Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

The most comprehensive arabic grammer out there.
Wright's is simply the most extensive arabic grammer out there. Every serious student should have a copy. However, it is important to keep in mind that this is a product of the last century and hence, best suited for someone with an academic bent. Something similarly advanced, more compact and a more contemporary treatment of clasical arabic grammer would be Grammer of the classical arabic by jonathan rodgers. ... Read more

Product Description
A Linguistic History of Arabic presents a reconstruction of proto-Arabic by the methods of historical-comparative linguistics. It challenges the traditional conceptualization of an old, Classical language evolving into the contemporary Neo-Arabic dialects. Professor Owens combines established comparative linguistic methodology with a careful reading of the classical Arabic sources, such as the grammatical and exegetical traditions. He arrives at a richer and more complex picture of early Arabic language history than is current today and in doing so establishes the basis for a comprehensive, linguistically-based understanding of the history of Arabic. The arguments are set out in a concise, case by case basis, making it accessible to students and scholars of Arabic and Islamic culture, as well as to those studying Arabic and historical linguists. ... Read more

Product Description
You can use Teach Yourself Arabic Complete Course to learn at your own pace or as a supplement to your classwork. This complete course utilizes the very latest learning methods in an enjoyable and user-friendly format.

The new edition also features:

• Engaging visual materials such as menus, photographs, signs, and tickets
• Two CD recordings allowing quick and easy access to individual lessons and exercises
• A clear, accessible new page design
• Strong, striking cover photography

Customer Reviews (33)

I hated this book. Well, I used to....see update below.
I really liked this book when it was the older addition but the 2001-2003 edition is horrible. Too much transliteration seems to be the one stressed to read instead of trying to learn the actual script, which ruins it; you used to have to try to think about the script in doing the lessons as well, to help you learn to both read and write in Arabic. In the older versions, yes, there were words that you didn't need to know and some political mish-mosh but the good things about them were they forced you with every exercise to think about and use what words you just learned in the lesson and the previous lessons. Its the thinking process that mattered, not the words totally.
***UPDATE****UPDATE***
I was pretty harsh in my review of this book but considering this book has like, 5-6 revisions and Amazon NEVER or takes forever to change the pics to reflect the newer editions or the editions use the same pics; you can't tell which one you are doing. Having said that, I must retract my former review. I sheepishly admit that when I first looked at this copy, I rather hastily thumbed thru it and found all the faults I had with it and delved no further. But it kinda bugged me and since there are so few Arabic resources, especially inexpensive ones, I had to look at it again. I realized I had made a grave mistake. After looking at several lessons as a whole and going thru it chapter by chapter, I have to say I actually like it and more than I thought I could/would. These books at first were not really marketed toward the super serious learner who would probably go on to learn more from another source. They were mainly geared to people who were going on a trip for an extended visit, wanted to chat with in-laws or locals, or wanted to dabble in knowing a language ok but not 100% and impress their friends.

There is a method in how the book is laid out and why they included some things from old editions and why they threw out most of it. One of the new things they do, is omit the vowel markings from jump street. So starting at page one, you are on your own if you want to read it by Arabic script and not transliteration, which I like but the thing that bugs me is that the transliteration is so prominent and in your face the way they have it on the page, you automatically focus on those words first and not the script.

However, where TY is starting to differ and improve, is that they have been learning over the past 6 or so years, that they are getting people who are truly serious about learning another language and are gearing their newer editions for people who want to continue on and actually become fluent. As a result, each edition has gotten better and better; they got rid of a lot of the "fluffy nonsense" they used to have before. It used to be about hotels, visas, restaurant ordering, booking a car, etc. Not so much anymore. They do have some of that because let's face it, you will have to learn that at some point plus its just good to know!

Now, they are more relevant to today's situations and has useful phrases that you will actually need and want to say/learn. It has a lot more practical usage of vocabulary and phrases than before. They have gotten rid of the political, useless dialog and have made you read and learn the script earlier on than in previous editions. You start having to read Arabic script as a whole, by lesson 6; before it wasn't until almost the last 3 or 4 chapters of the book. So if you don't know the script, I suggest you get the Beginning Arabic script book in the series along with it. Not every TY book is perfect and I have to remember, as well you should, too, is that the books and CD's are no substitute for getting out there and learning the language first hand, i.e. using it and speaking to native speakers! Without that, no matter what course you buy, French, Italian, Croat, Russian, etc, even the best structured course is totally useless.

Please don't not skip buying this course because of bad reviews especially if you know NO Arabic at all and want to learn something. Buy it with an open mind and just do the work before passing judgment like I did. If you don't know any Arabic at all, you can't help but learn a lot before the course is through, so you will be the best winner vs. some of us who already have a language or two under our belt and look at these programs with a more critical eye. As someone once said to me, every course good or bad, has something you can glean from it whether it be grammar or pronunciation or placement...whatever. All courses can yield something you didn't know before and maybe you wouldn't have known if you hadn't gotten it. I think that is true. If you want to continue on with the language you chose, get some supplemental material, like a good dictionary, a phrase book and another course in the language. Another course is good because every teacher is different and you learn more with each course. Anyway, that is my take and I am glad that I can come back and amend this one.

a well-done introduction
This text stands almost alone among those available purporting to teach Modern Standard Arabic,because the authors (two longtime Arabic teachers)actually went to considerable pains to craft a course that addresses the aspects of Arabic that beginning learners find most difficult. The section on pronunciation is very thorough and gives learners an actual idea of how to make the many sounds of the language that are new (and often difficult). As someone who has labored with materials on many languages where you don't get much more advice than to 'imitate the pronunciation on the CD', this is a feature I particularly appreciate. The treatment of the grammar is not particularly rigorous (Elementary Modern Standard Arabic,the 'big orange' book of Abboud, Erwin, McCarus et al goes into the grammar in much more detail) but regular practice with this book will give a very intuitive sense for making one's own Arabic sentences. The vocabulary is well-chosen, too: early lessons give all the essentials for getting around and asking directions, and from there the book moves on to a number of interesting and useful everyday topics.Two small complaints:a section on how to hand-write Arabic would be helpful, and perhaps some introductory coverage of the case endings that come up in much more formal usage. This book concentrates on a very basic, everyday form of the language, which is fine, but students who want to move on to more advanced materials will be in for an unnecessarily unpleasant surprise if they don't at least know that there are grammatical endings that aren't treated here.

