization. The official spokesman of the channel told several newspapers: "Never before on TV has there been a show that is fully... --- ### The multiple meanings of بقى in Egyptian Arabic - Published: 2017-06-08 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/egyptian-arabic/ba2a-egyptian-arabic/ - Categories: Egyptian Arabic, Grammar, Translation - Tags: adverb, adverb of time, difficult construction, Egyptian Arabic, Egyptian Arabic expression, emphasis, expression, future tense, imperative, lost in translation, mistranslation, vocabulary list, wiederholen, الماضي, ظرف - Authors: geralddrissner The verb بقى (ba2a or ba'a) is tricky in Egyptian Arabic. You'll hear this verb in many situations, usually with a past tense verb following it. We will take a closer look at بقى. The Egyptian Arabic word بقى (ba2a or ba'a) can mean to be, to become, no longer, or to begin in Egyptian Arabic.   You will hear this verb in many situations. In general, it is used with a following past tense verb – and has various meanings. Let's look at some examples of ba'a. Note that the vowel markers correspond to the pronunciation in Egyptian Arabic (ECA) and to the vowels in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). The past tense (ماضٍ) OPTION A: It can be used as a modal verb that expresses a constant or repeated action. He has started to work harder. ba2a biyishtaghal atkar. بَقَى بِيِشْتَغِل أكْتَرIt is more organized now. ba2a fiih nizaam dilwa2tiدِلْوَقْتِيShe has started to cook well (not like before). ba2it bituTbukh kwayyis. بَقِتْ بِتُطْبُخ كُوَيِّس OPTION B: With the negation it expresses to be (no longer) engaged in or accustomed to (doing sth. ) He has stopped visiting us. ma-ba2aash yizur-na khalaas. مابَقَاش يِزُورنا خَلاصYou no longer have time. ma-ba2aash 3andak wa2t. ما بَقاش عَنْدَك وَقْتIt is no longer so/that crowded as (it was) before. ma-ba2aash fiih za7ma zeyyi zamaan. ما بَقاش فِيه زَحْمة زَيّ زَمان The present tense (مُضارِع) In the present-tenseنِبْقَى اتَّفَقنا We will come to see you (fem. ) soon. hanib2a niigi nshuufak 2urayyib. هَنِبْقَى نِيجِي نِشُوفِك فُرَيِّبI will tell you later. hab2a a2ul-lak ba3deen. هابْقَى أقول بَعْدِين Would you like to take the book and I'll get it from you later? thibbi taakhud ikkitaab wab2a akhdu minnak ba3deen? تحِبّ تاخُد... --- ### Where to find Classical Arabic series with subtitles - Published: 2017-05-19 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/history/tv-shows-classical-arabic-english-subtitles/ - Categories: History, Islam, Movies & Series - Tags: al-Andalus, anecdote, Arab culture, Arabic subtitle, Basra, Bedouin, caliph, Classical Arabic, English subtitle, Farsi, Google Chrome, Hadith, how to, Mecca, Medina, Netflix, Persia, Ramadan, Sunni Islam, Syria, wiederholen, مسلسل - Authors: geralddrissner TV programs in classical Arabic (Fusha) with English subtitles are rare. However, there are some historical dramas. Here is how to stream Caliph Omar and Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal with subtitles. UPDATE: There are English subtitles now for all 31 episodes of the popular Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal series. You will find the link below. (Many thanks to reader C-Y-R-O! ) It is difficult to find TV series (مسلسلات) in Classical Arabic (الفصحى) online. There is religious stuff, yes, but if you are more into TV series à la Netflix, it sounds like wishful thinking. In this article we will present some interesting TV series in Classical Arabic and how to watch them with English subtitles. Musalsal Fath al-Andalus If you want a true Arab(ic) version of the conquest of Spain, watch the musalsal Fath al-Andalus (مسلسل فتح الآندلس), a Syrian-Kuwaiti production that was shown in Ramadan 2022. The historical series tells one of the stories of Islamic conquests that Arabs are most proud of, and the lessons it offers in courage, sacrifice, faith, and sincerity. Also, it is more or less in classical Arabic and the YouTube subtitles are really not bad! https://youtu. be/f6Pe_4Fen9AYouTube: fath-Al-Andalusfath al-Andalus on YoutubeMusalsal Imam The Imam series (مسلسل الإمام) or Ahmed bin Hanbal series (مسلسل أحمد بن حنبل) is a huge historical TV series. It was produced by Qatar Media Foundation in 2017. There are 31 episodes à 50 minutes. The series tells the full biography of the four imams of Sunni Islam - with a special focus on the community of Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Additionally, it sheds light on the political life and culture of Baghdad during the reign of Harun al-Rashid. How to... --- ### How to use أَبَدًا correctly in Arabic - Published: 2017-05-07 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/%d8%a3%d8%a8%d8%af%d8%a7-and-%d9%82%d8%b7/ - Categories: Grammar, Translation - Tags: adverb, common mistake, difficult construction, expression, how to, lost in translation, Sura 5, wiederholen, ظرف, همزة - Authors: geralddrissner Native Arabic speakers make certain mistakes in Arabic. One example is the correct Arabic word for "never". An analysis of أَبَدًا vs. قَطُّ. Native Arabic speakers, at least in Arabic countries, often have problems with the correct spelling of Hamza (همزة). They also sometimes have problems with words with so-called weak letters (حَرْف عِلّة), especially when these letters are dropped according to grammar. Today, we will deal with another common mistake and will analyze how to use أَبَدًا and قَطُّ correctly. The Arabic word for "never" Let's start with the following sentence: I have/had never visited him. How would you translate it into Arabic? ABما زُرْتُهُ أَبَدًاما زُرْتُهُ قَطُّ Many people would choose option A – which is wrong. So, which one is correct? Answer - example B is correct. Why is that? This is because the wordfuture (ظَرْف زَمان لِلمُسْتَقْبَل). It conveys the meaning of continuity. For this reason, you could say: لَنْ أَزُورَهُ أَبَدًا, which means: I will never visit him. This conveys a similar meaning, as it implies that you have never visited him before. Sounds strange, but you can also find this type of construction in the Qur'an. Let's look for example at Sura The Table Spread (سُورة الْمائِدة) - verse 5:24. قَالُوا يَا مُوسَىٰ إِنَّا لَن نَّدْخُلَهَا أَبَدًا مَّا دَامُوا فِيهَا ۖ فَاذْهَبْ أَنتَ وَرَبُّكَ فَقَاتِلَا إِنَّا هَاهُنَا قَاعِدُونَ They said, "O Moses, indeed we will not enter it, ever, as long as they are within it; so go, you and your Lord, and fight. Indeed, we are remaining right here. " If you want to dig deeper, check out this article. The word قَطُّ and how to use it... --- ### Best add-on for adjusting Arabic script in your browser - Published: 2017-04-27 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/tools/arabic-letters-too-small-in-browser/ - Categories: Tools and Apps - Tags: add-on, Arabic alphabet, browser extension, Farsi, Firefox, Google Chrome, Latin alphabet, right to left, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Arabic fonts always look too small and unreadable in the browser. There are extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Opera that fix this. One of them is Wudooh. The default settings for the Arabic alphabet in most operating systems and applications are just weird. Often, the Arabic script is barely readable or simply too small. Browser add-ons like Wudooh can fix this. Here is how it works. Why reading Arabic on a computer is difficult Reading Arabic (newspapers, books, etc. ) on the Internet can be irritating.  Many people told me that they would love to read more Arabic on the Internet, but they get tired after some time. The Arabic script, for some reason, is always smaller compared to Latin characters. Furthermore, the font is sometimes weird and might even produce mistakes as not all characters are correct. In the past, I recommended an extension called Huruf (Wudooh which has a great plus point: you can "whitelist" certain websites. This is very useful when reading verses of the Qur'an like on quran. com since Huruf destroyed the script. With Wudooh, you can simply whitelist the URL. Wudooh was written by Bassam Helal. You can get it here for free: https://wudooh. app Wudooh (clarity in Arabic and Persian) is a simple browser extension that makes reading Arabic script text clearer and more pleasant. This project is based on and is the successor to Jackson Petty's Huruf. Wudooh adds many more features and fixes commonly complained about problems found in Huruf. Where can you download Wudooh? For Chrome - download Wudooh For Firefox - download Wudooh For Microsoft Edge - download Wudooh What are the advantages of Wudooh? Huruf (and its... --- ### Common Egyptian Arabic phrases with ما - Published: 2017-04-13 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/egyptian-arabic/ma-egyptian-arabic/ - Categories: Egyptian Arabic, Dialects, Grammar, Translation - Tags: common mistake, Egyptian Arabic, Egyptian Arabic expression, expression, how to improve, mistranslation, suffix, vocabulary list, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Some expressions in Egyptian Arabic can be very tricky. They are all related to the word ما. Here is a list with many examples. In this article, we focus on some common expressions in Egyptian Arabic that can be very tricky. They are all connected by the word ما. The word ما is one of the most powerful and difficult ones in Classical, but also in Modern Standard Arabic. In Egyptian Arabic, it is mainly used for negations (ما+ش) and - our today's topic - as a function word that links phrases and clauses. ➤The word ما can be attached to prepositions (حَرْف جَرّ), to adverbs of time or place (ظَرْف), or to nouns (اِسْم). Some grammarians call a ما of this type an adverbial particle. This type of construction is frequently found in Arabic dialects. In Modern Standard Arabic, you have similar but also different ways to express it. Let's look at some expressions in Egyptian Arabic. The تَشْكِيل follows the Egyptian pronunciation - don't get confused. Note that you will recognize some examples easily as they are close to Modern Standard Arabic: according toحَسَب ما7asab maafterبَعْدِ ماba3di mabeforeقَبْلِ ما2abli maas soon asأَوِّل ما2awwil maبِمُجَرَّد ماbimugarrad maas long asمادام ماmadaam mawhileطالَ ماTaala maعَلَى ما3ala mawhenever; the time whenوَقْت ماكُلِّ ماwa2ti makulli masince (meaning of time); from the moment thatيُوم مامِن يُوم ماساعِة مامِن ساعِة ماyoom mamin yoom masaa3it mamin saa3it mauntilلِحَدِّ مالِغايِة ماعُقبال ماli-7addi mali-ghaayit ma3u2baal mainstead ofبَدَل ماbadal maas much as; however muchقَدِّ ماعَلى قَدِّ ما2addi ma3ala 2addi-maEgyptian Arabic expressions with ما - (c) Gerald Drißner Watch out!  There are two important things Never use ما in Egyptian Arabic when you want to... --- ### Exploring the longest word in the Qur’an - Published: 2017-04-03 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/longest-word-quran/ - Categories: Islam, Translation - Tags: basmalah, difficult construction, how to, Mary, Ramadan, Semitic language, suffix, Sura 19, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner The longest "word" in the Qur'an is "fa’asqaynākumūhu" فَأَسْقَيْنَاكُمُوهُ and means: so we gave it to you to drink. It looks like a word, but it is actually a sentence. The Holy Qur'an has been analyzed extensively in every regard - also regarding its language. The longest word The longest word in the Qur'an is: "fa’asqaynākumūhu" (فَأَسْقَيْنَاكُمُوهُ). Okay, this is not a word, it is a sentence. It is actually the longest chain of letters. It consists of 11 letters. Anyway, it is interesting to take a look at the word: فَأَسْقَيْنَاكُمُوهُ. Semitic languages work differently Arabic is a Semitic language. It works very different compared to English or French. There is only little use in looking for the shortest or longest word because most words have a root consist­ing of three letters. You can add vowels, pre- and suffixes, and put the root into several patterns. Notice that in Arabic, the above-men­tioned “word” is actually a whole sentence. In which verse do you find the "longest word" of the Qur'an? فَأَسْقَيْنَاكُمُوهُ is found in sura 15 The Rocky Tract – in Arabic: al-Hijr (سُورة الْحِجْر): The words of Sura 15:22 وَأَرْسَلْنَا الرِّيَاحَ لَوَاقِحَ فَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَسْقَيْنَاكُمُوهُ وَمَا أَنتُمْ لَهُ بِخَازِنِينَ We send the winds to fertilize, and We bring down water from the sky for you to drink – you do not control its sources. o, thus (particle)فَto give to drink (past tense); irrigateأَسْقَىwe gave to drinkأَسْقَيْناyou (indirect object)كُمit (direct object)هُDecoding فَأَسْقَيْنَاكُمُوهُ Other interesting facts about the Qur'an How many words does the Qur'an contain? Answer: Most scholars say 77,429 words. It is not clear how to count them. In the Qur’an, at the beginning of some... --- ### Tanween placement: Before or on top of Aleph? - Published: 2017-03-31 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/where-to-write-tanween/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: common mistake, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, wiederholen, تنوين - Authors: geralddrissner Is it بَيْتًا or بَيْتاً? So, on the letter before or on top of the Aleph? The position of the تنوين بالفتح has long been debated. The Egyptians and the Syrians have different approaches. This is a very interesting, but also a very challenging question. Should it be بَيْتًا or بَيْتاً? So, should the Tanween (تنوين بالفتح) be on top of the Aleph or on the letter before it? So we need to take a look at the writing of the تَنْوِين if you have to deal with an indefinite اِسْم in the accusative (مَنْصُوب) case. First of all, you will usually encounter both versions: on top of the Aleph (in subtitles in movies, in calligraphies. But what is correct? This has been a long debate. In my opinion, the form كِتابًا, i. e. , be­fore the Aleph, is more logical. But let's see the details. Why do people write the Tanween BEFORE the Aleph (بَيْتًا)? First of all, all other diacritical marks of the nunation are writ­ten on the last letter. Moreover, by definition, the Aleph cannot carry any other vowel. It must carry سُكُونٌ, resulting in اْ. This is primary not a spelling problem, but a problem of pronunciation. If we write كِتابًا, then we will pronounce it like كِتابَنْ. However, if we write كِتاباً, then we will suddenly get two سُكُونٌ in a row which is impossible in Arabic (عَدَمُ اِلْتِقاءِ ساكِنَتَيْنِ). We would have such a construction: كِتابَاْ+نْ. Now, imagine that we stopped after كِتاباْ. You can't add the نْ then. How can you justify the spelling ON TOP of the Aleph (بَيْتاً)? You may say that the other signs of declension are also put on the last letter which... --- ### Decoding filler expressions in Egyptian Arabic - Published: 2017-03-18 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/egyptian-arabic/filler-expressions-egyptian-arabic/ - Categories: Egyptian Arabic, Translation - Tags: adverb, difficult construction, Egyptian Arabic, Egyptian Arabic expression, expression, German, hell, how to, how to improve, lost in translation, vocabulary list, wiederholen, ظرف - Authors: geralddrissner Fillers make Egyptian Arabic difficult for learners: bass, ya'ny, ba'a - words that don't really change the meaning of the sentence. Here is a list. Let's check some of the most annoying expressions in Egyptian Arabic for beginners because they are usually left untranslated. Sometimes when I need to do something else for a little while, I watch Egyptian television, Egyptian discussions, movies, or even TV series (يَعْنِيطَبْعًاya3ni barDoيَعْنِيبَرْضُهwallaahi, kamaan da ya3niوَاللّهِ... كَماندَهيَعْنِيwakamaan da ba2a ya3niوَكَماندهبَقْىيَعْنيwana ya3ni-l7a2ii2aوَأَنايَعْنيالحَقِيقة Fillers with "bass" (بَسّ) bassi kamaanبَسِّكَمانla2! bassi biy2ullakلا! بَسِّبِيْقُوللَكbassi Tab3anبَسِّطَبْعًا But watch out: The word بَسّ is not always just a filler. bass! (it can mean: enough! )بَسّ! bass! (it can also mean: don't! in the meaning of: stop that! )بَسّ! wabass! (meaning: just)وَبَسّ! 