Vest Pocket Arabic

by Richard D. Abraham

"Vest Pocket Arabic" These Special Features Teach You to Speak Arabic Quickly: Key to Pronunciation--simplified phonetic spellingBasic Sentence Patterns--a unique approach to sentence constructionEveryday Conversations--varied situationsOutline of Grammar--clear explanations for rapid understanding

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805015140
• ISBN13: 9780805015140
• Release Date: September 1990
• Publisher: R. D. Cortina Company
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 2.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.3" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

Good for its goal - comprehension of Egyptian conversation

This isn't a textbook to take someone from start to finish in learning arabic - you'll mainly be picking up vocab and grammar from the dialogues. But it's exactly what I was looking for (great price!), and it suits my needs, so here's a little about my arabic background: I can read and understand formal arabic(fusHa) and understand most colloquial dialects (especially egyptian and lebanese) relatively well, but I have a hard time speaking back. So I wanted a book that would just get me used to the "sound" of the egyptian dialect and help me feel more comfortable with constructing my own sentences. This book gives me practice in familiarizing myself with the structure, vocabulary, and pronunciation of colloquial egyptian arabic. The dialogues are authentic - my husband is egyptian, so of course I had him check them for authenticity. I think this small book is perfect for someone who is relatively proficient in standard arabic and wants to move towards proficiency in a colloquial dialect. It has enough grammar/usage notes to transition your knowledge of standard arabic into egyptian, and adds the peculiarities of egyptian construction and pronunciation. The vocab is very relevant to speaking arabic on the street, as it's actually used.