Thank you
Your delivery time was really short. I have been living in Turkey. And also I satisfief from the book. Nice cover, nice subjects and good teaching are covered.

Useful but still needs improvement
Learning Arabic on your own is a struggle. Your struggle is harder if textbooks are below standard. Admittedly, the author put a lot of effort into the book but efforts alone don't make this texbook good for self-learning.

There are good sides:
The main texts are accompanied by a rather thorough (sometimes incomplete) vocabulary, literal translation translation, grammar notes and the main thing - audio recordings.

Verb tables are well organised. Although, I am still struggling to understand how some of them work (especially when the refer back to other tables), I think they are useful. Would be good to use more common terminology (e.g. hollow verbs).

If the textbooks had only the above items, then it wouldn't be too bad, although, there is very little repetition and review of the learned words.

The bad sides:
Many exercises starting around the middle of the book are useless, they are not based on vocabulary or grammar learned before and they are missing the new vocabulary and the vocalisation/romanisation. Check the job advertisment chapter - it's awful! Many exercises are similarly unmanageable, even with the answer provided, in my opinion, at least if you do them on your own.

There is a lot of room for improvement:

The vocabulary should be complete and include ALL the words that appear in the textbook, including all newspaper ads, signs, pictures, etc. and provide some guide on which form they appear in (e.g. passive voice).

The exercises should have enough information to enable the learner to complete them without consulting native speakers or Arabic teachers.

The romanisation is consistent but a more common or a standard romanisation would be more beneficial, e.g. no one uses ":" (colon) for `ayn (3ayn).

Despite my critisism, I like the textbook and I will get back to some of the exercises, I wasn't able to complete when I get more knowledge from other books.

Perhaps, Arabic textbook writers need to look how Chinese and Japanese textbooks are organised + more focus on grammar. The approach is not too different.

Not Too Helpful
I bought this book shortly after starting to self-study Arabic using Rosetta Stone software.What I was hoping to find was a well written, useful book the basics of spoken Arabic with effective drills and exercises to facilitate retention.This is not what I found with the Teach Yourself book.Let me highlight some of the glaring deficiencies for you, and then decided if this book is right for you.

1.The Arabic script is barely even touched upon.

2.The Arabic script which is used in the book does not include vowel marks ANYWHERE.This makes learning new words and being able to read new words nearly impossible.It is true, written Arabic seldom includes the vowels in practice, with the only exception being education materials for children because they are just learning the language... ummmmmm isn't that what we are trying to do too?

3.Exercises in the book quickly become worthless due to the issue mentioned in #2.The book asks you to read passages of words you never learned and asks questions you can't possibly answer.

4.The audio exercises do not add much value to the book and suffer similar problems as #3.

5.Many chapters consist of just a collection a phrases used for particular situations.This kind of content should not be the main focus of an educational language book.After all, we are trying to learn how to speak the language, not walk around like a tourist with a travel phrase book.

6.New vocabulary that is introduced is not reiterated nearly enough to allow for retention.In some parts of the book it is like reading from the pages of a dictionary...

I could go on and nitpick at this book a little more, but the important things are mentioned above.Many people have noted some of the points I made in their reviews, but then have ultimately given the book a 4 or 5 star score citing that it does have basic grammar points explained clearly.I would say that is the absolute minimum you would expect from a self teaching language book.That doesn't make it praiseworthy!"Teach Yourself" certainly is what will not be happening with this book.I could only recommend it if you want a extremely mediocre reference book on Arabic.I hope my review is helpful to you. ... Read more

Product Description
Looking to enhance your Arabic writing skills? Intermediate Arabic For Dummies gives you practical examples and useful exercises so you can practice writing the language like a native. From vocabulary and numbers to juggling tenses, you’ll get a clear understanding of the nuances of Arabic style and usage that will have you writing in no time!

This friendly, hands-on workbook starts with a helpful grammar review from nouns, adjectives, and adverbs to pronouns, prepositions, and conjunctions. It presents words and examples in both Arabic script and English transliteration. You’ll find tips for selecting the correct verbs and charts that provide conjugations of regular and irregular Arabic verbs, and end-of-chapter answer keys help you focus your studies. And, you can practice your Arabic writing right in the book. Discover how to:

• Improve your written Arabic skills
• Understand Arabic style and usage
• Use numbers times and dates
• Read and write the Arabic alphabet
• Use fundamental Arabic grammar
• Communicate more effectively in Arabic
• Grasp essential differences in Arabic and English usage
• Join clauses and form conditional sentences
• Use the verbal noun and participles
• Write emails, personal letters, and other correspondence
• Conduct business effectively in Arabic
• Avoid common mistakes in Arabic

Complete with helpful English/Arabic and Arabic/English dictionaries and great hints for fine-tuning your Arabic, Intermediate Arabic For Dummies is the tool you need to start improving your Arabic writing now! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent/Outstanding
Excellent book for learning the Arabic language and this is coming from a person who is a native speaker of Egyptian dialect. I believe my children who aren't as solid in their Arabic will benefit from the grammatical explanations here.

Could have been much better.
This book was a huge disappointment.It's so cluttered in it's organization that it makes it difficult to find what you need.When you do find what you need I think that it fails in a number of instances to clarify. The index needs some work.There are some helpful examples with answers, so it's not a total loss.I found Modern Standard Arabic Grammar by Hassanein a better reference manual.

