Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16878 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

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.

Customer Reviews

An easy read...
I always try to use Dummy guides for subjects i know nothing about. After using them to learn VB6 and C# for work, i decided to fulfil a life long aim and start to learn Arabic. This guide is extremely easy to read and is gentle in the way it introduces you to the language. As the previous review states, there is very little written Arabic text here, which is why i bought a seperate book 'First Thousand Words in Arabic' (which was shown as a book deal) to compliment what i was learning verbally.

This book is definately useful for those who have no knowledge whatsoever, but for those who know some Arabic already it may prove too basic.

In all i enjoy this book (I'm still using it), and would recommend this and any Dummies Guide to those wishing to start out on a totally new subject.

the "for dummies " books are usually good but this one.....


Didn't like the transliteration, quite a lot of colloquial words but as these very from Arabic country to country this is not really that useful. I didn't feel that comfortable with this book and abandoned it in August for a book I am much happier with.

Not as good as the rest of the series
I've used the Dummies Guides before, notably in computing (which I've taught). I have a good ear for languages and speak French which is good enough to have native speakers of that language ask which part of the country I come from. However, I found this a really old-fashioned approach. Fun??! When you spend the first 58 pages (it's described as "Fun and Games") learning basic grammar? Sorry, but it's not for me.