Lesson 2
Book 2 Core Vocabulary and Simple Grammar
الكتاب الثاني المفردات الأساسية والقواعد البسيطة
Expand to 500+ high-frequency words and build your first grammatically correct Arabic sentences. You will describe your family, your home, your daily environment, and your surroundings using real grammatical structures.
Family Vocabulary الأسرة
ArabicTransliterationMeaning
أَب / وَالِدab / wālidfather
أُمّ / وَالِدَةumm / wālidamother
أَخ / إِخْوَةakh / ikhwabrother / brothers
أُخْت / أَخَوَاتukht / akhawātsister / sisters
جَدّ / جَدَّةjadd / jaddagrandfather / grandmother
عَمّ / عَمَّةʿamm / ʿammapaternal uncle / aunt
خَال / خَالَةkhāl / khālamaternal uncle / aunt
ابْن / بِنْتibn / bintson / daughter
زَوْج / زَوْجَةzawj / zawjahusband / wife
Home and Surroundings المنزل والمحيط
ArabicTransliterationMeaning
بَيْت / مَنْزِلbayt / manzilhouse / home
غُرْفَةghurfaroom
مَطْبَخmaṭbakhkitchen
حَمَّامḥammāmbathroom
صَالَةṣālaliving room / hall
بَاب / نَافِذَةbāb / nāfidhadoor / window
طَاوِلَة / كُرْسِيṭāwila / kursītable / chair
مَكْتَبmaktabdesk / office
شَارِع / حَيّshāriʿ / ḥayystreet / neighbourhood
مَسْجِد / مَدْرَسَةmasjid / madrasamosque / school
Nominal Sentences الجملة الاسمية
Arabic has no verb "to be" in the present tense. A subject (مُبْتَدَأ) followed directly by a predicate (خَبَر) forms a complete sentence. The subject is nominative (ḍamma); the predicate agrees in case or takes an adverb/prepositional phrase.
هَذَا بَيْتٌ كَبِير
Hādhā baytun kabīr
This is a big house.
الْكِتَابُ عَلَى الْمَكْتَب
Al-kitābu ʿalā l-maktab
The book is on the desk.
أَبِي مُدَرِّسٌ فِي الْمَدْرَسَة
Abī mudarrisun fī l-madrasa
My father is a teacher at the school.
Gender المذكر والمؤنث
Every Arabic noun is either masculine (مُذَكَّر) or feminine (مُؤَنَّث). Adjectives, demonstratives, and pronouns must all agree in gender with their noun. Feminine nouns most commonly end in ة (tāʾ marbūṭa), though some are feminine by convention.
MasculineMeaningFeminineMeaning
مُدَرِّسmale teacherمُدَرِّسَةfemale teacher
طَالِبmale studentطَالِبَةfemale student
كَبِيرbig (m)كَبِيرَةbig (f)
جَدِيدnew (m)جَدِيدَةnew (f)
هَذَاthis (m)هَذِهِthis (f)
ذَلِكَthat (m)تِلْكَthat (f)
Prepositions of Place حروف الجر
ArabicTransliterationMeaningExample
فِيfīin / atفِي الْبَيْت
عَلَىʿalāon / uponعَلَى الطَّاوِلَة
تَحْتtaḥtunder / beneathتَحْتَ الْكُرْسِي
فَوْقfawqabove / overفَوْقَ الْبَاب
أَمَامamāmin front ofأَمَامَ الْمَسْجِد
وَرَاء / خَلْفwarāʾ / khalfbehindوَرَاءَ الْبَيْت
بَيْنbaynabetweenبَيْنَ الْمَدْرَسَةِ وَالْمَسْجِد
مِنminfromمِنَ الْبَيْت
إِلَىilāto / towardsإِلَى الْمَدْرَسَة
Grammar rule: All prepositions put the following noun into the genitive case (مَجْرُور) marked by kasra (ِ) on the final letter. Indefinite: فِي بَيْتٍ. Definite: فِي الْبَيْتِ.
Possessive Pronouns (Attached) الضمائر المتصلة
Possession in Arabic is expressed by attaching a short suffix directly to the noun. There is no separate word for "my", "your", etc.
SuffixMeaningOn كِتَاب givesMeaning
ـِيmyكِتَابِيmy book
ـكَyour (m)كِتَابُكَyour book
ـكِyour (f)كِتَابُكِyour book (to a woman)
ـهُhisكِتَابُهُhis book
ـهَاherكِتَابُهَاher book
ـنَاourكِتَابُنَاour book
Common Adjectives الصفات الشائعة
Masc.Fem.Meaning
كَبِيركَبِيرَةbig / old
صَغِيرصَغِيرَةsmall / young
جَدِيدجَدِيدَةnew
قَدِيمقَدِيمَةold (things)
جَمِيلجَمِيلَةbeautiful
طَوِيلطَوِيلَةtall / long
قَصِيرقَصِيرَةshort
مُهِمّمُهِمَّةimportant
سَهْلسَهْلَةeasy
صَعْبصَعْبَةdifficult
Describing Your Family
أَبِي طَبِيبٌ وَأُمِّي مُدَرِّسَة
Abī ṭabībun wa-ummī mudarrisa
My father is a doctor and my mother is a teacher.
عِنْدِي أَخَانِ وَأُخْتٌ وَاحِدَة
ʿIndī akhāni wa-ukhtun wāḥida
I have two brothers and one sister.
بَيْتُنَا كَبِيرٌ وَقَرِيبٌ مِنَ الْمَسْجِد
Baytunā kabīrun wa-qarībun min al-masjid
Our house is big and close to the mosque.
- No "to be": مُبْتَدَأ + خَبَر = complete sentence. The subject is nominative; the predicate matches or uses a preposition.
- Tāʾ marbūṭa (ة): Read as "-a" in connected speech, silent at a pause مُدَرِّسَة = "mudarrisa" in flow, "mudarris" when pausing.
- Adjective follows noun: الْبَيْتُ الْكَبِير (the big house) adjective comes after, agrees in gender, number, and definiteness.
- Possessive suffix ـِي: When "my" is added to a noun ending in a long vowel, the long vowel is shortened كِتَابِي not كِتَابٌ + ي.
- عِنْدِي: "I have" is expressed as عِنْدِي (literally "at me") there is no verb "to have" in Arabic.
- ACTFL target: Novice-Mid can describe family members, locations, and possessions in simple sentences.