Language/Standard-arabic/Grammar/Basic-Arabic-phrases

Standard Arabic Grammar → Introduction to Arabic script → Basic Arabic phrases

As a Standard Arabic teacher for 20 years, I know that learning the basics is important for any language. In this lesson, we will cover the Arabic script, including vowels and consonants, along with some basic phrases to introduce oneself in Arabic.

Introduction to Arabic script

The Arabic script is an alphabet that originated from the Nabataean script used in ancient Arabia. It consists of 28 letters and is written from right to left. Arabic script is used in many languages, including Standard Arabic, Persian, and Urdu.

Arabic vowels

Arabic has three short vowels (fatḥah, kasrah, ḍammah) and two long vowels (alif maqsūrah and yāʾ). Here are some examples:

Standard Arabic	Pronunciation	English
فَهْمٌ	fahmun	understanding
كِتَابٌ	kitābun	book
مُعَلِّمٌ	muʿallimun	teacher
قَهْوَةٌ	qahwah	coffee

Arabic consonants

Arabic has 28 consonants. Here are some examples:

Standard Arabic	Pronunciation	English
ب	b	b as in "boy"
ت	t	t as in "top"
ج	j	j as in "jump"
ش	sh	sh as in "ship"

Basic Arabic phrases

Here are some basic Arabic phrases that are useful for introducing oneself:

• مَرْحَباً (marḥaban) - Hello
• أَنَا اِسْمِي... (anā ismī...) - My name is...
• كَيْفَ حالُكَ؟ (kayfa ḥāluka?) - How are you?
• بِخَيْرٍ، شُكْراً (bi-khayr, shukran) - I'm fine, thank you
• مِنْ أَيْنَ أَنْتَ؟ (min ʾayn anta?) - Where are you from?
• أَنَا مِنْ... (anā min...) - I'm from...

Learning these phrases can help you build confidence when speaking Arabic in social situations!

Sources

• Arabic script
• Standard Arabic

Table of Contents - Standard Arabic Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

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Introduction to Arabic script

• Arabic vowels
• Arabic consonants
• Basic Arabic phrases

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Nouns and gender in Arabic

• Definite and indefinite articles
• Masculine and feminine nouns

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Verbs and conjugation in Arabic

• Present tense conjugation
• Past tense conjugation
• Future tense conjugation

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Numbers and counting in Arabic

• Cardinal numbers 1-100
• Ordinal numbers

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Everyday Arabic vocabulary

• Greetings and farewells
• Colors
• Days of the week
• Months of the year

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Food and drink vocabulary

• Basic food vocabulary
• Drinks

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Arabic customs and traditions

• Islam and Arabic culture
• Arabic hospitality

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Arabic music and entertainment

• Arabic music genres
• Arabic dance

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Adjectives in Arabic

• Adjective agreement and placement
• Comparative and superlative

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Pronouns in Arabic

• Personal pronouns
• Possessive pronouns

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Prepositions in Arabic

• Basic prepositions
• Prepositions of time and place

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Interrogatives in Arabic

• Question words
• Question formation

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Adverbs in Arabic

• Formation and placement
• Negation

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Transportation vocabulary

• Public transportation
• Asking for directions

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Shopping and money vocabulary

• Money vocabulary
• Shopping vocabulary

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Arabic literature and poetry

• Classical Arabic literature
• Arabic poetry

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Arabic calligraphy and art

• History of Arabic calligraphy
• Arabic art and architecture

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Weather vocabulary

• Basic weather vocabulary
• Talking about the weather

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Conditional sentences in Arabic

• First and second conditional
• Third conditional and mixed conditionals

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Passive voice in Arabic

• Formation and usage
• Differences from the active voice

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Relative clauses in Arabic

• Formation and usage
• Differences from English relative clauses

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Arabic adjectives and nouns

• Common Arabic adjectives
• Compound nouns in Arabic

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Arabic cinema and TV

• Arabic cinema
• Arabic TV

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Arabic fashion and beauty

• Traditional Arabic dress
• Arabic beauty and cosmetics

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Sports and leisure vocabulary

• Popular Arabic sports
• Leisure activities