Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Conventions Used in This Book 2
Foolish Assumptions 3
Icons Used in This Book 3
Where to Go from Here 4
Chapter 1: I Say It How? Speaking Arabic 5
Taking Stock of What’s Familiar 5
Discovering the Arabic Alphabet 7
All about vowels 7
All about consonants 10
Tackling Tough Letters and Words 15
Addressing Arabic Transcription 15
Chapter 2: Grammar on a Diet: Just the Basics 17
Introducing Nouns, Adjectives, and Articles 17
Getting a grip on nouns 18
Identifying adjectives 18
Discovering definite and indefinite articles (and the sun and moon) 19
Understanding the interaction between nouns and adjectives 21
Creating Simple, Verb-Free Sentences 23
To be or not to be: Sentences without verbs 23
Building sentences with common prepositions 25
Using demonstratives and forming sentences 26
Forming “to be” sentences using personal pronouns 28
Creating negative “to be” sentences 30
“To be” in the past tense 32
Working with Verbs 33
Digging up the past tense 33
Examining the present tense 36
Peeking into the future tense 39
Chapter 3: Numerical Gumbo: Counting of All Kinds 41
Talking Numbers 41
Discovering Ordinal Numbers 43
Telling Time in Arabic 45
Specifying the time of day 46
Specifying minutes 47
Referring to Days and Months 49
Money, Money, Money 52
Opening a bank account 52
Using the ATM 54
Exchanging currency 55
Chapter 4: Making New Friends and Enjoying Small Talk 57
Greetings! 57
You say hello 58
I say goodbye 58
How are you doing? 59
I’m doing well! 59
Making Introductions 60
Asking “What’s your name?” 60
Responding with “My name is .” 60
Talking about Countries and Nationalities 61
Asking “Where are you from?” 61
Answering “I am from .” 62
Asking Questions 63
Talking about Yourself and Your Family 65
Talking about Work 67
Shooting the Breeze: Talking about the Weather 69
Chapter 5: Enjoying a Drink or a Snack (or a Meal!) 73
All about Meals 73
Breakfast 74
Lunch 76
Dinner 81
Enjoying a Meal at Home 82
Dining Out 83
Perusing the menu 83
Placing your order 85
Finishing your meal and paying the bill 87
Chapter 6: Shop ’til You Drop! 89
Going to the Store 89
Browsing the merchandise 90
Getting around the store 91
Asking for a Particular Item 92
Comparing Merchandise 95
Comparing two or more items 95
Picking out the best item 98
Shopping for Clothes 100
Chapter 7: Making Leisure a Top Priority 103
Visiting Museums 103
Going to the Movies 106
Touring Religious Sites 109
A few rules to keep in mind 109
The Hajj 110
Sporting an Athletic Side 111
Going to the Beach 115
Playing Musical Instruments 115
Popular Hobbies 116
Chapter 8: When You Gotta Work 119
Landing a Job 119
Managing the Office Environment 122
Interacting with your colleagues 124
Giving orders 129
Supplying your office 131
Picking Up the Phone 132
Dialing up the basics 132
Beginning a phone conversation 132
Asking to speak to someone 133
Making business appointments 133
Dealing with voice mail 135
Chapter 9: I Get Around: Transportation 137
Traveling by Plane 137
Making reservations 137
Getting some legwork out of the verb “to travel” 140
Registering at the airport 141
Boarding the plane 143
A brief departure on the verb “to arrive” 144
Going through immigration and customs 145
Getting Around on Land 147
Hailing a taxi 148
Taking a bus 149
Boarding a train 150
Asking for Directions 151
Asking “where” questions 151
Answering “where” questions 151
Asking with courtesy 153
Could you repeat that? 153
Using command forms 155
Chapter 10: Laying Down Your Weary Head: Hotel or Home 159
Choosing the Right Accommodation 160
Making a Reservation 162
Figuring out the price 163
Indicating the length of your stay 164
Checking In to the Hotel 165
Checking Out of the Hotel 167
Life at Home 168
Chapter 11: Dealing with Emergencies 171
Shouting Out for Help 171
A little help with the verb “to help” 172
Lending a hand 175
Getting Medical Help 176
Locating the appropriate doctor 176
Talking about your body 177
Explaining your symptoms 178
Getting treatment 179
Acquiring Legal Help 180
Chapter 12: Ten Favorite Arabic Expressions 183
marHaba bikum! 183
mumtaaz! 183
al-Hamdu li-llah 184
inshaa’ allah 184
mabruk! 185
bi ‘idni allah 185
bi SaHHa 185
taHiyyaat 186
muballagh 186
tabaaraka allah 187
Chapter 13: Ten Great Arabic Proverbs 189
al-’amthaal noor al-kalaam 189
‘a’mal khayr wa ‘ilqahu fii al-baHr 189
‘uTlubuu al-’ilm min al-mahd ‘ilaa al-laHd 190
yad waaHida maa tusaffiq 190
al-Harbaa’ laa Yughaadir shajaratuh hattaa yakun mu’akkid ‘an shajara ‘ukhraa 190
khaTa’ ma’roof ‘aHsan min Haqiiqa ghayr ma’roofa 191
as-sirr mithel al-Hamaama: ‘indamaa yughaadir yadii yaTiir 191
al-’aql li an-niDHaar wa al-kalb li as-simaa’ 192
kul yawm min Hayaatuk SafHa min taariikhuk 192
li faatik bi liila faatik bi Hiila 192
Index 193