Excellent for Self-Study!
I really like this book. It has transliteration into English of all the Arabic, even in the exercises. This is good for me, since I never totally mastered the alphabet in my basic studies. It's organized into useful sections, treating the tricky grammatical topics I need to learn better. I've even laughed out loud at some of the humor he puts into the writing. ... Read more

Product Description
Considering the communicative and symbolic roles of language in articulating national identity, Yasir Suleiman provides a fresh perspective on nationalism in the Middle East. The links between language and nationalism are delineated and he demonstrates how this has been articulated over the past two centuries.

Straddling the domains of cultural and political nationalism, Suleiman examines the Arab past (looking at the interpretation and reinvention of tradition, and myth-making); the clash between Arab and Turkish cultural nationalism in the 19th and early 20th century; readings of canonical treatises on the topic of Arab cultural nationalism, the major ideological trends linking language to territorial nationalism; and provides a research agenda for the study of language and nationalism in the Arab context.

This the first full-scale study of this important topic and will be of interest to students of nationalism, Arab and comparative politics, Arabic Studies, history, cultural studies and sociolinguistics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Christmas present
This was a gift for the Egyptian Dig student in the family, who wants to learn more. She loved it.

An important addition
Such bookis an important addition to two fields of studies. The first is the anthropology of language, namely the connection between languages and the phenomena of nationalism and national identity. The second field concerns nationalism and national identities in the Arab Middle East, especially the relationship between the Arabic language and national identity. This book embodies a rich effort to examine the works and ideas of prominent thinkers and scholars in the field of nationalism studies by examining its applicability in the case of the Arab nationalism. Moreover Sulieman uses a wide range of primary classical and modern sources, some of these sources have received only minor attention from scholars, despite their indicative content in studying Arab nationalism and the question of identity. Bu using these sources Suleiman shows how language has played an active role in shaping an Arab nationalism that had clear cultural character.
The book studies also territorial nationalism in the Arab Middle East and how this relates to the language issue as a factor in the conceptualization of national identity. In particular the ideas of Greater Syrian, Egyptian nationalism and Lebanese nationalism. ... Read more

Product Description
This book provides the traveler to the Eastern Mediterranean with a practical aid for communicating in Arabic.It is based on the spoken language widely understood in Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine/Israel and Syria.

• A brief description of Arabic grammar
• A pronunciation guide
• Over 2,000 entries of useful and up-to-date phrases and basic key vocabulary
• Easy-to-use commonsense pronunciation.
• Phrases covering all topics a traveler needs to know, including numbers, transportation, shopping, eating out, and much more

Customer Reviews (3)

useful for some purposes, but limited in key ways
The Kindle edition of this work suffers two major limitations. First, there is no way of quickly going to the entry of a word in the dictionary. For example, if you want to find out what "Now" is in Arabic, the only way to get to the entry is to use Kindle's Find function, and to skip through every use of the word "now" in the text until you come to the entry. This renders the dictionary impractical in many uses. Secondly, the Arabic is not given in Arabic script, but in transliteration only. This makes it of very limited use if you are learning the Arabic alphabet as part of learning Arabic.

Arabic on my own.
I am studying arabic on my own and am using this to get a quicker grasp on the arabic. I have found it to be very helpful.

Learning Lebanese Arabic
This dictionary is useful but limited in utility if you want to learn Lebanese.It does not cover many words used in the Lebanese dialect of Arabic.It makes specific references to Syrian and Egyptian words but not Lebanese. ... Read more

Product Description
The Arabic script should no longer look like scribbles. With no lengthy introductions or linguistic complication, this book is a hands-on guide to learning how to read and write in Arabic. The book illustrates how to write the basic shapes of the letter and how to join letters to form words. It offers plenty of exercises and examples, and introduces readers to commonly used Arabic words and how to pronounce them. ... Read more

Product Description
Everyday speech of the educated Baghdadi, generally understood throughout the Arab world. Text in Arabic and Roman transcription. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Street Arabic
I found the paperback version interesting but at the same time a bit hard to understand fully. Without the cassetts with the correct pronunciation its hard follow this book. I have on the other hand been studiyng classic arabic for some time which have been helpful.Recordings are old and sometimes hard to fully hear the pronunciation. ... Read more

Product Description
The newest addition to the Bilingual Visual Dictionary series, this title will help the international visitor-whether business or recreational-absorb essential vocabulary in Arabic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Useful book with some flaws
I've been studying Arabic for the past two years with Al-Kitaab, and realized that although I could often talk about very complex topics in Arabic, I often lacked very simple vocabulary for everyday things. I found this book to be really fantastic and useful for learning everyday words (wall, lamp), as well as very detailed specific things (kinds of tools for example). My main complaint is that I wish it would give the words with tashkeel for easier pronunciation, as well as giving the plural form of the word. It also would have been very helpful to include some more culturally specific words.

ArabicEnglish Bilingual Dictionary
I am not very happy with this,although it arrived on time and in perfect condition. I find it difficult to look up and is quite restricted in the words available. It is not a comprehensive dictionary. It is an interesting book to flick through, more of a coffee table book where you will learn something everytime you pick it up but as a dictionary it is poor.

don't bother getting this for a trip to the Middle East
This dictionary might be quite good for an Arab visiting England, but for a Western tourist going to an Arab country it will be useful only for medical emergencies,etc. or for describing you own culture. It is just a rehash of the German, French, Spanish... dictionaries. That would be alright for a European culture but not for any Arab country that I have ever visited (5 in all). Where are all the things from the Arab's world? You can find everything from England of course, all the parts of a church but not even the word for minaret or the ababic "pulpit" (Minbar),etc. Lots of beatuiful northern landscapes (what about deserts?), all the games and sports which are not played, all the plants and trees which don't grow there (all the different types of English gardens!).All kinds of alcoholic beverages and all the food (cuts of pork) which you won't find in an Arabic country unless you just eat at the Hilton or Marriott (or, God forbid, Mac Donald's). Where are all the Arabic dishes: esfihas, chick pea spread, babghanouch, kibbe? Nothing! I wouldn't bother taking this on a trip to an Arabic country. I could probably get something more useful, even if less sofisticated, when I arrived there at the airport. With a culture so diferent the editors should have done a bit of research and editing/expansion before issuing a dictionary like this. Typical result of ignorance (arrogant lack of respect for?) of another culture!