2ultilak bass... (meaning: I was just saying... )قُلْتلَكبَسّ... Fillers with "ba2a" (بَقْى) waba3deen ba2aوَبَعْدِينبَقىla da yib2a kamaanلادهيِبْقَىكَمان Watch out: bassi ba2a! (meaning: enough! stop! )بَسِّبَقى! ghour ba2a! (meaning: go to hell! )غُوربَقى Other filler expressions da, ma huwwaدَه... ما هُوبَقْىmainta 3aarif Tab3anما انِنْتَ عارِف طَبْعًاwa dah, 3ala fikra... وَدَه... عَلَى فِكْرةSa7i7 el-kalaam daصَحِيح الكَلام دَهTabb ma dilwa2tiطَبّ ما دِلْوَقْتِيdilwa2ti Tab3anدِلْوَقْتِي طَبْعًاwallaahi! kamaan da ya3niوَللَّهِ! كَمان ده يَعْنِي If you know more (also from other Arabic dialects), please feel free to let me know - and I will add them. Wanna continue reading? Here is more about Egyptian Arabic: --- ### Lissa in Egyptian Arabic - Published: 2017-03-05 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/dialects/egyptian-arabic/lissa-egyptian-arabic/ - Categories: Egyptian Arabic, Translation - Tags: active participle, adjective, adverb, adverb of time, common mistake, Egyptian Arabic, Egyptian Arabic expression, expression, how to improve, lost in translation, mistranslation, wiederholen, اسم الفاعل, صفة, ظرف, ظرف الزمان, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner When I first started learning Egyptian Arabic, there was one word that gave me a headache: lissa -لِسّه; sometimes spelled لِسَّى or لِسّة. Let's see why. Many beginners struggle with the word lissa in Egyptian Arabic. Let's put it under the microscope. The word lissa - an overview Lissa (لِسّه) can mean "still", "just", "not yet" in Egyptian Arabic. Lissa means not yet in negative sentence. This is also the case when lissa is used as a stand-alone expression. In non-negative sentences (affirmative) the word lissa usually means still or just. "Just" versus "not yet" This can be confusing for beginners. Lissa in the meaning of "just" or "only recently" I have just arrived... ... لِسّهفيهوَقْتThere is still one week (to go);لِسّهأُسْبُوعHe's still young. هُوَّلِسَّهصُغَيَّرIt's still to soon for... ... لِسَّهبَدْرِيعَلَى What verb-form do you use if you want to express "still"? The present tense (لِسَّهبآكُلI am still studying at the center... . لِسَّهبادْرِسفيالْمَرْكَزI've still to deliver the menu (food). لِسَّهحاوَدِّيالْوَجْبة Note that you use the present tense in Egyptian Arabic (ب+فِعل مُضارِع) to express still. Do not use the active participle (اِسْم فاعِل) as this usually expresses just - see number 1. "Just" in the meaning of "now" The word lissa is often used in the connection with the Egyptian Arabic expression for now, i. e. dilwa'ti (لِسَّهطِلْعِوادِلْوَقْتِي Lissa as a stand-alone word Have... yet? You will also hear the word lissa very often in questions that contain Have... yet? Question: Have you written it? كِتِبْتُهوَلالِسَّه؟Answer: Not yet. لِسَّه Directly connected to a sentence She put up with a lot, and there's more to come. اِسْتَحْمِلِتْكْتِير،وَلِسَّه Remark: In some Arabic dialects, the word lissa (is connected to a... --- ### How do you spell لكن in Arabic? - Published: 2017-02-25 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/dagger-aleph-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: Biblical Hebrew, Hebrew, Hebrew alphabet, Modern Hebrew, wiederholen, ألف, ألف خنجرية - Authors: geralddrissner Many students are confused as to why words like هذا, ذلك, or لكن are written with a dash (dagger Aleph). Should they be pronounced with a long vowel ("aa")? Yes, they should be. The Arabic word لكن means but; however. The word is usually written like this: هٰذاthis (feminine)هٰذِهthatذٰلِك This brings us to the topic of the so-called dagger Aleph (الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعَٰلَمِينَ2The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Mercifulالرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ3Sovereign of the Day of Recompenseمَٰلِكِ يَوْمِ اْلدِينِ4 Eventually, the script became more orderly and today we have absolute rules. However, some words, including grammar words likeاْلرَّحْمٰن are still spelled in the old way and vocalized with daggers. Note: The same happens in Hebrew. Old Biblical names like כהן ("Cohen" which means priest in Hebrew) and שלמה ("Shlomo"; meaning: Solomon, son of David; in Arabic:سُلَيْمان) are spelled in the old way, instead of כוהן and שלומו. Some interesting comments and remarks from Twitter users which I would like to share: https://twitter. com/koutchoukalimar/status/1469232797630046211 https://twitter. com/PhDniX/status/1469221885217058817 More grammar stuff is just a click away: --- ### What is the plural of كافِر? - Published: 2017-02-18 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/kafir-kuffar-kafirun-meaning/ - Categories: Islam, Grammar - Tags: active participle, consonant, Islamic phrases, plural form, sound plural, wiederholen, اسم الفاعل, جمع - Authors: geralddrissner There are many options to form the plural of kafir (كافر) which is unbeliever in Islam. The most common are Kuffār and Kāfirūn. Do they mean the same? The question which plural form of Kafir (كافِر) you use might sound trivial, but unfortunately, it became political in a way. Let's see what options we have. We will start with two common plural forms: Kuffar or Kafirun - a matter of taste Many Islamic preachers in the West prefer Kuffar (كُفّار) over Kafirun/Kaafiroun (كافِرُون) in their speeches because the doubling of the consonant f, especially when combined with foreign languages - English or Ger­man - gives the word a special accentuation. So, let's take a look at the various plural forms of Kafir, the Arabic word for unbeliever. The DNA of the word kafir Let's put the word under the microscope: A Kafir (كافِر) is a male person who denies or does not acknowledge the favors or benefits of Allah. Kafira (كافِرة) is the feminine form. Both forms are the active participle of the verb kafara (كَفَرَ). Three possibilities to form the plural of Kafir These are the three options: Masculine plural: Kafirun (كافِرُون) or Kuffar (كُفّار) Feminine plural: Kawafir (كَوافِرُ) or Kafirat (كافِرات) Masculine OR feminine plural (same form! ): Kafara (كَفَرة) According to some scholars, the first two plural forms describe a disbeliever or someone who denies Allah – whereas the last form (3) is used in the sense of being ungrateful to Allah. There are forms which look almost the same and have only one dif­ferent vowel – but have a slightly different, mostly intensifying mean­ing. Not every "unbeliever" is just an "unbeliever" Arabic knows more possibilities... --- ### Kafir in Islam: Misinterpretations and meanings - Published: 2017-02-11 - Modified: 2025-04-01 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/what-is-a-kafir/ - Categories: Islam - Tags: Classical Arabic, Hebrew, Jesus, Mary, Shia, Sura 16, Sura 19, Sura 5, wiederholen, اسم المفعول, شيطان - Authors: geralddrissner The Arabic word Kāfir (Kafir - كافر) means "unbeliever" and is one of the most misused words in Islam. Surprisingly, the original meaning is quite different. The word “kafir” in Arabic and especially in Islam is a very strong word, but it is often misunderstood. So let's take a look at what the root word k-f-r (ك-ف-ر) means. Sura 109 is named The Disbelievers – in Arabic: al-Kafirun (سُورة الْكافِرُون). The so-called "disbelievers" (unbelievers) are the enemies of the Muslims, and they will be punished heavily by Allah. (You may find additional information in this article. ) Sadly enough, some Muslims think that they are obliged to carry out Allah's work in this life. Most victims are Christians living in Islamic countries, minorities like the Yazīdi people in Iraq and Syria, but also Shia Muslims living in Sunni-dominated countries. They are all denounced as unbelievers. The Arabic root k-f-r (كَفَرَ) is tricky It helps us to get closer to the Islamic concept of disbe­lieve. Of this root, 17 forms occur 510 (! ) times in the Qur'an. The root has several meanings, and most of them have to do with: to veil or to cover. It is an old Semitic root that is found in Hebrew as well, some say also in Nabataean. Let us take a look at some examples of how the root is used: He covered the sown seed with earth. كَفَرَ الْبَذْرَ الْمَبْذُورَThe clouds covered the sky. كَفَرَ السُّحابُ السَّماءَA dark night. ("lail kafir" is a classical Arabic term. )كافِرMukaffar is the passive participle of كَفَّرَ and used to describe a bird covered with feathers. مُكَفَّر Since its original meaning is to... --- ### Exploring Turkish and Persian roots in Arabic: pasha, mister and baksheesh - Published: 2017-02-02 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/etymology/etymology-arabic-words-3/ - Categories: Etymology, Egyptian Arabic, Translation - Tags: Ancient Greek, Arabist, Egyptian Arabic, etymology, expression, Farsi, Ottoman Empire, Persia, Turkish, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner There are words in Arabic that don't look Arabic - and they aren't. The etymology of basha, bakshish, sitt, efendim, khan, dulab, fingan, and khorchide. Farsi, Greek, and especially Turkish (Ottoman) have left traces in Arabic. This is part 3 of a 3-part series about the etymology of foreign words in Arabic. The word بَقْشِيش This word is very famous in Egypt. It means gratuity, tip or simply baksheesh. It is mainly used to bribe or tip a person to speed up services. It may be derived from Turkish bahşiş, from Persian بخشیش ‎(bakhšīš, "an honorary or pecuniary gratuity") or بخشش ‎(bakhšiš), from بخشیدن ‎(bakhšīdan, "to give, grant"). The word باشا Pasha. It used to be a title (and form of address) of the highest ranking officers and officials. Nowadays, especially in Egypt, it is commonly used to address high officials, particularly police officials! The prefix باش is used in compounds and means senior, chief. The word باشمُهَنْدِس ("Bashmuhandis") is a chief engineer. The origin is not clear. It may have entered Arabic from Ottoman Turkish پاشا ‎(pāšā) - Turkish paşa. It could also be from Persian پادشاه ‎(pādšāh, padishah, king). Or from Turkish baş ‎(head). Or from Turkish beşe ‎(boy, prince), this in turn from Persian بچّه ‎(bačče). It is not entirely clear, but it denotes the highest honorary title during the Ottoman Empire. The word سِتّ It is used in Egypt and means woman (امرأة). Some say that it is probably of Pharaonic origin. For men, there was once the very similar word سا/سى , which is not used anymore. However, other scholars (for example Dr. S. Fritz Forkel, a German Arabist) suggested that it is NOT of Pharaonic origin - see comment below (in German). The word أَفَنْدِي This... --- ### Etymology of Arabic words: Turkish and Greek influence - prison, ice cream and shoes - Published: 2017-01-28 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/etymology/etymology-arabic-words-2/ - Categories: Etymology, Egyptian Arabic, Translation - Tags: Ancient Greek, Egypt, Egyptian Arabic, etymology, expression, Farsi, Sudanese Arabic, Syria, Turkish, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner There are words in Arabic that don't look Arabic - and they aren't. The etymology of liman, odah, dondurma, shish tawouk, gazma, dughry, fihris. Farsi, Greek, and especially Turkish (Ottoman) have left traces in Arabic. This is part 2 of a 3-part series about the etymology of foreign words in Arabic. The word لِيمان  (Līmān/Liman) or لُومان (Lūmān/Luman) This term is used in Egypt for prison. The word is found in Turkish as well but means something very different: harbor (مِيناء). The origin is perhaps from Byzantine Greek liménion (λιμένιον), from Ancient Greek limḗn (λιμήν). Some scholars suggested that it came from an earlier Egyptian (Pharonic) term for port, mni. The Greeks during the Hellenic times made it to Syria and used the word limen for various port cities.   The word أُوضة This word is found in Egyptian and Sudanese Arabic, and it is used for room (غُرْفَة). It is probably of Turkish origin; in Turkish, the word oda also means room. The word دُنْدُورمة (dondurma)  or دَنْدُرمة (dandurma) This word used to be very common in Egypt in the 20th century and means ice cream, especially fruit ice. Nowadays, most Egyptians prefer to say simply "ice-cream" (آيس كريم), but you may hear it in old films or see it on signs. It is of Turkish origin and has the same meaning in Turkish. The word شيش طاووق (Shīsh Tawūk) You will hear this word in Egypt a lot.  Tavuk (الطاووق) is a Turkish word and means chicken (دَجاجَة), probably coming from Old Turkic takagu, takıgu. The word شيش means skewer in Turkish and probably comes from Old Turkic sış or şış. Thus, the expression شِيش طاووق means دَجاج مَشْوِيّ - grilled chicken. The word جَزْمَة This means shoes in Egyptian Arabic as well does the Turkish word çizme.  