ArabicPod101.com Blog

A lot of people stereotype Arabic as an "angry language." What does that even mean? They’re only talking about how it sounds. Anybody who knows any Arabic understands that it’s a language famous for its poetry and scripture, with elegant, untranslatable words for love and beauty. But Arabs get angry too. And in this article, we’ll guide you through the process of using the Arabic language to talk about frustration and anger, and even share with you some juicy insults. You won’t find any vulgar curse words here—those are members-only at ArabicPod101.com. This is just a list of angry Arabic phrases to get you started. Since this topic is personal and emotional, we’re using a lot of colloquial Arabic phrases. It may not all be perfect... Show more

Language is really about making connections. If you know how to chat with somebody about the weather or the food you’re eating, well, good for you. That might lead to an interesting conversation. But when you know a little bit more about your target language culture, and you can pull out the right phrase for the right situation (like how to wish a happy birthday in Arabic), you show that you’ve gone beyond just knowing a handful of words. And when that phrase is about some major life event, something that really has an emotional effect on somebody? That’s when you make a fantastic impression. So that’s what this article is all about: the absolute essential phrases that you need in Arabic to show somebody that you care, no matter... Show more

Socially, weather can bring us together. I mean that quite literally, actually—if you’re caught in the rain, you can share an umbrella or duck under an awning with a stranger (while expressing that you’re cold in Arabic!). Or perhaps if it’s a beautiful day, you call up a friend for a bike ride and talk about the nice weather in Arabic. Or maybe you just need to learn weather terms in Arabic so you can understand the Arab weather forecast! Have you thought about how you might discuss the weather in Arabic? For example, the weather Dubai United Arab Emirates experiences, or the Arabic weather report you just heard? Even though the weather is one of the first topics in any language class, most people never realize how rich ... Show more

Psst. Hey. Wanna buy an adjective? The appropriate adjectives can really go a long way toward making your Arabic speech more careful and precise. Right here, right now, you can pick up more than 100 Arabic adjectives—these are the good ones, too. We’ve hand-selected the words on this Arabic adjectives list to cover the most common situations that might come up. We use adjectives in every conceivable part of life, and for that reason, your efforts to learn Arabic adjectives are vital to ensuring total language mastery! Table of Contents A Quick Overview of Arabic Adjectives List of the 100+ Best Arabic Adjectives Conclusion 1. A Quick Overview of Arabic Adjectives Adjectives in Arabic require a bit of thought to use... Show more

There are two things that make for a fantastic language-learning environment. The first is people chatting naturally, as actual people do, without any kind of stilted usage meant for learners. No "How are you?" "I’m fine, thank you." You want: "Hey, what’s up?" "Hey." Or, you know, that in Arabic. The second is to have something interesting to care about. If you’re not interested in what’s happening, and you don’t care which way it ends up at the end, your mind won’t be focused enough to really remember what you’re picking up language-wise. Watching Arabic shows on Netflix—long and engaging—is seriously one of the best things you can do for yourself. And when you think of great television in 2019, you probably think of Netflix. So... Show more

When you consider studying a new language, you never really think about all the little bits and pieces you have to learn. For instance, the "conjunction" meaning in Arabic. Arabic learners think longingly of the beautiful script, the challenging sounds, and the rich literary vocabulary. Mastering all the uses of how to say "and" ranks pretty low on people’s lists. But here’s the thing—you can change your mindset about this. You can treat these little bits of grammar as stepping stones to producing elegant and elaborate language. And longer, complex sentences actually tend to be more regular than shorter sentences, which makes sense. More frequent things get repeated so much that the irregularities become natural, while more... Show more

So, why exactly should you learn Arabic customs and etiquette? Imagine for a moment two foreigners coming to your place of work. The first one speaks your native language flawlessly—but they’re a total jerk. It’s easy to communicate with them, but it’s just words. You have no evidence that your message is actually getting through to their behavior. The second has a moderate to thick accent, and sometimes there are things you have to ask them to repeat. But they fit right in with the work culture, and every time you’re able to communicate, things work out exactly as you intended. Which one do you prefer? Someone who knows your language, or someone who knows your culture? Since you’re reading this article, it’s clear that you’re... Show more

Everybody knows that numbers are just no fun to learn in other languages. I’ve had plenty of language teachers—fluent, expressive users of English—fall back on their native tongues when quickly counting out handouts. Sorry to tell you, but the numbers are easy. It’s dates you have to worry about. Especially Arabic dates. Ever read through an article in a foreign language, and just mentally read the dates out in your head in English because you didn’t want to figure out how to really say them? Everybody has. If you’re not used to reading numerals aloud in Arabic, check out our article on numbers in Arabic for a little bit of practice. It’s good to have a strong foundation in number-reading before you tackle date-reading; this way,... Show more

No matter what culture you visit, you’ll likely learn that the way other people think of family is completely different from how you do. When you speak in your native language about your own family, you’re drawing on many years of ingrained cultural knowledge that shapes what you’re likely to share and what you’re likely to keep private. This cultural influence may even affect the way you present that knowledge. But if you use another language to talk about your own family, like if you speak about your family in Arabic, you may sometimes find that it doesn’t quite line up. Certain phrases you expect to use aren’t there, and the person you’re speaking with may have a very different expectation of what you’re going to communicate. All... Show more

Isn’t it exciting to imagine? The crashing surf of a Moroccan beach or the tall and rugged mountains of Jordan. The streetside bazaars in Cairo or the resorts in Dubai. And you’re there. Speaking in Arabic. Or rather, that’s the plan, right? You’re still working on it. And that’s okay. Arabic is a long, long journey for anybody. Speaking of journeys, there are a couple of Arabic travel phrases that tourists need to learn in the local language, no matter where they go. In this article, I’ll outline some of the most useful travel phrases in Arabic for any traveler, tourist, or expat in an Arabic-speaking country. Let’s get started. Table of Contents Using Modern Standard Arabic vs. Using Dialects The Most Essential Arabic... Show more