Excellent Complement for Modern Standard Arabic Courses
DK's VISUAL ARABIC-ENGLISH BILINGUAL DICTIONARY is an excellent text to complement beginning Modern Standard Arabic courses.Not only is it visually attractive, but the up-to-date vocabulary, arranged by subjects (appearance, study, work, sports, etc.), has all the words that students want to know right away.I believe that it is absolutely essential, when learning new (concrete) words in a foreign language, that the student start right away to associate each word with an image.When a student looks at a door, for instance, he or she immediately thinks of the Arabic word for it.There is none of this "That's a door and the word for door in Arabic is...." ... Read more

Product Description
READ AND SPEAK LANGUAGES FOR BEGINNERS

Basics made easy--and fun!

Extraordinarily accessible and highly effective, Read and Speak Languages for Beginners guides make it easier than ever for English-speaking language learners to master the basics of three particularly difficult languages--Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese. Using a variety of ingenious educational tools that instruct as they entertain, these unique beginners' guides help learners conquer the difficulties presented by script as they master basic conversational sentence structures.

Ideal for tourists and business travelers, the books are organized around the seven key areas of everyday life--names and nationality; naming objects; positions and places; describing possessions; appearances; family; and jobs and workplaces--and feature:

• Clear explanations of how basic phrases are used for practical communication
• Entertaining activities, games, and puzzles
• Illustrated flash cards that help in the memorization of key phrases
• A 60-minute CD, featuring speaking and listening exercises and audio games

Customer Reviews (18)

good introduction
I liked the book and the cd was a good supplement. It only would have been better to have the appendixes placed before the first chapter as a short clarification about the basic principles of reading. Of course this is only the first step and consider also buying the "Easy arabic grammar" by the same authors and I also find "Teach yourself arabic" by Jack Smart and Frances Altorfer relatively good although a bit too eclectic.

Very accessible and useful!
This is an accessible and pedagogical book which will teach the beginners the basics of Arabic.
It introduces practical phrases which are used in dialogues such as introducing oneself, saying where one is from, asking about different things and where they are located, describing objects and people, etc. The book comes with an accompanying CD which will teach the student to pronounce and memorize the words. It is a very useful tool which will help the student master the Arabic language.

Joyce Akesson, author of Arabic Morphology and Phonology: Based on the Marah Al-Arwah by Ahmad B. Ali B. Masud (Studies in Semitic Languages and Linguistics) and The Complexity Of The Irregular Verbal And Nominal Forms & The Phonological Changes In Arabic

Best Beginner'sBook for Arabic
I have purchased many books to learn Arabic and this one is the best.Although it is more like a high school workbook it is fun and it works!It has english, written arabic, and phonetic arabic - all three are rarely in other books.The games are fun and instill the language further.I highly recommend this book and cannot wait to purchase the next level. Also, the Arabic writing is large enough so that it can be read easily, unlike many other books.

Great!
This is a great workbook! I love how it comes with a cd for pronunciation. There are also a lot of activities and games that help you learn words really easily!

Very accessible and useful!
This is an accessible and pedagogical book which will teach the beginners the basics of Arabic.
It introduces practical phrases which are used in dialogues such as introducing oneself, saying where one is from, asking about different things and where they are located, describing objects and people, etc. The book comes with an accompanying CD which will teach the student to pronounce and memorize the words. It is a very useful tool which will help the student master the Arabic language.

Joyce Akesson, author of The Complexity of the Irregular Verbal and Nominal Forms & the Phonological Changes in Arabic ... Read more

Product Description
"The Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics" represents a unique collaboration of over hundreds of scholars from around the world, the "Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics" covers all relevant aspects of the study of Arabic and deals with all levels of the language (pre-Classical Arabic, Classical Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic, Arabic vernaculars, mixed varieties of Arabic). No other reference work offers this scale of contributions or depth and breadth of coverage. "The Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics" is set to become an essential reference work for students and researchers in the fields of linguistics, Islamic studies, Arabic literature and other related fields. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A wonderful masterpiece!!
This encyclopedia is the wonderful product of many eminent contributors from all over the world.
I have three of its volumes and am waiting impatiently for the fourth that will come out any day now.
The work is a must-have for any researcher in the field of Arabic culture, languages and linguistics and anyone interested in this field.

Joyce Akesson

Author of Arabic Morphology and Phonology: Based on the Marah Al-Arwah by Ahmad B. Ali B. Masud (Studies in Semitic Languages and Linguistics)

seriously?!
only two hundred sixty seven dollars for this masterpiece? what a steal. but there's only one copy left at amazon. don't all rush to order it at the same time! ... Read more

Product Description
Whether traversing the Nile or exploring Cairo's labyrinthine alley-ways, delve beneath the surface and discover the intriguing language and culture of Egypt. Confidently converse in Egyptian Arabic and ensure you don't miss out on the friendliness and humor for which Egyptians are famous. Enhance your travels throug this enticing country!

Our phrasebooks give you a comprehensive mix of practical and social words and phrases in more than 120 languages. Chat with the locals and discover their culture - a guaranteed way to enrich your travel experience. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Perfect pocketbook
This perfect pocketbook sized guide was truly helpful during our vacation to Cairo in 2009. On the go, I always kept it handy in my cargo pocket!

Quality and Quick
The book arrived on time and in good condition.No problems with transaction.What else could you ask for.

Make sure to get the right Arabic book
I recently bought this book because I was headed to Syria and wanted a phrase book that was helpful and compact. Although the book meets all the requirements, I picked the wrong type of Arabic for Syria (Levantine Arabic). Make sure that if you are headed to the Middle East, you research what type of Arabic they speak, i.e. Egyptian vs. Eastern Arabic!!!

