Let's learn some
Arabic
Greetings Pronouns Questions Directions Usefuls “I’s” Basics
Counting
Greetings
Hello
Marhaba
How are you?
Keef Halek
Good Morning
Sabah Al Kair
Good Evening
Masaa Al Kair
Good
Kowaies
Very Good
Kowaies Kateer
Please
Min Fadlak
Thank you
Shoo kran
Excuse Me
Ismahlee
Never mind
Maa leesh
OK
Taieb
Yes
Aiwa
No
La
Maybe
Yimken
None, nothing,
nobody
Mafee
Directions
Go
Rooh
Stop
Wagef
Turn Left
Lif Yassar
Turn Right
Lif Yameen
Straight Ahead
Ala Tool
Slowly
Shway Shway
Wait of Stay
Estanna
Show me
War Keni
Here
Hena
There
Hennak
Before
Gabel
After
Baad
Now
Al Ann
From
Min
To or At (a place)
Ala
Wait 1 minute
Wahad da ghee ga
Basics & General
Money
Feloos
Coffee
Gahwah
Sugar
Sokar
Salt
Melh
Car
Sayara
Hotel
Fon doq
Water
Moya
Tea
Shahi
Milk
Haleeb
Work
Shoghol
Airplane
Tayarah
Street
Sharee
Pronouns
I
Ana
You (to woman)
Intee
You (to man)
Inta
He
Whowa
She
Heeya
We
Nihna
They
Home
Asking Questions
Who?
Meen
What?
Aish
When?
Meta
Where?
Fayn
Why?
Lay ish
How much?
Kum
How much is this? Kum Hada
Where are you
from?
Min Fain Inta
Understand?
Maf Hoom
Do you speak
English?
Tet Kalam Ingleezi
Useful “I”s
I want
Ana abgha
I don’t want
Ana ma abgha
I have
Ana endi
I don’t have
Ana ma endi
I don’t understand
Ana ma fehempt
I work at the
Ana bash taghel fi
I don’t speak
Arabic
Ana la tet kalam al
Arabiah
Counting & Numbers
0 Zero
Sifir
1 One
Wahid
2 Two
Ithnin
3 Three
Thalatha
4 Four
Arba
5 Five
Khamsa
6 Six
Sitta
7 Seven
Saba
8 Eight
Thamania
9 Nine
Tisa
10 Ten
Ashra
20 Twenty
Ashreen
30 Thirty
Thala theen
40 Forty
Arba en
50 Fifty
Khamseen
60 Sixty
Sitteen
70 Seventy
Saba en
80 Eighty
Thaman en
90 Ninety
Tisa en
100 Hundred
Mia
LESSONS 1 - 9
GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS
Mar aba--Hello!
Ahlan wa Sahlan--Welcome!
As-Salaamu cAlaykum--Hello. "Peace be upon you"
Wa cAlaykum as-Salaam--Response "and on you be peace"
Maca as-Salaama--Goodbye "go in safety"
Yaa... --Hey! (used only with person's name or title)
Anaa--I
Anta--(also Inta)--you, masculine singular
Anti (also Inti)--you, feminine singular
Huwa--he
Hiya--she
Ismii.... --My name is...
Maa ismak? What is your name? (to a male)
Maa ismik? What is your name? (to a female)
Ustaath--male teacher
Ustaathah--female teacher
Tilmiith--Male student, pupil. (elementary/middle school)
Tilmiithah--Female student, pupil.
Taalib--Male student (high school or college)
Taalibah--Female student
Madrasah--School
Jaamicah--University
Min--from
Ayna--Where?
Min ayna anti? Where are you (f) from?
Min ayna huwa? Where is he from?
Anaa min Philadelphia--I am from Philadelphia.
Hiya min Lubnan--She is from Lebanon.
Man?--Who?
Man Hiya?--Who is she?
Man huwa?--Who is he?
Huwa Ustaath fii Jaamicat Pennsylvania.--He is a professor at U. Penn.
Hiya tilmiithah fii Madrasat Turner.--She is a student at Turner School.
abaa al-Khayr--Good Morning! (Morning of Goodness!)
abaa an-Nuur--(response) And Good Morning to you! (Morning of Light!)
