IOU Short Course Booklet 1

SHORT COURSE
-SESSION NOTES-

ARABIC SPEECH SIMPLIFIED

ISLAMIC ONLINE UNIVERSITY

Contents
1. Welcome to the course.............................................................................................................. 1
1.1. Brief History of Arabic .......................................................................................................... 2
1.2. Modern Standard Arabic vs Classical Arabic ....................................................................... 2
2. The Arabic Alphabet................................................................................................................... 3
2.1. Letters of the Arabic alphabet ............................................................................................. 3
2.2. Transliteration Chart............................................................................................................. 4
2.3. Pronunciation of Letters ....................................................................................................... 5
2.4. Makhārij ................................................................................................................................ 6
3. Unit One : Greeting and Acquainting Oneself .......................................................................... 11
3.1. Conversation One – Masculine .......................................................................................... 11
3.2. Conversation One – Feminine ............................................................................................ 11
3.3. Vocabulary .......................................................................................................................... 12
3.4. Phrases and Expressions .................................................................................................... 12
4. Conversation Practice .............................................................................................................. 13
4.1. Talk to a friend .................................................................................................................... 13

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1. Welcome to the course
Dear Student,
Welcome to the exciting world of Arabic; where we will discover a new language, culture and
broaden our horizons.
Loosen your tongue, clear your throat and enjoy the vast unearthing of the language of Islam.
We trust you will enjoy this journey with us as we learn to understand and speak a bit of
Arabic.

Ahlan Wa Sahlan

A very warm welcome!

On behalf of the Islamic Online University, we wish you success and hope you enjoy this
enriching journey with us.

Ma’as Salāmah,

(Sh.) Mukhtar Raban

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1.1. Brief History of Arabic
Arabic is the sixth most spoken language in the world and is spoken by more than 200 million
people worldwide. Arabic started off as a language that was only spoken by a small population.
Nomadic tribes would travel around the Arabian Peninsula and speak Arabic, a language they
were very proud of. Prose, poetry and oral literature were common ways to communicate
through Arabic in those times.
Arabic is a Semitic language and is most closely related to Aramaic and Hebrew. Semitic
languages are based on a consonantal root system. Every word in Arabic is derived from one or
another root word (most likely a verb).
By the 7th Century A.D., Arabic started to spread to the Middle East. During this time of
religious conversions, Arabic replaced many South Arabian languages, most of which are no
longer commonly spoken or understood languages.
Arabic is the official language of many countries in the Middle East such as Egypt, Iraq, Jordan,
Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates. It is also one of
the six official languages of the United Nations.

1.2. Modern Standard Arabic vs Classical Arabic
Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), as its name indicates, is the modern counterpart of Classical
Arabic. It is the official language of 22 Arab countries where it is used in the oral and written
form on all formal occasions. The main difference between MSA and Classical Arabic lies in the
vocabulary. MSA reflects the needs of contemporary expression whereas Classical Arabic
reflects the needs of older styles.

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2. The Arabic Alphabet
2.1. Letters of the Arabic alphabet
The Arabic alphabet comprises of 28 letters, written from right to left.

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2.2. Transliteration Chart
The following is a transliteration chart of Arabic letters and vowels to Roman letters and symbols.

a

‫ط‬

ṭ

ā

‫ظ‬

dh

‫ب‬

b

‫ع‬

‘

‫ت‬

t

‫غ‬

gh

‫ة‬

h or t

‫ف‬

f

‫ث‬

th

‫ق‬

q

‫ج‬

j

‫كـ ك‬

k

‫ح‬

ḥ

‫ل‬

l

‫خ‬

kh

‫م‬

m

‫د‬

d

‫ن‬

n

‫ذ‬

dh

‫هـ ه ـه‬

h

‫ر‬

r

‫و‬

w

‫ز‬

z

‫س‬

s

‫ش‬

sh

‫ص‬

ṣ

‫ض‬

ḍ

‫أ‬
‫ى‬

‫آ‬

‫و‬

ū or oo

(vowel)

‫ي‬
‫ي‬

y
ī or ee

(vowel)

‫ء‬

’

َ

َ

َ

َ

َ

Fatḥah

Kasrah

Ḍammah

Shaddah

Sukūn

a

i

u

Double letter

Absence of vowel

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2.3. Pronunciation of Letters
The 28 letters of Arabic originate from 9 main areas of the mouth and throat, which is further
subdivided into 17 exact places of origin (Makhārij).