Helpfulnot intimedating
Having traveled to Egypt 3 years ago, I tried to learn some Arabic......... with little success.This phrase book is very easy to use.I know that I won't be speaking fluently so it is great to have a handy "guide" when I return to Egypt later this year!!

Arabic for Egypt
I am meeting my husband in Egypt. I hope this product helps me with getting around, I will know more in a week. The book is small enough to put in your pant/shirt pocket or easily into your purse. ... Read more

Product Description

A fun and practical way to develop and improve conversation skills in a new language

This audio-based language series from Teach Yourself is an entertaining, non-intimidating way for you to build conversational proficiency or brush up on your skills. Ten common situations--such as buying food and drink, shopping, asking for directions, and visiting locals--are each represented by two sample conversations to show readers how language is used in daily life. With simple and bite-size explanations and instructions, you will easily gain confidence in conversation skills.

Customer Reviews (4)

Great for Conversational Arabic
This is a great CD set for learning everyday conversational Arabic.I loved Jane Wightwick and Mahmoud Gafaar in their Michel Thomas Arabic audio series as well.They've also written several excellent books on Arabic which are available on Amazon.

Good Course, but uses two dialects
This is the second Teach Yourself ____ Conversation course I have purchased.The first was Teach Yourself Spanish Conversation, which was quite good.This course is also good, however it does suffer from the fact that the speakers are using BOTH the Egyptian and the Iraqi dialects.While a person will still be understood if they find themselves speaking this mix of Egyptian and Iraqi dialects, if one is focusing on studying a particular dialect (Egyptian, in my case), it may be beneficial to ignore the speakers of the other dialect on the CDs.

The program covers most standard tourist and daily living situations a person may encounter.It is quite similar to Pimsleur, in that you are supposed to take part in the conversation and respond to questions, as opposed to memorizing words or grammar tables in isolation.The CDs come with a booklet, providing a transcription of all of the dialogs, however the transcription is transliterated and contains no Arabic script.One can use the CDs only and never look at the booklet.I would estimate that the entire course covers 350 words.

This course can be used by a beginner, although they may find it frustrating repeating each lesson several times, and most likely they would need to use the booklet as well.Someone who has completed another basic course in the language (perhaps Pimsleur or Linguaphone) could use this course as a great review and a tool for increasing their vocabulary.

CDArabic Conversation
I am making a short trip to Morocco...thought there would be some easy greetings....it starts right our with conversation...I possibly bought the wrong CD.

Great book
I had to buy this book because I kept getting late fees for failing to return the library copy on time. It's great for getting a basic grasp of the language but especially good if you can use it in conjunction with getting some help from a native speaker. The binding could be stronger though - the pages start to fall out if you study a particular section for very long...
It could be improved by including some more of the vocab on the cds too. Butthis is definitely the best overall book that I have found to date to give a comphrehensive introduction to Arabic. ... Read more

Product Description
Dr Wright's translation of Caspari's Arabic Grammar first appeared in 1859. Since that time it has been thoroughly revised and enlarged, and has become the standard authority. Volume I contains sections on orthography and pronunciation, on the verb, the noun and adjective, on numerals, prepositions, adverbs and conjunctions. Volume II deals with syntax and prosody. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Bibliobazzar edition is half a book
The comprehensiveness and usefulness of W. Wright's grammar is well known; however, the Bibliobazzar edition gives the misleading impression that it contains both volumes of two volume book while it only includes the first volume.If you are expecting to get both volumes, look elsewhere.The only real benefit in getting this edition is that the font is large making the text easier to read.

Beware of getting half a book!
The description for this book is incredibly misleading. The original book was published in two volumes, but these are regularly bound together. The product description of the book I purchased on this page suggested that this would also be the case here: "Volume I contains sections on orthography and pronunciation, on the verb, the noun and adjective, on numerals, prepositions, adverbs and conjunctions. Volume II deals with syntax and prosody." The BiblioBazaar edition (with the white and purple cover) is titled A Grammar of the Arabic Language, with no indication that it is only volume one, so that the would-be purchaser can easily be led to believe that she will be getting both volumes together. This is not the case! You are in fact getting only the first volume.

I do appreciate the increased font size since older Arabic type isn't always easy on the eyes, and I do want to have the whole book in the end, so I opted to order a used copy of the second volume to complement the first half that I unwittingly ordered here. This means that the cost of the whole work is essentially doubled. I am very disappointed that Volume 1 would be sold under the title of the whole work, with no indication that it's only the first half. Buyer, beware!

Standard Reference grammar of Classical Arabic
Wright has been the standard reference grammar of Classical Arabic for over a hundred years, and is still the most comprehensive generally available for the Classical language.Wright's knowledge of Arabic and his use of Arab grammarians was vast, and he's worth persevering with. The traditional Western terminology is a positive advantage to anyone who's used to it, and I must say I think Jacob Minsky's examples are among the most extreme in the book, tho' his point is well made. However, Wright introduces the Arabic terminology almost everywhere, which is a great boon - modern writers tend to ignore Arabic terminology, which is rather pig-headed as it leaves the student unable to discuss language with Arabic speakers, and at a disadvantage when trying to understand books in Arabic on language.

Fischer's "A Grammar of Classical Arabic" is much more accessible to those unused to traditional Western grammar, even if it is rather less complete in its coverage. In particular, it has nothing on Arabic verse, for which you still neeed to use Wright.

As to editions, the Cambridge edition is really a bit over-priced (it always was expensive, costing 18/- [= £0.90 or about $5.00 at the time] in the mid 1930s just for volume 1!). Librarie du Liban does a hardback for much less which is at least as well produced and a sight better bound. At least one Indian publisher does a two-volume hardback edition as well. As for the unclear typography, that's at least in part due to poor reproduction of earlier letter-press printing.