Masaa' al-Khayr--Good Afternoon/Evening!
Masaa' an-Nuur--(response) And Good Afternoon to you!
Kayf--How?
al- aal--the situation or condition
Kayf al- aal?--How are you?
Bi-khayr--Fine, good, well
Anaa bi-khayr--I'm fine.
al- amdu li-Llah!--God be praised! (said in response to question How are you?)
Wa anti/anta?--and you?
LESSON 2: Arab and Islamic Names
Most Arab names really mean something in Arabic--many are pleasant or desirable
qualities--they are real words in Arabic and so can be used as names or adjectives--for
example....
A mad--most praiseworthy
Ma muud--commendable
Saciid--happy
Sucaad--happiness
Widaad--love, friendship
Amal--hope
Arab names also found in the Bible and their English equivalents
Old Testament
Ibrahiim--Abraham
Muusa--Moses
Da'uud--David
Mikha'iil--Michael
Yuusuf--Joseph
Saara--Sarah
Nuu --Noah
Yacquub--Jacob
Sulaymaan--Solomon
New Testament
Ya ya--John
c
Isa--Jesus
Butrus--Peter
Bulus--Paul
Maryam--Mary
Girgis--George
Prophet Muhammad's family and early leaders of Islam:
Mu ammad--means praised, commendable
Khadiija--Prophet's first wife
c
Ali--Prophet's son-in-law--means lofty or exalted
Faa ima--Prophet's daughter, married to cAli
c
Aa'isha--one of Prophet's wives--means prosperous
asan--Prophet's grandson, son of cAli --beautiful, handsome
usayn--Prophet's grandson, son of cAli --little beauty
c
Umar--second Caliph-(succeeder to Prophet Mu ammad
as leader of Islamic community)
c
Uthmaan--third Caliph
Bilaal--first Muezzin (caller of Muslims to daily prayers)
Peoples' names based on Names of God
Another class of Muslim names is based on the names of God in Arabic.
The God--The same God whom Jews and Christians worship
Allah means
The 99 Names of God--called The Most Beautiful Names--have to do with God's many
attributes: such as, All-Seeing, All-Knowing, All-Powerful
We do this as well--example we say "The Almighty" to refer to God
c
Abd--is an Arabic word meaning servant or slave
Not all of the 99 names of God are used as names for people.
Some of the most popular ones are:
c
Abd Allah --Servant of God
Abd al-cAziiz --Servant of The Almighty
c
Abd al-Ra maan --Servant of The Merciful
c
Abd al-Ra iim --Servant of The Compassionate
c
Abd al- akiim --Servant of The Wise
c
Abd al-Kariim --Servant of The Generous
c
Abd al-Jabbaar --Servant of The Compeller
c
Abd al-Majiid --Servant of The Glorious
c
c
c
Abd al-Malik --Servant of The King, The Ruler of All
Abd al-Qaadir --Servant of The All-Powerful
There is no such name as "Abdul" by itself--it would mean "servant of the.....", that is,
"Abdul" would be only half a name...
As first names, these are all for males, but they can be used as last names for anyone. In
fact, many Arab names can be used as both first and last names. This is partly because
many Arabs take their father's first name as their own last name.
You may also hear the words Abu, Umm, Ibn, or Bint in people's names. Abu means
father, Umm means mother, Ibn means son, and Bint means daughter. So if a man is
named Mu ammad, you would call his father Abu Mu ammad and his mother Umm
Mu ammad. You would call his son Ibn Mu ammad, and his daughter is Bint Mu
ammad.
When Arab women get married, they usually keep their own family name.
