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Arabic in bite-sized parts

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Zireael
Triglot
Senior Member
Poland
Joined 4650 days ago

518 posts - 636 votes 
Speaks: Polish*, EnglishB2, Spanish
Studies: German, Sign Language, Tok Pisin, Arabic (Yemeni), Old English

 
 Message 41 of 152
23 March 2013 at 9:28am | IP Logged 
Yesterday evening I took part in an international exchange meeting of sorts (Georgians, Tunisians, Italians and Irish) in a foundation for hearing-impaired I'm part of. The international coordinator sort of expected me to come, as I am able to help her with translating into English. She already knew from a previous meeting that I can also speak some Spanish, so that's how I was introduced: 'This is Kasia and she speaks very good English and also some Spanish'.

The goal of the meeting was to see the different alphabets (the Irish one was funny, neither Celtic nor runic, just scratches 'made on trees', the Georgian one on the other hand looks like flowers of all things).

So, before the crowd got bigger, I made my way to the Tunisian table, grabbed a pen, scrawled my name in Arabic alphabet and introduced myself in Arabic.

Cue a high-pitched squeal and a shriek of 'She can speak Arabic language too!' in English, loud enough for the coordinator and the entire room to hear. Then all sorts of questions like 'What else can you say in Arabic?' 'How long have you been learning it?' 'How's thank you in Arabic?' followed. For most of the meeting, random people (speaking ones, not sign language users – I can only sign some letters) from the Polish side of the exchange would tell me that I am a genius for knowing Arabic :)

My oral communication was limited to stuff like shukran and law samaht and salam aleikum, and ism ummi Teresa (when my mum came to pick me up) as the Tunisians have a completely different pronunciation and verbal paradigm (no, I am not that wise, I simply looked the Tunisian dialect up on the Internet before the meeting to be prepared).
Therefore, I sort of expected the verbs to be problematic, but they turned out to be a total fail.

The end of the story is that I have got a photo in a headscarf and I know why it doesn't fall off, and I have a new FB friend for actually using Arabic in conversations.
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Takato
Tetraglot
Senior Member
HungaryRegistered users can see my Skype Name
Joined 5047 days ago

249 posts - 276 votes 
Speaks: Hungarian*, EnglishB2, GermanB2, Japanese

 
 Message 42 of 152
24 March 2013 at 12:25am | IP Logged 
Zireael wrote:
Cue a high-pitched squeal and a shriek of 'She can speak Arabic language too!' in English, loud enough for the coordinator and the entire room to hear. Then all sorts of questions like 'What else can you say in Arabic?' 'How long have you been learning it?' 'How's thank you in Arabic?' followed.

Yeah. I think it's always a good feeling to see their expressions when you talk to a native. It seems like your learning payed off.

I hear there's an Arabic person in one of the courses I'm attending in college (with the name of Al-Begali Adela Ali), but it kinda freaks me out that she can speak Hungarian almost perfectly. Maybe I should try talking to her, I don't know.
1 person has voted this message useful



Zireael
Triglot
Senior Member
Poland
Joined 4650 days ago

518 posts - 636 votes 
Speaks: Polish*, EnglishB2, Spanish
Studies: German, Sign Language, Tok Pisin, Arabic (Yemeni), Old English

 
 Message 43 of 152
24 March 2013 at 4:08pm | IP Logged 
Quote:

Yeah. I think it's always a good feeling to see their expressions when you talk to a native. It seems like your learning payed off.


Well, the satisfaction of seeing the Tunisians' expressions when I started speaking Arabic was precisely the reason why I came to the meeting :)
1 person has voted this message useful



Zireael
Triglot
Senior Member
Poland
Joined 4650 days ago

518 posts - 636 votes 
Speaks: Polish*, EnglishB2, Spanish
Studies: German, Sign Language, Tok Pisin, Arabic (Yemeni), Old English

 
 Message 44 of 152
25 March 2013 at 7:46pm | IP Logged 
Lesson 8, 25.03.13
We covered sun and moon letters from Sarah's book – equivalent to the second half of Lesson 3 from Madinah site.
My favorites from the new words were fakeer (probably related to the Hindi 'fakir') and zahraa – in Baldur's Gate 2, there was a minor character, a djinni from Calimshan, named Chan Zahraa, who had nothing in common with a flower...
Next lesson scheduled for after Easter break.
Anki stats – Arabic → English deck is made of 268 items, Polish → Arabic is 226 (and German is 179)

New words
The order is IPA pronunciation – Arabic spelling – meaning.
Haloo حلو sweet
Mareed مريض sick
Daftar دفتر notebook
Ghanee غني rich
Fakeer فكير poor
Dukan دكن kiosk
Tufaah تفاح apples
Laðið لذيذ delicious
Taweel طويل tall
Qasuur قصير short
Al-mareed المريص patient
Akh الاخ brother

qamariyya قمرية moon (adj.)
shamsiyya شمسية sun (adj.)
haroof حروف letters

Dʒanna جنة paradise
Xobz خبز breath
Ghada خبذ lunch
Hawaa هواء air
Thawood   
Dahab ذهب gold
Zahraa زهرة flower
Ash-shams الشمس sun

