☰ Units · Arabic A1

Daily routine: the present tense

Unit 16 · Part C · Arabic A1 (Beginners)
1

I do: the verb with أَ

Arabic A1 · Unit 16
GoalSay what you do with verbs that begin with أَ.
New words
أَذْهَب (ʾadhhab) · I goأَشْرَب (ʾashrab) · I drinkأَكْتُب (ʾaktub) · I writeأَقْرَأ (ʾaqraʾ) · I readأَعْمَل (ʾaʿmal) · I workأَسْكُن (ʾaskun) · I liveالْمَاء (al-māʾ) · the waterأَنَا أَذْهَب إِلَى الْمَدْرَسَة (ʾanā ʾadhhab ʾilā l-madrasa) · I go to school
Explanation

In English the verb stays the same for many people: I go, we go. In Arabic the beginning of the verb tells you who does it. For “I” the verb begins with أَ. The rest of the verb is the stem, and it stays the same. Take the stem ذْهَب: أَ + ذْهَب makes أَذْهَب, “I go”. There is no word for “am” or “do” here. The word أَنَا is often left out, because أَ already says “I”.

StemI (أَ)Meaning
ذْهَبأَذْهَبI go
شْرَبأَشْرَبI drink
كْتُبأَكْتُبI write
قْرَأأَقْرَأI read
Worked examples
Each verb starts with أَ, which means “I”. Press each card.
Short sentences with أَنَا. Read each one, then listen.
أَI+سْكُنlive (stem)
A verb built in two steps: the prefix أَ and the stem.
Class activity

Say what you do. Think of five things you do on a normal day. Say each one in Arabic with a verb from this lesson, for example أَقْرَأ. Then write the five sentences with all vowels on paper and read them aloud.

Practice
1
Press Listen. Is it أَذْهَب, أَسْكُن, or another verb?

…

2
Write “I write” in Arabic.
3
The picture shows a book. Say “I read the book”.
4
The picture shows water. Say “I drink the water”.
5
What does the first letter of أَسْكُن tell you?