Arabic for Nerds 1

Fill the Gaps - 270 Questions about Arabic Grammar
Expanded and Revised 1. Auflage 2018
ISBN: 978-3-9819848-7-3
Verlag: Gerald Drißner

Buch, Englisch, Arabisch, Band 1, 570 Seiten, Paperback, Format (B × H): 140 mm x 216 mm, Gewicht: 708 g

Reihe: Arabic for Nerds

Tired of feeling stuck on the intermediate Arabic plateau? It's time to start thinking like an advanced speaker.

You've memorized vocabulary and drilled grammar, but you still struggle with the subtleties of the language. The solution isn't more flashcards—it's a deeper understanding of the core logic of Arabic. Arabic for Nerds 1 is your key to unlocking that next level.

Author Gerald Drißner spent nearly a decade identifying the exact points where intermediate students get stuck. He compiled his findings into this one-of-a-kind book, designed to fill the critical gap between classroom learning and true mastery.

Inside Arabic for Nerds 1, you will discover:

• The "Aha!" Moments: Finally understand the elegant logic behind the grammar and sentence structures that have been confusing you.
• Hidden Nuances: Master the subtle expressions, idioms, and common traps that native speakers know intuitively.
• Effortless Reading: Focus on the concepts without constantly reaching for a dictionary, thanks to carefully integrated translations.

This book is perfect for you if:

• You have studied Arabic for at least two years.
• Your vocabulary is around 3000 words.
• You have a solid grasp of tenses, verb moods, and plurals.
• You're ready to move beyond memorization and truly understand how the language works.

Please Note: This is not a traditional textbook. To keep the focus on the core concepts, it does not contain vocabulary lists or exercises. It's a pure guide to the inner workings of Arabic, designed to give you the confidence that only comes from true understanding.

Stop just learning Arabic and start truly understanding it. Add Arabic for Nerds 1 to your cart and finally conquer the intermediate plateau!

Zielgruppe

Arabic for Nerds one ist ideal für ambitionierte Arabisch-Lernende, die die Schrift beherrschen und bereits ein Niveau von circa B1 (etwa 3000 Wörter Grundwortschatz) erreicht haben und nun in die Tiefe gehen wollen. Das Buch richtet sich an Wiedereinsteiger und alle, die ihre Grammatik-Kenntnisse durch das Schließen der oft in Kursen entstandenen Lücken festigen möchten. Es ist kein klassisches Lehrwerk, das die Grammatik von Grund auf vermittelt, sondern beleuchtet 270 ausgewählte, spannende Phänomene und Nuancen. Es eignet sich hervorragend zum Selbststudium oder als begleitende Lektüre an Sprachschulen und Universitäten. Darüber hinaus dient es als verständliche und systematische Einführung für alle Lernenden, die mit der arabischen Grammatik-Terminologie (wie Mubtada', Na't oder Ma?dar) noch nicht vertraut sind und bislang nur die lateinischen Begriffe kennen. Es ist für alle, die Arabisch nicht nur sprechen, sondern wirklich verstehen wollen.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Drißner, Gerald

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Arabic for Nerds one - Table of Contents

