Arabic Verbs and Essentials of Grammar: A Practical Guide to the Mastery of Arabic

Book Description

This concise, two-in-one book provides an accessible introduction to Arabic grammar and a comprehensive explanation of verbs in their various forms.

Customer Reviews:

Arabic Verbs & Essentials of Grammar.......2007-01-09

This book is a complementary work to Mastering Arabic by the same authors. It is called Arabic - Verbs & Essentials of Grammar. It appears to be a nice complement for beginners to studying Arabic.

This is an Arabic language book. It assumes the student might have the companion book, Mastering Arabic and begins with learning basic grammar and sentence structure. Obviously verbs are essentials to nearly all sentences with their tenses, cases and gender. My objectives are not to speak Arabic so much as to be able to read and write it.
It is really a little too early to tell how far this book and the other will take me since it will be several years before its benefits are fully known to me.

I am a typical Mid-west American with some interest in languages and I have studied Spanish, German, with some Hebrew and Russian exposure. I thought I would tackle Arabic because it is an entirely different language in structure and speech than any other language that I have studied. I also see more and more written Arabic in the news media; and much as I love the news media, I would like to be able to judge what is said for myself (i.e. to keep the news media honest). I am 68 also and this is an adventure.

Transliterations Not Good for Pronounciation.......2006-06-16

The review by "Cat Marie" is very similar to my initial review of "First 100 Words" by the same author. I wrote that review before receiving classroom instruction in Arabic from native speakers. As a result of that experience, I amended my review as follows:

There are basic sounds and sound patterns that simply cannot be represented by English phoneticisms, period. So for the purpose of learning the *sounds* represented by Arabic *script*, English phoneticisms are misleading in some cases, and flat out wrong in others.

For those already familiar with Arabic sounds, phoneticisms or transliterations are merely "codes" rather than representations. Unfortunately, this book gives the (often false) impression of *representing* the sounds. Readers who get a false sense of confidence in mispronunciations learned from this book (as I did) may be discouraged when they first encounter the difficulties of correct pronunciation.

For the English speaker, many Arabic sounds and ways of verbally connecting sounds are totally unfamiliar. To learn to properly pronounce Arabic on even the most basic level, inter-personal instruction is an absolute must. Recordings are good supplements for "ear training," but they cannot provide the correction essential for properly *verbalizing* Arabic sounds.

Good start, but you've got a little further to go.......2006-02-13

As a beginner to the Arabic language, I was grateful to find this book. In the past, I've been subjected to dry-as-toast Arabic grammars that made NO sense whatsoever (because they often used jargon that would only be familiar to Arabic scholars with PhDs, probably). Wightwick and Gaafar's book is a nice, slim reference for basic Arabic grammar. What is particularly nice for the elementary student is that while grammar is shown in Arabic script (in my opinion, this is necessary for any Arabic guide worth its salt), the words are also transliterated so that the reader can accurately learn the pronunciation of a word.

HOWEVER, it should be pointed out that the subtitle is a little misleading. This is NOT a practical guide for the "mastery" of Arabic. While a great desk reference, it is still a good introductury Arabic grammar. There are other books for advanced grammar. This isn't it.

Also, this book is not for the absolute beginner. You should have a foundation in the Arabic alphabet and some basic vocabulary. This book teaches none of those things, just how a sentence fits together and various verb tenses.

Looking back on this review, I have to amend a few things. I began studying Arabic with a tutor and would add that while the pronunciation used in the book is close, sometimes it's inaccurate. Really, you need to use this book in conjunction with an Arabic course, because you won't be able to teach yourself. You NEED to hear the language firsthand, and flat words on paper aren't going to give you that.

Honestly, I recommend this more: A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic (Reference Grammars). This is a fuller, more complete picture of the Arabic language (so why waste your time on a very skinny intro grammar that occasionally makes transliteration mistakes?). Wightwick's book is a decent reference but really, for your time and money, you can do better.

I'd change the stars on my original review but unfortunately the edit option doesn't seem to allow me.

