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Quiz # 3 : lessons 11 ~14

[Here is the link to the final quiz, good luck!]

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Next week we will have no new lessons, but a test of what we studied in all the lessons we've seen so take the time this week to revise and prepare yourselves. And of course if you have any questions feel free to ask

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Dose # 14 - two types of lām

Categories of words

Before we start, we need to talk about the three types of words in Arabic : noun, verb and ḥarf. 

A verb فعل [fi'l] is a word with a meaning that indicates a tense.

A noun اسم [ism] is a word with a meaning that does not indicate a tense and is not linked with time.

The word “ḥarf” حرف [ḥarf] literally means “letter”, but in this context it can also refer to a "grammatical particle". In Arabic this is a part of speech that is neither a noun nor a verb, and plays a supporting role in a sentence, it needs other words to have a complete meaning. Some particles are composed of one letter and some are composed of several letters.  

Indefinite vs definite nouns?

Before we start the lesson, I would like to introduce a small grammatical point related to the tanween which we have seen before.

The tanween in Arabic is the mark of the indefinite nouns.

This means two things : that is can only come at the end of the nouns (never at the end of a verb); AND that it means that this nouns is indefinite for example :

A pen = قَلَمٌ A book = كِتَابٌ A king = مَلِكٍ A prince = أَميرًا

Since Arabic has grammatical cases as we said in an earlier lesson, the choice between the 3 different tanweens is made depending on the role that the word plays in a sentence.

هَذَا قَلَمٌ أَحْمَرٌ [This is a red pen]

رَأيْتُ قَلَمًا [I saw a pen]

كُتِبَ بِقَلَمٍ أَحْمَرَ [It was written with a red pen]

This is true in case of the ḥarakat as well as the tanweens.

Types of "lām" and the definite article

“Al” in Arabic is the Arabic equivalent of “the”, and it’s the most common way to define a noun.

Note that “Al” will never accompany a verb or a preposition. There are other marks of a definite noun but we will discuss them in more advanced lessons.

In Arabic, “Al” is referred to as “aattʿrīf” أل التعريف [audio], and it only comes with a noun.

“Al” is composed of two letters, alif (ا) and lam (ل). There are two ways to pronounce the “lām” depending on the letter that follows it. These two ways to pronounce it are what I refer to as the types of “lām”.

This may seem like a strange concept but you will get more familiar with it when you hear more examples :

1- First “lām” type : lam qamariyya (the lunar “lām”) لام قمرية [audio]

When followed by the moon letters the “lām” in “al” أل التعريف is pronounced, and the letter that follows it is also pronounced. So basically, the word is read the way it is written.

Note : I might also refer to this "lām" as the "moon lām". 

There are 14 moon letters and they are : 

Examples

أَرْنَبٌ + أل التَّعْريف = الأَرْنَبُ

[audio]

جَمَلٌ + أل التَّعْرِيف = الجَمَلُ

[audio]

وَلَدٌ + أَل التَّعْرِيفِ = الوَلَدُ

[audio]

Notice how the words without أل التعريف all had tanween, but once we added the "al" the word automatically becomes definite. And we mentioned that the definite article cannot have tanween.

2- Second “lām” type : lam šamsiyya (the sun “lām”) لام شمسية [audio]

When followed by the sun letters, the “lām” is not pronounced, and the letter that follows it has shadda (stressed letter).

There are 14 sun letters, and they are : 

Examples

دَرْبٌ + أل التَّعْرِيف = الدَّرْبُ

[audio]

طَائِرَةٌ + أَل التَّعْرِيف = الطَائِرَةُ

[audio]

سَمَكَةٌ + أَل التَّعْرِيفِ = السَّمَكَةُ

[audio]

To help you memorize

To help you memorize which letter is a sun letter and which letter is a moon letter, memorize the name of the letter, for example, instead of saying (أ) Alif, try saying حرف الألف (ḥarful alif) , the letter alif,  and instead of saying “dal” for the letter د try saying حرف الدال (ḥarfu-ddāl) ie the letter dāl.

When you memorize each letter’s name with “al” you will automatically know if this letter is a moon or sun letter.

If you go back to the old lessons, you'll see that I color coded all the sun letters in green while the moon letters in blue.

Additionally, another interesting clue is the "emphatic letter" is similar to the letter that is the lighter version for example س -ص are both sun lettets, ذ - ظ are also sun letters.

Also the letters that look alike (sister letters as I call them) are also similar (except for the ب); for example ت - ث are sun letters, ص - ض are sun letters, ر-ز , ط-ظ are all sun letters.