Introduction
1. What is the secret of Arabic vowels?
2. How many roots does the Arabic language have?
3. Which letters can you add to a root?
4. Letters without dots - Does it work?
5. Who was the first Arabic grammar expert?
6. What does the word ?????? mean?
7. How many vowels does Arabic know?
8. Can an Arabic word start with a vowel?
9. Why is the letter ? (Aleph) special?
10. What is a weak letter?
11. When does ? or ? or ? cause massive trouble?
12. How do you say his colleagues? ????????, ???????? or ?????????
13. ?????? ?????????? - What is so special about this Aleph?
14. ????? and ???????? - Same ending, same problem?
15. Are there words that look the same in all cases?
16. ?????? - How did the ??????? get into this word?
17. What is the plural of the word sky (??????)?
18. ?????? ?????? - What is so special about it?
19. ??????? or ??????? - What is correct?
20. What is the definite article ??? made of?
21. Why does the definite article sometimes have a ribbon?
22. The word but - How do you spell it?
23. This and that - Why are they extraordinary in Arabic?
24. ?? - Does it only mean this?
25. ???? and ?? ?? (with space) – What is the difference?
26. Are there biliteral roots (only two letters) in Arabic?
27. Are there Arabic roots which are related to each other?
28. Does the word order matter in Arabic?
29. What is special about the Arabic word for son (??????)?
30. Osama bin Laden or Osama ibn Laden - What is correct?
31. How are family names constructed in Arabic?
32. ?????????????? - What is the meaning of this name?
33. Are there pet names in Arabic?
34. What are the main plural forms in Arabic?
35. What is a preposition in Arabic?
36. Is ??? (with) a noun (??????) or a preposition (?????? ?????)?
37. Why is it important to count syllables in Arabic?
38. Why do you need helping vowels?
39. ?? plus ?????????? - How do you pronounce that?
40. Can you study Arabic grammar in verses?
41. What is essential to know about verb forms?
42. Does every verb pattern convey a different meaning?
43. How do you say both in Arabic?
44. My two colleagues - How do you say that?
45. ?????????? - How would you translate that?
46. This car is mine - How do you express that in Arabic?
47. ?????? ?????????? - What is that?
48. How many types of words are there in Arabic?
49. How do you recognize a ?????? in a text?
50. What can be used as adjectives in Arabic?
51. Why do adjectives need agreement?
52. How do you say would in Arabic?
53. Do all English tenses exist in Arabic?
54. Prayer is better than sleep - Is it really better?
55. What does the name Husayn (???????) mean?
56. Is ?????? (war) masculine or feminine?
57. Why does the Arabic word for caliph (????????) end in ??
58. Can you use a masculine adjective for a feminine noun?
59. ?????? - Does it always stay the same as yesterday?
60. Why is there a ? in the proper name ??????? (Amr)?
61. How do you build the imperative of ???? in the dual?
62. ?????????? - What is the root of this word?
63. Are there abbreviations in Arabic?
64. The letter ? - How do you spell it correctly?
65. What is syntax, what is form?
66. Do we always need a second part in the ????????
67. ?????? ????????? and ????????? ????????? - Any difference?
68. Can a verbal sentence serve as the predicate (??????)?
69. ???? or ???? - What is the correct word for or?
70. Why is lesson (???????) a ???????? but river (??????) not?
71. How do you build the ???????? of a verb?
72. How do you express already?
73. What is an implied (hidden) pronoun?
74. Can you use a participle (?????? ??????) instead of a verb?
75. Is every noun (??????) derived from a root?
76. A ???????? can never be indefinite - Is that true?
77. Why is there a ???????? ???????? in Arabic?
78. Do ??????? and ????????? both mean the same?
79. Freedom (?????????) - What kind of word is that in Arabic?
80. To raise (??????) - What is the ???????? of this verb?
81. To have - How can you express that in Arabic?
82. Do ??????? ???? ??????? and ??????? ????????? mean the same?
83. ?????????? and ?????? - Do they mean the same?
84. What are the so-called five verbs (???????? ???????)?
85. ?????????? and ?????? ???????? - Do they mean the same?
86. If someone died, why do you use the passive voice?
87. ???????? - What kind of liar is he?
88. To respect each other - How do you say that in Arabic?
89. How do you express probability with only one word?
90. Can, should, must - Does Arabic have modal verbs?
91. Can you use a present tense verb to describe the past?
92. Past and future tense together - Does that work?
93. How do you attract someone's attention in Arabic?
94. ??? ????????? or ??? ??????? - What is correct for: O Fatima?
95. The letter ? - Which pronunciation is correct?
96. Immediately after… - How do you express that in Arabic?
97. The direction right - Should you use ?????? or ????????
98. Is the predicate of a verb the same as the direct object?
99. ?????? ?????? - What is that?
100. To be (????) - What is so tricky about its predicate?
101. What are the sisters of ???? (to be)?