A Well-Rounded Reference Grammar.......2005-12-28

This book is very well-structured, divided into three parts: introduction, verbs, and grammar. The introduction is a glance at the root system of the Arabic language. The verb section is an excellent overview, beneficial to both the beginner and the advanced. For the beginner it acts as a primer; for the advanced, a review. It discusses topics such as tense, mood, verb forms, and irregular verbs. The grammar section is considerably more concise, and seems like an afterthought. It caters to the beginner, but is redundant to the advanced. The end of every chapter provides a brief summary, as well as a good number of examples. This book is essential for the beginner and a good reference for the advanced.

a good start, but that's it.......2004-06-22

First off, it looks like I might have an older edition of this book, so maybe it has been improved. The edition I have is concise, with some errors, and is okay as a reference for beginning students. It's quick and simple to use. But it's nowhere near in-depth enough for advanced students, and even intermediate learners will find it frustrating a fair amount of the time. Use it in conjunction with a variety of other resources.

Complete Arabic: The Basics (LL(R) Complete Basic Courses)

Average customer rating:

Good for grammar - but little else.
Good Supplement
explanation of product
Horrible
Excellent Book

Complete Arabic: The Basics (LL(R) Complete Basic Courses)
Living Language
Manufacturer: Living Language
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 1400021235
Release Date: 2005-04-19

Book Description

Arabic is an increasingly vital world language. A person who can speak Arabic will have advantages in the job market, at school, in the government, and in a number of other areas. Now there’s a simple way to learn Arabic, designed especially to make this fascinating language accessible to everyone.

Complete Arabic: The Basics is the latest addition to our best-selling Complete language series. It covers everything a beginner needs to know—in a simple, straightforward style. Language learners will be able to master pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar essentials, conversational skills, and even Arabic script!

Each package comes complete with a coursebook, three hours of recordings on three CDs, and an invaluable two-way glossary.

Customer Reviews:

Good for grammar - but little else........2006-07-26

After learning the basics of Arabic from this book, I stopped reading it. It feels like a phrasebook, just spewing random vocabulary that doesn't really help you.

On a positive note, it doesn't just teach MSA, it has other dialects.

I've heard that "Mastering Arabic" is a pretty good book. Try that instead.

Good Supplement.......2006-04-19

I realized when I bought the package that what this would teach me was the Modern Standard Arabic, and not a regional colloqial, but I figured it would be a nice supplement to what I was already learning. It met my expectations.
It does not teach the student how to read Arabic (for that, try the (Teach Yourself series)but the conversations were helpful with building my vocabulary.

explanation of product.......2006-02-24

The CD's that come with the textbook are just the oral pronunciation of the written arabic words. Ive done the first few lessons and it seems helpful for beggining to become conversational in arabic. If you want to learn to write arabic or read arabic, look for a product that is more specialized in that area.

Horrible.......2006-01-01

First off, I am a student of six languages, Arabic being one of them and I bought this course to improve my Arabic but it was a waste of money to the highest degree. There are multiple reaons why this is an aboslutely horrible Arabic course...
1. This course teaches you through dialogues which is a wretched way to learn a language, and is only going to get you to a conversational level and probably not even that.
2. The writing system of Arabic is hardly spoke of and you will not learn the system well enough to even make out sign or simple maps, it is a horrible method and I had to buy another book to learn the system; this is important because you should never try to learn the Arabic language without a COMPLETE understadnign of the alphabet.
3. This language learning tool doesn't teach colloquial terms or useful exrpressions, and that is very important to learning.

Overall I would not reccomend this at all to anyone wanting to lean this language. After trying for almost a month to learn from it, I stopped using it and have had to purchase other books to keep learning this fascinating language.

Excellent Book.......2005-06-09

This is an amazing Arabic book! I'm originally from Florida and I spent a good amount of time growing up near a local Arab community. I could never quite understand what they were talking about but, after I read this book, I was not only able to understand what they were saying, but I was also able to speak to them in Arabic. This is all due to this wonderful book! I highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning the language!

