Arabic Language Basics

Alphabet and Script

• The Arabic alphabet consists of 28 letters, all of which are consonants.
• Vowels are represented by diacritical marks (harakat) above, below, or within the consonantal letters.
• Arabic script is written from right to left.
• There are several forms of each letter, depending on its position in the word:
  • isolated form
  • initial form (at the beginning of a word)
  • medial form (in the middle of a word)
  • final form (at the end of a word)

Vowels and Diacritical Marks

• Short vowels (harakat):
  • fatḥah (َ): a short "a" sound
  • kasrah (ِ): a short "i" sound
  • ḍammah (ُ): a short "u" sound
• Long vowels (alif, wāw, and yā'):
  • ā (ا): a long "a" sound
  • ī (ي): a long "i" sound
  • ū (و): a long "u" sound
• Other diacritical marks:
  • ḥamzah (ء): a glottal stop
  • waṣlah (ٰ): a symbol indicating the absence of a vowel

Nouns and Adjectives

• There are three types of nouns in Arabic:
  • singular
  • dual (referring to two things)
  • plural
• Nouns can be masculine or feminine, and this affects the agreement of adjectives and verbs.
• Adjectives agree with the nouns they modify in gender, number, and case.

Verbs

• Arabic verbs are based on a system of trilateral roots, which convey the basic meaning of the verb.
• Verbs can be in one of three aspects:
  • perfect (completed action)
  • imperfect (ongoing action)
  • jussive (command or prohibition)
• Verbs agree with the subject in person, number, and gender.

Sentence Structure

• Arabic sentence structure is typically VSO (verb-subject-object).
• Word order can be changed to emphasize certain elements of the sentence.
• There are several types of sentences, including declarative, interrogative, and imperative sentences.

Case System

• Arabic has a complex system of case endings, which indicate the grammatical function of a noun or pronoun.
• There are three main cases:
  • nominative (subject)
  • genitive (possessor or attribute)
  • accusative (direct object)
• Case endings can be affected by the presence of certain prepositions or particles.