ف- ق are moon letters. ح-ج-خ are also moon letters, ع-غ are moon letters.

How time flies! ヾ(＾∇＾)

With this we have reached the very last lesson of this course. I hope you found it helpful and interesting! And please excuse any imperfections, I spent alot of time trying to make it as good as I could. I also looked up information and asked professionals whenever I needed to verify any information. I really enjoyed working on it and I was so happy with your participation and encouragement!

Hope to have you again insha'Allah in future courses ♡(◕ᗜ◕✿)

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Reminder

The last batch of letters, yay!

Lesson # 13 is out already, here's a quick summary

Here are the last two letters, the letters in this batch.

We have the letter ض is kinda the emphatic sound of the letter د, and it's written like the letter ص but with a dot on top

The last letter is the letter ظ, it's written like the letter ط but with a dot on top. As for the pronunciation, it's like the emphatic sound of "th" in "that".

Make sure you listen to the audio files in the lesson to compare the sounds.

The last lesson, which is a small grammar lesson will be out on Friday insha'Allah so don't miss it!

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Lesson # 13 - letters [batch 10]

We reached the final boss last two letters!

Ḍād ض Ẓāʾظ

Special note about the letter ض : it only exists in Arabic, therefore Arabic is referre to as لُغَةُ الضَّادِ Luġatu-ḍḍād (the language of the letter ḍād)

How to write them ♡(◕ᗜ◕✿)

It's very easy to write the last two letters, the letter ض is written the same way as the letter ص but it has a dot on top

Similarly, the letter ظ is written the same way as the letter ص except for the dot on top

Letters + vowels (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)

Letters + short vowels

Letters + long vowels

Letters + tanween

Letters + words that contain them

Pronunciation (◕‸ ◕✿)

[ Ẓāʾ] ظ

The letter ظ is the emphatic version of the letter ذ (th - that). As we've seen before with other emphatic letters. You can get this letter by transitioning from ذ sound, raising the back of your tongue (the part closer to your throat) higher so that the sound is thicker. Listen to the audio to help you practice.

[Ḍād] ض

This is the most unique letter in the Arabic alphabet and it has no equivalent in any other alphabet, this is why I'll explain what's going on in full detail.

In this letter, the air does not flow from your throat, it stops. Your vocal cords will close up the airflow.

For example when you make the sound "sssss" it can flow continusouly, right? Compare that to the glottal stop where the airflow stops immediately.

Back to the letter ض. The back of your tongue (closest to the throat) is raised fully until it touched the top of your throat. The sound of the letter comes from the edges of the tongue, I colored the part in yellow. This is where the sound of the letter is coming.

Practice (◕▿◕✿)

Practice writing the letters using this worksheet

Homework # 13 ♡(◕ᗜ◕✿)

[Here is the link to the 13th homework]

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Reminder!

Lesson # 12 is out! Make sure you revise it. It's the batch before the last, we're so close to finishing.

Here's a summary of the letters we saw in this batch.

The letter ش is the sound "sh" in English or "ş" in Turkish.

The letter ش is written like the letter س but with three dots on top.

The letter غ is written like the letter ع but with a dot on top.

In terms of pronunciation, it's like the sound "r" in French and in some dialects of German.

Finally, the letter ط is the emphatic sound of the letter ت. Here are the different ways to write it with the mudood.

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Dose # 12 - letters [batch 9]

In today's batch we will learn

Šīn س Ṭāʾ ط Ġayn غ

How to write them ♡(◕ᗜ◕✿)

The letter ش is very easy to write once you've mastered the letter س, it's written exactly the same way in all its forms but there are three dots over the "crown" part.

The letter غ is also easy once you've mastered the letter ع, it's exactly the same way but with a dot on top. But be careful with the medial part, it's not a cricle.

To make the shape easier to remember, the ــغـ in the middle resembles half a pacman. Behold the uncanny resemblance!

And finally, the letter ط, you start off by the "body", it looking a duck in a way, then you add the accessories "the stick" on top of it.

Letters + vowels (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)

Letters + short vowels

Letters + long vowels

Letters + tanween

Letters + words that contain them

Pronunciation (◕‸ ◕✿)

ش [Šīn]

This letter is easy, it's similar to the "sh" sound in English (Show) or the "Ş" sound in Turkish (iş) , or the "ch" sound in French (chaise).

غ [Ġayn]

This letter sounds like the Parisian "r" sound. It sounds as it you are gargling. It's coming from the top of your throat. (very close to where the خ is coming).

ط [Ṭāʾ]

This one is a bit tricky. It's the emphatic ت sound, as in the "thicker" sound of the letter. Try prouncing the letter ت but raise the lower part of your tongue (the part closer to the throat).