English-Arabic Arabic-English Dictionary & Phrasebook (Hippocrene Dictionary and Phrasebook)

Average customer rating:

A Wonderful Resource for Beginners
English-Arabic Arabic-English Dictionary & Phrasebook
very poor
Great resource.
Does not offer enough information

English-Arabic Arabic-English Dictionary & Phrasebook (Hippocrene Dictionary and Phrasebook)
Jane Wightwick , and Mahmoud Gaafar
Manufacturer: Hippocrene Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0781809738

Customer Reviews:

A Wonderful Resource for Beginners.......2007-08-28

I am very pleased with this particular phrase book. It will definitely give me a good start to learning arabic.

English-Arabic Arabic-English Dictionary & Phrasebook.......2007-06-08

I have just spent two months in an Arabic speaking country. I had this book with me and it was VERY useful in helping me communicate. An especially good feature was having the words in the Arabic alphbet as well as the transliteration so literate Arabs could read in their own language the words I wanted to communicate to them. The book was also very popular with Arabic-speaking people who want to improve their English - so much so that I left my copy with one person there and ordered another copy for myself when I got home.

very poor .......2007-02-04

I bought this book about 2 months ago and found it dissappointing. It has many uncommon phrases such as something like " his wife looks pregnant", or some other phrase you will very unlikely ever use if you were to talk to someone in arabic, even less likely if you were a beginner. The book has an short english-arabic dictionary in the front that has a lot of irrelevant words and lacks the very basic first words you need to know such as "no", "yes" ,etc, The dictionary does not reference the word it translates to where you can find it in the rest of the book so you are on your own and for a beginner that becomes frustrating.

Great resource........2006-12-27

I think this book was great for learning some basic arabic words and useful phrases. While it doesnt have a comprehensive section on writing and the alphabet, I dont recommend it for those who do not yet have a grasp on the alphabet. HOwever, it is a great follow-up resource for those who have already learned the alphabet and want to expand their vocabulary. One more comment: in many beginners arabic books they have the vowel marks to help beginners to read easier and this one doesnt. Hard to explain, but it just emphasizes the fact that this may be a resource too advanced to the very beginners of the language.

Does not offer enough information.......2006-07-05

I was disappointed in this dictionary- it's really not comprehensive enough to be of use.

Average customer rating:

Very Professional
Here we go--finally a good textbook for a Central Asian language that's in print
Excellent
A very useful guide for learning Tajiki

A Beginner's Guide to Tajiki
Azim Baizoyev
Manufacturer: RoutledgeCurzon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0415315980

Book Description

This textbook has been written for English-speakers learning Tajiki. Each lesson contains the following sections:
· A short commentary in English on the subject around which the lesson has been prepared;
· A key vocabulary list on the lesson's theme;
· Dialogues focussed around the theme of the lesson;
· A grammar section introducing one or more points of grammar
· Exercises providing opportunities for controlled practice of new vocabulary and grammar presented in that lesson;
· Many lessons also include proverbs and short texts followed by discussion questions
· A quiz, to promote free language practice or encourage thinking about how to ask and answer questions.
There are also appendices containing useful information, e.g. examples of formal/informal letters, invitations, congratulation/condolence speeches, etc.

Customer Reviews:

Very Professional.......2006-07-25

A VERY complex and thorough vocabulary and grammar book for the person seriously interested in studying Tajiki, but I do have one gripe; the glossary is only Tajiki-English, not English-Tajiki, so it is impossible to deviate from the lessons and frame your own thoughts! Plan on buying a separate dictionary.

Here we go--finally a good textbook for a Central Asian language that's in print.......2006-03-17

This book has its weak points--the exercises could be more robust, and the vocab lists sprawl--but all in all, this is a great way to learn an important Central Asian language. You might want to pair this one with Thackston's introduction to Persian, since the languages are mutually intelligible and it wouldn't hurt to pick up the Arabic script while you're at it.

Excellent.......2004-07-07

I only want, as another reader of this book, to echo the comments of the reader below: This is an excellent book for learning Tajik(i). Considering the general inavailability and/or poor quality of books to learn the languages of Central Asia, the authors and publishers of this one are to be congratulated for having produced this fine introduction.