It comes from Ottoman Turkish (چیزمه). The word  دُغْرِي... --- ### Unraveling foreign words in Arabic dialects: jailbirds, thugs and kufta - Published: 2017-01-23 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/etymology/etymology-arabic-words-1/ - Categories: Etymology, Egyptian Arabic, Translation - Tags: adjective, Egyptian Arabic, etymology, expression, Farsi, lost in translation, mistranslation, Ottoman Empire, Sudanese Arabic, suffix, Turkish, wiederholen, صفة, نسبة, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner There are words in Arabic that don't look Arabic - and they aren't. The etymology of baltagi, idda, shanta, daftar, dukkan. Farsi, Greek, and Turkish have influenced Arabic. This is part 1 of a 3-part series about the etymology of foreign words in Arabic. What does etymology mean? In Arabic, there are several words that don't look Arabic. In fact, they aren't Arabic; they are foreign words and thus do not follow the rules of Semitic languages. Etymology is very interesting, but it’s not really a very systematic science, since each word has its history. Many languages have etymological dictionaries that give the origins of words in addition to their meanings. Unfortunately, I am not aware of any such dictionary for Arabic (if you know one, please let me 1كفتاجيجِيّ+كُفْتَة Meaning: The person who makes kufta (Köfte); may denote as well the place where kufta is grilled. Notice: kefteji is also a Tunisian dish! 2فراجيجِيّ+فرار Meaning: poulterer 3أَوَنْطاجِي or أَوَنْطـَجيجِيّ+أَوَنْطَة Meaning: deceitful person, swindler 4بَلْطاجِيجِيّ+بَلْطَة Meaning: thug (Baltagi) - see below 5لومانجي or لِيمانجيجِيّ+لُومان Meaning: one who is always in and out of prison; jailbird (we will get back to this word in part 2) The ending لِي This is common in Egyptian Arabic. Algerianجَزائِرِيّ=جزايرليOttomanعُثْمانِيّ=عثمانلي The word بَلْطَجِي (Baltagi) This is also Turkish origin. It consists of two words: بَلْطَة and جي - see explanation above. This means it denotes one who is carrying a بَلْطَة So, what is بَلْطَة? It is an axe or simply a tool to cut trees or wood. Nowadays, it denotes violence, brutality. During the Ottoman Empire, the army had a special force which was called البلطجية, a word that means sapper or pioneer. When the... --- ### What is a Taghut? - Published: 2017-01-21 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/what-is-a-taghut/ - Categories: Translation, Islam - Tags: devil, expression, Sura 2, wiederholen, شيطان - Authors: geralddrissner Taghut (طاغوت) is a term specifically used to denounce anything that is worshipped instead of or besides Allah. What is the deeper meaning? The Arabic term Tāghūt (الطَّاغُوت) can refer to idols, a tyrant, an oracle or an enemy of Muhammad. The term Taghut occurs eight times in the Qur'an. Tāghūt means "one who has crossed the limits", in plain language: a rebel. It is any power or being that rebels against Allah and demands loyalty and obedience. The Arabic word Taghut is derived from the root ط-غ-ت which denotes to cross the limits, overstep boundaries; to rebel. This explains the meaning of one who exceeds the limit. This notion is associated with the three stages of disbelief in the Islamic context: disobeying Allah, kufr (rejection of the idea that one should obey Allah) and - the last stage - which is: not only to rebel against Allah but also imposing their rebellion against the will of Allah upon others. People who reach this stage are considered a taghut. In a broader sense, it stands for everything that may direct a Muslim into evil things. In Arabic, it can be interpreted as singu­lar or plural. Therefore, it is commonly translated as the powers of evil. This expression was used in Tunisia recently by Moncef Marzouki, a Tunisian politician who was the president of Tunisia from 2011 to 2014. He defamed his rival party Nidaa Tounes (نِداء تُونِس) by this term and caused a lot of criticism. The term is mentioned in the Qur'an, for example in Sura 2 The Cow – in Arabic: al-Baqara (سُورةالْبَقَرة); or in sura 4 Women – in Arabic:... --- ### The meaning behind the index finger in Islam - Published: 2016-12-31 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/index-finger-islam/ - Categories: Translation, Islam - Tags: Arab culture, Islamic phrases, lost in translation, mistranslation, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner The index finger, when a Muslim makes a sign with it (by raising it), symbolizes the unity of Allah. You may have seen Salafists - especially in the West - posing for pictures and raising the index finger. In the sad events of terrorist attacks, people who claim to be Muslims also used the index finger as a gesture. So, what is the intended meaning of this gesture? Let's see what it is all about. What does index finger mean in Arabic? In Arabic, the index or fore finger is called Musabbiha (مُسَبِّحة), mostly used with the definite article: al-Musabbiha (الْمُسَبِّحة). You may encounter the following word too: al-Sabbāha (السَّبّاحة). When a Muslim raises the index finger, it is nothing but a code - a symbol: the unity of Allah. Let's dig deeper. Derived words from the Arabic root of index finger Subhana You might know the Arabic word Subhāna (سُبْحانَ). The expres­sion "Subhana Allah" (سُبْحانَ الله) expresses a Muslim's admira­tion as an exclama­tion of surprise. It is used a lot in the daily life of Muslims. We could translate it as: Praise Allah! Or: Allah be praised! Let's take a look at another Arabic word derived from the same root. Misbaha or Subha A rosary is called Misbaha (مِسْبَحة) or Subha (سُبْحة). It con­sists of beads on a string, 99 in number, and having a mark after each 33 – with which a Muslim performs the act called al-Tasbih (التَّسْبِيح) meaning the repetition of the praises of Allah. Usually, Muslims repeat the expressions Subhana Allah and Allāhu ’akbar. Other gestures by the index finger The index finger usually... --- ### Key differences between Al-Rahmān and Al-Rahīm - Published: 2016-12-17 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/al-rahman-al-rahim-difference/ - Categories: Translation, Islam - Tags: adjective, basmalah, Hans Wehr, Islamic phrases, Prophet Muhammad, wiederholen, بسم الله, صفة, صفة مشبهة, صيغة المبالغة, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner Muslims say, "In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful," the Basmalah. The attributes al-Rahmān and al-Rahīm are used synonymously, but there is a subtle difference. There is only a minor difference which has to do with the respective object. These two words are often mistranslated and mixed up. The two words al-Rahmān (الرَّحْمٰن) and al-Rahīm (الرَّحِيم) look almost the same and are both names strongly associated with Allah (مِنْ أَسْمَاءِ اللَّهِ الحُسْنَى). The Arabic root r-h-m (Hans Wehr translates both words with merciful. In Arabic grammar, both are intensive forms of "merciful" (i. e. , extremely merciful). A complementary and comprehensive meaning is intended by using both together. But are they synonyms? Not really. The difference between al-Rahman and al-Rahim To be honest, it is not really easy to put the differences into words, as we are almost on an abstract, philosophical-religious level. So here is an attempt: al-Rahmān is more intensive, including in its objects the believer and the unbeliever, and may be rendered as The Compassionate. Or: The Most Merciful. It circumscribes the quality of abounding grace inherent in, and inseparable from, the concept of Allah's Being. رَحْمٰن is above the human level (i. e. , intensely merciful). رَحْمٰن is an adjective, referring to an attribute of Allah and is part of His essence. Al-Rahīm has for its object the believer only and may be rendered as The Merciful. Or: the Most Beneficent . It expresses the manifestation of that grace in, and its effect upon, Allah's creation: it is an aspect of Allah's activity. Raheem includes the concept of specialty - especially and specifically merciful to the believers. Forgiveness is a part of... --- ### Why Allahu Akbar translations can be misleading - Published: 2016-12-10 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/allahu-akbar-meaning/ - Categories: Translation, Islam - Tags: Arab culture, common mistake, comparative, elative, German, Islamic phrases, lost in translation, mistranslation, superlative, wiederholen, اسم التفضيل - Authors: geralddrissner Does Allahu Akbar mean "God is great" or "God is greater" or "God is the Greatest"? There is no clear answer. There even might be an underlying ellipsis. Although Muslims say this sentence every day many times, it is not easy to translate "Allāhu ’akbar! " (الله أكبر). Let's see why. The word أكبر The word ’akbar (أَكْبَر) is the so-called elative. In Semitic linguistics, the elative (اِسْمُ تَفْضِيلٍ‎) - noun of preference - is a stage of gradation in Arabic that can be used both for a comparative or superlative in Arabic. Thus, it denotes greater or greatest. Why is the translation of akbar ambiguous? If you want to say Allah is great, you cannot use a comparative, but ’akbar (أَكْبَر) is grammatically speaking a com­parative. Why? If you wish to say: Allah is the greatest, you need a def­inite article in Arabic, which means it should be: Allāhu al-’Akbar(الله الْأَكْبَر). Notice that the word Allah is definite in Arabic and already means the God. Some scholars suggested that ’akbar (أَكْبَر) has the meaning of the Arabic word kabīr (كَبِير) which means great. Thus, the sentence Allāhu ’akbar could mean: Allah is great. Edward Lane, an expert on the Arabic language (19th century) said that this explanation is of weak authority. Allahu akbar: What the majority says According to the majority of scholars, the phrase Allāhu ’akbar is elliptical and means: God is the greatest great (being). Or: Allah is greater than every other great (being). Or: Greater than such as that one knows the measure of His majesty. Thus, it may be rendered as:Allah is most greatmeaning: greater than any other being It is considered as elliptical... --- ### Spelling rules for Arabic tanween and Aleph: مَساءًا or مَساءً? - Published: 2016-07-23 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/spelling-of-tanween-fatha-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: common mistake, how to, wiederholen, تنوين, همزة - Authors: geralddrissner In Arabic, when a word takes the accusative case (منصوب), you add a final Aleph. But what if the word ends in Hamza (همزة)? Here are the rules. In this article, we'll check how to spell Arabic words correctly when they take nunation (تَنْوِينٌ) in the accusative case. We will look at tricky words and consider why they are written that way and what this might have to do with the root. In our example in the headline, مَساءًا or مَساءً, we can say for sure that you need to write the تَنْوِين above the هَمْزة. But do you also need an extra Aleph (ا) after it? So what is correct? Let's take a look at similar examples to understand the problem: with AlephmeaningrootexampleYESa piece; a portionج-ز-ءجُزْءًا If the word functions as a direct object (مَنْصُوب), it is written like this: جُزْءًا. For example: I want a piece. with AlephmeaningrootexampleNOin winterش-ت-وشِتاءً The root literally means: to spend the winter. The ء belongs to the root. It was originally a و that was transformed to a ء. Our example, مَساءً, is based on the root letters ش-ت-و. The ء belongs to the root and was originally a و. So we do not write an additional final Aleph. Rules for writing the final aleph Now we can derive the following two rules: If there is an Aleph before the هَمْزة, you don't write an Aleph after the هَمْزة if the word is in the مَنْصُوب–case. If there is no Aleph before the هَمْزة, like in the word جُزْء, you write an Aleph after it. Why? The هَمْزة is part of the root! Still thirsty for grammar? --- ### Rare one-letter Arabic verbs explained - Published: 2016-06-25 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/one-letter-word-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar, Translation - Tags: consonant, how to, Sura 2, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner Yes, there are one-letter-words in Arabic. You probably know the word for and وَ. But there is more - the imperative. One-letter-words, that are based on a root, are very rare. They are only possible in the im­perative (أَمْر) of some verbs. These verbs have two weak letters (حَرْف الْعِلّة) in the root and only one "strong" consonant. Examples of one-letter-verbs in Arabic meaningverbpronunciationimperativeprotect! وَقَىqi! قِpay attention! وَعَى3i! عِcarry out! وَفَىfi! فِ It can be difficult to understand these forms correctly. Let's take a look at this example from the Qur'an, Sura 2:201: ... and protect us from the torment of the Fire... ۭ وَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِExample of Sura 2:201 That was a quick bite. If you are still interested in reading more - learn how to use Arabic for encryption. Or read one of the following articles: --- ### What is the total number of Arabic roots? - Published: 2016-06-11 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/how-many-roots-does-arabic-have/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: Arabic alphabet, camel, Classical Arabic, consonant, German, Hans Wehr, joke, Lisan al-Arab, plural form, wiederholen, جمع - Authors: geralddrissner In fact, I don't think anyone has ever counted the number of Arabic roots. Mathematically: 21,952 roots. Practically, you get 6,332 roots. It is impossible to count all Arabic roots by human means due to a lack of complete information about the Arabic corpus. Although we can attempt to estimate the number of Arabic roots, this task is quite challenging. Now, let's go straight to our question. What is the Arabic word for root? The Arabic word for root is جِذْرٌ and has the plural form جُذُورٌ. The word جِذْرٌ is used in botany, mathematics and linguistics. For example: square root (جَذْرٌ تَرْبِيعِيٌّ); to search for one's roots (بَحَثَ عَنْ جُذُورِهِ) What is the total number of roots in Arabic? Number of roots in Hans Wehr There are many Arabic dictionaries. Hans Wehr's Arabisches Wörter­buch für die Schriftsprache der Gegenwart (named after a German scholar, pub­lished in 1952) is the most complete dictionary of Standard Ar­abic ever published in the West. ➤ It con­tains 2967 roots (جِذْر) with 3 letters and 362 with 4 letters. Number of roots in Lisan al-Arab The most famous dictionary of Classical Arabic is Lisān al-‘Arab (لِسان الْعَرَب), com­piled by Ibn Manzūr (ابْن مَنْظُور) in the early 14th