Practice (◕▿◕✿)

Use this worksheet to practice writing the letters

Homework # 12 ♡(◕ᗜ◕✿)

[Here is the link to homework # 12]

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Reminder!

Lesson # 11 is out! Don't forget to revise it before the next lesson is out.

Here's a quick reminder of the letters we saw in this batch

We have two emphatic letters in this batch, the first one is ق which is the emphatic version of the sound ك

The second sound is the emphatic sound of the س which is ص

The ص looks like a whistle and also sounds like it.

The last letter is the letter خ, writing wise it's like the letters ح and ج except that the dot is on top. In terms of pronunciation, it's a sound that exists in different languages among them is Castilian Spanish (the letter J).

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Lesson # 11 - letters [batch 8]

Today's batch contain these letters :

H̱āʾ خ Ṣād ص Qāf ق

How to write them ♡(◕ᗜ◕✿)

خ this letter is written exactly like the ح and ج which we have seen before, the only difference is that it has the dot on top of it

The second letter, ق, is a mix of the letter ف and ن. The round head reminds us of the letter ف, but of course this one has two dots.

The "body" of the letter, however, is different, and it has the same shape as that of the letter ن. It's more round and it also dives under the line.

Finally, the letter ص. This letter shares a resemblance with the letter س but the head is more like a whisle, not a crown.

And before anyone complains because of the similarity, I present you an illustration to prove my point that the letter صـ indeed resembles the shape of a whistle.

Letters + vowels (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)

Letter + short vowels

Letters + long vowels

Letters + tanween

Words containing these letters

Pronunciation (◕‸ ◕✿)

ق [Qāf]

The letter ق is close in pronunciation to the letter ك, but the difference is that the letter ك comes from the back of the throat, when the back of your tongue touches the soft palate (the soft part of your throat) .

Whereas the letter ك comes when the back of your tongue touches the hard palate (the hard part of the throat).

To get this voice, try saying "k" multiple times, but raise the end of your tongue so that it goes a bit to the back, so that it touches the soft part of your throat.

خ [H̱āʾ]

Letter خ sounds like the "J" sound in the Spanish of Spain (Castellano). The sound is coming from the upper sound of your throat. It sounds like the sound of someone who is snoring if it helps.

ص [Ṣād]

This letter is a bit tricky, it's a emphatic "s" sound, it sounds like a whistle. The letters س and ص are similar in terms of the point of articulation but the letter ص the very back of the tongue is raised a little bit. Try making the "ssss" sound then slowly raise the back of your tongue. The tip of your tongue must touch the upper row of teeth.

Practice (◕▿◕✿)

Use this worksheet to practice writing the letters

Homework # 11 ♡(◕ᗜ◕✿)

[here is the link for this week's homework!]

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Quiz # 2 : lessons 6 ~10

[Here is the link to the second quiz, good luck!]

[doseofarabic]

Reminder!

Lesson # 10 is out, did you get the chance to revise it?

Try to do so soon, since next Friday we'll have a small test ^^

We're so close to the end! Four more lessons to go, keep up the good work, everyone!

Here's a quick revision of what we studied in this lesson

We studied three letters, two of them are a bit unique since they're in Semitic languages and not in European languages. The letters ح and ع.

The sound ح has the same articulation point as the sound ع, the difference is that the sound continues flowing since the air keeps flowing through your throat.

There's a funny video about pronouncing the letter ح, it might be silly but I'm sharing it in case it can benefit anyone. I found it cute personally ^^

When pronouncing the letter ع , the air doesn't flow, it stops. Try putting your hand in the middle of the throat. Press your hand on the middle of the throat, the sound should come from there.

Our third and last semi-consonant. Keep in mind that the letter that comes before the و has to match it in haraka in order for it to be a vowel.

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Hello, lovely people!

I amended the post in the previous lesson to include the homework, here is the link just in case

[doseofarabic]

Next week we will have no new lessons, but a test of what we studied in lessons 6 ~ 10 so take the time this week to revise and prepare yourselves. And of course if you have any questions feel free to ask.

[doseofarabic]

Dose # 10 - letters [batch 7]

In this batch we will study :

Ḥāʾ ح ʿayn ع Wāw و

How to write them ♡(◕ᗜ◕✿)

The letter ح is exactly like the letter ج except that it has no dot

The letter ع is a bit different though, the head looks like the hamza ء which we studied in the intial, fianl and isolated forms. And in its medial form, it has a unique shape so make sure you don't confuse it with the letter ف Fāʾ which has a medial form that is a complete circle.