My only real objection is that the number of vocabulary words per lesson strikes me as wildly excessive. If you're living in Tajikistan and surrounded by these words, you might be able to pick up a number of them by osmosis, but working on your own at a distance from where the language is spoken, you'll likely be somewhat daunted by the number of words cited in the vocabulary listings to the various chapters. I would not worry about this, but would learn the words that seem useful, and push ahead anyway, since the grammatical explanations and examples et al available in this book are excellent.

Michael Craig Hillmann's "Tajiki Textbook and Reader" is also a very useful resource for the language, although I suspect that most learners would probably find the Baizoyev/Hayward book a more user-friendly starter book to work with on one's own. Anyone who works his/her way through both books will have a very firm foundation in the language.

A very useful guide for learning Tajiki.......2004-04-03

I used this text book while living in Tajikistan and learning the Tajik language. I found that the book was extremely helpful. The organization of the lessons around everyday activities made it practical for someone who is learning the language in a Tajik speaking community. There is also enough content on academic and literary terms to help the person who has a more academic interest in the langauge. The explanations of the grammer system were very clear and complete. Each chapter has articles on Tajik culture that are very helpful.

There are a few minor things that could be improved. First, Some of the vocabulary seemed to be either archaic or excessively literary. The native speakers I knew didn't recognized some of the words that I learned in this book, like pipe and faucet. Second, I would prefer a more communicative approach to language learning. I beleive that it is easier to learn a language by seeing and hearing a lot of examples rather than doing grammar drills and memorizing patterns and rules. This book does have stories and dialogs in Tajiki which are helpful, but I would like to see more. There is also a very helpful companion CD with MP3 audio recordings of the dialogs it would be even better if it were expanded.

There is a dictionary at the end of the book, but since STAR publishes a separate, even more cmoprehensive dictionary this doean't seem necessary. I would rather have had more tajik stories, dialogs, and narratives on these pages.

Book Description

The only language guide of its kind, the Iraqi Phrasebook provides you with the Iraqi-Arabic phrases you'll need to communicate effectively in general travel, medical, and security situations, as well as with ordinary Iraqis on the street. The book:

Separates content by topic
Focuses on conversational language
Presents Arabic phrases in easy-to-read transliteration
Features phrases addressing needs of military, aid, business, and construction personnel

Customer Reviews:

Very handy and well-designed.......2004-07-22

This is a useful phrasebook for the novice heading to Iraq for the first time. No Arabic script; a shame, but that seems to be the case with almost all such handbooks tailored to one dialect of Arabic. The almost pocket-sized booklet starts off with a description of the phonetic system and moves quickly to a few very basic elements of grammar, basic words, numbers, telling time, and common situations from greetings to arrival at the airport, checking in at a hotel, getting around town, food and drink, personal care, sight-seeing, visiting mosques, medical care, security situation, and timely police station and checkpoint dialogue. Nothing special in terms of military lingo, but handy sections on "searching a house" and handling "demonstrations". Prepared in 2004, but not with the occupation and post-occupation too much in mind, no mention of roadside bombs or beheadings, prisoners, or prisoner handling; almost as if Iraq were a normal country. Ends with a 1,000 word basic dictionary. At this price you can't go wrong by keeping a copy handy.

Average customer rating:

BBC Arabic Phrasebook
Nagi El-Bay , Victoria Floyer-Acland , and Carole Stanley
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0844292230

Book Description

This handy reference includes phrases for virtually any travel situation and definitions for more than 3,000 words. To help you quickly find the word you are looking for, you can search using the English or the Arabic word. BBC Arabic Phrasebook is a must-have for any traveler to the Middle East.

Elementary Sudan Arabic: With Vocabulary (Trubner's Languages of the World)

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Elementary Sudan Arabic: With Vocabulary (Trubner's Languages of the World)
G. S. M. Burton
Manufacturer: Trubner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Arabic for English Speaking Medics
Sharifa M. Zawawi
Manufacturer: Red Sea Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1569022011

Book Description

Arabic for English Speaking Medics is based on simple conversations that typically take place in familiar medic-patient situations. These provide the learner with the words and phrases most commonly used in medical settings as the hospital bedside and the admissions desk. As a reference tool, it may also be helpful in improving communication between English-speaking and Arabic-speaking medics.

