Arabic 101 - Unit 1- Alif-Baa Book

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Letters ب ت ث

This recorded Lesson covers the letters ب ت ث and their use and shape when they are written in a word based on their position (beginning, medial, ending). It will also cover the shape of the long vowels ا و ي based on their position in a word and their impact on the pronunciation of the consonants preceding them.

This lesson shows the different shapes of the 3 consonants introduced respectively at the beginning of the word, middle of the word and final position of the word (e.g.: ب : بــ ــبــ ــب). As you may recall Arabic is a cursive language. For that reason, letters take different shapes based on their position in a given word. This lesson will provide the basic shape of these letters and the shape of the dots or lines associated with each one. At a second stage we will combine consonants and a vowels to create syllables. These syllables will have one of the long vowels introduced and will show whether or not they connect to each other and how they do if so.

After watching the video you should try to connect as many consonants and vowels as possible and try to pronounce them out loud making sure that you elongate the vowels in question. Please note that these vowels should be long so that they are perceived differently when heard, creating enough contrast that will differentiate them from the short vowels that will be introduced in a subsequent lesson.

Arabic 101 - Unit 2 - Alif-Baa Book

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Letters ح- خ -ج

This lesson covers the letters ج ح خ and their different shapes in different positions in a word. It will also cover the double use of the و and ي and show how they can function as both long vowels and consonants in a given word based on their environment. While this may be a confusing aspect for beginners, the video will provide examples and tips that would allow students to easily differentiate between the two roles of the these two letters : و and ي . This lesson will also introduce the short vowels fatHa, Damma, kasra (and the sukuun) and how they are used to inflect the sound of consonants. Distinctions will be drawn between the short and long vowel sounds and the system of lines used as part of the letters and the shapes of the short vowels.

This is a very important milestone in the beginner's introduction to the Arabic alphabet. Learning the differences highlighted will not only create a strong scaffolding for the letters that will follow but will also prove to be rewarding when learning more consonants. Basically the knowledge acquired in this lesson will be applied in all subsequent lessons and failure to give this lesson its proper value as a milestone will often result in residual lacuna not easily overcome.

This lesson shows different words in which a combination of short and long vowels take place. Students' role will consist of knowing when to pronounce long vowels as such and when to pronounce them as consonants making use of their own long or short vowels. For that, it is important to keep in mind that in Arabic each letter can only have one vowel, whether short or long. Diphthongs are produced using the sukuun (also introduced in this lesson).

This lesson is one of the most important lessons in this review series, as it makes use of both long and short vowels and their combination in words. Understanding this lesson properly would allow students to properly pronounce words using the covered consonants. Progressing in the language will add more consonants that will be governed by the same system outlined in this lesson.

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Arabic 101 - Unit 3- Alif-Baa Book

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Letters ء د ذ ر ز

This lesson introduces the hamza ء and its use with the alif ا at the beginning of a word. The addition of the hamza will alter the pronunciation of the alif ا thus changing its function from a vowel to a consonant. This is similar to the use of the و and ي as consonants introduced in the previous lesson. Similarly the alif hamza combination written as: أ إ , will require its own vowel and will not be extending a preceding consonant. This lesson will also explain the use of the hamza when it occurs at the end of a word when preceded by an alif. -- NB. It is worth mentioning here that the alif is called the seat of the hamza when used with it (and of course the ا is no more functioning as a vowel then). Other seats of the hamza are possible and these mainly occur in the middle or end of a word--these will be studied at a later point. Please remember that at the beginning of a word a hamza is only used with a seat and that seat can be no other than the alif.

This lesson will also introduce 4 more letters that are similar in the fact that they do not connect to what comes after them. These letters are part of a group of the 6 letters in Arabic that do not connect to what comes after them (i.e.: ا و د ذ ر ز ). It is important to note that these letters do connect to preceding letters if those are connecting ones. For ease of reference these 6 letters are called non-connecting letters and by now they have been covered and should be memorized to avoid spelling mistakes, especially during dictation exercises.

Arabic 101 - Unit 4 - Alif-Baa Book

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Letters ب ت ث

Arabic 101 - Unit 5 - Alif-Baa Book

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Letters ط ظ ع غ ة

Arabic 101 - Unit 6 - Alif-Baa Book

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Letters ف ق ك ل

Arabic 101 - Unit 7 - Alif-Baa Book

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Letters م ن هـ