The letter و is a combination of a circle and and an open bracket.

Letters + vowels (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)

Letters + short vowels

Letters + long vowels

Letters + tanween

Words that contain the letters

Pronunciation (◕‸ ◕✿)

و [Wāw]

The semi-consonent و is like the sound w or ou

ع [ʿayn]

ح [Ḥāʾ]

The letters ح and ع are a bit tricky, so I wanted to group them together so that we can compare them and learn how to correctly pronounce the letters. Audios are included for both files.

Since they are letters that exist is semetic languages, it's hard for me to compare them to any letters in English or European languages in general so I'll try to explain it in full detail.

Both letters ع and ح originate from the same place. The middle of the throat. Look at the arrow below.

The difference between them is that the letter ح is that the "sound" and the air is flowing continuosly from your throat. It's like a continuous hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh sound. Except the "h" sound is coming from a lower part of the throat (not the middle part) so the sound ḥḥḥḥḥḥ ح comes.

Whereas, the letter ع while it also comes from the middle of the throat, but the sound doesn't "flow" it stops there. Put your hand on the middle of the throat and release sound and press to get the sound right. The vocal cords will come closer, so the air will not flow like it does with the ح.

The sound of ع is shorter and sudden, similar to the suddeness of the glottal stop, but it comes from the middle of the throat not the lower part of the throat.

Practice (◕▿◕✿)

You can use this worksheet to practice writing the letters we learned

Homework # 10 ♡(◕ᗜ◕✿)

[Find herewith the homework for this week]

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Reminder!

Did you revise this week's batch of letters?

Make sure you do so before the next lesson on Friday (◕ᴗ◕✿)

Here's a quick summary

The letter ج

It's pronounced like the "g" in giraffe or "ja" in jack.

This is what it looks like with harakat.

The letter س

That's an easy letter to pronounce, the letter "s".

It has a simple crown along with the "boat" part of the letter ن. It goes both over and under the line

The letter ف

This is the letter that sounds like "f", it looks like the letter ب but with a small head wearing a "fancy" hat on top.

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Dose # 9 - letters [batch 6]

The letters that we will study in this batch are

Ǧīm ج Sīn س Fāʾ ف

How to write them ♡(◕ᗜ◕✿)

The letter ج 's initial and medial forms look a bit like an eye, the final form has the same eye shape but it's a bit higher above the line, and then it has a small arc or curve.

The letter س looks a bit like a crown, the top part (crown) is always on the line, for the final and isolated forms, there is a small arc, similar to the one in the letter ن.

The letter ف looks a bit like the letter ب (in all it's forms) but it has a small circle/knot at the beginning. To remmember think of ب as a regulat boat while ف fāʾ is an "iflated" boat.

Letters + vowels (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)

Letter + short vowels

Letters + long vowels

Letters + tanween

Different words in which the letter can be found

Pronunciation (◕‸ ◕✿)

The letters in this batch are relatively easy to pronounce letter س is like the letter s, which j is like the letter g in giraffe, while the letter ف is like the letter f

Audio files are attached, listen to them and practice them.

س [Sīn]

ج [Ǧīm]

ف [Fāʾ]

Practice (◕▿◕✿)

Use this worksheet to practice what we learned in this lesson

Homework # 9 ♡(◕ᗜ◕✿)

Here is the link to this week's homework!

[doseofarabic]

Reminder!

Today is Tuesday, you know what this means, right?

Your weekly reminder to revise the lesson (＠＾◡＾)

Here's the link to Lesson # 8 , our 5th batch of letters.

Wow, we finished 5 batches already, that's halfway through the letter batches! Great going! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

As we do every week, here's a quick revision of this week's batch

Ḏāl ذ

This letter looks exactly like the letter د in terms of writing but it has a dot on top.

As for the pronunciation, it's pronounced like "th" in "that" or "those".

Nūn ن

This letter is the equivalent of the letter "n" in English and many other languages.

Remember what we said about telling the ب and ن apart?

To help you remember, the ب bāʾ looks like a "boat" while the ن Nūn has taken a nosedive.

Yāʾ ي

Now the tricky one : the semi consonant!

As a consonant, the letter ي is like the sound "y", just like any other consonant, it can have the fatḥa, ḍamma, kasra on it as well as the sukoon and tanween.

We could also have cases, like the last line "ي with the long vowel ي" where the ي as a consonant meets with the ي as a vowel. It sounds like "yee" in "year" or "yeet".

Remember : the second ي in this example is the vowel, because the letter that comes before it has a haraka that matches it, and the haraka that matches the vowel ي is kasra.