Reviews (33)

Fantastic!Useful for looking up words, but also assists in language learning
This is by far the best Arabic-English Dictionary out there.It is based on Arabic's triletter root system, and not based on alphabetic order.
Major strengths of the book
If you have the money and want to buy an Arabic-English dictionary, this one is the best there is.
poor quality of print
The book is very small, which should have been an indication.Printed in India, most of the pages are blurred or faint printing.Not readable.A huge price for something unusable. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Arabic    2. Arabic language    3. Dictionaries    4. English    5. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    6. Multi-Language Dictionaries    7. Reference    8. Bilingual dictionaries   

Reviews (1)

Very handy and well-designed
This is a useful phrasebook for the novice heading to Iraq for the first time. No Arabic script; a shame, but that seems to be the case with almost all such handbooks tailored to one dialect of Arabic. The almost pocket-sized booklet starts off with a description of the phonetic system and moves quickly to a few very basic elements of grammar, basic words, numbers, telling time, and common situations from greetings to arrival at the airport, checking in at a hotel, getting around town, food and drink, personal care, sight-seeing, visiting mosques, medical care, security situation, and timely police station and checkpoint dialogue. Nothing special in terms of military lingo, but handy sections on "searching a house" and handling "demonstrations". Prepared in 2004, but not with the occupation and post-occupation too much in mind, no mention of roadside bombs or beheadings, prisoners, or prisoner handling; almost as if Iraq were a normal country. Ends with a 1,000 word basic dictionary. At this price you can't go wrong by keeping a copy handy. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Arabic    2. Arabic Language    3. Conversation and phrase books    4. Dialects    5. English    6. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    7. Foreign Language Study    8. Grammar    9. Iraq    10. Language    11. Foreign Language Study / Arabic    12. Language self-study & phrasebooks    13. Reference   

Reviews (2)

Best current reference on Arabic
In 39 crisp chapters covering more than 700 pages Ryding organizes both the grand lines and essential details of Arabic language structure and grammar. This is a highly readable, easily searched linguistic reference. The index really does the job and her list of references alone is a significant academic contribution. Finally, this gem will make life easier for both students of Arabic and researchers. All my thumbs are up for this once in a lifetime linguistic treasure.

breath-taking
after experimenting with a lot of arabic grammar books I have finally met the most engaging one.I can not imagine the right words to give sufficient definition of the capabilities of this breath-taking book.every sentence is supplied with full transliteration.extensive,exhausive but not exhaushing.it is a must to buy book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Arabic    2. Arabic language    3. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    4. General    5. Grammar    6. Language    7. Language Arts & Disciplines    8. Arabian peninsula    9. Grammar, syntax, linguistic structure    10. Language Arts & Disciplines / General    11. Saudi Arabia   

Reviews (33)

Great beginner book
I used Alif Baa (with DVDs) in Arabic 101 at the University of Maryland (Baltimore County) and it's probably the best beginner book I have encountered.The DVDs are great and add a lot to the text and exercises.It even shows a chart with the letters, and you can click on the appropriate character to hear and show someone pronouncing it in several different voices.Great idea.Lots of exercises to listen to and write down.And, for $5, there's an answer key to Alif Baa which will help an awful lot if you want to teach yourself.

Good starter book for Arabic
I've taken Spanish and Russian, so I'm no stranger to learning a new language. I have had some rudimentary Arabic that was based on phonetics, so I never really learned the letters. This book drills in each letter with repetition, so you write each letter multiple times, and utilize it in words so you know the initial, medial, and final positions. The book isn't perfect, and without a solution manual you are in the dark as to whether you are getting the dictation down right. I would receommend either taking an Arabic class (as I am doing) that uses this book or buying the solutions manual to go it alone. As my instructor states, this book and Al Kitaab #1 are the foundation, if you can make it through these books you are on your way, but it isn't easy. If I had to do this on my own, I would be taking longer, but the intense schedule of the class is keeping the words and letters fresh in my brain. Bottom line, if you are buying this for school, it's good to go. If you are buying it to go it alone, get the solution manual.