cen­tury (711 AH). ➤ It contains around 80,000 entries and in total (3 + 4 letters + foreign words) 9273 roots. Mathematically possible number of roots Since the Arabic alphabet consists of 28 letters (consonant phonemes), there are 21,952 theoretical combinations (= 283) of roots with three radicals. However, certain combinations are impossible (with few exceptions): There is no Arabic root which consists of three identical consonants. There are... --- ### Simple guide for converting Hijri to Gregorian dates - Published: 2016-05-21 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/convert-hijri-date/ - Categories: Islam - Tags: Farsi, how to, Mecca, Medina, Prophet Muhammad, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner The Islamic calendar (Hijri) is a lunar calendar. It started in 622 CE. With a simple formula, it is easy to convert dates. I often struggled with quickly converting Hijri years into Western year notation. Exact conversions can be tricky, but a simple formula can give a good approximation for everyday needs. While there are online tools available, it's helpful to know how to estimate it by hand. Meaning of Hijri The name هِجْرة (hijrah) describes the migration of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina in June 622 CE. This also marks the beginning of the Islamic or (lunar) Hijri-calendar, so called التَّقْوِيم الهِجْرِيّ الْقَمَرِيّ The Muslim calendar is a lunar calendar and doesn't follow a sol­ar system like the Gregorian or Persian calendar. Normally, in Arabic, it is marked by the letter ھ. It is written in the form that it has at the beginning of the word (ھ) – and not the stand-alone form: ه. I am not sure why; maybe so it is not confused with the number 5. The Gregorian or Christian calendar is marked by the Arabic let­ter م meaning: مِيلادِيّ, A. D. So let us come back to our question: Which (Gregorian) year is, for example, 1435 Hijri? First of all, one lunar year has about 354 days. A Gregorian year has 365 days; however, there are also leap years (366 days) which are also used as a correction faction. Hence, if you want to find the correct corresponding date, it is nothing but trivial. There are many things to keep in mind. The easiest way to convert dates is to use... --- ### How are prepositions used for emphasis in Arabic? - Published: 2016-05-14 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/additional-preposition-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar, Translation - Tags: common mistake, difficult construction, emphasis, lost in translation, mistranslation, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner You can use ب or من to emphasize in Arabic. They are extra letters to convey emphasis. The rules are simple. Arabic has many tools and devices to convey emphasis. A common and easy solution are prepositions (حَرْفُ الْجَرِّ). Let us take a look at some examples. Both - ب and مِنْ - can be used to give emphasis. They are used as extra letters then and do not convey their original meaning of a preposition! They just convey some kind of emphasis. Nevertheless, the word which comes after بِ or مِنْ has to be مَجْرُور (genitive) - the same as if it were used to convey the meaning of a direction/preposition. The letter بِ (bi) Travelling is not difficult at all. لَيْسَ السَّفَرُ بِصَعْبٍAllah is the best protector! كَفَى بِاللَّهِ وَكِيلًا Note: The verb كَفَى basically means to be enough. However, it can also mean to protect; to spare. It is used without a preposition. The preposition ب here is used to convey emphasis and emphasize the word after the preposition. The preposition مِنْ (min) There has to be a singular اِسْم (noun) after it. Notice that there is no difference in meaning whether the sentence is written with or without مِنْ – it is just the emphasis! Nobody came to me. ما جاءَنِي مِنْ أَحَدٍ Did you know? There are many ways to emphasize in Arabic. You could use the letter نون with a verb or use separate pronouns. --- ### What is the ضمير الفصل in Arabic? - Published: 2016-05-14 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/damir-fasl-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: how to, personal pronoun, wiederholen, ضمير - Authors: geralddrissner A separate personal pronoun can be used to give emphasis in Arabic. It is called Damir al-fasl. Here is how it works. You can easily emphasize a اِسْم by adding the corresponding personal pronoun after the اِسْم you want to focus on. This is called ضَمِير الْفَصْل, the pronoun of separation, as it separates the subject from the predicate and provides space in between. Let us look at some examples. It is Khalid who sits there. خالِد هُوَ الْجالِسُ هُناكَThe engineers were the ones responsible for the success of the project. كانَ الْمُهَنْدِسُونَ هُم الْمَسْؤُولِينَ عَنْ نَجاحِ الْمَشْرُوعِI have done my duty. قُمْتُ أَنا بالْواجِبِHe wrote the lesson himself. كَتَبَ هُوَ الدَّرْسَ Do you know how to use personal pronoun as direct objects - in the accusative case? They do look different. --- ### What is the logical subject in Arabic? - Published: 2016-04-30 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/logical-subject-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar, Translation - Tags: adjective, agreement, common mistake, mistranslation, wiederholen, صفة, مطابقة, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner In Arabic, there is the grammatical subject and the "logical subject" which is used with quantifiers. You need to decide which one you use for the verb. In this article, we will explore a question about the logical subject that Katarzyna asked. "I always had a problem with the form "العديد من". For example, when I have a sentence: Many devices support program Windows. So is the subject of this sentence many or devices, and should the sentence be: ... يدعم العديد من الأجهزة برنامج ... تدعم العديد من الأجهزة برنامج I asked many native Arabs, and they were contradicting each other.  I guess this issue is worth investigating... " Okay, let's try. The logical subject in Arabic This is all about the correct form of the verb and the so-called subject-verb-agreement. Does the verb refer toالعديد? Then it should be يدعم. Or does it refer to الأجهزة? Then it should be تدعم. This is indeed an interesting topic. It has to do with the so-called "logical subject": Foremost, I guess there is no right or wrong on this issue. I also asked a senior grammar expert about his opinion. The problem with quantifiers is whether they should be treated like real (masculine singular) nouns or ignored in verbal agreement. In English, you ignore quantifiers: You say "some / a lot of people are here" not "is here". However, in Arabic they are true nouns (اِسم) and form an إضافة with the following noun, so they should be treated as the main noun. But since semantically they are not the salient part, people often make the verb agree with the following word. In short, classically, you should write يدعم, since the word عديد is technically a... --- ### Which words trigger the مجزوم mood in the Arabic verb? - Published: 2016-04-16 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/conditional-sentences-arabic-majzum/ - Categories: Grammar, Translation - Tags: apodosis, conditional sentence, difficult construction, Egypt, jussive, mood, protasis, wiederholen, مجزوم - Authors: geralddrissner Conditional clauses can be a headache in Arabic. Especially because after some devices you need the مجزوم mood of the verb. Here is a list of such words. The fact that Arabic has - strictly speaking - only two tenses doesn't make it easier. However, the mood of the verb can tell you more about the probability of a situation. In this article, we will take a look at sentences that have a verb in the so called مَجْزُوم-mood, by Western grammarians also called jussive. It all depends on the initial word of a conditional sentence if the verb after it has to be مَجْزُوم.  Words that put a verb into the مَجْزُوم-mood are called: أَدَوات جازِمة Notice that مَجْزُوم basically means that the verb ends in a سُكُون - which also means that you have to watch out for weak letters, as they might be elided. The word إِنْ Meaning: if - used for time or place If you put an effort into your work, you'll succeed in your life. إِنْ تَجْتَهِدْ فِي عَمَلِكَ تَنْجَحْ فِي حَياتِكَ The word مَتى Meaning: when If/when you come to Egypt, you will find beautiful weather. مَتى تأتِ إِلَى مِصْرَ تَجِدْ جَوَّها جَمِيلًا Notice that the weak letter in أتى/ يَأتي is elided. The words مَنْ and ما The word مَنْ means who and is used for people The word ما means who; whoever; which – for animals, trees; non-human things Whoever travels a lot will see different people. مَنْ يُسافِرْ كَثيرًا يَرَ شُعُوبًا مُخْتَلِفةً The weak letter in رَأَى/ يَرَى is elided. Remark: مَهْما تُقَدِّمُوا مِن خَيْرٍ لِلنَّاسِ تُصْبِحُواسَعْداءَ The word أيْنَما Meaning: what; which; whatever Wherever you travel, you will find friends. أيْنَما تُسافِرْ تَجِدْ أصْدِقاءَ... --- ### Understanding the Arabic minor plural - a guide - Published: 2016-04-14 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/plural-forms-arabic-jama-kathra/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: broken plural, mistranslation, plural form, wiederholen, جمع - Authors: geralddrissner The Arabic plural is formed based on the number of things counted: the minor (جمع القلة) and major plural (جمع الكثرة). Here is how the minor plural works. In Arabic, there is a special form for plurals that refer to only a few things. In grammar, it is called minor plural (جَمْع الْقِلّة). In practice, what we describe in this article is hardly observed, and this has been the case in the past. Nevertheless, we should know what is behind it because there are authors who use these forms deliberately. So, let's start our discussion: What is the correct plural of the Arabic word for month (شَهْر)? Is it أَشْهُر or شُهُور? ➤ Both, أَشْهُر or شُهُور, are correct plural forms of the noun شَهْر. But there is a fine difference. In Arabic, some words have more than one plural, and so does شَهْر. So, how do we know which form is appropriate? Well, it depends on the number it is referring to. In our case: on the number of months. Note: The original meaning of the word شَهْر is: the new moon when it appears. Rules for the minor and major plural in Arabic The rules for the minor and major plural in Arabic are simple: The form فُعُول is used for big numbers and is called جَمْع الْكَثْرة (major plural) - jamʿ al-kathra. This is the standard pattern. The form أَفْعُل is used for small numbers (3 to 10) and is called جَمْع الْقِلّة (minor plural) - jamʿ al-qilla. Examples of the minor and major plural Let's see some examples of the minor and major plural in Arabic: plural large numbersplural small numberssingularfaceوُجُوهأَوْجُهوِجْهmonthشُهُورأَشْهُرشَهْرlineسُطُورأَسْطُرسَطْرstarنُجُومأَنْجُمنِجْم Let us now... --- ### What does إِيّاكَ mean in Arabic? - Published: 2016-04-09 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/how-do-you-say-me-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar, Translation - Tags: expression, how to, Islamic phrases, jussive, personal pronoun, wiederholen, ضمير, مجزوم - Authors: geralddrissner The Arabic word إِيّايَ means "me." You might recognize it from the Qur'an: إِيّاكَ نَعْبُدُ. How do we create and use these forms? In this article, we will look at how to express the English word me in Arabic. The word me can be a direct object of a verb (like in: help me! ), but that's not our focus. We're discussing constructions such as إِيّايَ or إِيّاكَ. It is very rare to come acrosspronounمَنْصُوبINotice the فَتْحة above the last letter ي meإِيّايَheNotice the ضَمّة above the last letter هhimإِيَّاهُ Let's see an example: exampleexcept meإِلّا إِيّايَmeإِيّايَأَناexcept youإِلّا إِيّاكَyouإِيَّاكَأَنْتَ You can find more examples and applications in the book separate (solo) personal pronoun in Arabic? And how would you express mine in Arabic? --- ### Expressing frequency in Arabic: The اسم المرة - Published: 2016-04-02 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/ism-marra-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: absolute object, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner In Arabic, there is a special type of مصدر that focuses on the number of times an action is performed. It is called اسم المرة, which means noun of frequency. In Arabic, there is an elegant way to express how often someone has done something. Let's take a look at these two sentences: قَفَزَ اللّاعِبُ قَفْزًا قَفَزَ اللّاعِبُ قَفْزَةً What is the difference? The first two words are the same and mean the player jumped. So, what about the object? Foremost, both sentences are correct, but the meaning is slightly different. In Arabic, there is a way to emphasize if a person has done... Something in general (الْمَفْعُول الْمُطْلَق): قَفَزَ اللّاعِبُ قَفْزًا = the player jumped Something only once or a certain number of times: قَفَزَ اللّاعِبُ قَفْزَةً = the player jumped once Examples of the اسم المرة I ate in this restaurant. (once; exactly one time)أَكَلْتُ فِي هٰذا الْمَطْعَمِ أَكْلَةًI ate in this restaurant. (unknown how often)أَكَلْتُ فِي هٰذا الْمَطْعَمِ أَكْلاًI ate in this restaurant three times. أَكَلْتُ فِي هٰذا الْمَطْعَمِ ثَلاثَ أَكَلْاتٍThe child smiled (one time only). اِبْتَسِمَ الطِّفْلُ اِبْتِسامةًThe child smiled (unknown how often). اِبْتَسِمَ الطِّفْلُ اِبْتِسامًا If you use the regular مَصْدَر after a verb to emphasize an action, it means you are saying something in general or that you don't know how often the action was being done. Such forms do emphasize the action and are called absolute object (مَفْعُولٌ مُطْلَقٌ). ➤ In Arabic, however, there is a special form to emphasize the amount of times an action was being done. The form فَعْلة is called اِسْم الْمَرّة (ism al-marra; noun of frequency or occurrence) and is a form of a مَصْدَر. You can recognize... --- ### How is the number ten pronounced in Arabic? - Published: 2016-03-26 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/pronunciation-ten-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: wiederholen, عدد - Authors: geralddrissner The Arabic word for "ten" (عشر) doesn't always have the same vowels. So it is pronounced differently. Why is that? You have to check the gender. Most students of Arabic grammar are afraid of numbers. Even some native speakers have difficulties to write and pronounce them correctly. Let us