Arabic for groups: joining letters, Arabic-Indic numerals and dual forms
Arabic script lessons at A1 cover connecting letter forms, the letters that do not join to the following letter, and Arabic-Indic numerals. Learners type words on an Arabic keyboard and read right-to-left text while preserving the order of digits.
Arabic routine descriptions attach the future marker directly to the verb and change adjective forms to agree with their noun. The museum-visit example needs its first-person context because the unvocalized past form can also address another person. A café order introduces the dual ending for exactly two items.
Lessons
50
Questions
474
writing questions
178
reading questions
198
listening questions
98
Levels
A1–C2
Script
Arabic
What Arabic asks of an English speaker
A script that joins, with six exceptions
Arabic is written right to left, and most letters join to the letter that follows. The A1 script lessons teach the six that never do: ا, د, ذ, ر, ز, و. That is why the middle letter in باب, "door," stands apart from the final letter. Learners also meet a glottal-stop mark that can stand independently or sit on a carrier, as in أ.
ا, د, ذ, ر, ز, و
the six letters that never join to the next letter
باب
door
أ
vowel carrier with a glottal-stop mark
Two ways to write numbers
The lessons write numbers on forms, prices and signs with Arabic-Indic digits, ٠١٢٣٤٥٦٧٨٩, which encode the same numbers as Western digits in different shapes. Reading prices and times in them is practiced from A1. At A2, a museum ticket priced at ١٥٠ is one hundred fifty pounds, and each wrong option is a misreading that drops or changes one digit.
٠١٢٣٤٥٦٧٨٩
the digits zero to nine
١٥٠
one hundred fifty
Grammar attached to the word
Much of Arabic grammar is written onto the word itself. The future is marked by سـ attached to the verb, as in سأدرس, "I will study." In the lesson’s first-person account of a museum visit, زرت means "I visited" and ends in -ت. Without short-vowel marks, the same spelling can also mean "you visited"; the ending alone does not identify the person. Adjectives agree with their noun, as in مدينة كبيرة, "a big city." A café order of قهوتان, "two coffees," shows the dual ending, a form for exactly two that English does not have.
سـ
future prefix
سأدرس
I will study
-ت
past-tense ending shared by first and second person when unvocalized
زرت
I visited (in the lesson’s first-person context; also you visited when unvocalized)
مدينة كبيرة
a big city
قهوتان
two coffees
Set phrases with literal meanings
Everyday messages lean on fixed formulas, and the A1 lessons give their literal sense along with their use. مع السلامة, "goodbye," is literally "with safety," and تصبح على خير is a good-night greeting addressed to one male person. Requests open with من فضلك, "please."
مع السلامة
goodbye (literally "with safety")
تصبح على خير
good night (addressing one male person)
من فضلك
please
Try two questions from the course
Both are taken unchanged from the Arabic lessons, with the explanation learners see after answering.
A1 · Recognize Arabic letters, connecting forms, and numerals
Which of these letters does NOT connect to the following letter?
B1 · Understand the main points of clear texts on familiar matters
A short narrative says: «لم تتوقف الأمطار، لذلك ألغى خالد نزهةَ الحديقة ودعا الجميع إلى منزله. أحضر كلُّ شخصٍ شيئاً للأكل، ولعبوا ألعاباً جماعية. ورغم تغيّر الخطة كانت الظهيرة أجملَ من المتوقع.» What caused the plan to change?
What each level covers
A1 Recognize Arabic letters and their joined forms, read prices written in Arabic-Indic digits, and type short greetings, thanks and replies about names and places.
10 skills at A1
Recognize Arabic letters, connecting forms, and numerals
Produce Arabic letters in simple words
Recognize familiar words and basic phrases in short written texts
Understand basic spoken phrases when delivered slowly and clearly
Complete simple forms with personal information
Write very short simple personal messages
Understand simple written instructions supported by context
Recognize basic information in signs, notices, and schedules
Follow very simple spoken announcements
Exchange basic information in simple written interactions
A2 Read a museum ticket price in Arabic-Indic digits, describe a visit to the museum with family, and distinguish the attached future prefix in a plan to study at the library from the past-tense visit.
8 skills at A2
Understand short simple personal messages
Follow basic spoken information about everyday matters
Read simple public information and service texts
Write short everyday messages for practical purposes
Describe routine matters in simple connected writing
Handle simple written transactions
Understand simple directions and instructions
Extract key details from short factual texts
B1 Answer an Arabic meeting notice with thanks, confirmation of attendance on Wednesday and a request for the room number, keeping the requested reply phrase distinct from the surrounding message.
8 skills at B1
Understand the main points of clear texts on familiar matters
Understand the main points of clear standard speech on familiar matters
Write connected texts on familiar topics
Express opinions, plans, and experiences in writing
Manage routine written correspondence
Understand straightforward narratives and descriptions
Follow straightforward presentations and media on familiar topics
Summarize factual information from straightforward texts
B2 Write an Arabic conclusion balancing a shared workspace’s lower costs against the need for separate rooms for confidential work, proposing a limited six-month trial.
8 skills at B2
Read articles and reports that present arguments and viewpoints
Understand extended speech and presentations with clear structure
Write clear detailed texts on a range of subjects
Write reasoned arguments supporting a point of view
Participate effectively in written discussions
Understand specialized texts in familiar fields
Identify stance, tone, and implication in spoken discourse
Synthesize information from multiple written sources
C1 Choose Arabic register for a formal two-day extension request, an apology to a friend and a notice closing the main elevator from October twelfth to fourteenth, preserving each message’s facts.
8 skills at C1
Understand long complex texts across a range of domains
Understand extended speech with implicit meaning and complex structure
Write well-structured detailed texts on complex subjects
Adapt style, register, and conventions to purpose and audience
Manage complex written interactions fluently and appropriately
Understand implicit meaning, nuance, and rhetorical effect in written texts
Take effective notes from complex spoken input
Evaluate and synthesize information from complex written sources
C2 Rewrite an Arabic finding that reports a correlation without proving a cause, and keep a firm refusal clear when changing its register without introducing an accusation.
8 skills at C2
Understand virtually all forms of written language
Understand virtually all forms of spoken language
Produce polished, effective texts for demanding purposes
Compose nuanced persuasive arguments
Handle demanding written exchanges with precision and flexibility
Interpret subtle pragmatic and cultural references
Critically synthesize diverse written and spoken sources
Edit and transform texts while preserving nuance and effect
Arabic with a group
During an Arabic session, everyone sees the same challenge together, perhaps a ticket price written in Arabic-Indic digits, a café order to confirm, or a sentence explaining why a match was called off. Joining takes a room code. The host sees the room's pattern of mistakes, not a ranking of individuals, so it is easy to notice when a whole group is misreading a digit or a connector, and Yolango adjusts the next challenge to match.
Yolango