Madinah Arabic course | Book 1 - LESSON 2

Review of Lesson 1

The instructor begins by reviewing the final homework from the previous lesson and recapping its main concepts:

• هَذَا (hādhā) means “this” and is used for something that is singular, masculine, and nearby.
• Three question forms were introduced:
  • مَا (mā) — “what?” Used to ask about things or non-rational beings, such as objects and animals.
  • مَنْ (man) — “who?” Used for people and other rational beings.
  • أَ (hamza) — Turns a statement into a yes-or-no question.

The instructor emphasizes the importance of remembering earlier material, since new grammar builds on it.

Main Concept of Lesson 2: ذَلِكَ (dhālika)

The central topic is ذَلِكَ (dhālika), meaning “that.” Like hādhā, it is a demonstrative pronoun used to point something out. It refers to something that is:

• Singular
• Masculine
• Far away

For example, ذَلِكَ رَجُلٌ means “That is a man.” The instructor contrasts hādhā, used for nearby objects, with dhālika, used for distant ones.

Arabic Spelling and Pronunciation

The lesson highlights that some Arabic letters or sounds are not represented in the usual way in writing:

• In هَذَا (hādhā), the long ā is pronounced, although the corresponding alif is not written as a full alif.
• The same spelling principle applies to ذَلِكَ (dhālika).

Rules concerning letters that are written but not pronounced—or pronounced but not written—are studied under imlāʾ (Arabic spelling and orthography). Learners are cautioned not to spell words based only on how they sound.

Examples and Vocabulary

The lesson practices sentences that contrast nearby and distant things, including:

• “This is a mosque, and that is a house.”
• “This is a horse, and that is a donkey.”
• “What is that?”
• “Is that a dog?”

New vocabulary introduced or discussed includes:

Arabic Transliteration Meaning نَجْم najm star مَسْجِد masjid mosque بَيْت bayt house حِصَان ḥiṣān horse حِمَار ḥimār donkey بَغْل baghl mule كَلْب kalb dog قِطّ qiṭṭ cat إِمَام imām leader, including a prayer leader مُدَرِّس mudarris teacher حَجَر ḥajar rock or stone سُكَّر sukkar sugar لَبَن laban thick or yoghurt-like milk حَلِيب ḥalīb ordinary milk

The lesson also explains that وَ (wa) means “and.” Although it is attached to the following word in writing, it is a separate word in meaning.

Homework and Study Guidance

For the next lesson, students are assigned a four-question reading-and-writing exercise. They are also instructed to:

• Understand the rule for dhālika: singular, masculine, and distant.
• Memorize the new vocabulary.
• Complete the reading-and-writing homework to check their understanding.

Speakers and Sources

• Speaker: One unnamed instructor or narrator; no other speakers are apparent.
• Source material: Exercises and grammar from Madinah Arabic Course, Book 1, Lesson 2.