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