Curriculum
T E X T
* Mastering Arabic 1: units 1–4
A L P H A B E T & T A S H K E E L
* four sets of letters:
ب ت ث ن ي
ا د ذ ر ز و
ج ح خ ه م
س ش ص ض
* vowels: short & long
* shadda & sukuun
* taa' marbuuTa: ة | ـة
V O C A B U L A R Y & G R A M M A R
* common greetings
hello, good morning, etc.
* everyday conversations
how are you?, my name is ..., etc.
* basic nouns
house, river, bottle, etc.
* family words
mother, husband, son, etc.
* jobs: feminine & masculine/singular & plural
nurse, baker, engineer, etc.
* subject pronouns
she, we, they, etc.
* demonstrative pronoun "this"
what is this?, etc.
* idaafa with two nouns
Ahmad's daughter, etc.
* verb "to live" {singular present tense}
I live, he lives, etc.
R E A D I N G & V I D E O S
* Anwar & Amani tell us about themselves and their families
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
By the end of Arabic 1 you will be able to read, write and understand this sentence:
أنا مصوّر وزوجتي زينب مهندسة
T E X T
* Mastering Arabic 1: units 5–9
A L P H A B E T & T A S H K E E L
* final two sets of letters:
ف ق ك ل
ط ظ ع غ
* sun & moon letters
* emphatic consonants
* hamza: ء
* tanwiin al-fatH: اً
V O C A B U L A R Y & G R A M M A R
* definite article "the"
a bag vs. the bag
* possessive pronouns {singular forms}
his, her, your, etc.
* where? questions
where is he?, where are you from?, etc.
* yes/no questions
is there a window next to the door?, etc.
* furniture & common items
bed, key, ring, etc.
* demonstrative pronoun "that"
is that a closet?, etc.
* demonstrative pronouns & adjectives
that is a chair vs. that chair
* basic adjectives
big, beautiful, old, etc.
* nisba adjectives
Arabic, Sudanese, etc.
* noun-adjective phrases
a new shirt vs. the new shirt
* equational {is/am/are} sentences
my shirt is new, etc.
* there is, there are {not} ...
* placement prepositions
above, below, etc.
* describing a town
there are trees in front of the school, etc.
* cities & countries
Amman is the capital of Jordan, etc.
* directions
right, left, south, east, etc.
* idaafa: definite & indefinite {see Arabic 1}
the name of the teacher's dog, a picture of a hospital, etc.
* verb "to speak" {singular present tense}
I speak, you speak, etc.
R E A D I N G & V I D E O S
* boat trip on the Nile
* Moroccan apartment ad
* Mahmoud's home in Cairo
* Yusuf's room & school in Beirut
* Cyrine tells us about her parents, her house & her city in Tunisia
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
By the end of Arabic 2 you will be able to read, write and understand this sentence:
ليس هناك مصنع قبيح وراء ذلك المستشفى الصغير
T E X T
* Mastering Arabic 1: units 10–13
V O C A B U L A R Y & G R A M M A R
* numbers 0–10
* counting things & people
how many ...?
* dual nouns & adjectives
two new books, etc.
* plural nouns: sound & broken
cars, children, houses, etc.
* prices & currencies
how much does this cost?
a kilo of bananas costs 3 dirhams, etc.
* expressing "have/has"
she has two bicycles, I don't have a sister, etc.
* combining prepositions + pronouns
for you, with me, etc.
* "these/those": human & nonhuman
these students, those pens, etc.
* verbs: past tense {singular forms}
I found, she went, etc.
* questions with verbs
when did you return? what did he eat? etc.
* foods & drinks
cheese, bread, coffee, etc.
* collective nouns
fish, chicken, onions, etc.
* party items
hats, candles, paper plates, etc.
* containers & materials
carton, tube, silk, leather, etc.
* colors: basic & nisbas
red, blue, orange, etc.
* nouns of place: singular & plural
kitchen, museum, mosque, etc.
* root letters {الجَذر}
* word patterns {الوَزن}
R E A D I N G & V I D E O S
* ordering meals at a restaurant
* Lebanese foods & a trip to Sidon
* Mahmoud describes his favorite dish
* grocery & clothes shopping
* buying party items & school supplies
* investigating a bank robbery
T E X T
* Mastering Arabic 1: units 14–17
V O C A B U L A R Y & G R A M M A R
* verbs: past tense {plural forms}
we ate, they ate, etc.
* verbs: present tense {singular & plural forms}
she plays, they play, etc.
* comparing past & present
in the past ... but now ...
* verb كانَ "to be": past tense
I was, we were, etc.