ARAB COUNTRIES
Capitals
Algeria
Al-Jazaa'ir
Algiers (Al-Jazaa'ir)
Bahrain
Al-Ba rayn
Manama
Egypt
Mi r (Ma r)
Iraq
Al-cIraaq
Jordan
Al-Urdunn
Kuwait
Al-Kuwayt
Lebanon
Lubnaan
Libya
Liibyaa
Mauritania
Morocco
Oman
Muuriitaaniyaa
Al-Maghrib
c
Umaan
Palestine
Filas iin
Qatar
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Somalia
As-Sacuudiyya
A - uumaal
Cairo (al-Qaahirah)
Baghdad
c
Amman
Kuwayt City
Beirut
Tripoli (at-Tarablus)
Nouakchatt
Rabat
Muscat
Doha
Riyadh
Mogadishu
Syria
Suuryaa
Sudan
As-Suudaan
Tunisia
Tuunis
United Arab Emirates
Yemen
Damascus (Dimashq)
Tunis
Al-Imaaraat
Al-Yaman
OTHER COUNTRIES
America
Amriikaa
Britain
Barii aaniyaa
Canada
Kanadaa
China
A - iin
Ethiopia
Athyuubiyaa
France
Faransaa
Germany
Almaaniyaa
Greece
Al-Yuunaan
India
Al-Hind
Indonesia
Khartoum
Induuniisiyaa
Iran
Iiraan
Israel
Israa'iil
Italy
Ii aaliyaa
Japan
Al-Yaabaan
Mexico
Al-Maksiik
Pakistan
Al-Baakistaan
Poland
Buuluuniyaa
Russia
Ruusiyaa
Senegal
Sinighaal
Abu Dhabi
ancaa
Turkey
Turkiyaa
Lesson 46
Days of the Week
Yawm = Day
al-Yawm = Today
Usbuuc = Week
Ghaddan or Bukrah = Tomorrow
Ams or Imbaari = Yesterday
Learning the days of the week is easy if you remember how to count from 1 to 5.
Just remember that the first day of the week is Sunday.
Waa id
Ithnaan
Thalaatha
Arbaca
Khamsa
1
2
3
4
5
(Yawm) al-A ad
(Yawm) al-Ithnayn
(Yawm) ath-Thulathaa'
(Yawm) al-Arbicaa'
(Yawm) al-Khamiis
(Yawm) al-Jumcah
(Yawm) as-Sabt
Sunday (the first day)
Monday (the second day)
Tuesday (the third day)
Wednesday (the fourth day)
Thursday (the fifth day)
Friday (the day of coming together for prayer)
Saturday (the Sabbath day)
Vocabulary Words for Lessons 17 and 19
In School; Practice Building Sentences
Ustaath--Male teacher/professor. (also used as title to mean "Mister")
Ustaatha--Female teacher/professor
Mudarris--Male teacher
Mudarrisa--Female teacher
Tilmiith--Male student, pupil. (elementary/middle school)
Tilmiitha--Female student, pupil.
Anaa--I
Huwa--He
Hiya--She
Madrasah--School
"Anaa tilmiitha/tilmiith fii Madrasat Thomas."--I am a student at the Thomas School.
"Man hiya?"--Who is she?
"Hiya tilmiitha fii Madrasat Shaw."--She is a student at the Shaw School.
"Man huwa?"--Who is he?
"Huwa Mudarris fii Madrasat Central East."--He is a teacher at Central East School.
Adrus...--I study...
"Adrus fii Madrasat Masterman." I study at the Masterman School.
Al-Lugha al-cArabiyya--The Arabic Language
"Adrus al-Lugha al-cArabiyya fii Madrasat Turner"--I study the Arabic Language at the
Turner School.
Jaamicah--University
Taalib--Male high school or college student
Taaliba--Female high school or college student
(Words from Lesson 10)
Akh--Brother
Akhii--My brother
Ukht--Sister
Ukhtii--My sister
Waalid--Father
Waalidii--My father
Waalida--Mother
Waalidatii--My mother
"Akhii taalib fii Jaamicat LaSalle."--My brother is a student at LaSalle University.
"Ukhtii taaliba fii Jaamicat Pennsylvania."--My sister is a student at the University of
Pennsylvania.
"Waalidii mudarris fii Madrasat Hopkinson."--My father is a teacher at the Hopkinson
School.
"Waalidatii ustaatha fii Jaamicat Drexel."--My mother is a professor at Drexel University.
LESSON 52
FEELINGS
Kayf al- aal? = How are you?
(or Kayf aalak? to a man, Kayf aalik? to a woman)
Anaa bi-khayr, al- amdu li-Llah. = I am fine, praise God.
