Arabic For Dummies [Paperback]

Amine Bouchentouf (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471772704 | ISBN-13: 978-0471772705 | Publication Date: May 1, 2006

Regarded as one of the most difficult languages to learn for native English speakers by the U.S. State Department, Arabic is gaining both prominence and importance in America. Recent world events have brought more and more Americans and other English speakers into contact with Arabic-speaking populations, and governments and businesses are increasingly aware of the importance of basic Arabic language skills. Arabic for Dummies provides you with a painless and fun way to start communicating in Arabic.

Why should you learn Arabic? Well, besides the fact that over 200 million people in more than 22 nations use it to communicate, there are tons of reasons to get up to speed this 1,400 year old language, including:

• Nearly all of the Middle-East speaks Arabic or one of its dialects
• Basic Arabic skills are extremely useful for anyone traveling to, doing business in, or serving in the Middle East
• It is the language in which the Koran is written
• There is a rich, centuries-old literary tradition in Arabic

Arabic For Dummies presents the language in the classic, laid-back For Dummies style. Taking a relaxed approach to this difficult language, it’s packed with practice dialogues and communication tips that will have you talking the talk in no time. You’ll get the scoop on:

• The Arabic alphabet, pronunciation, basic grammar, and the rules of transliteration
• The history of the language and information on classical Arabic and its dialects
• How to make small talk and make yourself understood when dining, shopping, or traveling around town
• How to communicate on the phone and in business conversations
• Handy words and phrases for dealing with money, directions, hotels, transportation, and emergencies
• Arabic culture and etiquette, including ten things you should never do in Arabic countries

The book also includes an Arabic-English dictionary, verb tables, and an audio CD with dialogues from the book to help you perfect your pronunciation. Written by a native Arabic speaker who helped start a year-round Arabic department at Middlebury College, Arabic For Dummies is just what you need to start making yourself understood in Arabic.

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Your survival guide for everyday words and expressions

Your fun and friendly guide to Modern Standard Arabic

This unintimidating guide will help you start speaking Modern Standard Arabic — beginning today! Whether you're a student, a traveler, or you work in business or government, you'll find it's packed with practical lessons, cultural facts, and handy references — including coverage of written Arabic, an Arabic-English mini-dictionary, lists of vital verbs, and more!

Discover how to

• Have everyday conversations in Arabic
• Make sense of Arabic grammar
• Improve your pronunciation
• Use idioms and popular expressions
• Get around in Arabic-speaking countries

About the Author

Amine Bouchentouf is a native English, Arabic, and French speaker born and raised in Casablanca, Morocco. Amine has been teaching Arabic and lecturing about relations between America and the Arab world in his spare time for over 4 years and has offered classes and seminars for students at Middlebury College, the Council on Foreign Relations, and various schools across the United States. He runs and maintains the Web site www.al-baab.com (which means “gateway” in Arabic).
Amine graduated from Middlebury College and has always been interested in promoting better relations between the West and the Middle East through dialogue and mutual understanding. Amine published his first book, Arabic: A Complete Course (Random House), soon after graduating college in order to help Americans understand Arabic language and culture. He has written Arabic For Dummies in an attempt to reach an even wider audience with the aim of fostering better relations through education.
He holds a degree in Economics from Middlebury and has extensive experience in the arena of international investing. He is a registered investment advisor and is a member of the National Association of Securities Dealers. Amine is currently working on his third book, Investing in Commodities For Dummies (Wiley Publishing).
Amine is an avid traveler and has visited over 15 countries across the Middle East, Europe, and North and South America. Aside from his interest in languages, business, and travel, Amine enjoys biking, rollerblading, playing guitar, chess, and golf. He lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies (May 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471772704
• ISBN-13: 978-0471772705
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,517 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #44 in Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Foreign Language > Arabic
  • #59 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Arabic > Instruction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for folks who don't want to mess with the script, May 24, 2006

By 

Sarah Leonard "Arabic Student" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Arabic For Dummies (Paperback)

This guide is exactly what it says it is- Arabic for Dummies. If you are not comfortble with the Arabic script, or just want to learn the basics of speech, this is the book for you. This is also great for travelers who want to get beyond just being able to say hello. The book is easy to read, has intresting cultural tips and put together well. As a new arabic student, it was nice to have a guide that was completly transliterated, but if you truly want to understand Arabic you are going to need to write it!

43 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Use the CD--the two transliteration systems are confusing, August 5, 2006

By 

Al-Shayib (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arabic For Dummies (Paperback)

I'm very much in favor of the "X for Dummies" concept. It would be wonderful to be able to simplify Arabic. However, I returned this book to the bookstore shelf after a quick glance at the inside cover, which listed some survival phrases, and a quick thumb-through. The transliteration system is very misleading (that is, the Arabic written phonetically in 'Latin' letters). Actually, there are two transliteration systems in use. In one column is listed the word or phrase in a very scientific and accurate system. In the next column the author gives a supposedly simplified Berlitz-type transliteration such as is used in phrase books for tourists. I had a very tough time interpreting any of the utterances just by looking at the "Berlitz" column. The system used in that column is neither scientific nor an effective "Berlitz"-type system. The most glaring example I saw is his assertion that the "kasrah" vowel-marker is pronounced "like the long 'e' in 'feet' or 'treat'". According to him, the Arabic word for 'girl' is 'bee-neht'. The British picked up this word during their long sojourn in the Middle East, and they spell and pronounce it 'bint', with a short 'i', which is exactly how it should be pronounced, even if it can have a derogatory connotation in British English. Another example with the 'kasrah' is the number 'six', which the author writes 'see-ta'. 'Sit-ta' or even 'sit-tuh' would be more understandable, as without the double 't' sound and short 'i', it just doesn't mean 'six.' His 'kah-leb', 'dog', should be written 'kalb' or 'kelb'.

The author has great credentials, and I have not listened to the CD. Maybe the "X for Dummies" editors imposed the "Dummied down" system on the book. It's too bad when an attempt at simplification makes the subject matter more difficult

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not bad for very beginners, January 12, 2007

By 

Anatoli T "Anatoli T" (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arabic For Dummies (Paperback)

I am little more than a beginner and I've seen a lot of Arabic textbooks. Some reviewers were too harsh in my opinion.

First, it's a simple guide and no stress introduction. Dialogs are good, with 2 rates - natural and slow. I'd prefer ALL dialogues to be recorded, not just selected as it is very important.

The simpler version of standard Arabic is chosen with no case endings, which is the feature of spoken dialects.

I wouldn't use 2 versions of romanisation but only one - standard and I would provide the Arabic text as well, at least for reference.


It's not classical or Koranic Arabic but it's a more or less standard Arabic of modern media, also used by many foreign learners and it's not colloquial either (not spoken dialects). It's probably very difficult to choose a version of Arabic to suit all learners.