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### Asking politely

Add **{{item:1112216}}** — *please* — to any request, before or after it. To stop a stranger and ask something, open with **{{item:1112219}}**, *excuse me* (literally *if you would allow*).

{{item:1112217}}

{{item:1112220}}

If you need someone to wait, say **{{item:1112231}}** — *(just) a moment*.

### Apologizing

**{{item:1112222}}** means *sorry*. It is an adjective, so it agrees with the speaker: a woman says *آسفة*.

{{item:1112223}}

### Offering and agreeing

**{{item:1112225}}** is the word you use when you hand something over, invite someone in, or let them go first — *here you are, please come in, go ahead*. To a woman it is *تفضلي*.

{{item:1112227}}

| word | use |
|---|---|
| حسنا | *okay, all right* — agreeing to something |
| طبعا | *of course* — an enthusiastic yes |

### Asking what something means

**{{item:1112237}}** means *it means*. With ماذا it makes the classroom question you will need most: **{{item:1112238}}** — *what does this mean?*

Politeness (من فضلك، آسف)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

interrogative

noun

numeral

particle

prefix

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

The definite article and locatives (الـ)

Basic noun gender (ة)

Sun and moon letters

Singular subject pronouns (أنا، أنت، هو، هي)

Indefinite nouns and nominal sentences (ـٌ)

Demonstrative pronouns for 'this' (هذا / هذه)

Separate prepositions (في، من، إلى، على)

Attributive adjectives

Predicative adjectives

Yes/No questions (هل، أ)

Basic questions (من، ما، أين)

Singular possessive pronouns (ـي، ـك، ـه، ـها)

Plural subject pronouns (نحن، أنتم، هم)

Plural possessive pronouns (ـنا، ـكم، ـهم)

Noun possession

Attached prepositions (بـ، لـ، كـ)

Pronouns with prepositions

Having and possessing (عند، لـ، مع)

Regular plural nouns (ـون، ـين، ـات)

Broken plurals

Dual nouns (ـان / ـين)

Plural and distant demonstratives (هؤلاء، ذلك، تلك)

Non-human plural agreement

Present tense singular verbs

Verbal sentences (VSO)

Present tense plural verbs

Topicalized sentences (SVO)

The indefinite accusative case (ـاً)

Verb object pronouns (-ني، -ك، -ه)

Present tense negation (لا)

Question words with verbs (متى، كيف...)

Adverbs of time and place

The future tense (سـ / سوف)

Intentions and desires (أن)

Negating states and possession (ليس)

Past tense singular suffixes

Past tense plural suffixes

Negating past events (ما)

Singular commands

Numbers 1 to 10

Number agreement for 1 and 2 (واحد، اثنان)

Asking how many (كم)

Numbers 3 to 10 (ثلاثة إلى عشرة)

Ordinal numbers 1 to 10 (الأول، الثاني)

Basic conjunctions (فـ، أو، لكن)

Ordering at a café (واحد، اثنان)

Food and drink with conjunctions (و، ف، أو، لكن)

There is and there are (هناك / ليس هناك)

Direct address (يا)

Giving reasons (لأنّ)

Relative pronouns (الذي / التي)

Quantifiers (كل / بعض)

The past tense of 'to be' (كان)

Past possession

Numbers 11 to 19 and tens to 80

Telling time (الساعة)

This book vs this is a book (هذا الكتاب، هذا كتاب)

Greetings (مرحبا، السلام عليكم)

How are you? and goodbye (كيف حالك، مع السلامة)

Nationalities (مصري، مصرية)

Roots and patterns (كتب، كتاب، مكتب)

Complex possession chains

Colors and traits (أفعل / فعلاء)

Plural colors and traits (فُعْل)

Comparative adjectives (أفعل من)

Superlative adjectives (أفعل)

Adverbs of manner (ـاً)

The nominative case (ـُ)

The genitive case (ـِ)

The accusative case (ـَ)

Dual noun cases (ـان / ـين)

Masculine plurals and 'the best of' (أفضل النجارين)

Emphasizing sentences (إنّ)

Connecting clauses (أنّ)

Reporting speech (قال إنّ)

Expressing contrast (لكنّ)

Comparison and probability (كأنّ, لعلّ)

Distant plural pointing (أولئك)

Plural relative pronouns (الذين, اللواتي)

Past habits (كان + present)

Ongoing actions (ما زال)

Masculine plurals online (مبرمجون، مؤثرون)

Perfective past (قد)

Probability (قد)

The subjunctive mood (أن)

Expressing purpose (لـ)

Question	Answer
please	من فضلكmin fadlika
Coffee, please.	قهوة من فضلك.qahwatan min fadlik
Please, where is the hospital?	من فضلك، أين المستشفى؟min fadlika, ayna al-mustashfâ?
excuse me (to ask politely)	لو سمحتlaw samaht
Excuse me, where is the hotel?	لو سمحت، أين الفندق؟law samahta, ayna al-funduq?
Excuse me, do you have a pen?	لو سمحت، هل عندك قلم؟law samahta, hal 'indaka qalam?
sorry	آسفâsifun
Sorry, I do not understand.	آسف، أنا لا أفهم.âsif, ana lâ afham.
Sorry, I am late.	آسف، أنا متأخر.âsif, anâ muta'akhkhir
here you are / go ahead	تفضلtafaddal
Here is the tea.	تفضل الشاي.tafaddal ash-shâya
Come in, make yourself at home.	تفضل، البيت بيتك.tafaddal, al-baytu baytuka
okay	حسناhasanan
Okay, I understand.	حسنا، أنا أفهم.hasanan, ana afham.
Okay, we are going to the restaurant.	حسنا، نذهب إلى المطعم.hasanan, nadh-habu ilâ al-mat'ami
a moment	لحظةlahza
One moment, please.	لحظة من فضلك.lahdhatan min fadlik
One moment, the manager is busy now.	لحظة، المدير مشغول الآن.laḥẓatan, al-mudîru mashghûlun al-âna
of course	طبعاtab'an
Do you like coffee? Of course!	هل تحب القهوة؟ طبعا!hal tuhibbu al-qahwata? tab'an!
Of course, I know him.	طبعا، أنا أعرفه.tab'an, ana a'rifuhu.
it means	يعنيyaani
What does this mean?	ماذا يعني هذا؟mâdhâ ya'nî hâdhâ?
What does the name mean?	ماذا يعني الاسم؟mâdhâ ya'nî al-ismu?

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