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2.4. Makhārij
The place where the sound of a letter originates from is called the Makhraj. The letters of the
Arabic Alphabet originate from seventeen main Makhārij (plural of Makhraj).
9|

Alif

‫أ‬

Pronounced from the emptiness or hollow portion of the mouth - exhaling of air occurs during the
pronunciation and the sound depends on this air being exhaled. As long as the exhaling continues, so does the
pronunciation of the letter. When the exhaling stops, the pronunciation also stops.

9|

Hamzah ‫ء‬

Pronounced from the bottom (or back) of the throat, near the chest

1|

Bā

‫ب‬

Pronounced from the moist part of the lips - the sound is obtained by bringing the lips together.

3|

Tā

‫ت‬

Pronounced when the tip of the tongue comes in contact with the gum of the front upper incisor teeth

3|

Thā

‫ث‬

Pronounced with the tip of the tongue touching the edge of the front upper incisor teeth - the tip of the tongue
must protrude slightly so as to be visible from outside.

4|

Jeem ‫ج‬

Pronounced from the space between the middle of the tongue and the upper palate

8|

Ḥā

‫ح‬

Pronounced from the middle of the throat

7|

Khā ‫خ‬

Pronounced from the front (or top) of the throat, the part nearest to the mouth

3|

Dāl

‫د‬

Pronounced when the tip (or front) of the tongue comes in contact with the gum of the front upper incisor
teeth

3|

Dhāl ‫ذ‬

Pronounced with the tip of the tongue touching the middle part of the front upper incisor teeth

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3|

Rā

‫ر‬

The Makhraj of this letter is similar to the Makhraj of Noon - the tip of the tongue, together with any one side
of the tongue, while rising towards the palate, touches the gums from the incisors to the molars.

3|

Zā / Zayn

‫ز‬

Pronounced from the tip of the tongue and the flat portion of the incisors - a small space remains between the
tip of the tongue and the incisor teeth when this letter is pronounced. A whistling sound will be produced.

3|

Seen

‫س‬

Pronounced from the tip of the tongue and the flat portion of the incisors - a small space remains between the
tip of the tongue and the incisors when this letter is pronounced. A whistling sound will be produced.

4|

Sheen ‫ش‬

Pronounced from the space between the middle of the tongue and the upper palate

3|

Ṣād

‫ص‬

Pronounced from the tip of the tongue and the flat portion of the incisors - a small space remains between the
tip of the tongue and the incisors when this letter is pronounced. A whistling sound will be produced.

6|

Ḍād ‫ض‬

Pronounced from the left side of the tongue and the left upper molars - it is also correct to pronounce this
letter from the right side of the tongue and the right upper molars.

3|

Ṭā

‫ط‬

Pronounced when the tip (or front) of the tongue comes in contact with the roof or gum of the front upper
incisor teeth

3|

Dh

‫ظ‬

Pronounced with the tip of the tongue touching the roof or gum of the front upper incisor teeth

8|

‘Ayn

‫ع‬

Pronounced from the middle of the throat

7|

Ghayn ‫غ‬

Pronounced from the front (or top) of the throat, the part nearest to the mouth

2|

Fā

‫ف‬

Pronounced when the inner portion of the lower lip comes in contact with the edge of the upper front teeth

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5|

Qāf

‫ق‬

Pronounced from the back of the tongue and the upper palate in front of the Uvula. (The Uvula is the pendant,
fleshy lobe in the middle of the posterior border of the soft palate).

5|

Kāf

‫ك كـ‬

Pronounced from the back of the tongue and the soft palate, in front of the Makhraj of Qāf

6|

Lām ‫ل‬

Pronounced when the tip of the tongue, together with any one side of the tongue, touches the gums from the
front upper incisor teeth (while rising towards the palate) to the first Pre-Molars.