Wa anta/anti? = and you? (m/f)
Kayfa tashcur al-yawm? = How do you (m.) feel today?
You can answer this question with the sentence, "I feel....."
Ashcur bi.... = I feel...(with noun)
But just like in English, it's easier in Arabic to answer with something like "I am hungry"
than it is to say "I feel hunger." Many adjectives describing
a physical state of being end with -aan. To make them feminine, as with other adjectives,
you add -ah at the end.
Shucuur - feeling
Tacbaan - tired
Jawcaan - hungry
c
A shaan - thirsty
Ghadbaan - angry
arraan - hot
Bardaan - cold
Saciid - happy
aziin - sad
Mariid - sick
Aasif - sorry
Mashghuul - busy
Examples:
Hiya tacbaanah jiddan.
She is very tired.
Kuntu jawcaan fa thahabtu ilaa ma cam.
I was hungry so I went to a restaurant.
Huwa mashghuul al-yawm.
He is busy today.
Yaa cAa'ishah, limaathaa anti aziinah?
Aisha, why are you sad?
Kaanat mariidah ams.
She was sick yesterday.
Waalidatii ghadbaanah minnii.
My mother is angry at me.
Wa anaa aasif jiddan.
And I am very sorry.
Anaa arraan wa ca shaan.
I am hot and thirsty.
LESSON 53
SEASONS and WEATHER
Fa l = Season (plural: fu uul)
ar-Rabiic = Spring
a -Sayf = Summer
al-Khariif = Fall
ash-Shitaa' = Winter
a -Taqs = the weather (also al-jaww; Egyptians say ig-gaww)
Ma ar = rain
Mum ir = rainy
ash-Shams - The Sun
Mushmis = sunny
Baarid = cold
aarr = hot
[note that " aarr" and "baarid" are used with things, and " arraan" and "bardaan" are
used with people]
Examples:
Na nu al-aan fii fa l ar-rabiic.
We are now in the season of spring.
Kaana haathaa ash-shitaa' baarid jiddan.
This winter was very cold.
Fii ar-rabiic a - aqs jamiil jiddan fii Philadelphia.
In spring the weather is very beautiful in Philadelphia.
A - aqs al-yawm aarr wa mushmis.
The weather today is hot and sunny.
Ams kaana a - aqs mushmis aydan.
Yesterday the weather was sunny too.
Yawm al-Jumcah kaana a - aqs mum ir.
Friday the weather was rainy.
Fii ash-shitaa' a - aqs baarid wa mum ir fii Philadelphia.
In winter the weather is cold and rainy in Philadelphia.
Wa fii a - ayf a - aqs aarr wa mushmis.
And in the summer the weather is hot and sunny.
Sun letters and Moon letters
These terms are used to describe the difference in the way letters are pronounced in
Arabic. There are 2 groups--the "Sun letters" and the "Moon letters."
With Sun letters, the "Al-" of the definite article ("the") gets assimilated to the following
letter. This means that the L is actually pronounced like the consonant
which follows it, as in "ash-Shams" The Sun. With Moon letters, the L of the Al- is
pronounced as normal, like an L, as in "al-Qamar" The Moon. This is why we say ARRabiic (Spring) but AL-Khariif (Fall.) To pronounce the definite article AL- correctly,
you need to know if the letter following it is a Sun letter or a
Moon letter. It is easiest just to remember how words are pronounced, rather than
memorizing a list of letters, but for reference the Sun letters are: t, th, d, th, r, z,
s, sh, , daad, , TH, and n. (these are the letters pronounced at the front of your mouth,
with your tongue against your teeth.) All the other letters are Moon letters.
ash-Shams - The Sun
uruuf shamsiyyah = "Sun letters"
al-Qamar - The Moon
LESSONS 56 & 58
PLURAL NOUNS AND ADJECTIVES
If you've been paying attention, you will have noticed that we've already discussed plural
verbs, but not plural nouns, until now. That's because in Arabic they can be a bit tricky
sometimes.
In English you usually add an -S or an -ES to the end of the word to make it plural. For
example: student/students, rabbit/rabbits, dictionary/dictionaries.
