Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Foolish Assumptions 3 Icons Used in This Book 3 Beyond the Book 4 Where to Go from Here 4 Part 1: Getting Started with Arabic 5 Chapter 1: The Arabic You Already Know 7 Taking Stock of What''s Familiar 7 Discovering the Arabic Alphabet 9 All about vowels 9 All about consonants 12 Speaking Arabic like a Native 14 Chapter 2: Taking a Closer Look at the Arabic Alphabet 15 Getting a Grasp on ???? 16 Figuring Out the Transcription 16 Getting Better Acquainted with the Script 17 Chapter 3: Tackling Basic Arabic Grammar 27 Introducing Nouns, Adjectives, and Articles 28 Getting a grip on nouns 28 Identifying adjectives 29 Discovering definite and indefinite articles 33 Understanding the interaction between nouns and adjectives 35 Creating Simple, Verb-Free Sentences 37 To be or not to be: Sentences without verbs 37 Building sentences with common prepositions 39 Using demonstratives and forming sentences 41 Forming "to be" sentences using personal pronouns 43 Creating negative "to be" sentences 44 "To be" in the past tense 46 Working with Verbs 47 Digging up the past tense 47 Examining the present tense 51 Peeking into the future tense 54 Examining irregular verb forms 55 Chapter 4: Getting Started with Basic Expressions 59 Greeting People Appropriately 59 Saying hello 60 Bidding goodbye 61 Asking how someone is 61 Responding that you''re doing well 62 Making Introductions 64 Asking "What''s your name?" 64 Responding with the possessive "My name is . " 64 Saying "It''s a pleasure to meet you!" 64 Talking about Countries and Nationalities 65 Asking "Where are you from?" 66 Saying "I am from . " 66 Shooting the Breeze: Talking about the Weather 68 Chapter 5: Getting Your Numbers, Dates, and Measurements Straight 73 Talking Numbers 74 Referring to Days and Months 76 Size Matters: Measuring in Arabic 79 Chapter 6: At the Office and Around the House 81 Managing the Office Environment 81 Interacting with your colleagues 83 Giving orders 87 Supplying your office 88 Life at Home 91 Part 2: Arabic in Action 97 Chapter 7: Getting to Know You: Making Small Talk 99 Asking Key Questions 100 Talking about Yourself and Your Family 102 Making Small Talk on the Job 106 Staying in Touch by Phone and Email 108 Chapter 8: Asking Directions and Finding Your Way 111 Focusing on the "Where" 111 Asking "where" questions 112 Answering "where" questions 112 Getting Direction about Directions 114 Asking for directions 114 Could you repeat that? 116 Using command forms 118 Discovering Ordinal Numbers 120 Chapter 9: Taking Care of Business and Telecommunicating 123 Making a Call: Phone Basics 124 Beginning a phone conversation 124 Asking to speak to someone 125 Planning while on the Phone 127 Making social plans 127 Making business appointments 129 Leaving a Message 131 Dealing with voice mail 131 Leaving a message with a person 132 Sending and Getting Emails 133 Sending an email in Arabic 134 Sending an email in English 134 Following proper etiquette 135 Chapter 10: This Is Delicious! Eating In and Dining Out 137 Consuming Food: All about Mealtime 137 Starting the day off with breakfast 138 Eating lunch 143 Supping at dinner 148 Enjoying a Meal at Home 149 Dining Out 149 Perusing the menu 150 Placing your order 152 Finishing your meal and paying the bill 154 Chapter 11: Going Shopping 157 Going to the Store 157 Browsing the merchandise 158 Getting around the store 159 Getting to know the verb "to search" 161 Asking for a Particular Item 163 Comparing Merchandise 166 Comparing two or more items 167 Picking out the best item 169 More than a Few Words about Buying and Selling 171 Shopping for Clothes 174 Chapter 12: Hitting the Town 179 Telling Time in Arabic 179 Specifying the time of day 181 Specifying minutes 182 Visiting Museums 187 Going to the Movies 193 Touring Religious Sites 197 A few rules to keep in mind 197 The Hajj 198 Chapter 13: Enjoying Yourself: Recreation, Music, and the Outdoors 201 Starting Out with the Doing Verb 201 Sporting an Athletic Side 204 Going to the Beach 208 Playing Musical Instruments 210 Talking about Hobbies 211 Part 3: Arabic on the Go 215 Chapter 14: Planning a Trip 217 Choosing Your Destination 217 Picking the Right Time for Your Trip 224 Tackling Packing 227 Preparing Your Travel Documents 228 Using a Travel Agency 232 Chapter 15: Dealing with Money in a Foreign Land 235 Going to the Bank 235 Opening a bank account 236 Making deposits and withdrawals 244 Using the ATM 244 Exchanging Currency 245 Getting to know the currencies around the world 246 Making exchanges 247 Chapter 16: Getting Around: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles 251 Traveling by Plane 251 Making reservations 252 Getting some legwork out of the verb "to travel" 255 Registering at the airport 256 Boarding the plane 259 A brief departure on the verb "to arrive" 260 Going through immigration and customs 261 Getting Around on Land 266 Hailing a taxi 266 Taking a bus 268 Boarding a train 270 Chapter 17: Finding a Place to Stay 273 Choosing the Right Accommodations 274 Discussing minor room details 277 Getting to know direct object pronouns 279 Making a Reservation 281 Figuring out the price 281 Indicating the length of your stay 284 Subjecting you to subjunctive verbs 286 Checking In to the Hotel 289 Checking Out of the Hotel 291 Chapter 18: Handling Emergencies 295 Shouting Out for Help 295 A little help with the verb "to help" 297 Lending a hand 298 Getting Medical Help 300 Locating the appropriate doctor 300 Talking about your body 300 Explaining your symptoms 302 Getting treatment 303 Acquiring Legal Help 304 Part 4: The Part of Tens 307 Chapter 19: Ten Ways to Pick Up Arabic Quickly 309 Watch Arabic Television 309 Use the Dictionary 310 Read Arabic Newspapers 310 Surf the Internet 311 Streaming Services 311 Listen to Arabic Music 311 Sing Arabic Songs 312 Make Arabic-Speaking Friends 312 Watch Arabic Movies 312 Eat at a Middle Eastern Restaurant 313 Chapter 20: Ten Favorite Arabic Expressions 315 ????? ??? 316 ?????! 316 ????? ??? 317 ?? ??? ???? 317 ?????! 318 ???? ???? 318 ?????? 318 ????? 319 ???? 319 ????? ???? 319 Chapter 21: Ten Great Arabic Proverbs 321 ??????? ??? ?????? 321 ???? ???? ????? ?? ????? 322 ?????? ????? ?? ????? ??? ????? 322 ?? ????? ?? ????? 322 ??????? ?? ????? ????? ??? ???? ????? ??? ???? ???? 322 ??? ????? ???? ?? ????? ??? ?????? 323 ????? ??? ???????: ????? ????? ??? ???? 323 ????? ????? ?????? ????? 323 ?? ??? ?? ????? ???? ?? ?????? 323 ???? ???? ????? ???? ????? 324 Part 5: Appendixes 325 Appendix A: Mini-Dictionaries 327 Appendix B: Verb Tables 341 Appendix C: Answer Key 355 Index 361.