Customer Reviews

English-Arabic Arabic-English Dictionary & Phrasebook (Hippocrene Dictionary & Phrasebooks)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

And I've looked.

One of my chief complaints about phrasebooks is that they never have a very comprehensive dictionary section. This book has an excellent one. It also refrains from using the transliteration (the strange symbols one normally sees in such books), focusing on the arabic text itself.

It also has a short section on grammar...not enough to make one an expert, but certainly enough to get a basic handle on sentence structure, posessives, verbs, etc. I've used mine so much living in Saudi Arabia that I've had to get another.

One of the best parts about it (while probably not intentional) is the extensive list of verbs in the Arabic section of the dictionary (3rd person masculine form). It's thorough, and gives one pretty much any verb needed.

One minor complaint...It would be nice if it also listed colloquialisms next to the main form of the word. But, admittedly, it's just a small phrasebook...for that, one can buy any number of specific dialectical phrasebooks (e.g., Lonely Planet series).

Overall, this is an excellent, comprehensive, yet compact resource. Any student of Arabic or anyone living and working in an Arabic speaking country would greatly benefit from having this book.

I am very well pleased with this pocket-sized phrasebook and mini dictionary. The introductory grammar notes and the everyday application lists are well done and easily understood. Best of all the Arabic script is provided alongside the English phonetics. Outstanding bargain!

I think this book was great for learning some basic arabic words and useful phrases. While it doesnt have a comprehensive section on writing and the alphabet, I dont recommend it for those who do not yet have a grasp on the alphabet. HOwever, it is a great follow-up resource for those who have already learned the alphabet and want to expand their vocabulary. One more comment: in many beginners arabic books they have the vowel marks to help beginners to read easier and this one doesnt. Hard to explain, but it just emphasizes the fact that this may be a resource too advanced to the very beginners of the language.

I am going on a trip to Syria and Lebanon in about a month and am currently in my second semester of Arabic classes. This book is a really convenient size, and what I love MOST about it is it includes that actual Arabic writing, so there is not doubt about the English phonetic spelling. It has a VERY useful phrasebook, and I can't get over how perfect it is! I couldn't have asked for a better translation/phrasebook! Can't wait to use it in Syria and Lebanon! =o)

I'm an ESL teacher who bought one of these books and took it to school with me. I don't speak Arabic, but I found this book very helpful when trying to communicate with students who speak, read and write in Arabic. They LOVED this book! I had to buy four more!

I bought this book about 1 year ago and found it short of expectations. I still use it about once a week to learn words and phrases. The book has a short english-arabic dictionary in the front that does not include some very basic words , for example in any language the first words you want to know is "yes" and "no" , but this dictionary lacks these words and many others. This book could have been a great book if it had gone into a little more detail to make it easier for the beginner.

I have just spent two months in an Arabic speaking country. I had this book with me and it was VERY useful in helping me communicate. An especially good feature was having the words in the Arabic alphbet as well as the transliteration so literate Arabs could read in their own language the words I wanted to communicate to them. The book was also very popular with Arabic-speaking people who want to improve their English - so much so that I left my copy with one person there and ordered another copy for myself when I got home.

I don't know whether it's an issue with editing or if the authors really don't know what they're talking about. Either way, there are far too many errors and simply incorrect words and definitions to make this book useful. Examples: Their dictionary says "ibn" means "brother" ("ibn" is "son," and "ukh" is "brother") lists "ahlan" as "hello" and "marhaban" as "welcome" [as in welcome to my home] when the meanings are actually reversed; and many other examples.
This book would be disastrous for a beginner, DO NOT BUY.

I would strongly recommend this dictionary to anyone trying to learn Arabic or traveling to an Arab country. The pronunciation guide is great...I couldn't get anywhere without it!!! Also, I was able to find most basic words and phrases in this book, and have not needed to look up anything additional in another resource book or dictionary.

FAbulous book for me who knows no arabic to try to convey words and ideas. It also has arabic to english so our friends can communicate with us and english to arabic so we can communicate to them. Love that it is all alphabetical. Easy to use.