102. Almost, just about to - How do you say that in Arabic?
103. What are the verbs of hope (?????? ??????)?
104. To begin something - How do you express that in Arabic?
105. When do you need to focus on agreement (????????????)?
106. How do you express me in Arabic?
107. Do you always need ???? to connect two verbs?
108. After ????, is it okay to use a verb in the past tense?
109. He gives it to me - How do you say that in Arabic?
110. Which verbs may carry two (direct) objects in Arabic?
111. Are there verbs that may carry three objects?
112. I thought that… - How do you express that in Arabic?
113. Can an Arabic sentence start with the object?
114. A man who went... - How do you say that in Arabic?
115. One student - How do you say that in Arabic?
116. Is there a German man (one) in Arabic?
117. One must... - How do you say that in Arabic?
118. ?????? (service) - What is the Arabic plural of this word?
119. He jumped like a tiger. - How do you say that in Arabic?
120. To eat three times - How do you say that in Arabic?
121. What does ?????? ???????? mean?
122. What is an absolute object (????????? ????????)?
123. Why not? - How do you say that in Arabic?
124. Why do you write ???? (with ?) but ????? (with ?)?
125. Barely, hardly - How do you express that in Arabic?
126. How many things can the letter ? express?
127. What is the difference between 3,000 and thousands?
128. What is the plural of month? ???????? or ????????
129. Which (Gregorian) year is 1435 Hijri?
130. ...has become unacceptable – How do you translate that?
131. Can the word ?? unite with other words?
132. Is there a difference whether you negate with ?? or ?????
133. Can you negate a nominal sentence with ???
134. How many different jobs may ?? have in Arabic?
135. Is there a word in Arabic which consists of only 1 letter?
136. Because, since, as - How do you express that in Arabic?
137. Because of… How do you say that in Arabic?
138. What do ???????, ???????? and ?????? have in common?
139. Does a weak letter cause trouble in the ????????-form?
140. What does the ?? do in ????????? (connection)?
141. Why does ?????? take nunation (“un”) but ???????? doesn't?
142. ??????? or ?????? - Which spelling is correct?
143. ??????? and ??????? - Same pattern, same form?
144. ...???????? ???????????? ?????????? ???????? - Is there a mistake?
145. What is the ?????? ????????? of ????? (to come)?
146. ???????? - This is the comparative pattern, isn't it?
147. What does the word ?????? mean?
148. How do you mark the ?????????- case in the word ???????????
149. Why is ?????? written with an Aleph but ??????? not?
150. How do you express still in Arabic?
151. How do you say yet and not yet in Arabic?
152. Does the Egyptian word ?????? mean still or yet?
153. ???????? or ???????? - What is the Arabic word for museum?
154. ?????????? - Why do we use this grammar term for subject?
155. Can you use the letter ? to emphasize a word in Arabic?
156. Can you use an extra ? to give emphasis?
157. What are the particles of attention?
158. Can you use ?? and ???? to emphasize?
159. What does a (separate) personal pronoun express?
160. Can you use a negation to emphasize in Arabic?
161. When do you use a pronoun in a relative clause?
162. ??????? and ???? - When do you use which word for who?
163. Exactly twenty or more than twenty. How do you know?
164. If a verb is transitive, what does that mean?
165. What is the root of the word ???????? (history)?
166. How do you convert transitive into intransitive verbs?
167. What is so special about a kilogram of sugar in Arabic?
168. ???????????? ???????????? ??????? - How do you translate that?
169. What is the passive participle (?????? ????????????) of ?????
170. How do you build the noun of place (?????? ??????)?
171. Does ???????? mean birthday or birthplace?
172. What do verbs of stems II to X have in common?
173. What is the root of ??????????? (hospital)?
174. Is ??????????? (hospital) masculine or feminine?
175. How do you build words for tools (?????? ????)?
176. ?????????? or ????????? - What is the word for minaret?
177. How do you say write! in Arabic?
178. ??????? ????????? ??????? ?? ??????????? - Is there a mistake?
179. What does ?????? mean?
180. What type of word is ?????? (not to be)?
181. ?????? ???????? ????????? - Is there a mistake?
182. ?????? ??????? - Is there a mistake?
183. Can you praise or condemn something with one word?
184. When does a verb need the ?????????-mood?
185. Nice flowers. Should you say ?????? ?????? or ?????? ?????????
186. How do you say not at all in Arabic?
187. The girl is bigger than... - Why is that tricky in Arabic?
188. What is the stem of the verb to be reassured (???????????)?
189. How do you say more crowded in Arabic?
190. Why shouldn't you say I bought the Qur'an in Arabic?
191. Why is the verb to wish (?????) of a special kind?
192. How do you say dark/deep red?
193. ??????? or ??????? - Where do you add the two lines at the end?
194. When would you use the word ???????? in Arabic?
195. ???????? ??????? or ??????????? ??????? - What is correct?