* plural nouns: other broken patterns
boxes, men, etc.
* counting to 2,000 & days of the week
* telling time
what time is it now?, it is 11:20pm, etc.
* weather & temperature
it is sunny today and 63 degrees, etc.
* meals & transportation
lunch, by train, etc.
* comparative & superlative
bigger, biggest, etc.
R E A D I N G & V I D E O S
* daily activities
* Jamila's & Sami's routines
* Abdou describes his typical day
* Amani studies abroad
* Cairo past & present
* weather reports from Morocco to Iraq
* traveling in Egypt, Tunisia, London & Paris
* renting a car
T E X T
* Mastering Arabic 1: units 18–20
V O C A B U L A R Y & G R A M M A R
* verbs: future with سَــ | سَوفَ
* verbs: negation of past, present & future
using لَن + لا + لَم
* verbs: 3 moods {indicative, subjunctive & jussive}
* verb لَيسَ "not to be":
I am not, we are not, etc.
* verbal sentence: الجُملَة الفِعلِيَّة
* VSO {verb-subject-object} word order
* using أَنْ
we hope to study medicine, etc.
* dual pronouns & verbs {present tense}
what are you two doing?, etc.
* expressing "used to ...", ago and since
I used to ride my bicycle
* adverbs of time
sometimes, never, etc.
* days in the past & future
yesterday, day after tomorrow, etc.
* dates, calendars & month names:
Eastern, Western & Islamic
* school subjects & university terms
history, mathematics, lecture, etc.
* government officials & entities
ambassador, embassy, etc.
* nouns like وَزير | وُزَراء
* seats of hamza {ء}
R E A D I N G & V I D E O S
* Luxor day trip
* Abdou's future plans
* Zeinah's summer schedule
* Cyrine talks about her education
* Hashim, Zaynab & Tariq at work
* profile of a bakery owner
* government & business activities
T E X T S
* Mastering Arabic 1: "Structure notes"
* Easy Arabic Reader: sections 1–4
V O C A B U L A R Y & G R A M M A R
* case endings {الإِعراب}: nouns & adjectives
* verbal noun {المَصدَر}: gerund & infinitive
studying/to study, etc.
* using المَصدَر vs. أَنْ
we like studying/to study, etc.
* verbs: dual (past & present)
you (two) studied, they (two) are studying, etc.
* verbal أَوزان (Form I)
R E A D I N G
Mastering Arabic 1
News report: What did the king do yesterday?
Easy Arabic Reader
Jamal & his family, his father's restaurant in California, and his aunt Bahija & cousin Zahra in Damascus
T E X T S
* Mastering Arabic 2: unit 1
* Easy Arabic Reader: sections 5–7
V O C A B U L A R Y & G R A M M A R
* greetings (welcome back, congratulations, etc.)
* family words (grandchildren, father-in-law, etc.)
* characteristics (wise, stubborn, etc.)
* attached pronouns
* preposition + pronoun combinations (upon you, to us, etc.)
* dates with ordinal numbers (the 24th of May, etc.)
* sisters of إِنَّ (that, but, because, indeed)
* the nominal sentence: الجُملَة الاِسمِيَّة
* verbal أَوزان (Forms II–V)
R E A D I N G & V I D E O S
Mastering Arabic 2
lives of Umm Kulthoum & Naguib Mahfouz, Amira talks about her childhood, a clown tells jokes, and Ibrahim from Kuwait writes about himself
Easy Arabic Reader
Jamal's itinerary & preparations, his questions about traveling in Syria, and his cousin Zahra's experience at the airport in Damascus
D I A L E C T
Egyptian Arabic | comparison with MSA
T E X T S
* Mastering Arabic 2: unit 2
* Easy Arabic Reader: sections 8–10
* Hans Wehr Arabic–English Dictionary
V O C A B U L A R Y & G R A M M A R
* rooms & furnishings (bedroom, curtains, comfortable, etc.)
* nouns of instrument: فَعّالَة + مِفعَل (elevator, kettle, etc.)
* adjectives: broken plurals (foreign, happy, etc.)
* expressing as for... and therefore
* "can/be able/be possible": أَمكَنَ + اِستَطاعَ (he can swim, etc.)
* verbal أَوزان (Forms VI–VIII, X)
R E A D I N G & V I D E O S
Mastering Arabic 2
Sherif's apartment, traditional Arab houses, properties for rent, Samira wants to move, and Shaikha describes her home in Abu Dhabi
Easy Arabic Reader
Jamal meets his mother's family in Damascus, wanders through the old town & its souqs, then visits Beirut with his cousins
D I A L E C T
Saudi Arabic | comparison with MSA
T E X T S
* Mastering Arabic 2: unit 3
* Easy Arabic Reader: sections 11–13
* Hans Wehr Arabic–English Dictionary
V O C A B U L A R Y & G R A M M A R
* jobs & professions (journalist, guard, etc.)