1|

‫م‬

Meem

Pronounced by bringing the lips together, but not as strong as the Makhraj of Bā - Meem is pronounced from
the dry part of the lips, whilst Bā is pronounced from the moist part

3|

Noon ‫ن‬

The Makhraj of Noon is similar to that of Lām - the difference is that the tongue will only touch the front upper
incisors, the lateral Incisors, and the canines; but will not touch the first pre-molars.

9|

Hā

‫ـه ه هـ‬

Pronounced from the bottom (or back) of the throat near the chest.

1|

‫و‬

Wāw (WITHOUT MADD)

(Madd – Elongation of sound)

Pronounced from between the lips - the two lips project forward during the pronunciation

9|

‫و‬

Wāw (LETTER OF MADD)

Pronounced from the emptiness or hollow portion of the mouth - exhaling of air occurs during the
pronunciation and the sound depends on this air being exhaled. As long as the exhaling continues, so does the
pronunciation of the letter. When the exhaling stops, the pronunciation also stops.

4|

Yā (WITHOUT MADD)

‫ي‬

Pronounced from the space between the middle of the tongue and the upper palate

9|

Yā (LETTER OF MADD)

‫ي‬

Same as Alif and Wāw (with Madd).

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
1-2 Conv. 1

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3. Unit One : Greeting and Acquainting Oneself
3.1. Conversation One – Masculine
Khālid

:

Khaleel

:

Khālid

:

Khaleel

:

Khālid

:

Khaleel

:

Khālid

:

Assalāmu ‘Alaykum
Peace be upon you
Wa ‘Alaykumus Salām
And upon you be peace
Ismee Khālid , Masmuka ?
My name is Khālid, what is your name ?
Ismee Khaleel
My name is Khaleel
Kayfa Ḥāluka ?
How are you?
Bikhayrin , Wal Ḥamdulillah. Wa Kayfa Ḥāluka Anta ?
All well, and all praise to The Almighty. And how are you ?
Bikhayrin , Wal Ḥamdulillah
All well, and all praise to The Almighty.

3.2. Conversation One – Feminine
Khowlah

:

Khadeejah

:

Khowlah

:

Khadeejah

:

Khowlah

:

Khadeejah

:

Khowlah

:

Assalāmu ‘Alaykum
Peace be upon you
Wa ‘Alaykumus Salām
And upon you be peace
Ismee Khowlah, Masmuki ?
My name is Khowlah, what is your name ?
Ismee Khadeejah
My name is Khadeejah
Kayfa Ḥāluki ?
How are you?
Bikhayrin , Wal Ḥamdulillah. Wa Kayfa Ḥāluki Anti ?
All well, and all praise to The Almighty. And how are you ?
Bikhayrin , Wal Ḥamdulillah
All well, and all praise to The Almighty.

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3.3. Vocabulary
The peace

As Salāmu

ََّّ‫لم‬
َّ َ َّ‫الس‬

A name

Ismun

َّ‫اِسْم‬

What ?

Mā

‫َماَّ؟‬

How ?

Kayfa

‫ْفَّ؟‬
َ ‫َكي‬

A condition

Ḥālun

َّ‫َحال‬

You (masculine)

Anta

َّ‫ت‬
َ ‫أ َ ْن‬

You (feminine)

Anti

َّ‫ت‬
ِ ‫أ َ ْن‬

Goodness

Khayrun

ََّّ‫َخيْر‬

Peace be upon you

As Salāmu ‘Alaykum

َّ‫علَيْك َّْم‬
َّ َ َّ‫الس‬
َ َّ‫لم‬

My name is …

Ismee …

...َّ‫اِس ِْم ْي‬

What is your name ?

Masmuka ?

‫َماَّاسْمكَ ؟‬

How are you ?

Kayfa Ḥāluka ?

‫ْفَّ َحالكَ َّ؟‬
َ ‫َكي‬

All well

Bikhayrin

َّ‫ِب َخيْر‬

3.4. Phrases and Expressions

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4. Conversation Practice
4.1. Talk to a friend
Approach your friend and do the following:





Greet him/her
Introduce yourself by saying your name
Ask him/her his/her name
Ask him/her how he/she is doing

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