TEACH ENGLISH IN SAUDI ARABIA Learning Arabic
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Just a little Arabic will open doors which would otherwise remain closed. Even the beginner will find his halting efforts appreciated. And you'll be able to read the street and shop signs.

The Arabic Alphabet

• The main obstacle is learning the alphabet - but this is essential if you want to be able to read the street and shop signs. However, it is an alphabet, not a system of symbols like Chinese, and the spelling is much more regular than in English.
• There are four forms of each letter: when standing alone, at the beginning of a word, in the middle and at the end.
• Vowels are not normally written.

Main Types of Arabic

• There are three main divisions of Arabic: classical, the language of the Qur'an (Koran); standard literary, used throughout the Arab world as a common means of communication and in the media; and spoken dialects, varying both in regions of the Arab world, and within countries.

Not Too Difficult

• Arabic is not all that difficult, particularly if you have already learned another foreign language. For example, the verb "be" does not exist in the present tense. ("Me Tarzan, you Jane.")
• If you speak another language, particularly Spanish, a lot of Arabic words will be immediately recognizable, and many English words are used in everyday Arabic.
• See the Books section for Arabic language courses.

Arabic Numbers

• Although Arabic letters are read from right to left, numbers are read from left to right.
• However, groups of numbers, for example, dates, are still read from right to left - only the individual numbers are in the same order as in the West.

Useful Arabic Phrases

• There is no one accepted method of transcribing Arabic, and some Arabic sounds do not exist in English.
• The system used below attempts to reproduce the Arabic spoken on the Gulf coast and in Riyadh, and every letter should be pronounced. Dialects spoken on the Red Sea coast and in remote regions vary slightly.
• The following sounds are sometimes difficult for beginners:
  • dh - a voiced "th" sound, as in "that"
  • gh - a voiced guttural sound, like the French "r"
  • H - an "h" sound, as far back in the throat as possible
  • I - pronounced "ee"
  • kh - a guttural "ch" sound, like the German "nacht" or Scottish "loch"
• masc = masculine form, fem = feminine form, pl = plural

Click on the links to these vocabulary sections (or scroll down): Greetings and Introductions • Question Words • Expressions of Courtesy • Everyday Words and Expressions • Days, Months and Years • Numbers • Taxis and Directions • Banks and Shops

Greetings and Introductions

Question Words

Expressions of Courtesy

Everyday Words and Expressions

Days, Months and Years

Numbers

Taxis and Directions

Banks and Shops