The 2002 statistics on enrollment in foreign languages in U.S. institutions of higher education show that enrollments in Arabic were relatively stable during the 1980s. However, since 1995 they have shown rapid growth, particularly between 1998 and 2002, almost doubling. Arabic is among the fifteen most commonly taught languages in the U.S. hence, the pressing need for dictionaries designed for English-speaking users as the target...
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When most people think about the word sports, they think of conventional games such as soccer, cricket, and baseball, but in the Arab countries, sports often have another definition. Indeed, conventional sports are practiced throughout the region, and physical activities were part of Arab culture centuries before colonialism, reflecting the geographical specificity of the Arab World in relation to space, time and objects. Though the...
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Ramadan is just around the corner! What is Ramadan you ask? During the holy month of Ramadan Muslims are required to abstain from eating and drinking from dawn until sunset. For the past few years, Ramadan has fallen in the summer, so it is crucial to stay hydrated and drink more between iftar and suhoor. Iftar is the meal to break the fast after sunset. Typically, people will enjoy dates,...
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Pronouns are incredibly elementary. They are simply the I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they, and other variations we are all familiar with. We learn how to use these at a young age in school as a required grammar lesson, and, although grammar on its own is exceptionally important, pronouns are also drastically important when it comes to identification communication. Learning to correctly apply pronouns...
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When most people hear the word geography, they immediately begin to think of maps, but it’s so much more than that. To understand why studying geography is relevant, people must first understand what it means. The word comes to us from the ancient Greeks, who needed a word to describe the writings and maps that were helping them make sense of the world in which they...
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Exploring Arabic speaking countries can be quite an adventure, but you need to know how to ask for directions in Arabic and to understand what you’re told. After all, if you don’t understand the directions, you might miss the very things you hoped to see. However, first you need to know how to ask for directions, as it is a very common situation for the foreigner abroad. To...
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The best way to learn a new language is to immerse yourself in it, but when you don’t have a language partner or when you’re are not living in an Arab country, then you have to come up with alternative ideas. One way of immersing yourself in a language is through the newspaper! Aside from learning about current affairs, reading newspapers can teach you new...
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When making plans, appointments, and travel arrangements in Arabic speaking countries, you need to be able to state days and tell the time in Arabic. We’ve already posted an article about days in Arabic, so let’s cover the time words as well. First, however, let’s get familiar with some vocabulary on the subject of time. Clock in Arabic /Saa’at haa'it / ساعة حائط Time in Arabic /Waqt/ وقت Minute in...
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No matter how good your Arabic is, most people in Arabic speaking countries will know you’re not a native speaker, so if you’re a foreigner visiting or living in an Arab country, you might be frequently asked the following question: min ayn ant?/ من أين انت؟ . Basically, an Arab is asking you, “Where are you from?” You can answer this simply with the country you’re from: ana...
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