In Arabic, however, there are different endings for masculine and feminine plural nouns
and adjectives. And Arabic makes an important distinction between nouns for people and
nouns which are for things. "Human" and "Non-human."
We'll start with feminine nouns, because they are generally the easiest. Most feminine
nouns that end with the sound -AH (the taa marbuu ah) make their plurals by simply
adding the ending -AAT. This includes any nouns for women, and also many feminine
nouns for things.
Feminine Human Nouns
aalibah/ aalibaat = student/s (f.)
ustaathah/ustaathaat = professor/s (f.)
tilmiithah/tilmiithaat = pupil/s (f.)
abiibah/ abiibaat = doctor/s (f.)
jaddah/jaddaat = grandmother/s
ukht/akhawaat = sister/s
bint/banaat = girl/s
Feminine Non-Human Nouns
jaamicah/jaamicaat = university/ies
wilaayah/wilaayaat = state/s
sayyaarah/sayyaaraat = car/s
aawilah/ aawilaat = table/s
kalimah/kalimaat = word/s
lughah/lughaat = language/s
sanah/sanawaat = year/s
maktabah/maktabaat = library/ies or bookstore/s
But there are some exceptions: Some feminine nouns don't form the plural with a regular
-AAT ending, and the plurals must be memorized, such as these words you know:
jariidah/jaraa'id = newspaper/s
madrasah/madaaris = school/s
madiinah/mudun = city/ies
ghurfah/ghuraf = room/s
shaqqah/shiqaq = apartment/s
The masculine human plural ending is -UUN or -IIN. When you're writing, you need to
know which form to use. (It has to do with the grammar, that is, how the word is used in
the sentence.) But when speaking, most Arabs are only going to use the -IIN ending. In
Egypt, for example, they don't ever use the -UUN ending in regular, daily speech.
Nouns starting with MU- usually take these regular human plural endings, for example:
Mudarrisah/Mudarrisaat = teacher/s (f)
Mudarris/Mudarrisuun or Mudarrisiin = teacher/s (m)
Muhandisah/Muhandisaat = engineer/s (f)
Muhandis/Muhandisuun or Muhandisiin = engineer/s (m)
Mudiirah/Mudiiraat = director/s (f)
Mudiir/Mudiiruun or Mudiiriin = director/s (m)
Muslimah/Muslimaat = Muslim/s (f)
Muslim/Muslimuun or Muslimiin = Muslim/s (m)
Also, those adjectives that end with -ii, formed from the names of countries, take these
regular plural endings when they are used to describe people:
Sacuudii/Sacuudiyyuun or -iin = Saudi/s (m)
Sacuudiyyah/Sacuudiyyaat = Saudi/s (f)
c
c
Iraqii/cIraqiyyuun or -iin = Iraqi/s (m)
Iraqiyyah/cIraqiyyaat = Iraqi/s (f)
Lubnaanii/Lubnaaniyyuun or -iin = Lebanese (m)
Lubnaaniyyah/Lubnaaniyyaat = Lebanese (f)
Mi rii/Mi riyyuun or -iin = Egyptian/s (m)
Mi riyyah/Mi riyyaat = Egyptian/s (f)
Suudaanii/Suudaaniyyuun or -iin = Sudanese (m)
Suudaaniyyah/Suudaaniyyaat = Sudanese (f)
Amriikii/Amriikiyyuun or -iin = American/s (m)
Amriikiyyah/Amriikiyyaat = American/s (f)
If there's a group of people including both men and women, then you just use the
masculine plural form to refer to all of them.
In English there are all those weird plurals that you just have to learn. And they can be
very confusing for people who are learning English for the first time. If English is not
your native language, or you have friends from different countries who are learning
English, then you know what I mean. The plural of "Mouse" is "Mice" not "Mouses," but
the plural of "House" is not "Hice" but "Houses." The plural of "Goose" is "Geese," but
the plural of "Moose" is not "Meese," it's "Moose"--the same as the singular. Why?
Because English is a wonderful language. And Arabic is also a wonderful language....