A fabulous series
This book is such an improvement over what was the previous standard:the Orange Book from Michigan.It is not too technical and comes with nicely done DVDs.This and the companion 'Al-Kitab' are elementary and intermediate courses together.There is also an answer key (separate purchase) which I would recommend.
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Subjects:  1. Arabic    2. Arabic language    3. English    4. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    5. Foreign Language Study    6. Language    7. Phonetics    8. Textbooks for foreign speakers    9. Writing    10. Language teaching & learning material & coursework   

Reviews (12)

The bestyou could find!
AL-Mawrid dictinary is the best reference for those who seek a precise and advanced translation between Arabic and English. It is the best tool for a translator who needs to understand nuances and idiomatic particularities.It is THE book! However, beginners should try something else!

Great dictionnary
It's a really great dictionary, u cannot think about a word that doesn't contain

Great Dictionary
it doesn't only have a dictionary for English Arabic - Arabic English, it also great as a dictionary of Arabic words used in English, and a dictionary for Arabic and English brovrebs - translated back and forth. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dictionaries   

Reviews (66)

Great starting point
If your really interested in learning the language, not just say a couple key phrases, then you should start at the root - the alphabet.Many other "Teach Yourself..." series either neglect or downplay the importance of learning this basic foundational information.I think this book does well introducing and explaining how written Arabic is put together.By the time I completed this book, I was confidently writing and reading arabic words (transliterating), even though I really couldn't do much else...like understanding.Like I said, a great starting place, worth the time to be confident in this area.

The Arabic Alphabet: How to Read & Write It
This book pretty good. It teaches you how to read and write the alphabets. This includes how to link the letters together to form a word (since there is no printing or upper case letters as in English or most languages).It also teaches numbers and punctuation.I recommend it for someone who wants to take his/her learning to the next level of also writing Arabic.

Must have for the serious student of Arabic
Fantastic introduction to the Arabic alphabet.If you're serious about learning Arabic, you really should get this book.Use nightly for a fortnight and you'll have the bulk of the writing system mastered.Very, very well done! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alphabet    2. Arabic    3. Arabic Language    4. Arabic alphabet    5. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    6. Language    7. Language self-study & phrasebooks   

Reviews (6)

Read and Speak Arabic for Beginners
This book is okay for someone who wants to learn Arabic as the formal language as in books, Quraan, writings, and news, not the everyday spoken language.This book is not for you, if you want to learn a particular dialect from a particular country.

Just Like the Title Says...Good for Beginners
This is a good book for people starting to learn Arabic.It has useful phrases and explains the language well.A good trick the book uses is to write names like "Jane" in Arabic.It's much easier to learn to read Arabic if you work with words you know.
Quick and Easy
Great little book, easy to follow and understand. Excellent for someone just starting or wanting simple phrases to travel. Overall, a great way to grasp the idea as well as quick and easy. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Arabic    2. Arabic Language    3. English    4. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    5. Foreign Language Study    6. Language    7. Textbooks for foreign speakers    8. Foreign Language Study / Arabic   

Reviews (17)

Terrible
Like someone else said, I agree THERE ARE NO REALLY GOOD ARABIC TEXTBOOKS - (I haven't seen Elementary Modern Standard Arabic but a lot of users complained about it), incosistencies start from page one with this particular one, even with some basic lessons from other textbook I am not able to use this book on my own. I appreciate the efforts put into making this book, though (otherwise I would rate it with one star) - lots of DVD recordings, pictures but the author might want to look at how other languages are taught.
Not a systematic approach to language-learning. . .
Despite being the "new, revised edition", Al-Kitaab 2nd Edition is still lacking. . .
There are no outstanding Arabic instruction books!
Why is this? Why are Arabic instruction books sooooo atrocious? There is sufficient demand for Arabic now and sufficient research in language education to come up with something better. What a sad testament that Al Kitaab is actually the standard in university-level Arabic instruction! It makes me want to rip my hair out. Somebody, anybody, PLEASE publish a decent Arabic instruction text. And, for all you publishers out there doing colloquial Arabic: EGYPTIAN!!A third of all Arabs are Egyptian and it's the only dialect universally understood by other Arabs. So please quit with all the Lebanese, Saudi, Iraqi, Jordnaian colluquial courses until there is a decent Egyptian course available. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Arabic    2. Arabic language    3. English    4. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    5. Foreign Language Study    6. Language    7. Textbooks for foreign speakers    8. Language teaching & learning material & coursework   

Features

• Abridged
• Audiobook

Reviews (5)

Loaded with errors.
I am suprised at some of the reviewers that gave this program good reviews. The text is loaded with errors and for the beginner, this is a real disservice. If you buy this program, be prepared to be confused when some words and phrases are written several different ways.

