Fablingo / Fablingo Arabic / Level pre-A1
Episode 15 · Murájaʿa — whole words
Duration: 5:19
▶ 6 October
After this lesson you can:
I can read whole voweled words with hamza, the tied tāʾ and the article, unaided.
In this episode
Breather. Farid sets the two a real page — small phrases about the shop and the sky — and lets them read it aloud, turn and turn about. Nour still edges him, but only just; the gap is closing. Sam reads bāb al-maktaba and, for a heartbeat, isn't sounding out letters at all — he's just reading.
Welcome back to the Book Quarter. Last time, Ustadh Farid took us outside to look at the sky, and Sam learned the hard way that in Arabic, the moon keeps its 'L', but the sun swallows it whole.
Today is different. No isolated letters, no single words. Ustadh Farid has placed a single sheet of paper on the low wooden table between Sam and Nour.
It's a reading race. Or at least, Nour has decided it is. She taps her fingers on her knee, waiting for the starting signal.
تَفَضَّل يا سام.
Sam looks at the first line. There are three words. He takes a breath, expecting to have to sound out every single letter like always.
هٰذا بابُ المَكْتَبة.
هٰذا بابُ المَكْتَبة. — This is the door of the library. · HAA-dhaa BAA-bul-MAK-ta-ba
Did you see what just happened? He didn't sound it out. He just... read it! Let's look at that sentence.
هٰذا بابُ المَكْتَبة. — This is the door of the library. · HAA-dhaa BAA-bul-MAK-ta-ba
We know هٰذا means 'this', and we know باب is 'door'. And المَكْتَبة is the library, complete with the 'al' at the start and the tied-ta at the end.
هٰذا بابُ المَكْتَبة. — This is the door of the library. · HAA-dhaa BAA-bul-MAK-ta-ba
Listen to how the words flow together in Arabic. We don't say 'bab... al... maktaba'. The vowel on the end of door slides right into the 'L' of the library. Say it with me: هٰذا بابُ المَكْتَبة.
هٰذا بابُ المَكْتَبة. — This is the door of the library. · HAA-dhaa BAA-bul-MAK-ta-ba
A little slower, catching that nice smooth slide: هٰذا بابُ المَكْتَبة. This is the door of the library.
هٰذا بابُ المَكْتَبة. — This is the door of the library. · HAA-dhaa BAA-bul-MAK-ta-ba
Nour nods. She's impressed, though she'll never admit it. She points to the next line. This one has our friend the moon in it.
القَمَر نور.
القَمَر نور. — The moon [is] light. · al-QA-mar noor
Ustadh Farid chuckles. The moon is light. Of course, 'noor' means light—which means Nour just read her own name in the sentence.
القَمَر نور. — The moon [is] light. · al-QA-mar noor
Notice something missing? In Arabic, you don't need a word for 'is' here. You just say 'The moon... light.' The connection is understood. Try it: القَمَر نور.
القَمَر نور. — The moon [is] light. · al-QA-mar noor
Remember to catch that deep 'Q' in the back of the throat. Once more: القَمَر نور.
القَمَر نور. — The moon [is] light. · al-QA-mar noor
Look how far you've come. You're reading full sentences now. Let's recap what we just read.
هٰذا بابُ المَكْتَبة. هٰذا بابُ المَكْتَبة. This is the door of the library.
هٰذا بابُ المَكْتَبة. — This is the door of the library. · HAA-dhaa BAA-bul-MAK-ta-ba
القَمَر نور. القَمَر نور. The moon is light.
القَمَر نور. — The moon [is] light. · al-QA-mar noor
Back to the table. There is one line left. It's Sam's turn. Beside the text is a small illustration of a family.
هَل هٰذِهِ أُمُّك؟
Farid asks, 'Is this your mother?' Sam traces the little hamza sitting perfectly on its perch in the next word, and reads the answer.
نَعَم، هٰذِهِ أُمِّي.
نَعَم، هٰذِهِ أُمِّي. — Yes, this is my mother. · NA-ʿam, HAA-dhi-hi UM-mee
Beautiful. Notice he used هٰذِهِ for 'this', because a mother is feminine. And 'my mother' is أُمّي, with that sharp, clean hamza stop at the very beginning.
نَعَم، هٰذِهِ أُمِّي. — Yes, this is my mother. · NA-ʿam, HAA-dhi-hi UM-mee
Let's practice the whole phrase together. Don't forget the deep throat sound in the middle of نَعَم. Say it with me: نَعَم، هٰذِهِ أُمِّي.
نَعَم، هٰذِهِ أُمِّي. — Yes, this is my mother. · NA-ʿam, HAA-dhi-hi UM-mee
Once more, nice and natural: نَعَم، هٰذِهِ أُمِّي. Yes, this is my mother.
نَعَم، هٰذِهِ أُمِّي. — Yes, this is my mother. · NA-ʿam, HAA-dhi-hi UM-mee
Farid leans back. The page is finished. He doesn't say a word, just taps the edge of the paper with his finger.
Nour looks at Sam. She usually reads twice as fast as him. But today, he kept up. She crosses her arms, but the corner of her mouth gives away a smile.
It's a big day in the library. Let's do a final read-through of everything we put together today.
هٰذا بابُ المَكْتَبة. هٰذا بابُ المَكْتَبة. This is the door of the library.
هٰذا بابُ المَكْتَبة. — This is the door of the library. · HAA-dhaa BAA-bul-MAK-ta-ba
القَمَر نور. القَمَر نور. The moon is light.
القَمَر نور. — The moon [is] light. · al-QA-mar noor
نَعَم، هٰذِهِ أُمِّي. نَعَم، هٰذِهِ أُمِّي. Yes, this is my mother.
نَعَم، هٰذِهِ أُمِّي. — Yes, this is my mother. · NA-ʿam, HAA-dhi-hi UM-mee
Sam stands up. He looks past the table, toward the heavy wooden shelves. He can read sentences now. Which means he can read titles. He spots a thick book with a blue spine... but how does he ask to take it home?
We'll find out next time. Join us every Tuesday and Friday here in the Book Quarter. Until then, keep reading, and maʿa s-salāma!
Vocabulary
| Phrase | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| هٰذا بابُ المَكْتَبة. | HAA-dhaa BAA-bul-MAK-ta-ba — This is the door of the library. | |
| القَمَر نور. | al-QA-mar noor — The moon [is] light. | |
| نَعَم، هٰذِهِ أُمِّي. | NA-ʿam, HAA-dhi-hi UM-mee — Yes, this is my mother. |
Grammar in this lesson
No new letters — consolidation. The learner reads al-, the tied tāʾ (maktaba), the long oo (nūr) and hamza (ummī) inside whole phrases, and meets bāb al-maktaba ("the door of the library") — the iḍāfa, felt, seeding L1.