Same letters, new words
Arabic is written without its short vowels, so one spelling can hide two words. You already know the first word of each pair. This lesson adds the second, and the sentence tells you which one you are reading.
| you know | the new word |
|---|---|
| حَدِيث modern | حَدِيث talk, conversation |
| فَهِمَ to understand | فَهْم understanding |
| صَدَّقَ to believe | صَدَقَ to tell the truth |
| عِلْم knowledge | عَلِمَ to find out |
Noun or verb?
A noun sits where nouns sit: after a preposition, or as the subject that a predicate describes.
| My father helps me understand the lessons. | يساعدني أبي على فهم الدروس. |
After على, فهم is the noun: understanding the lessons.
| Understanding the rules is important for every student. | فهم القواعد مهم لكل طالب.fahmu al-qawâ'idi muhimmun likulli ṭâlibin |
Here مهم is the predicate, so فهم is the subject: understanding the rules.
| I enjoyed the talk with you, Grandma. | استمتعت بالحديث معك يا جدتي. |
With بـ and الـ in front, حديث is a thing you enjoy: the talk.
Believing or telling the truth
صَدَّقَ, with a doubled د, means to believe. صَدَقَ, with a single د, means to tell the truth. The doubling is not written, so let the sentence decide:
| Did the boy tell the truth or lie? | هل صدق الولد أم كذب؟ |
Set against كذب, it can only be told the truth.
| You're right, this is true. | صدقت، هذا صحيح. |
صدقت on its own is an everyday way to say you're right.
Three more for a conversation
مَفْهُوم understood (from فَهِمَ, with its own spelling) works as a one-word reply: مفهوم، سأصل في الموعد.
على الإطلاق follows a negative and makes it total, like أبدا: لم أفهم شيئا على الإطلاق.
تَصَرَّفَ to behave usually takes بـ and a noun of manner: تصرفت البنت بهدوء في الاجتماع.