I like it
I studied MSA arabic sometime back and then changed my strategy to learning spoken eastern arabic. Part of that decision was based on the fact that I wanted not just to be understood, but to understand what was said to me. If you go to an arab country and speak MSA they will understand you and answer in the local dialect, then you wont understand them. (see the problem). So It was a nice suprise to have a book that taught you MSA and gave a good intro to several regional dialects in the M.E.

Disappointed
I was very disappointed with the product, because I had different expectations, based on the advertisement of it.It was utterly different from what I thought it would be, and now it's no use for me. The four cds it has, are in four different dialects of the arabic language, so, only one is useful, since you can not use all four of them in your conversations, and the other four cds are only in the formal arabic language which is used only in writing.
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Subjects:  1. Arabic    2. Arabic Language    3. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    4. Foreign Language Study    5. Language    6. Foreign Language Study / Arabic    7. Language self-study & phrasebooks   

Reviews (15)

Do Not Buy This Dictionary
This is a terrible dictionary. Many of the words are spelled incorrectly and many of the definitions, while technically correct, are absolutely nonsensical.

Shell out a little more for a lot more quality
i'm very sorry i bought this book.It may be concise, and it may be cheaper, but one shouldn't sacrifice spelling for saving a few dollars!The concise edition drops the dots off many of the letters, thus either misspelling the word or creating letters that don't exist.i borrowed the full-sized edition and found it to be fine.Don't waste your money and your sanity on this version!

The best one I have found
This is the best Arabic dictionary I have found so far, but I still have a couple complaints about it. There are a few things missing, like the names of countries, and sometimes the print is small and hard to read. The Al-Mawrid dictionary is more complete, but can be overwhelming, especially for new students, becuase when you look up an English word, it lists a whole bunch of Arabic words and it is hard to figure out which on is the right word. This dictionary, however, has very clear explaination on when to use what word. I would give it five stars if it were a little bit more comprehensive. For the serious Arabic student, this is the best English-Arabic dictionary out there.
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Subjects:  1. Arabic    2. Arabic Language    3. Dictionaries    4. English language    5. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    6. Foreign Language Study / Arabic    7. Reference | Bilingual Dictionaries | Other    8. Usage guides   

Reviews (1)

Wonderful and challenging
Just as with the first volume, comprehensive completion of the exercises and time (quality time!) spent with the DVD will slather layers of Arabic on your brain like so much hummus.
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Subjects:  1. Arabic    2. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    3. Foreign Language Study    4. Language    5. Language teaching & learning material & coursework   

Reviews (3)

Essential but the price is a crime
This is "the" dictionary for serious students, but it breaks my heart to see people paying so much for it, when it's available in the Middle East in HC for around $15.

Get the Paperback
My mother bought this for me for Christmas. She used the "available new and used" section to get it a little cheaper. She ended up paying $160 or so. When I put this on my wish list I thought that this hardcover version would be the Arabic-English/English-Arabic, considering that it was $175 and the paperback of the Arabic-English only was available for $45. As it turns out, this is only the hardcover of the Arabic-English only. So for one, my mother paid an additional $115 for only the hardcover version of a book that I could have gotten in the paperback for $45. I still do not have the English-Arabic of the Hans Wehr edition.