check the number ten (10) for example: عشر. RULE: To find the correct vowel, you have to check the gender of the noun to which it is referring to! Pronunciation عَشَر ➤ If 10 points to a MASCULINE word, there is a فَتْحة on the letter ش. I bought 10 pens. اشْتَرَيْتُ عشَرةَ أقْلَامٍI bought 13 pens. اِشْتَرَيْتُ ثلاثةَ عشَرَ قَلَمًا Pronunciation عَشْر ➤ If 10 points to a FEMININE word, there is a سُكُون above the letter ش. I read 10 pages. قرأتُ عشْرَ صَفْحاتٍI read 13 pages. قرأتُ ثَلاثَ عشْرةَ صَفْحَةً The gender in Arabic is not always obvious. For example, is the word for war (حرب) masculine or feminine? Having trouble with Arabic numbers? Here are some in-depth articles on the subject: --- ### What does the name Hussein (حسين) mean? The diminutive in Arabic - Published: 2016-03-12 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/arabic-names-meaning/ - Categories: Grammar, Translation - Tags: adverb, diminutive, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner In Arabic, most names have a meaning. They are usually adjectives. Some of them are diminutives used to convey smallness - like the name Hussein (حسين). Hussein (حسين), sometimes also spelled Husayn, is a male Muslim name (اسْمٌ شَخْصِيٌّ). To understand its meaning, we need to look at the form of the Arabic noun. The name حُسَيْنٌ is a diminutive of the name Hasan (حَسَنٌ) which means good, handsome, or beautiful. The meaning of حُسَيْنٌ, however, is different. By its form, حُسَيْن is a diminutive (تَصْغِيرٌ) which means that it denotes something small – a young/little beauty. Diminutives are often difficult to translate be­cause you don't find them in dictionaries. The diminutive in Arabic Forms like حُسَيْن are called diminutive, so called: تَصْغِير. Diminutives are used for Arabic names and are common in Arabic. Let's look at some Arabic name patterns and examples. Pattern فُعَيْلٌ Derived from a اِسْم that consists in total of three letters (here, as always, we don’t mean 3 root letters) door بابٌ   small door بُوَيْبٌ child وَلَدٌ small child وُلَيْدٌ river نَهْرٌ small river نُهَيْرٌ Notice: Also adverbs of place or time follow this pattern: قَبْلَ - قُبَيْلَ (shortly before) and بَعْدَ - بُعَيْدَ (shortly after) Pattern فُعَيْلِلٌ When the original noun consists in total of four letters (again, we don’t mean 4 root letters! ) friend صاحِبٌ   small friend صُوَيْحِبٌ Feminine nouns They have a ة and follow the rules of number 2. If the original noun is feminine but does not have a ة, the dimin­utive will take a ة (e. g. market) drop نُقْطةٌ droplet نُقْيَطةٌ market سُوقٌ small market سُوَيْقةٌ Pattern فُعَيِّلٌ This pattern is used when the... --- ### How do you say 'mine' or 'yours' in Arabic? - Published: 2016-03-05 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/possessive-pronoun-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar, Translation - Tags: difficult construction, suffix, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner A special way of expressing possession in Arabic: repetition plus possessive pronoun. This allows you to express mine or yours in Arabic. Possessive pronouns can be tricky in Arabic. For example, how do you say: This car is mine. In Arabic, there are no words like mine; yours; his or hers which we call possessive pronouns in English. There are several ways to express the same meaning. Let's take a look at a pretty easy and solid solution. You could, for example, repeat the thing being possessed and add the appropriate pronoun suffix. This car is mine. هٰذِهِ السَّيّارةُ سَيَّارَتِيThe book is hers. الْكِتابُ كِتابُها This is what happened recently here: --- ### Arabic grammar tips: Using the نون for emphasis - Published: 2016-03-03 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/nun-emphasis-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar, Translation - Tags: conjugation, emphasis, imperative, mood, wiederholen, الماضي, نون - Authors: geralddrissner The letter Nun can be used to convey emphasis (energetic). There is a "light" and a "strong" form. Here is how it works. You can use the نُون التَّوْكِيد (emphasis with the letter ن - also called energetic mood) with the present tense (الْمُضارِع) and the imperative (أَمْر) – but you cannot use it with the past (الْماضِي). Here is how it works. The light نوننون خفيفة ساكِنة It is formed by adding a ن with a سُكُون. Obey your parents! أَطْيَعَنْ والِدَّيْكَ Now, let's see the other option. The strong نون or heavy نوننون ثقيلة This form is more common. Here is how you build it: Delete the ضمّة on the verb (marker for present tense) or delete the final ن if the verb-form belongs to the so called الْأفْعال الْخَمْسة ("five verbs") Add a fatha (فَتْحة) on the last letter Finally, add نَّ → Note: do the same for the imperative Do you (really) help your friend? هَلْ تُساعِدَنَّ زَمِيلَكَ؟ Did you know? There are many ways to emphasize in Arabic. You could use the letter ب or the word من or use separate pronouns. In case you want to dive deeper into the grammar ocean... --- ### Understanding gender in Arabic: Is حرب masculine or feminine? - Published: 2016-02-27 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/is-%d8%ad%d9%8e%d8%b1%d9%92%d8%a8-war-masculine-or-feminine/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: adjective, grammatical gender, hell, Morocco, Paradise, vocabulary list, wiederholen, حال, صفة, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner Oddly enough, حرب, the Arabic word for war, is feminine. There are many words in Arabic that look or feel masculine but are actually feminine. Usually, it is pretty easy to identify the gender in Arabic. But there are exceptions. Indicators for feminine words Let us first take a look at the regular feminine endings. In Arabi­c, there are 3 different indicators or signals to define a word as feminine. تاء تَأْنِيثةطالِبةألِف تَأْنِيثمَمْدُودة - اءصَحْراءألِف تَأْنِيثمَقْصُورة - ى / ياكُبْرى, عُلْيا Special kind of nouns The ending اء is also the pattern for adjectives (صِفة) for colors and physical deficiencies in the singular feminine form. The letter ى is the pattern for the feminine form of a com­parative (اِسْم تَفْضِيل). For example: older, smaller. Here are some examples: desertصَحْراءsmallerصُغْرَى color redحَمْرَاءmemoryذِكْرَى The Arabic word for "war": حَرْب It doesn't look feminine - but it is feminine! Like in other languages, there are words that look masculine by shape but are exceptions. Common exceptions - words that look masculine but are feminine Here is a vocabulary list with words that look masculine but are feminine. warحَرْبfireنارsunشَمْسlandأَرْضhouseدار windرِيحsoulنَفْسcupكَأْسwellبِئْرmarketسُوقparadiseالْفِرْدَوْسGhoul; ghost غُول Watch out: If you want to add an adjective, you will need the femin­ine form: central market سُوق مَرْكَزِيّة Gender of body parts in Arabic When you have two parts of one (mostly pairs) like: legs (رِجْل), eyes (عَيْن), ears (أُذُن), tooth (سِنّ) or hands (يَد), then these words are also feminine. In contrast, the words for nose (أَنْف), mouth (فَم), etc. are masculine as you only have one! Some parts of the body can be either masculine or feminine, like: head (رَأْس), liver (كَبِد) or upper... --- ### How to use إذا and إذ and إذًا correctly - Published: 2016-02-20 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/idha-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar, Translation - Tags: apodosis, common mistake, conditional sentence, difficult construction, future tense, mistranslation, protasis, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner The Arabic word إذا is tricky and is often confused with إذ or إذًا. Let's see what they mean. All three words look very similar. So watch out and don’t mix them up. Here is a list of what they mean and how they are used: when; as suddenlyإذا إذا is normally introducing a conditional sentence. The verbal sentence (جُمْلة فِعْلِيّة) after it is usually in the past tense – but it has the meaning of the present tense or even future tense! The word إِذا can only be used if the situation in the conditional sentence can theoretically be achieved, if it is possible, or has happened. This is different from إنْ – as the word إنْ can be used for introducing a possible or impossible condition, as shown in the examples below. إذا ما is only used to emphasize a sentence (تَأْكِيد). If you are successful in your work, you will be successful in your life. (This leaves open whether you are successful or not; you could be both. )إنْ تَجْتَهِدْ في عَمَلِكَ تَنْجَحْ في حَياتِكَWhen the sun rises (and the sun does rise every day without an exception) people will go to their work. إذا طَلَعَتْ الشَّمْس ذَهَبَ النَّاسُ إلى عمالِهِم as; when; since; as; becauseإذْ It can be used as a causal or temporal conjunction. Normally, a verbal sentence (جُمْلة فِعْلِيّة) in the past follows, very rarely you see a nominal sentence (جُمْلة اِسْمِيّة). It has usually the meaning of عِنْدَ ما. She cried as she was sick. بَكِيَتْ إذْ كانَتْ مَرِيِضةً then; therefore; hence; that’s why; consequently; in that caseإذًا = إذَنْ Often used in a... --- ### Understanding the functions of ما in Arabic grammar - Published: 2016-02-06 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/arabic-word-ma/ - Categories: Grammar, Translation - Tags: adverb, adverb of time, conjugation, difficult construction, elative, jussive, teaching Arabic, wiederholen, اسم التفضيل, الماضي, ظرف, ظرف الزمان, مجزوم - Authors: geralddrissner The Arabic word ma ما has several meanings. Here is a list of the ten most common applications of ما in Arabic: negation, relative clause, etc. The ما is one of the most powerful devices in Arabic. The main issue is to know and identify whether the ma is an ism (اسم) or harf (حرف). Let's see why. In my opinion, the letter ل and the ما are the key to understanding Ar­abic properly. It is essential to under­stand the various meanings of ما. ما is a genuine jack-of-all-trades. By throwing this tiny word into a sentence, you can change the meaning dramatically. Here is a list of some possibilities: Ma used to negate sentences negation particleحَرْفما النَّافِية Normally, ما is used to negate a past tense verb (الْماضِي). Theoretically, however, it is also possible to negate a جُمْلة اِسْمِيّة with ما. You could even negate the present tense (الْمُضارِع) with ما. This is very rare and occasionally used with the expres­sion: ما يَزالُ (still) The students did not show up yes­terday. ما حَضَرَ الطُّلّابُ أَمْسِ Ma used to ask questions Interrogative pronounاِسْمما الْاِسْتِفْهامِيّة What is your name? ما اسْمُكَ؟What are you thinking about? فِيمَ تُفَكِّرُ؟ Ma for relative clauses Definite conjunctive pronounاِسْمما الْمَوْصُولة I do understand what you say. إِنَّني أَفْهَمُ ما تَقُولُهُRead what I wrote. إِقْرَأْ ما كَتَبْتُهُ Ma for conditional clauses Conditional clauseاِسْمما الشَّرْطِيّة Notice the سُكُون at the end of the verb (مَجْزُوم) – it is a شَرْط. Whatever good that you do comes back to you. ما تَفْعَلْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ تَجِدْ جاءَهُ Ma to strengthen the meaning Used to strengthen the conditional meaningحَرْفما لِتَأْكِيدِ مَعْنَى الشَّرْط If you had worked hard,... --- ### Which letters can you add to an Arabic root? - Published: 2016-01-23 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/which-letters-can-you-add-to-a-root/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner In Arabic, you can only add certain letters to a root - what are they? Almost every Arabic word - except proper nouns and foreign words - has a root that consists of three or four letters, so-called radicals. In Arabic, a radical is called حَرْف أَصْلِيّ. It is pretty easy to identify the root (جِذْر) as there are only ten letters in Arabic which can be added to a root. They are called حُرُوف الزِّيادة. They are easy to remember. They can be summed up in this word: سألتمونيها Difficult to remember? Well, think of a possible pronunciation, and it will be easy: "sa’altumuuniiha". That was quick. Do you know the total number of roots in Arabic? --- ### Understanding the النَّعْت السَّبَبِيّ in Arabic grammar - Published: 2016-01-16 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/naat-sababi-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar, Translation - Tags: adjective, difficult construction, dual, mistranslation, wiederholen, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner The causative description (na'at sababy نعت سببي) in Arabic is pretty tricky and often misunderstood. Let's see why. To start the discussion about the topic نَعْت سَبَبِيّ, I would like to analyze the following Arabic sentence: السّيارةُ الْجميلُ لونُها If you check the endings of the words, do you spot any mistake? Short answer: No, there isn't a mistake! If you thought that the word الْجَمِيل should be written with a ة, you might have misunderstood the meaning of the sentence. The second part of the sentence is a so-called causative descrip­tion (نَعْت سَبَبِيّ). The sentence ... السيارةُ الجميلُ لونُها means: The car whose color is beautiful. Or: The car with the beautiful color. Watch out! The sentence doesn't mean: The color of the nice car... Let us make the difference clear: نَعْت حَقِيقِيّThe successful student. الطَّالِبُ النَّاجِحُنَعْت سَبَبِيّThe student whose sister is successful. الطَّالِبُ النَّاجِحةُ أُخْتُهُ Let us check the different parts of the النَّعْت السَّبَبِيّ. نَعْت مُؤَنَّثAlthough it is a نَعْت, it doesn't describe what precedes, but what comes after it. The word sister (أُخْت) is the thing being de­scribed (مَوْصُوف) because it is not the (male) student, who is successful. النَّاجِحةُفاعِلSubject; the thing which is being described. أُخْتُهُ To understand the exact meaning of the نَعْت سَّبَبِيّ you could rewrite the sen­tence with a relative clause اِسمْ إشارة -->الطَّالِبُ الذي نَجَحَتْ أُخْتُهُ The rules for the النَّعْت السَّبَبِيّ Let's check the most important features of a نعت سببي: The النَّعْت السَّبَبِيّ is always singular and comes before the subject of the sentence (فاعِل) which is a اِسْم مَرْفُوع It agrees with the preceding اِسْم in: *... --- ### Decoding Arab family names and titles - Published: 2016-01-09 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/how-are-family-names-constructed-in-arabic/ - Categories: Translation, Islam - Tags: adjective, Arab culture, Arabian Peninsula, consonant, Egypt, Lebanon, Mecca, Syria, wiederholen, صفة, نسبة, نعت - Authors: geralddrissner In Europe