* words ending with -IN (lawyer, judge, etc.)
* expressing "as" (she works as a designer, etc.)
* housework & chores (fixing the bed, ironing, etc.)
* "before/after" + verb (I tidied up the papers before I left, etc.)
* "do/perform/carry out" (قامَ بِ)
* "must/have to" (وَجَبَ عَلى)
* "still" (ما زالَ)
* verbal أَوزان: review
R E A D I N G & V I D E O S
Mastering Arabic 2
school degrees, work skills & CVs, job advertisements, responsibilities of an engineer, Nadim's duties at a hotel, and a Tunisian art dealer
Easy Arabic Reader
Arabic accents & dialects in Beirut, Lebanon & the Lebanese work ethic, and Jamal's impressions of Amman
D I A L E C T
Syrian Arabic | comparison with MSA
T E X T S
* Mastering Arabic 2: unit 4
* Easy Arabic Reader: sections 14–16
* Hans Wehr Arabic–English Dictionary
V O C A B U L A R Y & G R A M M A R
* sports & leisure (running, falconry, etc.)
* soccer/football terms
* hobbies & making plans with friends
* family activities (camping, art exhibits, etc.)
* preferences & participation (I play/practice, we are interested in..., etc.)
* because (لِأَنَّ) vs due to (بِسَبَب)
* using كَما أَنَّ
* participles: active (اِسم الفاعِل) & passive (اِسم المَفعول) from verbs in Forms I–IV
* verbal أَوزان: review
R E A D I N G & V I D E O S
Mastering Arabic 2
athletics in Morocco, comparing sports, Amira & Yousef discuss their pastimes, and a poem by Nizar Qabbani
News, etc.
Arabian horses and Mohamed Salah's shoes at the British Museum
Easy Arabic Reader
visiting Petra, traveling by train to the Gulf of Aqaba, and a ferry ride to Nuweiba
D I A L E C T
Moroccan Arabic | comparison with MSA
T E X T S
* Mastering Arabic 2: units 5 & 6
* Easy Arabic Reader: sections 17–19
* Hans Wehr Arabic–English Dictionary
V O C A B U L A R Y & G R A M M A R
* travel & tourism (gas station, metro, oasis, etc.)
* asking for directions & modes of transportation
* food & cooking (seafood, vegetarian, stuffed, etc.)
* grocery shopping & packaging
* reserving a table & ordering at a restaurant
* participles: active (اِسم الفاعِل) & passive (اِسم المَفعول) from verbs in Forms V–VIII + X
* verbs: introduction to the imperative (command form)
* verbs: hamzated
R E A D I N G & V I D E O S
Mastering Arabic 2
Shaikha describes her holiday, Sohair travels to Al-Qusair, Fadi's trip to the Moroccan desert, the Hajj in Mecca, filming a music video in Tunisia, a letter of complaint to the hotel management, restaurant menus, Ramadan meals & fasting, and a recipe for grilled kofta
Easy Arabic Reader
visiting Mount Sinai, notes on the Bedouin, postcard from Sharm El-Sheikh, and tourists on an airplane
D I A L E C T S
Tunisian & Lebanese Arabic | comparison with MSA
T E X T S
* Mastering Arabic 2: units 7 & 8
* Easy Arabic Reader: sections 20–22
* Hans Wehr Arabic–English Dictionary
V O C A B U L A R Y & G R A M M A R
* review of units 1–6
* clothing: Arab & Western (coat, thawb, sleeve, etc.)
* colors & characteristics (light blue, pink, bald, etc.)
* irregular words for people
* relative pronouns: اَلَّذي, etc.
* relative pronouns: implied (unstated) + جُملَة الصِفَة
* verbs: weak (assimilated & hollow)
* verbs: hollow after لَم
R E A D I N G & V I D E O S
Mastering Arabic 2
Hisham's Mediterranean cruise, Nur's & Yousef's work, interests & plans, Amira & Nabila describe people in photos, traditional Iraqi attire, narrating a fashion show, trying on clothes at a shop, and historical events ("On this day...")
Easy Arabic Reader
Jamal views the pyramids in Giza and rides a camel, then he packs his suitcase with gifts & reflects on his voyage to the Middle East
D I A L E C T
Iraqi Arabic | comparison with MSA
T E X T S
* Mastering Arabic 2: unit 9
* Easy Arabic Reader: part 2 (selections)
* Hans Wehr Arabic–English Dictionary
V O C A B U L A R Y & G R A M M A R
* education & training (primary school, course, biology, etc.)
