A tip and question in one, apologies if covered off elsewhere.

I found some shows on Disney+ have Arabic audio (eg Lion King) and recommend it’s worth a watch for those trying to find alternative ways of taking in the language.

If you have come across any other shows on other platforms do share (my current focus is MSA)….

Found this on the desk I’m sitting at, is it even Arabic? Urdu? Farsi? Does it even mean anything or is it a doodle? Super curious

Thanks!

Arabic Lexicons

An opensource Arabic dictionary & reader app

Arabic Lexicons provides access to 11 dictionaries. 8 classical Arabic lexicons, 2 Arabic-English lexicons, and 1 Arabic-English dictionary - all working completely offline.

Source code: https://github.com/wizsk/arabic_lexicons/

Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.github.wizsk.arabic_lexicons

I have shared this couple of times here. But sharing once again for those who are new.

I spent (wasted?) almost a year trying to learn Masri and didn't get very far. The single greatest hurdle is that there is not one way to spell all the words used in Masri, or any other languages derived from Fusha (Shaami, Darija, etc).

Sometimes I would see the same word written with qaaf, sometimes with 2a. In future tense I would see some people use haa (the circle), others use 7. Some words that originally had jiim were instead written with the Persian Ch.

This makes it extremely difficult to look words up online / in a dictionary because the spellings keep changing without rhyme or reason.

I get it, a lot of these words are from different languages with phonology that is much different from Fusha. I myself am Mexican; Mexican Spanish has a lot of words that were derived from Nahuatl (examples: Tianguis for market, Chamaco for kid, also the names of a bunch of fruits and animals) but a *long time ago* we figured out one single standardized spelling for everything which we then put in our dictionaries.

On that note, other countries have government-funded programs dedicated to promoting their language / teaching their language and culture and making learning materials / proficiency exams. Germany has the Goethe Institute, China has the Confucius Institute, etc. Why don't the Arabs make one of those?

I feel it's much more useful and helps with memorizing stuff

Dear learners,
I need to take a B1 test in two weeks. Does anyone have one? I studied Arabic, but I never took a test in it. Maybe if I had, it would have helped me. I found one online, but it was very difficult.
Any help would be appreciated! Baraka llahu fik!

What does it mean in Arabic? It’s a Pakistani girl name and I was wondering if it has meaning in other languages.

I studied Arabic for eight months before I visited Cairo. I knew the alphabet, basic grammar, and you could say I felt ready.

Then I got in a taxi and the driver asked me a simple question. I understood every word. But I couldn't give them an answer. And the difference is I had “studied Arabic” for eight months before I went to Cairo. During this cab ride the driver asked me where I was from, a pretty basic question, and, although I understood each individual word he said, I could not put together a response. He was nice enough that he didn’t keep trying to start a conversation. So it was just silence (suuuuper awkward).

When I came back, I start searching how to fix this freezing problem. Even if I know apps are not a magical solution i got a few (praktika, memrise, anki) to help me to start saying things OUT LOUD and feeling more confident. I wonder why traditional methods of teaching a language don't change to focus on speaking. SO many people I see learning languages complain about the exact same thing.

How do you actually learn a new language from scratch, and what does it take to become fluent in it?

I’m trying to learn Arabic as a beginner from Bangladesh. Being a Muslim, I already know the Arabic alphabets and can read Arabic to some extent, but I know that reading and understanding a language are two completely different things.

I want to learn Arabic properly, from understanding basic words and sentences to being able to speak and understand it naturally. But I’m not really sure where to start, what learning process to follow, or which resources are actually worth using.

For those who have learned a new language, especially Arabic, I’d love to hear about your experience. What worked for you, which resources would you recommend, and what would be the best way for a complete beginner like me to get started?

TIA

A while ago, a friend of mine asked me about ONE of THE most famous adages (or proverbs) in Arabic literature: القَناعَةُ كَنْزٌ لا يَفْنى and I answered him that it translates into

"Contentment is a treasure that never fades-away"..

I was being too literal; but I had explained to him that TRUE treasure is having that 'peace-of-mind' inside your mind, inside your home and in all aspects of your life; and not constantly running-around after material gains exhausting yourself and exhausting everyone around you..

I wasn't 100% happy with that explanation, and I do not think that he understood the weight of that statement..

`

I also told him that القناعة كنز لا يفنى is NOT a quote from prophet Muhammad ﷺ nor from the Quran; it is simply what people say since.. forever..

• Plato إفلاطون (the Greek philosopher) said "القَناعَةُ تُوَفِّرُ الْوَقْتَ لِلتَّمَتّعِ بِالحَياةِ Contentment saves time to enjoy life"..
• and Imam Al-Shafi'i الإمام الشافعي said "القَناعَةُ رَأْسُ الغِنى Contentment is the-chief-source of richness"..

and there are other similar quotes with the similar message from the Hadith(s) (from prophet Muhammad ﷺ) and from Imam Al-Hussain ibn Al-Imam Ali -- quotes that I did not know about them at the time, and only found-out about them much much later while writing this piece..

