Lesson — Learn Arabic & Islamic Studies

Lesson Content

Your first Arabic sentence has only two words: هٰذا and a noun. There is no word for "is", and no separate word for "a".

New words

"Hide English" covers the meanings so you can test yourself; tap a covered cell to peek. If your device has an Arabic voice, a speaker button next to each word reads it aloud.

Arabic	Say it	Meaning
هٰذا	hādhā	this (for something near)
ما	mā	what?
أَ	a-	turns a sentence into a yes/no question
نَعَمْ	naʿam	yes
لا	lā	no
وَ	wa	and
بَيْتٌ	baytun	a house
مَسْجِدٌ	masjidun	a mosque
بابٌ	bābun	a door
كِتابٌ	kitābun	a book
قَلَمٌ	qalamun	a pen
مِفْتاحٌ	miftāḥun	a key
سَرِيرٌ	sarīrun	a bed
كُرْسِيٌّ	kursiyyun	a chair
نَجْمٌ	najmun	a star
كَلْبٌ	kalbun	a dog
قَمِيصٌ	qamīṣun	a shirt
حِصانٌ	ḥiṣānun	a horse
جَمَلٌ	jamalun	a camel
دِيكٌ	dīkun	a rooster

The pattern

PointهٰذاThis

Name itقَلَمٌa pen

That is allهٰذا قَلَمٌ.This is a pen.

The double mark at the end of قَلَمٌ is read -un (qalamun). It is called tanwīn and it means "a": a pen, some pen. In Lesson 3, الْ ("the") will take this ending away.

هٰذا is read hā-dhā, with a long ā after the ه. That ā is written as a small upright alif above the letter. Many books leave it out and print هذا; the reading is the same.

Asking "What is this?"

ما means "what". Put it before هٰذا and add a question mark. Arabic writes the question mark the other way round: ؟

Arabic	Say it	Meaning
ما هٰذا؟	mā hādhā?	What is this?
هٰذا بابٌ.	hādhā bābun.	This is a door.
ما هٰذا؟	mā hādhā?	What is this?
هٰذا نَجْمٌ.	hādhā najmun.	This is a star.

Asking "Is this ...?"

Put أَ at the very start of a sentence and it becomes a yes/no question. أَ is written joined to the next word: أَ + هٰذا = أَهٰذا

Arabic	Say it	Meaning
أَهٰذا بَيْتٌ؟	a-hādhā baytun?	Is this a house?
نَعَمْ، هٰذا بَيْتٌ.	naʿam, hādhā baytun.	Yes, this is a house.
أَهٰذا مَسْجِدٌ؟	a-hādhā masjidun?	Is this a mosque?
لا، هٰذا بَيْتٌ.	lā, hādhā baytun.	No, this is a house.

After لا the answer gives the right word. Short answers like a bare "No." sound unfinished in this kind of drill: say what it really is.

Dialogue: In the bedroom

Bilal is little and curious. His big brother Yusuf answers.

Arabic	Who	Meaning
ما هٰذا؟	Bilal	What is this?
هٰذا سَرِيرٌ.	Yusuf	This is a bed.
أَهٰذا كُرْسِيٌّ؟	Bilal	Is this a chair?
نَعَمْ، هٰذا كُرْسِيٌّ.	Yusuf	Yes, this is a chair.
أَهٰذا قَلَمٌ؟	Bilal	Is this a pen?
لا، هٰذا مِفْتاحٌ.	Yusuf	No, this is a key.
وَما هٰذا؟	Bilal	And what is this?
هٰذا قَمِيصٌ.	Yusuf	This is a shirt.

Practise

Flashcards: turn each card to see the word in a sentence. Sentences: build statements, questions and answers from word tiles, from right to left.

Key points

هٰذا + noun = "This is a ...". No word for "is".
Tanwīn (-un) at the end of a noun means "a".
ما هٰذا؟ What is this?
أَ at the start makes a yes/no question; answer with نَعَمْ or لا and a full sentence.

Video Lesson

This Is ... (hādhā)