* verbs: imperative (command) forms, positive & negative
R E A D I N G & V I D E O S
Mastering Arabic 2
Shaikha & Mahmoud compare their school days, Munira discusses her exams with Akmal & seeks advice about studying for a career, Tawfiq talks about his education in Marrakesh, giving instructions to students & restaurant staff, and using Tamazight in Algerian schools
Easy Arabic Reader
famous figures: Ibn Battuta & Haroun Al-Rashid
D I A L E C T
Algerian Arabic | comparison with MSA
T E X T S
* Mastering Arabic 2: unit 10
* Arabic Stories for Language Learners
* Hans Wehr Arabic–English Dictionary
V O C A B U L A R Y & G R A M M A R
* news & media (broadcast, politics, digital, etc.)
* comparative: أَفعَل vs أَكثَر + noun (more exciting/interactive, etc.)
* case endings: sound feminine plural + words ending with -AN (مَقهًى, etc.)
* form of address: أَيُّها
* verbs: weak (defective)
* verbs: defective after لَم
R E A D I N G & V I D E O S
Mastering Arabic 2
formal vs informal Arabic in the media, news headlines & summary, a radio interview, print vs online media, Dina's favorite apps and her brother's hacking skills, Mahmoud & Yousef discuss their mobile phones, and the rise of satellite broadcasting in the Gulf states
Arabic Stories for Language Learners
traditional Arabic tales and fables
D I A L E C T S
Yemeni & Gulf Arabic | comparison with MSA
T E X T S
* Mastering Arabic 2: unit 11
* Arabic Stories for Language Learners
* Hans Wehr Arabic–English Dictionary
V O C A B U L A R Y & G R A M M A R
* climate & the environment (climate change, solar energy, organic, etc.)
* weather & seasons (storm, dry, humidity, etc.)
* conditional ("if...") sentences with لَو - إِذا - إِن
* verbs: future review
* verbs: passive (is sold/was sold, etc.)
R E A D I N G & V I D E O S
Mastering Arabic 2
tourism and the environment, Mr. Amin talks about pollution at the beach, visiting the desert vs the coast, Shaikha's views on resources and sustainability, the weather and climate in Lebanon, an environmentally friendly beverage factory and Qatari school, water usage in the Emirates, and a poem by Mahmoud Darwish
Arabic Stories for Language Learners
traditional Arabic tales and fables
D I A L E C T
Emirati Arabic | comparison with MSA
T E X T S
* Mastering Arabic 2: unit 12
* Arabic Stories for Language Learners
* Hans Wehr Arabic–English Dictionary
V O C A B U L A R Y & G R A M M A R
* the body (finger, throat, stomach, etc.)
* health & illness (blood pressure, pain, medicine, etc.)
* verbs: "might/should/must" (مِن الـ... أَن)
* verbs: weak/hamzated & doubly weak
R E A D I N G & V I D E O S
Mastering Arabic 2
Mahmoud talks about fitness, health advice from friends, family & physicians, discussing symptoms with a pharmacist, and vaccination campaigns in Sudan
Arabic Stories for Language Learners
traditional Arabic tales and fables
D I A L E C T
Sudanese Arabic | comparison with MSA
T E X T S
* Mastering Arabic 2: unit 13
* Arabic Stories for Language Learners
* Hans Wehr Arabic–English Dictionary
V O C A B U L A R Y & G R A M M A R
* arts & cinema (director, dancer, literature, etc.)
* film genres (horror, documentary, science fiction, etc.)
* verbs: "used to do/had done/would have done" with كانَ
* verbs: doubled root consonants
R E A D I N G & V I D E O S
Mastering Arabic 2
Amira and Amjad review films, cultural criticism & commentary, movie notes, an actor's life, and a short story excerpt by Emile Habibi
Arabic Stories for Language Learners
traditional Arabic tales and fables
D I A L E C T S
Jordanian & Palestinian Arabic | comparison with MSA
T E X T S
* Mastering Arabic 2: unit 14
* Arabic Stories for Language Learners
* Hans Wehr Arabic–English Dictionary
V O C A B U L A R Y & G R A M M A R
* review of units 8–13
* verbs: quadriliterals (4 root consonants)
* verbal أَوزان (Form IX)
R E A D I N G & V I D E O S
Mastering Arabic 2
texts and exercises based on units 8–13, Amira & Yousef discuss how life has changed
Arabic Stories for Language Learners
traditional Arabic tales and fables