Stop Press: I see that Cambridge have just re-released the book in a new printing. The good news is that the margins are wider. The bad news is that it's more expensive and they've made the decision to perfect-bind the book.

Solid Reference Grammar, but has Drawbacks
First, anyone considering this book needs to understand that this is a reference grammar, not a textbook for learning Arabic. The material is arranged by parts of speech and by grammatical concepts, not as a series of lessons going from simple to more complicated. There are no exercises and no excerpts for reading practice (although all discussions of grammar and semantics are illustrated by examples). The level of the book is not for beginners.

The main drawback is a level of unneeded complexity that is maintained in many sections of the book by the use of Latin grammatical terms and by trying to look at Arabic through the concepts of English grammar. The chapters on Syntax are especially notable for this. It is there that we find such gems of clarity
as :

If two *correlative* clauses follow the
hypothetical particles law (if), law 'anna
(if that), lawlaa, lawmaa and lawlam (if not), [*]
the verbs in both clauses have usually the
significance of our pluperfect subjunctive
or potential, though occasionally too of our
imperfect subjunctive or potential.

This is further "clarified" by the footnote:

[*] The protasis of a sentence, when introduced
by lawlaa, although it may not have a verb
actually expressed, yet includes a verbal idea,
viz. that of the verb kaana.

This creates the impression that Arabic hypothetical sentences are super-complex, and their meanings are difficult to grasp. In fact, there is nothing particularly hard about the sentences used to illustrate this discussion, and most of the difficulty comes from trying to arrange English and Arabic into parallel structures. I find it hard to recommend the Syntax section of the book, which has pages upon pages of such explanations. But many other parts (such as the discussion of the forms of the verb) are lucid and helpful, probably because there aren't any English parallels to get in the way.

I also find that the fonts and the typesetting are not great. Looking at the pages for a long time fatigues the eyes.

I feel that I must mention that the price ... seems unreasonably high to me.

In summary, the book is good, but make sure that this is what you want.

Classical Arabic Grammar
This book was wriiten by Caspari and only translated into english by Wright. It is by far the best book on this subject in the english language. Nothing like it has been produced as the days of orientalist scholarshipthat was able to appreciate and understand classical grammarians as thoseupon whose work Caspari based this on have gone. Modern arrogance has leftthis book on the shelves getting dusty when it should be the basis of allarabic study. The book is at times difficult to read as the english has notbeen edited since 1923 however this is good as it keeps out unwantedcomment.

All in all if you buy this book (despite its price) I assureyou, you will never grow out of it- and if you do you most certainly won'tconsider that money other than well spent- Good Luck! ... Read more

Product Description
Save $5 with publisher mail-in rebate!

Learn Arabic in 4 Simple Steps.

Living Language® Complete Arabic: The Basics teaches the basics of Modern Standard Arabic using a simple and effective building-block method. This course includes everything you need—pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, culture, and practice—and it's designed to be effective in a short period of time. The program features both a simple phonetic transcription system and a comprehensive guide to reading and writing Arabic script, so students can decide when they'd like to learn the written language. Either way, with Living Language, you're just a few simple steps away from speaking Arabic!

This comprehensive course package includes:
•15 step-by-step lessons in a convenient coursebook
• 3 audio CDs with all the important course content
• A grammar reference section and two-way glossary
• The Living Language Complete Guide to Arabic Script
... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Teaches speaking and listenning to MSA
This is a fairly basic course that does not teach reading and writing Arabic script but
it does not claim to do that.It teaches Arabic through Romanized transcriptions but
does cover the the vowels and the letters of the Arabic script.

Pros:
1. Teaches Standard Modern Arabic.MSA courses are not easy to come by.
You should learn MSA before tackling a colloquial dialect.
2. Speakers on the CDs are extemely clear, have nice voices,
and speak at a normal pace.This is the only MSA course that I found
in which the speakers talk at a normal pace.
3. The vocabulary is on the CDs and pronounced at a slow pace that
makes it easy to learn.
4. The CDs are all Arabic except for the lesson numbers.

Cons:
1. The vocabulary is on the CDs and pronounced at a slow pace that
is boring to hear.
2. The box says three hours of recordings and each topic gets fours
recorded tracks.Only the first track of each topic contains
an in-context conversation. Half of this track is a repeat of
the conversation so that you can repeat the words.The other
three tracks are vocabulary lists that I find boring.

Summary:
It is okay to buy this course for the audio content but if you
want to read and write the script have a look at the LL
Ultimate Edition of this course.Due to the lack of conversational
content, you may also need to buy another MSA course.

Happy I purchased both ''Complete Basic Arabic'' and ''Ultimate Arabic''
I wanted to go back to both Farsi and Arabic (well... ''go'' would be more adapted since I had like NO memory and never learned the script!), and had a hard time on the web to find what I was looking for.

I just tried the Living Language Farsi method for a few days and was so convinced that I went straight to purchase the Arabic one also at LL. Before that I asked some advices straight to LL themselves and they were available, patient and very clear in their advises.

I bought both methods ''Complete Basic Arabic'' and ''Ultimate Arabic'' and I am happy I did.

If you have already notions of Arabic you might want to go straight to ''Ultimate'' to refresh your vocabulary and grammar. If you are starting from zero you would rather get ''Complete Basic Arabic'' and to go slower and get the basics (but the content covers so much that actually it is really strong basics). If you get both you can use ''Basic'' the first time and then alternate. That's what I appreciate: the ''Basic'' allows me to get slowly in motion, familiarize myself with the lesson without feeling lost. Then I go to ''ultimate'' and I can review things I may forget, and refresh a lesson I may not have work so much on for days or weeks...

One reviewer was critical about the choice of focusing on ''Modern Standard Arabic''. I personally would argue the opposite, it is a good choice! I needed an arabic that I can use as much when I meet a Palestinian friend or a Tunisian one. I learned Tunisian when I was young (forgot everything) and it is more difficult to make conversations in arabic dialects with a person from another dialect. If you learn the standard one, everybody will understand it and your friends or encounters will be here to enrich your vocabulary by giving you more ''local'' terms and accents. Also this method actually regularly highlights differences (pronunciations, accents, vocabulary and even culture) from one side of the Arabic world to another. So really this shouldn't be a barrier.

