Free Arabic Learning Resources 

Here you will find lessons, books, worksheets, audio, and video material.


Videos on Arabic Grammar

Read Arabic Poetry 

Qasida Burda: Chapter 3

A line unpacked from the most famous ode sung in praise of the Prophet, peace be upon him.

Read from Imam Ghazali's "Dear Beloved Son"

By the time one has reached 40 years

First Advice (Part 2)

The Sliding "Lam"

One of the many ways emphasis is used, with examples from the Quran and Ghazali's "Dear Beloved Son."

Read from Imam Ghazali's "Dear Beloved Son"

On Allah's turning away from the servant

First Advice (Part 1)

Read from Imam Ghazali's "Dear Beloved Son"

Imam Ghazali's letter to a disciple.

Introduction

Beginner's Tip: Partially Inflected Nouns

Most prophetic names in the Quran never take a kasra as do other names.

Watch this beginner's tip to find out why

Nouns that have grammatical impact

Some nouns take a direct object.

Watch this short clip to see an example.

Hans Wehr Series Part 2: Multiple voweling options for the same root

(discussed in the Essentials course)

Six verb patterns (الأبواب الستة)

(discussed in the Essentials course)

Hans Wehr Series Part 1: Introduction to the Dictionary

(discussed in the Essentials course)

Sounds Plurals and Broken Plurals

(discussed in the Essentials course)

The Hal (circumstantial qualifier)

(discussed in the Essentials course)

Articles  on Arabic Grammar


The 10 Forms
 Table
 

- PDF 1 page

Difference between Sound Plurals and Broken Plurals  (جمع التكسير /جمع السالم) 

- PDF 3 pages

Difference between Transitive Verbs and Intransitive Verbs in Arabic (فعل متعد و فعل لازم) 

- PDF 5 pages

What is an adjective in Arabic ? (النعت/الصفة)

- PDF 4 pages

The Idafa Construction (الإضافة) 

- PDF 2 pages

Forming the command tense verb in Arabic (الفعل الأمر) 

- PDF 1 page

Quran Beheld by Shaykh Nuh Keller

The author, Sheikh Nuh Keller, reads the introduction to The Quran Beheld.  A must-read for any student of classical Arabic.

Downloadable Books and Core Texts

learn Arabic grammar

The essential study guide to Arabic grammar-- A true classic in the field.
In addition to Qur'an selections, fables, stories, newspaper extracts, letters, and excerpts from classical and modern Arabic writings are included. The book contains 52 chapters with a vocabulary of over 4,000 words.

It will serve as a basis for further and deeper study of this classical language and its literature; at the same time it will help to form a good foundation for those who wish to concentrate on the modern written language of literature and the daily press.

This is above all a practical grammar. It is meant for the beginner who is not familiar with the peculiarities of the Semetic languages. Nevertheless, it is comprehensive enough for most students' needs in the first two or three years of study.

Classical Arabic Texts

Abul Hasan al-Nadwi's Mukhtarat is a compilation of some of the most eloquent pieces of literature in the Arab and Muslim literary corpus, from the beginning of Islam to the 20th century.  It includes words of Hasan al-Basri, Ghazali, Jahiz, Ibn Khaldoun, and Ibn Jawzi as well as stories of Imam Ahmad's imprisonment, the passing aways of Salah al-din, and the the Shama'il by al-Tirmidhi.

The widely-used Arabic to English dictionary that will serve you well in translating texts. While this is ultimately a dictionary o f Modern Written Arabic, it is indispensable in translating classical works.

Abul Hasan al-Nadwi's guided reader for beginner to intermediate levels. One should be familiar with all the vocabulary in this book.

Abul Hasan al-Nadwi's stories of the prophets.  Begins slow and increases in complexity.  Excellent for applying grammar one has learned.

Common words used in the Quran.  Aspiring students of classical Arabic should know all the words in these lists.

Advanced Arabic

Arabic Grammar practice

A contemporary nahw book with exercises and answers. Thorough and organized yet requires a good vocabulary base. Many examples are drawn from poetry.

classical Arabic dictionary

A classical Arabic to Arabic dictionary that is useful for sarf. Written in a terse style that assumes basic knowledge of the language, al-Misbah al-Munir comes to one's aid where modern dictionaries fall short.

textsالمعجم الوسيط Arabic dictionary

For those classical words which you cannot find in Hans Wehr. This is an accessible Arabic to Arabic dictionary with both contemporary and classical words.

External Audio/ Video Materials

The Pronoun Song - Beginner's Tip: Role of a pronoun (ضمير) after a verb or noun

How to master this tradition - Hamza Yusuf on learning grammar

Avoid Common Reading Mistakes: Download FREE PDF and Improve your Arabic with Grammica Weekly