A must
The dictionary is essential to for a Anglophone to learn the Arabic language because of its trilateral organisation of Arabic words ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Arabic    2. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    3. Language    4. Bilingual dictionaries   

Reviews (3)

Very clear and legible Arabic typeface
Still a beginning student not yet qualified to comment on many aspects of this dictionary, I am however very pleased with the large, clear, easy-on-the-eyes Arabic font in this full-size edition. I steered away from the smaller formatted and much cheaper edition for fear that as a new reader I would not be able to make out the intricate script. [Years ago as a student of Khmer, another fairly intricate writing system, I first found myself reading documents with a magnifying glass, but once I reached a more advanced level everything seemed clear enough. I imagine it takes most students a while to adjust to what at first seems to be very strange and tiny scribbles.] Most Arabic entries seem fully voweled, so I do not see the need for the English phonetics that another reviewer demanded. I used the "Fun with Arabic" CD-ROM to get past the phonetics. I'm pleased at what I got for my money. I also followed another reviewer's suggestion and ordered the Al Mawrid dictionary as well. If you are going to put in the huge amount of time required to learn a foreign language, you'd best invest early in the game.

ATTENTION SELF STUDY! No English pronunciation!!!
I have used an English/Japanese dictionary that had the Japanese pronuciation in English characters as well as in Japanese. This book contains no such function. If you don't read Arabic, this book is of very limited use. You will have no way of determining the pronunciation. THIS BOOK DOES NOT SUPPORT SELF STUDY! Such an obvious oversight by the Editors and Publishers of this book is deeply disappointing.

the best english -arabic dictionary
its the best and most useful dictionary i have ever rea ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Arabic    2. Dictionaries    3. English language    4. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    5. Foreign Language Study / Arabic    6. Language & Linguistics    7. Reference | Bilingual Dictionaries | Other   

Features

• Audiobook
• Unabridged

Reviews (7)

Love PIMSLEUR!
On my trip to Egypt this March, several people asked me where I studied Arabic, and were amazed (and thought maybe they misunderstood) that I had learned my Arabic from CD's.It was very gratifying.I picked these CD's up on an online auction.I've used Pimsleur for Swedish and Egyptian Arabic, and have had great success with both.They are the only language tapes where on arrival in the country, people could understand what I was saying, which made for a more enjoyable vacation.I also speak German and a smattering of other languages.You really must set time aside to do these tapes, as they are intensive, and at the end of the lesson you feel like your brain hurts.But it works - when stressed and lost and hungry and tired, you will remember how to say "where is" whatever.Then you watch the hands pointing, you walk in that direction a bit, and you ask again.The key is that they understand you, and you may pick out a few words.I was hanging out at one point with an Egyptian student and two Japanese students, and we four girls were speaking a mixture of Arabic, Japanese, and English.It was great!Sure, I could have had a decent time in Egypt with just English, but it was unbelievably wonderful to be able to communicate a bit with regular folks.

Alternative to high prices
Even though the Pimsleur method is FABulous, before investing huge dollars in the CDs, check with your local public library. They might be available for borrowing.

It works
Since my first visit to Egypt six years ago I have tried to learn Egyption Arabic. I have tried different courses, CDs and cassettes. But I must say that this one is by far the best.
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Subjects:  1. Arabic    2. Audio - Language    3. Audio Adult: Language    4. Foreign Language Study    5. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    6. Foreign Language Study / Arabic   

Subjects:  1. Arabic    2. Dictionaries - General    3. Reference   

Reviews (22)

Mediocre
As other reviewers have pointed out, this book is generally mediocre.It teaches you think in a piece-meal, unsystematic fashion...which oftentimes can be a good thing, but here proves to be disorienting and uninstructive.Not only that, but as others have pointed out, at every step it pushes a dopey, anti-Israel political agenda.This book is a joke, botch intellectually and politically.
Imcomplete
The CD's which are required as a part of our class are not part of this book as they would be if ordered through the university bookstore.

Better books in terms of happiness level
Uningaging. Not for self study. Heavy to the point of being inconvenient to bring home on most days when my backpack is heavy to start with, which has discouraged me from studying as much as I would like. Not fabulous in my opinion. Doesn't make me a happy lil Arabic student. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Arabic    2. Arabic Language    3. English    4. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    5. Foreign Language Study    6. Language    7. Textbooks for foreign speakers    8. Foreign Language Study / Arabic    9. Language teaching & learning material & coursework   

Reviews (3)

Don't like the transliteration system
I am in complete agreement with Al-Shayib's August 5, 2006 review. I too took a good look at the book at the book store and was unhappy that the book uses a transliteration system without at least showing the spelling in Arabic. I could have made allowances if it weren't for the fact that the transliterations used do not correctly approximate the correct pronunciation such as 'kah-leb' for dog when it should be, as Al-Shayib said, kalb or kelb. Needless to say, I put the book back on the shelf.