The only ''dark point'' might be the small size font but I am sure that is something they can solve in a next edition, and still, I have glasses and can manage, so I am pretty sure it is doable for anyone.

somewhat confused
I was lucky enough to get this course through my local library rather than having to buy it. What I find somewhat odd about this course is that according to the accompanying book, this course is Modern Standard Arabic rather than colloquial Arabic. Yet, all the words with the "jiim" character are pronounced with a hard G (G as in 'go"). This is NOT typical Modern Standard Arabic, its usually only found in Egyptian Arabic.

If this course is really MSA, they would be teaching the "jiim" character as being pronounced like a soft J (like the "s" in "pleasure" or "treasure") not a hard "G".

When I contacted Random House to inquire about this, I never received any reply.

So... I'm not sure what to make of this. It only raises the question of "what other mistakes did they make?"

Excellent buy for beginning Arabic
Just bought the Arabic for Beginners text, which came with 3 CDs. Very inexpensive. Arabic grammar, basic concepts explained in English, which was very helpful. Great buy.

Good for grammar - but little else.
After learning the basics of Arabic from this book, I stopped reading it. It feels like a phrasebook, just spewing random vocabulary that doesn't really help you.

On a positive note, it doesn't just teach MSA, it has other dialects.

I've heard that "Mastering Arabic" is a pretty good book. Try that instead. ... Read more

Product Description
The only language guide of its kind, the Iraqi Phrasebook provides you with the Iraqi-Arabic phrases you'll need to communicate effectively in general travel, medical, and security situations, as well as with ordinary Iraqis on the street. The book:

• Separates content by topic
• Focuses on conversational language
• Presents Arabic phrases in easy-to-read transliteration
• Features phrases addressing needs of military, aid, business, and construction personnel

Customer Reviews (8)

Good value & helpful
Good book - very helpful as it is hard to find specific translations! Covers many situations.

Iraqi Phrasebook
Bought for son now serving in Baghdad. He said this was just what he needed. Great service, as always from Amazon.

Iraqi Phrasebook - Yasin Alkalesi
Small book that packs a great punch.I highly recommend this book to assist you in your travels.Easy to use, basic grammar explanations, good selection of words, easy transliteration method.The only drawback is no script.If you're looking for a book to assist you with learning Iraqi Arabic, I would highly recommend Modern Iraqi Arabic by the same author.

Good book.
Good, cargo pocket sized, my Iraqi translator checked it out and says its accurate and good. I find it easy to read and flip through. Informative.

"Indispensable" - Speak Like a Native!
Overall, a concise and indispensable text for beginners learning Iraqi Arabic.

You will NOT need to learn the complex Arabic script to use this book; it is intuitively and consistently transliterated into English letters and familiar symbols.However, pronunciation is EXTREMELY important.A supplemental resource, such as The Arabic Alphabet: How to Read & Write It is highly recommended for familiarization with the sounds of Arabic.

Once you understand how Arabic is pronounced, which will only take a few days to learn (but years to master), this book should be your next investment -- IF you want your spoken Arabic to have a uniquely Iraqi character.On a few occasions, I was actually mistaken as a native because of my localized pronunciation and terminology (despite being white skinned, blue eyed and wearing a military uniform).

Once you get your hands on this phrasebook, you will need a strategy to effectively study it.Let's face it -- your chances of going to Iraq at the present time as an unescorted westerner and returning with your head still attached are questionable at best.This renders many of the rote phrases contained in this book (for hotels, airports, taxis, etc.), completely moot.Your best bet is to browse through and mark for study only the most useful items.Particularly important is the 1,000 word mini dictionary, which is astutely assembled and represents much of the core of the spoken Iraqi dialect.After several months of studying with this resource an hour or two a day, you should be able to express yourself surprisingly well in a variety of common situations.You can expect to, with some effort, arrive at basic two-way communication much of the time.The idioms and expressions at the beginning of chapter four are simply fantastic!Learn as many as possible and use them often.Your Iraqi listeners will be impressed.

This book condenses 95% of the grammar you will actually need into one short chapter.It completely dispenses with obscure grammatical minutia.Dr. Yasin explains everything in plain English, providing plenty of examples of how Arabic is ACTUALLY SPOKEN.

For those in the military, this resource is conveniently cargo pocket sized, and holds up well under abuse.Years later, my copy is still intact and frequently referenced.

I am deeply indebted to Dr. Yasin for developing this work as a solid foundation for many meaningful encounters and relationships with the Iraqi people. ... Read more

Product Description
Whether on a diplomatic mission, military deployment, or a leisurely tour of the Middle Eastern cities, join the conversation with Instant Immersion Arabic, the dynamic language learning system on 8 compact discs.

Providing effective, progressive instruction in all the basics of structure, syntax and grammer, Instant Immersion Arabic focuses on the Eastern Colloquial dialect, the dialect most prevalent in Arabic-speaking countries, and the closest to Classical Arabic.

From introductory verbs to regional variations, this comprehensive CD collection ensures detailed language learning, all set to a lively lesson plan of practical Arabic vocabulary. Not a phrase book, not a translation guide, Instant Immersion Arabic is the speedy, sophisticated route to proper Eastern Colloquial Arabic, for all non-native speakers on the go.

CD 1: Grammer introduction; Asking questions
CD 2: Meeting people; getting aquianted
CD 3: Around town; Street directions
CD 4: Accomodations; Dining out
CD 5: Clothing; Parts of the body; shopping
CD 6: Visiting the doctor; Weather; Travel
CD 7: Tourism; Family; Schooling CD 8: Higher education; Employment ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Awesome product!
The product was a little delayed, but once I called Amazon.com and notified them I had not received the order, they rushed it out immediately and I received it within days! It is an awesome product and very helpful for it is helping my understanding of the Arabic language, and is very easy to use! Within the first few minutes of using I have already begun to learn and better understand the Arabic culture.