196. Why do we read numbers from left to right in Arabic?
197. Why are there “an”-endings in ??????? ??????????
198. ?????????, ?????????! - Why do these words get ????????
199. How do you express although; despite in Arabic?
200. ???????? or ?????? ?? (with space) - How do you spell after...?
201. How do you say so that in Arabic?
202. How do you recognize a reported (indirect) speech?
203. How do you build reported questions?
204. ????????? (at your service) - What form is that?
205. Why do you have to be careful when you say ?????
206. If we curse in the name of God, why do we use the past?
207. Can you use ???? to start a conditional sentence?
208. What is the difference between ????? and ??????
209. What is the function of the ?????? (apposition)?
210. What is the root of the verb to examine; to study (?????????)?
211. How do you use ??, ??, and ??????
212. What does the verb ??? mean?
213. Do ???? and ????? and ?????? and ???? mean the same?
214. Can ???? and ???? express something unexpected?
215. How many words may be used to express except?
216. Is the word ?????? (some) definite or indefinite?
217. How do you express exclusiveness in Arabic?
218. How do you express I can in Arabic?
219. Does a simple sentence also mean simple grammar?
220. What are the so-called five nouns in Arabic?
221. What is the correct spelling of before? ?????? or ???????
222. How do you express never in Arabic?
223. ???? and ????? are somehow the opposite, aren't they?
224. What is the plural of the word year (?????)?
225. What does the word ?????? mean?
226. ???????? ???????? or ???????? ????????? - What is correct?
227. What is the Arabic active participle of to point out (?????)?
228. How do you express on the same day in Arabic?
229. What is the difference between ????? and ??????
230. What kind of word do you put after the particle ??????
231. When do you have to use the particle ??????
232. Can you use ???? (to say) together with ??????
233. When does a ?????? need the nominative case (?????????)?
234. What is the difference between ?????? and ????? ??????????
235. What may the word ???? express?
236. How do you express when I was eleven… in Arabic?
237. What is a causal object (????????? ??????????)?
238. How do you express: at the beginning of the century?
239. What is special about diptotes (????????? ??? ?????????)?
240. How do you mark cases in diptotes (???????? ??? ?????????)?
241. Is ??????? the feminine form of ???????? (better)?
242. ???????? ??????????? - How would you translate that?
243. What is the root of ???????? (port; harbor)?
244. How do you express whereas or while in Arabic?
245. How do you express his brother came laughing?
246. Why are ?????? and ???? often confused?
247. Why should you pay attention when you see ???????
248. ??? ?????? ?????? ?? - Why does God have a ??????? (“a”)?
249. Why are Arabic if-clauses difficult to translate?
250. What does the jussive mood (?????????) express?
251. When do you need the jussive (?????????) in if-clauses?
252. Do you always need the ?????????- mood in if-clauses?
253. When do you use ?? in conditional sentences?
254. What is the difference between ???? and ?????
255. What are the essential rules for writing numbers?
256. Are numbers in Arabic nouns (??????)?
257. Why can it be difficult to pronounce ten (???)?
258. Does few (??????) sometimes change its shape?
259. What is a logical subject?
260. How do you express: emphasis?
261. How do you express: amplification or likeness?
262. How do you express: contrast or concession?
263. How do you express: to give an example?
264. How do you express: proof?
265. How do you express: cause and effect?
266. How do you express: restatement?
267. How do you express: conclusion?
268. How do you express: time or place?
269. How do you start emails and formal letters in Arabic?
270. How do you end emails and formal letters in Arabic?

***

Glossary of English grammar terms
Islamic salutations after certain names
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Drißner, Gerald
Gerald Drißner ist ein mehrfach ausgezeichneter Journalist und Buchautor.
Er schreibt Texte aller Art und entwickelt digitale Inhalte und Auftritte. Außerdem schreibt und konzipiert er Bücher.

Gerald Drißner, geboren 1977, ist im österreichischen Bergdorf Wald am Arlberg aufgewachsen. Er ist Diplom-Volkswirt und Arabist. Das journalistische Handwerk lernte er auf der Henri-Nannen-Journalistenschule. Er hat mehr als zehn Jahre in arabischen Ländern gelebt und dort Arabisch studiert.

Gerald Drißner (Drissner) is an award-winning journalist and book author from Austria. He develops digital content and writes books about Arabic grammar.

Gerald Drißner (Drissner), born in 1977, grew up in a mountain village in the Arlberg region.

He is a graduate economist and Arabist. He learned journalism at Germany’s most renowned journalism school (Henri-Nannen-Schule).

Gerald has lived in more than half a dozen countries. He has spent more than ten years in Arab countries studying Arabic.