or the USA we have a first name (given name), maybe a middle name, and a surname (family name). How is it in the Arab world? In Europe or the USA we have a first name (given name), maybe a middle name, and a surname (family name). How is it in the Arab world? Family names can be tricky - especially in Arabic. Usually, you should regard them as a chain. How names in Arab countries work Arab names reflect the genealogy on the father's side. A person's name consists of his or her first name and his or her "middle name" which is that of the father. For example, Amira Mohamed Ali is a German politician of the party Die Linke (left-wing party) and member of the Bundestag. Mohamed is her father's name who is from Egypt. Usually, the "middle name" is initiated by اين (ibn/son) or بنت (bint/daughter) plus the father's name which is grammatically a إِضافة-construction. This can lead to a very long chain of names. In the full form of a name, often written in legal documents, a person's name may also indicate the name of the grandfather, great-grandfather, etc. But they are omitted in everyday use. It is customary to call someone you have just met by their first name. Therefore, Saudis will often address you as Mr. Gerald, etc. What about the family name? Every family has its family name. This name identifies the extended family whose members consider themselves bound by bonds of kinship and who see the group as their primary source of identification. Family names can relate to: Places: al-Makkawi (from Mecca), Shami (from Syria) Jobs: حدّاد... --- ### What is a اسم مصدر in Arabic? - Published: 2016-01-02 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/ism-masdar-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: I-verb, II-verb, wiederholen, فَعَّلَ, مصدر - Authors: geralddrissner The Ism al-Masdar اسم المصدر and the regular masdar sometimes mean the same, sometimes not. Let's check why. In the Arabic language, recognizing the differences between words is key to understanding their meanings. This article explores two Arabic words: تَغْنِيَةٌ and غِناءٌ. Although they are often translated the same, small differences highlight unique aspects of Arabic grammar and sound. Let's make it practical: Do تَغْنِيَةٌ and غِناءٌ both mean the same? There is almost no difference in meaning. But there is a tiny one. Although both words are often translated as singing or song, precisely speaking, غِناءٌ is song and تَغْنِيَةٌ is singing. They are both a مَصْدَر of the verb: غَنَّى. But why do they look different? You might know that the مَصْدَر of a II-verb (فَعَّلَ) follows a cer­tain pattern: تَفْعِيل For example: دَرَّسَ - تَدْرِيسٌ This is correct for regular verbs. But the pattern looks different if the last letter of the root is a حَرْف عِلّة – one of these tricky letters, namely و or ي. The pattern then changes to: تَفْعِيلة This is why the مَصْدَر of the verb غَنَّى is written like this: تَغْنِية Now, what about the second word: غِناء? This is called the اِسْم الْمَصْدَر. Normally, a اِسْم مَصْدَر is shorter than the original مَصْدَر. Why does it almost mean the same as تَغْنِية? The masdar represents the action of the verb and the Ism al-Masdar is pointing more to the result / outcome of the action. For native speakers, the regular form of the مَصْدَر is a bit difficult to pronounce. So, a simplified pronunciation became popular following the pattern... --- ### What is a مصدر مؤول in Arabic? - Published: 2015-12-26 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/masdar-muawwal-interpreted-infinitive-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: wiederholen, مصدر - Authors: geralddrissner In Arabic, you often use an "interpreted infinitive", a masdar muawwal - المصدر المؤول. This is formed by an أن plus verb in منصوب mood. In this article, we delve into Arabic grammar and a common misconception among learners, which has to do with the verbal noun (infinitive). Let's start with a question: أُريدُ أَنْ أذْهَبَ and أُريدُ الذَّهابَ - Do they both mean the same? Yes, both sentences mean the same: I want to go. The word ذِهابٌ is the مَصْدَر of ذَهَبَ. You can build the الْمَصْدَر الْمُؤَوَّل by using the particles أَنْ or ما. They are a so called حَرْف مَصْدَرِيّ. Let us take a look at it: أَنْ يَذْهَبَ=ذَهابٌالْمَصْدَر الْمُؤَوَّل=الْمَصْدَر الصَّرِيحgoing; go= going; go Watch out: The verb in the sentence above has a فَتْحة at the end, as it is preceded by أَنْ. Therefore, the verb has to be مَنْصُوب. Did you know? There are many other masdar forms in Arabic. You can denote the number of times an action is done or express certain actions. Don't miss the latest blog posts: --- ### الصَّلاةُ خَيْرٌ مِن الْنَّوْمِ: Why is the prayer better than sleep? - Published: 2015-12-19 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/islam/prayer-is-better-than-sleep/ - Categories: Islam, Grammar, Translation - Tags: comparative, difficult construction, expression, Hindi, I-verb, mistranslation, Sunni Islam, superlative, wiederholen, أَفْعَلَ, اسم التفضيل, تنوين - Authors: geralddrissner The Islamic call to prayer is a tricky construction. In Sunni Islam, the muezzin uses khayr (خير) which strangely denotes a comparative (better). Why? In many cultures and religions, language holds great importance, especially in expressing spirituality. The Arabic phrase الصَّلاةُ خَيْرٌ مِن الْنَّوْمِ (as-salatu khayrun min an-nawm) means "prayer is better than sleep". This saying is called by the muezzin during the Fajr (الْفَجْر) prayer in Sunni Islam and has a unique grammatical structure. The word خَيْرٌ, meaning "good," implies a comparative meaning of "better. " In this article, we will look at the details of this expression, its grammar, and examples that show its significance in both language and faith. The word خَيْرٌ - translated as better - produces an interesting grammatical construction. We do not use the regular اِسْم التَّفْضِيل here, following the pattern: أَفْعَل - which would denote a comparative or superlative meaning. So, why do we translate the word with a comparative meaning? The word خَيْرٌ is usually translated as good, which is correct. However, it also has another meaning – the meaning of a اِسْم تَفْضِيل. The word خَيْر has the same meaning as أَحْسَن – better. Let us take a closer look at some examples: Prayer is better than sleep. الصَّلاةُ خَيْرٌ مِن الْنَّوْمWork is better than laziness. الْعَمَلُ خَيْرٌ مِن الْكَسَلِHe is better than... هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِنْI am not better than the student. لَسْتُ خَيْرًا مِن الطَّالِبِ What is the DNA of the word خَيْر? The word for better was originally أَخْيَر – but it was changed into خَيْر. This happened a long time ago, as in the Qur'an, خَيْر is already used in the meaning... --- ### Arabic letters without dots: Can you read Arabic skeleton script? - Published: 2015-12-12 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/letters-without-dots/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: grammarian, Oman, wiederholen, شدة - Authors: geralddrissner Arabic used to be written without dots in ancient times. At least it did, a long time ago. Could you read such sentences? At least it did, a long time ago. Let us focus a bit on the history of the Arabic language. Arabic, at a very early stage, was not only written without vowel-signs above or below letters. Furthermore, letters were written without dots which makes reading pretty difficult – as the letters and for example might look the same in certain positions. There are five distinct letters look which look the same when you omit the dots. This is also known as Arabic skeleton script. Let's try it. Can you read the following sentence without dots? © Gerald Drißner This sentence can mean a lot depending on where and how you add the dots, e. g. the first word can mean: killedقَتَلَbeforeقَبْلَelephantفِيل This is how you could read the sentence: It was said that the elephant killed an elephant in front of the river. قيل إن فيل قتل فيل قبل النهرThis is the sentence with all the vowels. قِيلَ إِنَّ فِيلاً قَتَلَ فِيلاً قَبْلَ النَّهْرِ Remark: In the 8th century, a grammarian from modern-day Oman invented a writing system which we basically use in stand­ard Arabic until today. His name was أَبُو عَبْد الرَّحْمٰن الْخَلِيل ابن أَحْمَد الْفَراهِيدي - com­monly known as al-Farahidi or al-Khalil. It is said that he started using a small س for the الشَّدّة (Shadda): ّ Read more about Arabic and Islamic history: --- ### What is the difference between ما and لَمْ in Arabic? - Published: 2015-11-28 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/negation-lam-arabic/ - Categories: Grammar - Tags: common mistake, German, jussive, mistranslation, wiederholen, قَسَم, مجزوم - Authors: geralddrissner Both ma ما and lam لَمْ can negate the past tense. How and when should they be used? First of all, let's answer the above question: Does the negation with ما or لَمْ convey the same meaning? Well, they both convey almost the same meaning, but there is a (tiny) difference.   The particle ما is followed by a verb in the past tense. The device لَمْ is followed by a verb in the present tense (مَجْزُوم - majzum) - however, it conveys the meaning of the past tense. But that is not the end of the story. Let's dig deeper: In English, we can translate ما with: not at all (if we want to put stress on the negation). In German, we could use one of the following translations: gar nicht or überhaupt nicht. Let us now look at some examples (1 - the verb is in the past tense; 2 - the verb is in the present tense): 1I didn't get thirsty at all. ما عَطِشْتُ1I wasn't thirsty. لَمْ أَعْطَشْ2He can't see you at all. ما يَراكَ2He can't see you. لا يَراكَ One more thing you should watch out for: If you see لا together with a verb in the past tense, it has a different meaning: It can connote a prayer or wish (قَسَم)! Note that the past tense is used for wishes, curses and prayers irrespective of whether it is preceded by لا or no. Sounds complicated? Let us see an example: May Allah spare you bad things! لا أَراكَ اللهُ مَكْرُوهًا Don't miss these articles: --- ### What does Dunya mean? - Published: 2015-11-21 - Modified: 2025-03-17 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/dunya-what-does-it-mean/ - Categories: Grammar, Etymology, Translation - Tags: comparative, elative, expression, German, Jerusalem, Mecca, superlative, Sura 16, wiederholen, اسم التفضيل - Authors: geralddrissner The word الدنيا (al-Dunya) means "the world". But that is only the interpretation of the word - but not the literal meaning! Today, we are going to take a look at the structure and pattern of a very common word. The Arabic word dunya (دُنْيا) is usually translated into English as world. The meaning is correct – but the literal translation is totally different. Let us check the root for this word: د - ن - و The literal meaning of الدُّنْيا is the lowest or the closest or the nearest – and not world. Grammatically speaking, the word دُنْيا is the feminine form of the pattern أَفْعَلُ. It is the comparative or superlative (elative) form, so called اِسْم التَّفْضِيل. The word دُنْيا is generally used in its definite form: الدُّنْيا. The plural of دُنْيا is دُنْيَيات Let us check this pattern in detail: meaningcomparative feminine formcomparative masculine formrootcloser; closestدُنْياأَدْنَىد - ن - وhigher; highestعُلْياأَعْلَىع - ل - ىfurther; furthestقُصْوَىأَقْصَىق - ص - و(c) Arabic for Nerds Notice the feminine form in the last example! It is different because in the root, there is a و. The meaning of دُنْيا is similar to أَقْرَبُ – meaning: closer. A long time ago, people were using the term الْحَياةُ الدُّنْيا for describing the life which is closest to us (namely: life in this world) – because the afterlife/the hereafter (الْحَياة الْآخِرة) is something we don't know. After some time, the word الْحَياة was deleted. The expression الدُّنْيا is already found in the Qur'an, e. g. 16;30, سُورة النَّحْل (The bee) ... لِلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا فِي هٰذِهِ الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةٌ وَلَدَارُ الْآخِرَةِ خَيْرٌ... ... for those who... --- ### Arabic swear words, curses and insults - a list - Published: 2015-11-02 - Modified: 2025-04-16 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/translation/curse-words-arabic/ - Categories: Translation, Dialects, Egyptian Arabic - Tags: Arab culture, Arabic proverb, Arabic slang, Classical Arabic, Egyptian Arabic, Egyptian Arabic expression, expression, Gulf Arabic, Lebanon, Levantine Arabic, Middle East, Morocco, Palestinian Arabic, Saudi-Arabia, Sudanese Arabic, Syria, Syrian Arabic, Tunisian Arabic, vocabulary list, wiederholen - Authors: geralddrissner A list of Arabic swear words and curses. Collected from Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia and other Arab countries. WARNING: In this article you will find explicit, graphic language. Furthermore, I strongly discourage any reader - especially non-native speakers - to use any of these expressions! In daily life, when listening to native Arabic speakers, sadly enough, you will encounter swear words - like in most other languages, of course. It is quite difficult to look them up in dictionaries or even to correctly identify them as insults. I have compiled a list of frequent Arabic swear words and curse words (Schimpfwörter und Fluchwörter for the German readers). In my opinion, it is important to know which words people might throw at you. Thus, it is important to know swear words - but NOT, I repeat, NOT to use them! I can only strongly underline that people should not use such words - especially, if you are from outside and may harm people's feelings without even knowing it. How did I compile this list? I have asked friends, listened to street conversation, and analyzed chat language. Of course such a list can never be comprehensive. It should only give you an idea and some hints to identify situations when people use such strong words. If you know any other expressions which are used as swear words or curses, please feel free to add them by using the comment section! Note that many swear words listed under a certain country on this page may also be used in other countries. About the nature of Arabic swear words It is usually... --- ## Errabic ### Scan & Correct - Published: 2025-04-05 - Modified: 2025-04-10 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/errabic/grammar-meaning-05-04-2025/ - Categories: Errabic - Tags: consonant, I-verb, imperative, همزة - Countries: Poland - Mistake Type: Grammar, Meaning - Sources: Real Place - Authors: paulammann A sign for a halal restaurant in Poland. Some of the Arabic text is a bit harder to digest. Diagnosis: Grammar, Meaning Arabic text in question المسح والذهابArabic text as it should beاِمْسَحْ وَاِنْطَلَقْNote: You don't use diacritics (تشكيل) in everyday Arabic. We use them here to clearly explain the grammar, spelling and meaning of words. To avoid confusion, we generally ignore auxiliary vowels that are necessary for pronunciation to avoid consonant clusters. Analysis Direct translations often lead to awkward phrasing in Arabic. The phrase المسح والذهاب (al-Masḥ wa al-Dhahāb), literally meaning The Scanning/Wiping and The Going, is a prime example of this. It feels unnatural for much the same reason that using ترحيب (tarḥīb) as a greeting is incorrect. Why? Because ترحيب is a verbal noun (مَصْدَرٌ) meaning the act of welcoming. Similarly, المسح والذهاب uses verbal nouns to describe actions, rather than employing the dynamic and natural language typically used for instructions or naming such a process. The power of the imperative (فِعْلُ الْأَمْرِ) For a process like Scan and Go, which involves user action, the imperative verb form is far more suitable and idiomatic in Arabic. The imperative provides a direct instruction to the user, making it clearer and more natural. The core meaning of the I-verb مَسَحَ - يَمْسَحُ is to wipe; to clear/clean. But there are many more meanings, such as to survey; to anoint (in Christianity) - and also: to scan (electronically). To form the imperative of مَسَحَ - يَمْسَحُ, we take the present tense stem for "you (masculine singular)" which is مْسَحْ (msaḥ) from تَمْسَحُ. Since it begins with a consonant cluster that requires... --- ### License to Spell - Published: 2025-04-04 - Modified: 2025-04-10 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/errabic/license-to-spell/ - Categories: Errabic - Tags: consonant, imperative, VIII-verb, اِفْتَعَلَ, همزة - Countries: United States - Mistake Type: Spelling - Sources: Print - Authors: geralddrissner In intelligence, precision is paramount - even in spelling. A misplaced همزة can distort meaning and expose linguistic incompetence, as the CIA learned in an Arabic recruitment flyer. Diagnosis: Spelling Arabic text in question إكتشف الحقيقةArabic text as it should be اِكْتَشِفْ اَلْحَقِيقَةَNote: You don't use diacritics (تشكيل) in everyday Arabic. We use them here to clearly explain the grammar, spelling and meaning of words. To avoid confusion, we generally ignore auxiliary vowels that are necessary for pronunciation to avoid consonant clusters. Analysis This is a picture of a promotional postcard from the U. S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) aimed at recruiting Arabic speakers: It features the Arabic phrase إكتشف الحقيقة, meaning Discover the Truth. Above the main message, in smaller white Arabic letters, it asks: كضابط لغات في وكالة الاستخبارات المركزية... هل تعرف ما يمكن أن تنجزه؟. This translates to: As a language officer at the CIA... do you know what you can accomplish? There is a spelling mistake in the word إكتشف. Correct would be اِكْتَشِفْ اَلْحَقِيقَةَ In Arabic, selecting the correct type of Hamza (همزة) is essential for grammatical accuracy: إِكْتَشِفْ (ʾiktashif) - starting with a cutting Hamza (هَمْزةُ الْقَطْعِ): إ. This is technically a spelling mistake in this context. اِكْتَشِفْ (iktashif) - starting with a connecting Hamza (هَمْزةُ الْوَصْلِ), also called Hamza of liaison: اِ. It is an extra letter that is used to avoid consonant clusters. In Arabic, you cannot start a word with a letter that has no vowel, i. e. , with a سُكُونٌ. This is the grammatically correct form for the imperative of a VIII-verb (اِفْتَعَلَ) such as اِكْتَشَفَ. Explanation The verb اِكْتَشَفَ, meaning to discover, belongs to form VIII-verbs (الْفِعْلُ الْمَزِيدُ بِحَرْفَيْنِ).... --- ### Flying Fathas > You might assume that the Arabic on the signs on an Emirates plane is correct. At least the diacritics (تشكيل) aren't. - Published: 2025-03-25 - Modified: 2025-04-10 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/errabic/flying-fathas/ - Categories: Errabic - Tags: absolute object, consonant, I-verb, imperative, United Arab Emirates, همزة - Countries: United Arab Emirates - Mistake Type: Spelling - Sources: Real Place - Authors: paulammann You might assume that the Arabic on the signs on an Emirates plane is correct. At least the diacritics (تشكيل) aren't. Diagnosis: Spelling Arabic text in questionلُطفَاً اقفلْ البَابْ إسحبArabic text as it should beلُطْفًا اِقْفِلْ الْبَابَ اِسْحَبْNote: You don't use diacritics (تشكيل) in everyday Arabic. We use them here to clearly explain the grammar, spelling and meaning of words. To avoid confusion, we generally ignore auxiliary vowels that are necessary for pronunciation to avoid consonant clusters. Analysis  1. Let's start with لُطفَاً. It is a polite invitation to do something (دَعْوَةٌ مُهَذَّبَةٌ لِعَمَلِ شَيْءٍ). The noun لُطْف and means kindness; mercy; gentleness. It is the verbal noun of the I-verb لَطُفَ - يَلْطُفُ which means to be kind. Why do we have the accusative case (مَنْصُوبٌ) here? Well, please (لطفًا) is similar to the expressions thanks (شُُكْرًا) and excuse me/you're welcome (عفوًا). They all get the accusative case (منصوب) because they are what we call in Arabic absolute objects (مَفْعُولٌ مُطْلَقٌ). The main purpose of the absolute object (مفعول مطلق) is to emphasize the meaning and occurrence of the main verb (تَأْكيد). It is usually an infinitive noun (مَصْدَرٌ), which is related to the verb it comes from (same root letters), and it is always indefinite (نَكِرةٌ). Usually, such constructions need a verb, but we can do without if the verb is implicitly understood: مَصْدَرٌ مَنْصُوبٌ (مَفْعُولٌ مُطْلَقٌ) بِفِعْلٍ مَحْذُوفٍ . You could alternatively also use a preposition, to express a similar meaning: بِلُطْفٍ means kindly. Now let's go back to the word written on the entrance of the airplane bathroom. There is an issue with the single فَتْحةٌ written on... --- ### Cutting the Qiblah - Published: 2025-03-25 - Modified: 2025-04-10 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/errabic/cutting-the-qiblah/ - Categories: Errabic - Tags: consonant, Mecca, VIII-verb, اِفْتَعَلَ, شدة, مصدر, همزة - Countries: Saudi Arabia - Mistake Type: Spelling - Sources: Real Place - Authors: geralddrissner The direction of prayer should not be interrupted - at least not in the written form of the Arabic word. Diagnosis: Spelling Arabic text in questionإتجاه القبلةArabic text as it should beاِتِّجاهُ الْقِبْلَةِNote: You don't use diacritics (تشكيل) in everyday Arabic. We use them here to clearly explain the grammar, spelling and meaning of words. To avoid confusion, we generally ignore auxiliary vowels that are necessary for pronunciation to avoid consonant clusters. Analysis There is a mistake in إتجاه القبلة, which means direction of the Qiblah, the prayer direction for Muslims to Mecca. ➤ Correct: اِتِّجاهُ الْقِبْلَةِ - without the Hamza at the beginning. The original إتجاه القبلة starts with a Hamza that's a bit too assertive. The إ is a so-called همزة القطع ("cutting" Hamza). It should be the shy kind, the هَمْزةُ الْوَصْلِ (connecting Hamza), which only speaks up when it's the very first word. So, the correct form is اِتِّجاهُ القِبْلَةِ. Think of the initial Aleph as a silent helper, only needed at the start. The noun اِتِّجاه is the verbal noun (مصدر) of the VIII-verb اِتَّجَهَ - يَتَّجِهُ, which means to go; to head. The root is و-ج-ه. In the pattern اِفْتَعَلَ, if the first letter is weak (حَرْفُ العِلَّةِ), like the letter و in our example, then the و merges with the ت with the result that the ت is doubled, indicated by the shadda (ٌشَدّة). This process is known in morphology as إِدْغامٌ (assimilation, when two identical or similar letters merge) and might involve إِبْدالٌ (substitution, the changing of one letter for another for phonetic reasons). In short, the initial Hamza was a little too... --- ### Hamza on Speed > Even on Saudi Arabia's modern high-speed train, spelling mistakes haunt you. - Published: 2025-03-24 - Modified: 2025-04-10 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/errabic/hamza-on-speed/ - Categories: Errabic - Tags: adjective, common mistake, consonant, economics, Mecca, Medina, VIII-verb, اِفْتَعَلَ, صفة, نسبة, نعت, همزة - Countries: Saudi Arabia - Mistake Type: Spelling - Sources: Real Place - Authors: geralddrissner Even on Saudi Arabia's modern high-speed train, spelling mistakes haunt you. Diagnosis: Spelling Arabic text in questionمدينة الملك عبدالله الإقتصاديةArabic text as it should beمَدِينَةُ الْمَلِكِ عَبْدِ اللّٰهِ الْاِقْتِصادِيَّةُNote: You don't use diacritics (تشكيل) in everyday Arabic. We use them here to clearly explain the grammar, spelling and meaning of words. To avoid confusion, we generally ignore auxiliary vowels that are necessary for pronunciation to avoid consonant clusters. Analysis There is a spelling mistake in الإقتصادية. The Arabic text  مدينة الملك عبدالله الإقتصادية, which is written on the monitor in a train, translates into English as King Abdullah Economic City (مدينة الملك عبد الله الاقتصادية). It is information about the next stop on the route. ➤ Correct: The word الإقتصادية should be written as الاقتصادية - with ا and not with a cutting Hamza (إ). Why is this? In Arabic, the word الاقتصادية (economic) comes from the root ق-ص-د and is the feminine form of اِقْتِصادِيٌّ, which is the Nisba adjective (نسبة) of the noun اِقْتِصادٌ (economy), which itself is the verbal noun (مصدر) of the VIII-verb اِقْتَصَدَ - يَقْتَصِدُ (to economize, to save). The hamza (ء) is not part of this root, nor is it part of the VIII-pattern اِفْتَعَلَ and therefore must not be included in the word. Including such Hamza in الإقتصادية is a common mistake. In the word الاقتصادية, the Hamza is called هَمْزةُ الْوَصْلِ. This type of Hamza is used to connect words and is not pronounced when it appears in the middle of a sentence (only if you start an utterance, you pronounce it as a... --- ### Holy Smokes! > Get off the train at the main station in the holy city of Madinah in Saudi Arabia and you will be greeted with a serious grammatical error. - Published: 2025-03-24 - Modified: 2025-04-10 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/errabic/holy-smokes/ - Categories: Errabic - Tags: active participle, consonant, Medina, اسم الفاعل - Countries: Saudi Arabia - Mistake Type: Grammar - Sources: Real Place - Authors: geralddrissner If you get off the train at the main station in the holy city of al-Madinah in Saudi Arabia, you will be greeted with a serious grammatical error. Diagnosis: Grammar Arabic text in questionصالة القادمون Arabic text as it should beصالَةُ الْقادِمِينَNote: You don't use diacritics (تشكيل) in everyday Arabic. We use them here to clearly explain the grammar, spelling and meaning of words. To avoid confusion, we generally ignore auxiliary vowels that are necessary for pronunciation to avoid consonant clusters. Analysis The construction صالة القادمون contains a mistake. The word صالة means hall. The word قادِمُونَ is the sound masculine plural, nominative case (مَرْفُوعٌ), of the active participle قادِمٌ which means coming. What we have here is a so-called إِضافةٌ-construction. This is a possessive construction in Arabic, where two nouns are joined to express a "of" relationship (like hall of arrivals). According to the rules, the second part (الْمُضافُ إِلَيْهِ - "added to it") must be in the genitive case (مَجْرُورٌ). ➤ Correct: صالةُ الْقادِمِينَ. It literally means hall of the arriving (people) = arrivals. A personal note: I was quite astonished when I saw this mistake in the main train station of Medina (الْمَدِينةُ الْمُنَوَّرةُ) in Saudi Arabia. To be honest, I somehow expected that in the holy city of Medina, the Saudi officials would pay more attention to correct Arabic. Source: Real Place Time the photo was taken: 2022-11-16 Location: Saudi Arabiaمحطة قطار المدينة الجديد42368 MadinahSaudi ArabiaLatitude: 24. 47412479999999Longitude: 39. 6997404 CreditPicture credit: Gerald DrißnerAdded: 03/24/2025 Gerald Drißner --- ## Pages ### Errabic: Where "error" meets "Arabic" - Published: 2025-04-05 - Modified: 2025-04-08 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/errabic/ - Authors: geralddrissner We collect and explore real-world Arabic mistakes, learning together, not to blame. If you would like to submit a picture, click 📷 Submit Arabic mistake --- ### How to turn off ad blockers > How to disable your ad blocker to access Arabic for Nerds - Published: 2025-04-02 - Modified: 2025-04-02 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/how-to-turn-off-ad-blockers/ - Authors: geralddrissner Supporting Arabic for Nerds & the Open Web We noticed you might be using an ad blocker. By whitelisting Arabic for Nerds, you're directly supporting our mission to provide high-quality Arabic learning resources freely, driven by passion and curiosity. We truly appreciate your understanding and help in keeping this niche alive and accessible! Chrome Google Chrome doesn't block standard ads by default, only those deemed overly intrusive. Issues here are likely due to an ad blocker extension. Find Extension Icons: Look top-right for icons like AdBlock, uBlock Origin, Ghostery, etc. Click the Icon: Click the extension's icon while on Arabic for Nerds. 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Edge Microsoft... --- ### Errabic: Submit Mistake > Errabic is a database of Arabic mistakes. We collect and explore real-world Arabic mistakes. Share your finds – photos– and let's unravel the language' - Published: 2025-03-23 - Modified: 2025-03-25 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/errabic-submit-arabic-mistake/ - Authors: geralddrissner Errabic: Where "error" meets "Arabic" We collect and explore real-world Arabic mistakes, learning together, not to blame. Share your finds – pictures and context – and let's unravel the language's quirks. Submissions are reviewed before publication. In case you need help, send me a --- ### Active Sessions - Published: 2025-03-19 - Modified: 2025-03-19 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/active-sessions/ - Authors: geralddrissner Hello ! Below is a summary of your current active sessions associated with your user account . Please note that the browser and operating system information may not always be precise or accurate. 