Language

One of the most tricky aspects of Arabic writing is the hamza (هَمْزَة), the character which represents the glottal stop. The hamza is not an independent letter; sometimes it is written “on the line” (ء), and sometimes it “sits” on the letters ‘alif (أ or إ), waaw (ؤ), or yaa’ without the dots (ئ). And sometimes it is not written at all! When unwritten, it is sometimes pronounced and sometimes not.

Learn about the definite article and its pronunciation in both MSA and Lebanese Arabic, including the sun and moon letters and various rules of liaison.

Learn the Arabic alphabet as well as the phonemes (sounds) and orthography (writing conventions) of the Arabic language. This covers everything you need to know to get started with reading and pronouncing Arabic correctly, as well as understanding the differences between Lebanese Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic pronunciation.

“šū / شو” is a question word which is commonly used in Lebanese Arabic, not only on its own but also in various idioms and phrases. Although it is usually translated as “what?”, “šū / شو” has a bit more nuance than its English counterpart.