In addition, this book portrays situations outside the hospital setting. It contains conversations about local cultural and religious practices and customs that are aimed at creating an understanding relationship between medic and the community within the Arabic speaking environment of the workplace.

The learner is not required to learn a new script. This textbook presents the Arabic language in the English alphabet. Grammatical rules are kept to a minimum. A glossary of medical and non-medical terms is provided.

Book Description

Make new friends with the help of the revised Rough Guide Egyptian Arabic Phrasebook. Whether you want to book a hotel room, hire a car or check the local bus times, this pocket-sized phrasebook will have you speaking the language in no time. Laid out in a clear A-Z style, the third edition includes 16-pages of additional scenario material. The scenarios - recorded by native speakers - are available to download either to your computer or iPod Â- ideal for practising your pronunciation. There is a detailed grammar section and a helpful menu and drinks list reader, perfect for choosing the right dish in a restaurant. With this phrasebook in your pocket you will never run out of things to say - reHla saAeeda!

Customer Reviews:

Small and practical.......2007-07-28

This small phrasebook cum dictionary is one of the most useful buys you could make before visiting Egypt. The words included seem, for the most part, to high-frequency words, and the phrases themselves are those that would be used on many occasions. Verry worthwhile.

Average customer rating:

Absolutely Worthless
Practical phrases for making friends & communicating
Finally, the phrases you wanted to know how to say.

Making Out In Arabic (Making Out Books)
Fethi Mansouri
Manufacturer: Tuttle Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0804835411

Book Description

Making Out in Arabic is a fun, accessible and thorough guide to Arabic as it's really spoken. This is an excellent phrase book of modern colloquial Arabic for use in everyday, informal interactions—giving access to the sort of wonderful and catchy expressions not covered in traditional language materials. It includes an introduction to Arabic as well as a pronunciation guide, topical notes throughout on key points of language and culture, and chapters based on typical real-life encounters with speakers of Arabic, including:
• Making acquaintances
• Discussing likes and dislikes
• Sharing a meal
• Going out on the town
• Developing a romantic relationship or quarreling, through to getting married or splitting up!
Titles in this unique series of bestselling phrase books include last year's Making Out in Japanese and Making Out in Chinese, and this year's Making Out in Indonesian, Making Out in Thai, More Making Out in Japanese, Making Out in Vietnamese, and Making Out in Filipino.

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely Worthless.......2007-04-23

This book is absolutely worthless, as my title suggests. The entirety of the phrases included is in Classical/Modern Standard Arabic, which is the literary norm of Arabic speaking countries - not the spoken language. If you want to read more about diglossia in the Arab world, research it yourself; I'm not going to talk in length about it here. Just know, that all the phrases in the book are completely ridiculous, would never be uttered by any native Arabic speaker, and uttering them would just be setting yourself up for embarrassment. The only time they might ever appear is in a subtitle to a non-Arabic language film. Please don't waste your money on this.

Practical phrases for making friends & communicating.......2005-09-14

This is a small phrasebook, but the phrases listed are very modern and practical. The book is broken down into sections (What's Up, Basic Phrases, Got A Minute, Hey There, Look At That, Coming & Going, Eat Drink & Be Merry, I Like It, Curses & Insults, Party Talk, Getting Serious, Lovers Language, The Other Side) and has the English phrase, the phrase in Arabic, and the pronunciation. Some knowledge of Arabic language & pronunciation would be helpful, but not totally necessary. Overall a great book for only $8

Finally, the phrases you wanted to know how to say........2004-08-08

While very far from an instruction-type foreign language book, this slim volume provides a useful and entertaining selection of colloquial phrases in Arabic. Sections include greetings, parties, cursing, arguing, dating, and sex. Some of the latter are quite explicit. Some of the phrases come with helpful notes on cultural standards regarding their usage. My only criticisms might be that the pronunciation guide is not very complete, and the grammar notes at the beginning are too brief.

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