Many nouns in Arab have plurals that don't fit the -AAT/-UUN patterns. When you're
learning your vocabulary words, you have to memorize the plural form of the nouns and
adjectives along with the singular. Here are some words you already know, along with
their plurals. You can probably tell that there are some patterns for the plurals, changes
that happen with the syllables and vowels--see if you can pick them out. But you still
have to memorize which one goes with which noun.
Masculine Human Nouns
aalib/ ullaab = student/s (m)
tilmiith/talaamithah = pupil/s (m)
ustaath/asaatithah = professor/s (m)
walad/awlaad = boy/s
jadd/ajdaad = grandfather/s
ibn/abnaa' = son/s
akh/ikhwah = brother/s
Masculine Non-Human Nouns
bayt/buyuut = house/s
dars/duruus = lesson/s
fa l/fu uul = season/s
shahr/shuhuur = month/s
baab/abwaab = door/s
ism/asmaa' = name/s
qalam/aqlaam = pen/s
yawm/ayyaam = day/s
asad/usud = lion/s
kitaab/kutub = book/s
shaaric/shawaaric = street/s
ma cam/ma aacim = restaurant/s
arnab/araanib = rabbit/s
daftar/dafaatir = notebook/s
kursii/karaasii = chair/s
maktab/makaatib = office/s or desk/s
miftaa /mafaatii = key/s
qaamuus/qawaamiis = dictionary/ies
usbuuc/asaabiic = week/s
Here are a few practice sentences using plural subjects with the plural verb forms you
already know:
Al-Muhandisuun yacmaluun fii Philadelphia.
The engineers work in Philly.
A - ullaab yadrusuun fii Jaamicat Pennsylvania.
The students study at the University of Pennsylvania
Al-Asaatitha yudarrisuun al-lughah al-cArabiyyah.
The professors teach the Arabic language.
Plural Nouns and Adjectives
Remember how adjectives work with nouns. They follow the noun, and they also have to
be the same gender as the noun they describe. Also if the noun is definite, then the
adjective must be definite too. Now you will learn that adjectives have to agree with the
nouns they describe in a third way: in number.
As mentioned above, Arabic makes an important distinction between nouns for people
and nouns which are for things. "Human" and "Non-human." Human plurals take plural
adjectives. For the feminine ones, again, you just add the suffix "-AAT." For the
masculine ones you usually just add "-UUN" or "-IIN," but some irregular ones just have
to be memorized. Now here's the tricky part: non-human plurals, in Arabic, are
considered to be feminine singular, so you use the feminine singular adjective with them.
Let's practice. Look at these examples changing the singular nouns and adjectives to
plural ones:
mudiir muhimm = an important m. director
mudiiruun muhimmuun = important directors
mudiirah muhimmah = an important f. director
mudiiraat muhimmaat = important f. directors
jariidah muhimmah = an important newspaper
jaraa'id muhimmah = important newspapers
aalib jadiid = a new m. student
aalibah jadiidah = a new f. student
ullaab judud = new students
aalibaat jadiidaat = new f. students
a - aalib al-jadiid = the new student
a - ullaab al-judud = the new students
mudarris Mi rii = a m. Egyptian teacher
mudarrisuun Mi riyyuun = Egyptian teachers
al-mudarris al-Mi rii = the Egyptian teacher
al-mudarrisuun al-Mi riyyuun = the Egyptian teachers
bint jamiilah = a beautiful girl
banaat jamiilaat = beautiful girls
al-bint al-jamiilah = the beautiful girl
al-banaat al-jamiilaat = the beautiful girls
kitaab sahl = an easy book
kutub sahlah = easy books
al-kitaab as-sahl = the easy book
al-kutub as-sahlah = the easy books
baab aghiir = a small door
abwaab aghiirah = small doors
al-baab a - aghiir = the small door
al-abwaab a - aghiirah = the small doors
sayyaarah jadiidah = a new car
sayyaaraat jadiidah = new cars
as-sayyaarah al-jadiidah = the new car
as-sayyaaraat al-jadiidah = the new cars
madiinah kabiirah = a big city
mudun kabiirah = big cities
al-madiinah al-kabiirah = the big city
al-mudun al-kabiirah = the big cities
Qaabaltu ullaab kathiiriin. = I met many students.
Qaabaltu aalibaat kathiiraat. = I met many f. students.