Daif ضيف guest
Rasul رسل messenger
Saboon صابون soap
Laham لحم meat
Salaa صلاة prayer

Yed يد hand
Fam فم mouth
Sadir صدر chest
Dahr ظهر back (noun)
Ras راس head
Wadʒa وجة face
Isbah اصبح finger
Dafir ظفر fingernail

Al-fadʒir الفجر dawn
Al-dohr الظُر noon
Al-asar العصر afternoon
Al-maghreb المغرب sunset time
Al-ishaa العشاء evening


Edited by Zireael on 25 March 2013 at 7:51pm

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Zireael
Triglot
Senior Member
Poland
Joined 4650 days ago

518 posts - 636 votes 
Speaks: Polish*, EnglishB2, Spanish
Studies: German, Sign Language, Tok Pisin, Arabic (Yemeni), Old English

 
 Message 45 of 152
27 March 2013 at 9:23pm | IP Logged 
I found the other Tunisian (present at the meeting) on FB. Both Aida and Asin use Arabizi (also known as Arabic chat alphabet).
So far, my method of dealing with unfamilliar spelling conventions is simple - copy'n'paste the sentence into Yamli. Any words I don't know I run through Aratools then. Works like a charm and I've learned some new words. I need to work on my Arabizi, though.

Fortunately, I've found a good site for practising writing. It's the Lang-8 website, and I picked German and Arabic as my languages.

List of new words to come tomorrow. I need to finish a quick translation exercise due Friday.
2 persons have voted this message useful



Zireael
Triglot
Senior Member
Poland
Joined 4650 days ago

518 posts - 636 votes 
Speaks: Polish*, EnglishB2, Spanish
Studies: German, Sign Language, Tok Pisin, Arabic (Yemeni), Old English

 
 Message 46 of 152
29 March 2013 at 8:59am | IP Logged 
Possible Tunisian influence in the pronunciation of the words below – if you see any mistakes, Tunisian pronunciation, tell me. After all, I'm learning Yemeni.
Words mostly gleaned via Yamli from Arabizi.

New words
The order is IPA pronunciation – Arabic spelling – meaning.
Laysa ليس is not

Aagiba عجيبة prodigy
Al-um الأم maternal, mother (adj.)
Azka أزكى the best
Bareed بريد mail
Dʒamaa جامعة university
Hayat حيات life
Momken ممكن possible
Shaxs شخص person
Tamam تمام exact, complete
Tiib طِيب good
Zakiya ذكية clever
1 person has voted this message useful



Zireael
Triglot
Senior Member
Poland
Joined 4650 days ago

518 posts - 636 votes 
Speaks: Polish*, EnglishB2, Spanish
Studies: German, Sign Language, Tok Pisin, Arabic (Yemeni), Old English

 
 Message 47 of 152
02 April 2013 at 7:09pm | IP Logged 
I started using Lang-8 for my Arabic (and German).
Everyone here in Poland is complaining about snow this Easter... my Arabic-speaking friends included.
Anki stats: Arabic → English 309 items, Polish → Arabic 256 items (and my German deck is up to 231 items, including 1 grammar card)


New words
The order is IPA pronunciation – Arabic spelling – meaning.
Lan لن will not
Al-aam العام year
Al-yowm اليوم the day
Al-ums الامس yesterday

Duwan دون without
Manarruk مبروك congratulations
Rabiyah رَبِيع spring
Tahyaat تحيات greetings
Tawaqaf توقف stop
Yutti يأتي he arrives

1 person has voted this message useful



Zireael
Triglot
Senior Member
Poland
Joined 4650 days ago

518 posts - 636 votes 
Speaks: Polish*, EnglishB2, Spanish
Studies: German, Sign Language, Tok Pisin, Arabic (Yemeni), Old English

 
 Message 48 of 152
08 April 2013 at 3:15pm | IP Logged 
Lesson 9, 08.04.2013
Nothing goes right today! I took the wrong notebook to the lesson (one that's filled up), so we spent the hour talking about my family in Arabic and my only notes are the ones that Sarah took.
Oh, and apparently 'I have' works like a preposition...

New words
The order is IPA pronunciation – Arabic spelling – meaning.
Ana ladariya أنا لدي I have

Al-alwan الألوان colors
Al-ashar شعر hair
Abyad أبيض white
Ahmar أحمر red
Axdar أخضر green
Asfar أصفر yellow
Ashqar أشقر blond
Aswad أسود black
Azraq أزرق blue
Boni بني brown
Ramadi رمادي grey

Amm عم paternal uncle
Amma عمة paternal aunt
Ukht أخت sister
Xal خال materal uncle
Xala خالة maternal aunt

Aynaa عينا eyes
Al-unnuha الونها the color of them
Motawasta al-tool متوسطة الطول medium height
Muhandis مهندس engineer

Omraee عمري my age
ashrun عشرون twenty
θalaθuna ثلاثون thirty
arbaa'un أربعون forty
xamsun خمسون fifty
settun ستون sixty
saba'un سبعون seventy
θamanun ثمانون eighty
tesa'un تسعون ninety

Edited by Zireael on 15 April 2013 at 12:48pm



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