Great resource!
This set of discs does what few other methods can - teach you how to speak Palestinian Arabic. There are no printed materials, you can make your own from your notes. Other methods will teach you Al FusHa, classical Arabic (which no one speaks) or MSA (modern standard arabic) which will help you to understand most dialects, sort of.
Since 1948, most Arabic-speaking people understand the Palestinian dialect. So you can either learn Egyptian Arabic, or learn Palestinian. This set of 8 discs is reasonably priced, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

mixed feelings
I was lucky in that I was able to obtain this from my local library. So, for free, its ok. Had I paid for it, I'd have gone back and asked for a refund.
This program is good in that it gives you a good basis of vocabulary. The bad thing is, it doesn't really seem to give it in any helpful context.

The vocabulary seems to be just given in successive recitation without any basis for reference. For example, you might hear "marhaban", but because they don't tell you the meaning of "marhaban", it doesn't really mean much other that you're hearing the word. Ok, so now you've heard the word "marhaban". So what, if you don't know the meaning, its kind of useless. And that's what this whole thing seems to be is just one long stream of vocabulary. One word after another.

So I guess I'd have a hard time recommending this course. I like to be able to hear something and be given a meaning. So if I heard "marhaban-Hello or welcome". Then it would be useful. But I like to listen to stuff in my car. I can't very well do that if I'm having to sit there with a book and read along...

Sorry, but I'd recommend something else before I'd recommend this. Its fine if you already have a solid basis of vocabulary, but worthless if you're a beginner.

No frills but very thorough!
For $20, this is a very detailed set of language CDs.

Listening to this collection may be a bit tedious at times, but they are in fact a good learning tool for the featured language. Jam-packed with useful straight-to-the-point phrases and grammer, you will very likely find this set to be well worth your time and money. Check out the other languages featured in this series as well!

Good resource, but don't start with this one.
I've had this CD set for about six months, having bought it after I took two semesters of Arabic in college to keep up over the summer.I play it in my car, and it does what I intended it to- keep me on my toes with Arabic vocab and sentence structure.The narrators are native speakers (a plus) but can be hard to understand at times, and make a few awkward but minor errors in the English translations.The subjects covered are diverse, and familiarize you with all kinds of vocabulary you're not likely to learn in a classroom setting ("At the Dentist" and "Household Furniture," for example).
However, I don't recommend it if you have no exposure to Arabic and want to learn- they give an elementary syntax lesson up front, but it's nothing more than a cursory review.For the serious beginner, there isn't enough grammar to get the big picture using this resource alone.For the serviceman, contractor or tourist who just wants enough to get around, this is probably too much to sift through.For the student of Arabic who's already had a basic introduction to the language, though, this collection is perfect, and paired with a book, class or mentor would make an excellent resource. ... Read more

Product Description

Your one-stop guide to mastering the basics of Arabic

Customer Reviews (10)

Great
Jane, and Mahmoud do a good job of explaining what needs to be explained. The only irk about the book is they left out transliteration for most sentences; but transliterated the important sections, namely the verbs. I had purchased another book by them "Easy Arabic Grammar", which really boosts up the common what's what of Arabic, and did transliterate all example sentences, but was more of a student reference guide, with activities, this book "Verbs & Essentials of Grammar" details a lot more, and gives the necessary verb forms, Jussive, Imperative, Subjunctive and so on. This book coupled with perhaps a Hans-Wehr dictionary would become indispensable, and you will be on your way to fluency with practice. The book basically answered all the questions I had scratched by head over when looking at verbs, wondering how to use a verb this way or that way. If your goal is fluency, all the things they explain are not typically necessary to know advanced rules for but it will make it clearer for you, so I recommend it to get a foothold on the language, but then remember always to bulk vocabulary to a few thousand words, and practice in the field with native speakers.

limited usefulness
there are some efforts to make the book interesting but despite this, the content is of moderate usefulness.

Recent Order
The service was great. I ordered my book 5 days before my class started and the package arrived promptly and the book was in excellent condition, looked brand new. The price was absolutely the best. I will definitely order future books from this company.

helpful, and not just for those starting out
The Arabic verb is both simpler and harder than that of languages more familiar to English speaking learners.Simpler, because basically you have two tenses:Perfect and Imperfect.(The future, negative future and past habitual tenses, as well as the jussive and subjunctive moods are all formed by small changes or additions to the imperfect). Harder, because of the bewildering variety of sizes and shapes in which the verb can appear. The simplest form, which is usually referred to as Form I, consists of words built upon a 'root', almost always of three consonants (once in a while four), with eight of the remaining nine forms, which usually change some nuance of the Form I's meaning, being derived by an internal change to the original verb or by attaching a prefix to it.

This little book is a great resource for keeping track of all this, and it is a particularly helpful reference when it is necessary to deal with the often confusing doubled or hollow verbs. You can't beat the price, either.

A very good introduction to the basics of Arabic!
This book is simple, concise and insightful. It presents the verbal forms and tenses, the adjectives, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, and other important grammatical categories and rules. The examples that are introduced reflect real-life situations.
On the whole, the work is a very good introduction to the basics of Arabic.

Joyce Akesson author of The Complexity Of The Irregular Verbal And Nominal Forms & The Phonological Changes In Arabic and Arabic Morphology and Phonology: Based on the Marah Al-Arwah by Ahmad B. Ali B. Masud (Studies in Semitic Languages and Linguistics) ... Read more

Product Description
This book presents a comprehensive foundation course for beginning students of written and spoken Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), providing an essential grounding for successful communication with speakers of the many colloquial varieties. This long-established and successful text has been completely revised with the needs of English-speaking learners especially in mind, and will prove invaluable to students and teachers alike.