`

He then asked me "when do people say القناعة كنز لا يفنى?"

When and at what occasions?

I told him that we say it to people who believe that "the grass is always greener on the other side" -- To remind them that true treasure is to be happy of what you have and of what you have achieved.. and that "Your grass gets greener when you water it, and when you take good-care of it"

Again, my explanation was too superficial, and it really DID NOT cover the true spirit of this famous famous famous proverb in Arabic..

I was not too happy with my own explanation, and he was not too thrilled either..

`

Months later, he texted..

• I got it!! "Comparison is the thief of joy"..

and I thought about it for a good minute before I texted back "exactly"..

`

"Comparison is the thief of joy" is a famous quote attributed to the former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919).. In Arabic, it would have been something like "المُقارَنَةُ هِيَ سارِقَةُ الْبَهْجَةِ"..

and this proverb/adage is particularly more important today in the modern age of the internet, social media and streaming services when people constantly compare their own lives with other people's lives..

Social media makes life a lot worse because most people only share their best moments when they are happy, successful and "on top of the world!!", and they do not share their daily struggles and their lowest points, as often..

You are more likely to share your successes than your failures online..

and by looking at the other people's "happier" lives, it can make ANYONE fall into the trap of envy, and into the trap of having unrealistic standards/expectations for/from yourself, your spouse and the world around you..

It can make you a lot unhappier about your own life..

`

ALL THESE QUOTES, they warn against measuring your own life, success and happiness against other people's apparent "success" - as it makes your own achievements feel smaller, less important or inadequate..

and it ultimately brings misery, restlessness, anger, resentment, cheating, divorce and all sorts of negative things into your life, and to the people around you..

`

On the other hand; Having the peace of mind (being content of what you have and of what you have achieved) is the one true treasure that everyone should have..

Contentment is a treasure that never fades-away القَناعَةُ كَنْزٌ لا يَفْنى -- it is the true treasure..

Comparison is the thief of joy المُقارَنَةُ هِيَ سارِقَةُ الْبَهْجَةِ -- similar message but from a different POV..

`

Peace y'all

What are the different ways we are supposed to use “لماّ”?

I know it can mean: something resembling ‘not yet’

و لمّا يدخل الايمان في قلوبكم
“Faith has not entered your hearts yet”

And I understand you can use it before past tense verbs:

لمّا دخلتُ الجامعة
“When I entered university.”

Is that correct? Is there any other contexts we can use this?

I’ve always got confused between عندما and لما … when speaking about the past is it allowed to use عندما ?

For example if I’m talking to a friend about a faulty phone I bought last week, can I say:

عندما رجعتُ إلى الدكان وجدتُ نفس الرجل
“When I returned to the shop (last week), I found the same man (who sold me the phone)”

Is that correct to say? Or do I have to say:

لمّا رجعتُ إلى الدكان وجدتُ نفس الرجل

Please, I’m begging for help, this is actually embarrassing for me. Arabic is SOOO HARD when English is your first language and you don’t have any prior exposure to it. I’m literally starting from scratch out of the motivation to be a good activist for my friends in Palestine. But god damn dude…

“When it comes at the beginning of a word, write it like this. If it comes at the end of a word write it like this. If it comes in the MIDDLE of a word write it like this
Oh, and you have to learn to write and read backwards from English. Good luck!!”

What do I do??? I asked my teacher for equivalents in English text for me to reference as I’m more of a visual than an audio learner. It’s really hard for me to focus as well due to autism and adhd. This kind of practice requires a LOT of focus so that’s what I’m also struggling with.

There are quite a few websites for learning English touch typing, but finding structured resources for Arabic can be a bit difficult.

TypeAra is focused on Arabic touch typing, with structured lessons for learning the keyboard step by step, along with typing speed tests for practicing speed and accuracy.

It also includes an Arabic keyboard and practice options for letters, tashkeel, numbers, and quotes.
For those who type in Arabic regularly: what do you think is missing from existing Arabic typing practice tools?

Hello everyone, I have a question about translation: How do you approach concepts that are structurally or culturally unique to a language (untranslatable words)? Do you prefer descriptive footnoting, or do you force a near-equivalent and accept the loss of nuance?"

My teacher asked me to take the sentence "this large group of people includes in itself engineers" and add case endings, but I feel like I totally botched it. Please correct me if I'm wrong?

هَذِهِ مُجْمُوعَةٌ كَبِيرَةٌ مِن النَّاسَ الَّتِي تَضُمُّ بِدَاخِلِها مُهَنْدِسِينَ.