Qara'tu kutub kathiirah. = I read many books.
The demonstrative pronouns "haathaa" and "haathihi" (this m/f) must also agree in
gender, so if you are talking about non-human plurals, you will use the feminine form
haathihi, as in these examples:
Maa fahimna haathaa ad-dars. = We did not understand this lesson.
Maa fahimna haathihi ad-duruus. = We did not understand these lessons.
Qara'tu haathaa al-kitaab al-jadiid. = I read this new book.
Qara'tu haathihi al-kutub al-jadiidah. = I read these new books.
Hal qara'ta haathihi al-jariidah? = Did you read this newspaper?
Hal qara'ta haathihi al-jaraa'id? = Did you read these newspapers?
LESSON 59
COLORS
Lawn (pronounced "loan")--color (plural Alwaan)
Colors in Arabic can get a bit tricky, so that's why we left them until the end of the year.
There are two types of adjectives for colors in Arabic. The first type is the easiest....these
are the colors related to things, and they are formed just like the adjectives related to
countries. Remember you form those adjectives by taking the name of the country and
adding -ii for the masculine adjective and -iyyah for feminine adjectives, like this:
Amriikaa--America
Amriikii--American (m)
Amriikiyyah--American (f)
Lubnaan--Lebanon
Lubnaanii--Lebanese (m)
Lubnaaniyyah--Lebanese (f)
Some of the common adjectives for colors that are formed from nouns for things include
the following:
Bunnii/iyyah - Brown (from "bunn" meaning coffee beans)
Wardii/iyyah or Zahrii/iyyah - Pink (from "wardah" or "zahrah" meaning rose or flower)
[Egyptians use the Turkish word "bembe" for pink]
Banafsijii/iyyah - Purple or violet (from "banafsij" meaning the Violet flower)
Burtuqaalii/iyyah - Orange (from "burtuqaal" meaning the orange fruit)
Rumaadii/iyyah - Gray (from "rumaad" meaning ashes)
Thahabii/iyyah - Gold (from "thahab" meaning gold)
Fiddii/iyyah - Silver (from "fiddah" meaning silver)
Ku lii/iyyah - Navy blue (from "ku l" meaning Kohl, the dark-blue powder used as eyeliner in the Middle East)
Khaakii/iyyah - Khaki (from the Persian word "khaak" meaning dust. This is where
English gets the word "khaki")
The second type of adjectives for colors in Arabic takes special forms, different from
regular adjectives. Remember, in Arabic the feminine form is usually made by simply
adding the suffix "-ah" to the masculine form. Adjectives of color (and many physical
defects) often take different forms:
Azraq/Zarqaa' - blue m/f
A mar/ amraa' - red m/f
Akhdar/Khadraa' - green m/f
A far/ afraa' - yellow m/f
Aswad/Sawdaa' - black m/f
Abyad/Baydaa' - white m/f
Here are a few example sentences:
c
Indii sayyaarah sawdaa' jadiidah. - I have a new black car.
Shaahadtu film abyad wa aswad. - I saw a black and white film.
Ayna qamii ii al-azraq? - Where is my blue shirt?
Al-kitaab al-a mar calaa al-qaamuus al-akhdar. - The red book is on the green dictionary.
At-tuffa ah amraa'. The apple is red.
Al-mawzah afraa'. The banana is yellow.
Lawn al-ba r azraq. The color of the sea is blue.
The rainbow: In Arabic a rainbow is called "Qaws Quza a" meaning "the bow of the
rain god Quza . Quza was the ancient Arabian god of rain, in the time before Islam.
Remember when we learned about how the Kacbah in Makkah used to be full of idols of
the old Arabian gods, before the Prophet Mu ammad came and destroyed all the idols?
Well one of those idols they used to worship was Quza . He was an important god to the
ancient Arabians because there was not much rain in the desert. Even though no-one
worships him anymore, Arabs still call a rainbow "the bow of Quza ."
What are the colors of the rainbow?
red - a mar
orange - burtuqaalii
yellow - a far
green - akhdar
blue - azraq
indigo (really dark blue) - niilii (or ku lii)
violet - banafsijii