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Then tell us why we should interview this person! --- ### Arabic verb conjugator - Published: 2025-02-02 - Modified: 2025-04-08 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/conjugate-arabic-verbs/ - Authors: geralddrissner This generator can conjugate any Arabic verb. You have three options for the display: full conjugation, the most important verb forms and moods (simplified), and the essentials (mini). Note: You are using a mobile device. Generated charts are large - a desktop device provides the best experience. Verb: Type: Full Simplified Mini Note: The Arabic for Nerds Verb Conjugator uses the open-source engine qutrub. Disclaimer: Although mistakes are rare, they can happen. If you find one, please verbs. arabic. today --- ### Daily Arabic Quiz > Every day, we display 20 random Arabic words from a pool of 6,000 essential words for fluency in Arabic. - Published: 2024-12-25 - Modified: 2025-04-08 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/daily-quiz/ - Authors: geralddrissner Every day, we display 20 random Arabic words from a pool of 6,000 essential words for fluency in Arabic. An Egyptian proverb states: التِّكْرار يعَلِّم الحُمارRepetition teaches a donkey, meaning practice makes perfect. quiz. arabic. today --- ### Arabic verb forms - Hans Wehr system - Published: 2024-08-26 - Modified: 2025-03-29 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/arabic-verb-forms/ - Authors: geralddrissner In Western Arabic dictionaries, such as Hans Wehr, Arabic verb forms are labeled with Roman numerals I to X. While I use this method, it can be unfamiliar to Arabic native speakers. Here's a brief overview to clarify what is meant by an I-verb or the I-form. Form I ‎‎فَعَلَ, فَعِلَ ,فَعُلَfa‘ala, fa‘ila, fa‘ula ➤ Primary meaning of the root. Form II فَعَّلَfa‘‘ala ➤ Strengthens the meaning of a I-verb; or makes it transitive or causative. Form III فَعَّلَfā‘ala ➤ Strengthens the meaning of a I-verb; or makes it transitive or causative. Form IV أَفْعَلَ’af‘ala ➤ Makes a I-verb transitive or causative; may strengthen a I-verb. Form V تَفَعَّلَ’af‘ala ➤ Reflexive or passive meaning of a II-verb; may intensify a I-verb (very rare). Form VI تَفاعَلَtafā‘ala ➤ Reflexive form of a III-verb. Form VII اِنْفَعَلَinfa‘ala ➤ Reflexive or passive meaning of a I-verb. Form VIII اِفْتَعَلَifta‘ala ➤ Reflexive or passive meaning of a I-verb. Similar to VII. Form IX اِفْعَلَّif‘alla ➤ Reflexive meaning of a II-verb (referring to colours or physical deficiencies). Form X اِسْتَفْعَلَistaf‘ala ➤ Expresses a wish or desire; could express the reflexive form of type IV; could also denote: to regard/consider something as... --- ### Disclaimer - Published: 2024-07-28 - Modified: 2025-02-13 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/disclaimer/ - Authors: geralddrissner --- ### Cookie Policy (EU) - Published: 2024-07-28 - Modified: 2025-02-13 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/cookie-policy-eu/ - Authors: geralddrissner --- ### Anki Vocab Downloads - Published: 2023-12-01 - Modified: 2025-03-15 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/anki-vocab-downloads/ - Authors: geralddrissner On this page, Arabic for Nerds Media Arabic Booster). Quick-URL: anki. arabic. today Anki is open-source and can be downloaded for free. Here is an archive of ANKI files you can download: If the Download Links do not appear after you've logged in, please try to refresh your browser. If you are unfamiliar with the verb system used in the Hans Wehr dictionary (Roman numerals, I-X), click here for a short overview. --- ### Request Media Kit - Published: 2023-09-13 - Modified: 2025-02-27 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/request-media-kit/ - Authors: geralddrissner Please fill out the following form. We will then provide you with the Arabic for Nerds Media Kit. --- ### Tags & Topics related to the Arabic language - Published: 2023-03-03 - Modified: 2025-03-12 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/search/ - Authors: geralddrissner You can search for any topic. Just enter your keyword. What topic are you interested in? 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TERMS OF USERSS (really simple syndication) service is a means by which arabic-for-nerds. com offers feeds of story headlines in XML format ("RSS Content")... --- ### Write a guest post: Tell your story at Arabic for Nerds - Published: 2022-10-25 - Modified: 2025-02-13 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/guest-article-guidelines/ - Authors: geralddrissner Would you like to write about Arabic? Have you published a book about Arabic? Do you want to share exciting news about Arabic? The good news is: You can use Submit Guest ARticleIn any case, I am happy if you become part of the Arabic for Nerds community, and I am very excited about your Arabic stories that you would like to share with my readers and me. Best regards Gerald --- ### Submit Tips, News & Article Ideas about Arabic - Published: 2022-07-13 - Modified: 2025-02-27 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/submit-news/ - Authors: geralddrissner Is there a new Arabic app, new book about Arabic, or a new Arabic Netflix series? Do you want to share an article you wrote about Arabic, a tricky grammar question or tips for learning Arabic? Perhaps we missed something really amazing happening in the world of Arabic and you want to tell us about it? Whether you're a nerd, app developer, author, beginner or expert - anything related to Arabic is welcome. Whatever it is, feel free to get in touch using the form below. If you are interested in becoming a --- ### Contributors > A list of contributors and guest authors of Arabic for Nerds - a the place for anyone addicted to Arabic. - Published: 2021-07-22 - Modified: 2025-02-27 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/contributors/ - Authors: geralddrissner Here is a list of authors who have contributed to Arabic for Nerds. I very much appreciate guest posts and articles. 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Premium newsletter with selected news and updates about Arabic language books, Arabic Netflix series, Arabic related events, etc. AUDIO player for Arabic words, ANKI vocab download, Arabic verb conjugator, and Daily Arabic Vocab Quiz Your help enables Arabic for Nerds to stay free and fully accessible to anyone who loves Arabic.  MEMBERS YESWITH ADS NOFAQ... --- ### This site can satisfy your longing for the Arabic language. > Support Arabic for Nerds - and help to keep it free and growing. - Published: 2021-05-03 - Modified: 2025-03-21 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/support-arabic-for-nerds/ - Authors: geralddrissner The content on Arabic for Nerds is for FREE, and it will always be like that. It is simple: I don't believe in paywalls! Money, parents, skin color, or the place where a person was born - all these things should never decide about a person's opportunities and interests. So, I try to do it differently. You can help! Any amount is greatly appreciated. Other ways to support Arabic for Nerds BTC: 373v8TVXgXwPUEy9Rt15u5bp44FVHhsKoH You can also support this site by becoming a member of ARABIC FOR NERDS plus: A big shout-out to the following people: --- ### What are you looking for? > Hundreds of articles about Arabic and Arabic grammar have been published on Arabic for Nerds since 2015. You can use this page to search for it. - Published: 2020-12-18 - Modified: 2025-03-12 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/search-alt/ - Authors: geralddrissner --- ### Contact - Published: 2020-02-26 - Modified: 2025-04-02 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/contact/ - Authors: geralddrissner I am constantly looking for interesting topics. Do you have an idea? Do you want to publish and article as a --- ### Arabic for Nerds STORE > Gifts and presents in Arabic - for nerds, geeks, and people who like Arabic: magnets, mugs, posters, shower curtains, and many more. - Published: 2019-06-14 - Modified: 2025-02-13 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/shop/ - Authors: geralddrissner Gifts, presents and nice-to-haves Life without Arabic is boring. But you can fix that. In this store, you can buy beautifully designed mugs, posters, blankets, stickers and magnets with Arabic design. Note: Prices do not include shipping. Learn more about Shipping Costs, Refund & Returns and Payment Options. --- ### 9273 roots > 9273 is an interview series with people who teach, work with, or simply love Arabic - people with dedication and passion for Arabic. - Published: 2018-12-15 - Modified: 2025-02-27 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/9273-roots/ - Authors: geralddrissner Ibn Manzur, featured on a Tunisian stamp, 1987 20 questions for people who are passionate about Arabic 9273 roots Lisan al-'Arab (لِسان الْعَرَب), the famous dictionary of Classical Arabic, contains 9273 roots (and 4,493,934 words). A huge playground for people who are passionate about Arabic. In the series 9273 roots, I will interview people who teach, work with or simply love Arabic - people with dedication and passion for Arabic. Each person is unique in a certain way. They will come from different parts of life and from all parts of the world, ranging from teachers, diplomats, journalists, language nerds, translators as well as more experienced and established experts. Every person is asked the same 20 questions. Interview suggestionSo far, the following people have been interviewed: --- ### Books about Arabic by Gerald Drißner - Published: 2018-08-10 - Modified: 2025-03-11 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/arabic-for-nerds-book/ - Authors: geralddrissner ARABIC FOR NERDS 1 and 2 are books that will improve your understanding of written Arabic texts dramatically. They help you to achieve your final goal: the superior level (C2). Most of the ideas and questions for this blog are taken from Gerald Drißner's books. pochemuchka books is his selfpublishing label. All major book stores and online sellers (e. g. amazon, the book depository, etc. ) should have the books in stock. In case you cannot get them, send a message. Arabic for Nerds 1 - Fill the Gaps 270 Questions about Arabic Grammar Arabic for Nerds onepushes you from the intermediate to the advanced level. Reading about Arabic grammar is usually as thrilling as reading telephone directories. The author uses a new approach: He compiled 270 interesting questions drawing from his years of studies in the Arab world to create a colorful journey into Arabic grammar. However, if you want to reach an advanced level, it is not about learning vocabulary lists - it is about understanding the fascinating core of Arabic. This is what Arabic for Nerds is all about. It is specifically intended for INTERMEDIATE learners. Fully revised and EXPANDED 1st edition - with indexOctober 2015, 568 pages ISBN-13 (paperback edition): 978-3-9819848-7-3 ISBN-13 (hardcover edition): 978-3-9819848-2-8 Available at amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your preferred bookshop (just use the ISBN or the name "Arabic for Nerds" to get it). To get a better idea of the book, you can check the "Look Inside! "-feature on amazon or have a look at the contents here. Arabic for Nerds 2 - A Grammar Compendium 450 Questions about Arabic Grammar Arabic for Nerds twowill improve your understanding of written Arabic texts dramatically.... --- ### Privacy Policy - Published: 2018-03-07 - Modified: 2025-04-08 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/privacy-policy/ - Authors: geralddrissner How can you use Arabic for Nerds? Before we get to everything else: There are two options to use Arabic for Nerds: Allowing ads (free) Arabic for Nerds+ (paid) With the https://all-inkl. com/datenschutzinformationen/. The use of All-Inkl is based on Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. We have a legitimate interest in the most reliable representation of our website. If appropriate consent has been obtained, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25 (1) TDDDG, insofar the consent includes the storage of cookies or the access to information in the user’s end device (e. g. , device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TDDDG. This consent can be revoked at any time. Data processing We have concluded a data processing agreement (DPA) for the use of the above-mentioned service. This is a contract mandated by data privacy laws that guarantees that they process personal data of our website visitors only based on our instructions and in compliance with the GDPR. Cloudflare We use the “Cloudflare” service provided by Cloudflare Inc. , 101 Townsend St. , San Francisco, CA 94107, USA. (hereinafter referred to as “Cloudflare”). Cloudflare offers a content delivery network with DNS that is available worldwide. As a result, the information transfer that occurs between your browser and our website is technically routed via Cloudflare’s network. This enables Cloudflare to analyze data transactions between your browser and our website and to work as a filter between our servers and potentially malicious data traffic from... --- ### About Arabic for Nerds > Arabic for Nerds is the place for Arabic students and learners. The author, Gerald Drissner, has been learning Arabic in the Arab world for many years. - Published: 2017-01-20 - Modified: 2025-03-11 - URL: https://arabic-for-nerds.com/about/ - Authors: geralddrissner The best place for people who are addicted to Arabic Arabic for Nerds is a home for anyone who is passionate about Arabic. At Arabic for Nerds, you will find... Interesting topics about Arabic grammar (sarf and nahw) Tricky things about Arabic dialects (mainly Egyptian Arabic) In-depth analysis of Media Arabic Apps and tools for Arabic learners 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 Who runs Arabic for Nerds? Gerald Drißner Gerald Drißner (Drissner), an award-winning journalist and economist, was born in 1977 and grew up in the Austrian Alps (النِمْسا), 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 Drißner 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 Drißner talks about his journey to Arabic and why he finds Arabic fascinating. I see Arabic for Nerds as a community for people who like or work with Arabic. I... ---