Use the CD--the two transliteration systems are confusing
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 columnis 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'.
Great for folks who don't want to mess with the script
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! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Arabic    2. Arabic Language    3. English    4. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    5. Foreign Language Study    6. Language    7. Miscellaneous    8. Spoken Arabic    9. Textbooks for foreign speakers    10. Foreign Language Study / Miscellaneous    11. Language teaching & learning material & coursework   

Reviews (32)

Dry as the desert sands
ahhh... the infamous "Orange Book" I remember so well. I'm took beginning Arabic with Elementary Modern Standard Arabic and now even the university switched from this book to Al-Kitaab. This text book is dry and boring, avoid it at all costs unless you're a committed linguist or potential Arabic scholar

Best arabic primer for a serious student.
This is an excellent text for learning modern standard arabic. This series has been the most widely used textbook for Arabic language for english speakers till recently. Although, the al kitab series has begun to aclipse this in popularity this still remains widely used. Some might find the style of this book rather dry compared to the more abundant audio-visual aids in al kitab, but I tend to favor this book over al kitab because of the more detailed treatment of grammer employed here. This book would be best suited for someone who wants to evetually pursue academic studies in Arabic or delve into arabic literature. But, if your intention is just to learn conversational arabic, learning the egyptian dialect the al kitab would be a much better option.

Churchill's Democracy
... this book is kind of like Churchill's democracy.It's the worst Arabic textbook out there, except all those other ones.
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Subjects:  1. Arabic    2. Arabic Language    3. Education    4. English    5. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    6. General    7. Language Experience Approach    8. Textbooks for foreign speakers    9. Arabic language--Textbooks for foreign speakers--English    10. Language Arts & Disciplines / Linguistics    11. Language teaching & learning material & coursework   

Reviews (8)

Teenager loved it
Bought it for my son who needed it for high school.Very clear and easy to understand.

Nisf wa nisf
This dictionary is just ok for the Arabic language. In the E-A section the words given to you for English words are correct to useabout 65-75% of the time and they don't give many secondary or tertiary options for them. The Oxford is far better as E-A as not only do they give multiple meanings but they give appropriate prepositions and articles with them. As for A-E this dictionary is listed American style, completely alphabetically. However the Arabic language uses a root system to form words making the American way of looking up words is extremely inefficient for Arabic. If you know any Arabic at all the Hans Wehr is easy to use and the best dictionary by far for A-E translating.

Insufficient vacabulary
Not a good source for anyone starting to learn arabic. The arabic exglish translation is insufficient. Also words that are in Quran are not easy to find in this dictonary.
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Subjects:  1. Arabic    2. Arabic language    3. Dictionaries    4. English    5. English language    6. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    7. Foreign Language Study    8. Language    9. Multi-Language Dictionaries    10. Bilingual dictionaries    11. English Language Teaching (ELT)    12. Language Teaching & Learning (Other Than ELT)    13. Language, Literature And Biography    14. Teaching of a specific subject   

Reviews (7)

Good for grammar - but little else.
After learning the basics of Arabic from this book, I stopped reading it. It feels like a phrasebook, just spewing random vocabulary that doesn't really help you.
Good Supplement
I realized when I bought the package that what this would teach me was the Modern Standard Arabic, and not a regional colloqial, but I figured it would be a nice supplement to what I was already learning. It met my expectations.
explanation of product
The CD's that come with the textbook are just the oral pronunciation of the written arabic words.Ive done the first few lessons and it seems helpful for beggining to become conversational in arabic.If you want to learn to write arabic or read arabic, look for a product that is more specialized in that area.
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Subjects:  1. Arabic    2. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    3. Foreign Language Study    4. Language    5. Foreign Language Study / Arabic    6. Language self-study & phrasebooks