LESSON THREE: "Al" and "U case"

[.: Anna :.]

vocab audio here

*new* check out the Madina Arabic lesson on this topic for extra practise and revision

Madina Arabic lesson on "al"

[.: Anna :.]

Exercises

1.) Translate the following (make sure to include the words "a" or "the"!)

المفتاحُ
المسجدُ
وردةٌ
الملابسُ
كتابٌ
هذا كلبٌ
ذلك سريرٌ
قطّةٌ

2.) read the following and write whether they are right or wrong, if wrong then correct the mistake.

بابُ
ولدٌ
الكرسيٌّ
الرجلُ
القلبٌ

3) Referring back to lesson one, look at the following and decide if the word starts with a sun letter or a moon letter. Read each one aloud with the appropriate pronounciation.

الشمس
البيت
النكاح
السيّارة
القلم
الجميل
النور

[.: Anna :.]

new vocabulary

كتابٌ
(kitaab) book
سريرٌ
(sareer) bed
كرسيٌّ
(kursee) chair
قميصٌ
(qamees) shirt
رجلٌ
(rajul) man
بنتٌ
(bint) girl
جميلٌ
(jameel) beautiful
فقيرٌ
(faqeer) poor
كبيرٌ
(kabeer) big
صغيرٌ
(sagheer) small

[.: Anna :.]

BACKGROUND

The Arabic language has 3 "cases". (This system may be familiar to you if you have ever studied Russian or German, but if not, don't worry :) ) They are shown by the choice of either damma, kasra or fatha (the three short vowel signs) on the last letter of the word.

The "U case" (or nominative) can be seen to be the default case. It is for the subject of the sentence. (The phrase "U case" means that it takes damma on the last letter)

(Cases are going to be covered properly in a full lesson or maybe more insha allah. You do not need to worry about it yet, just be aware of their existence.)

LESSON

الis the Arabic "definiate article", ie it means "The". Unlike in English, it is written attached to the following word with no space between them.
There is no Arabic word for "a" or "an". When you see the word with no definate article, and it has "tanween" on the last letter, then "a" is implied.
Tanween means that there are two of the vowel signs instead of one.

eg

بابٌ
[baab(un)] A door

البابُ

[Al baab(u)] The door