10. My name is Issam

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marhaba, ismī ^cisām

Hi, my name is Issam.

'anā 'askun fī l-'iskandariyya, thāniyy akbar mudun misr.

I live in Alexandria, the second largest city in Egypt.

innaha madinatun jamīla, bihā shawatiy'un kathira

It is a beautiful city, with many beaches.

'anā uhibbuhā.

I love it.

^cailati taskun fī l-'iskadariyya 'aydān, wa lākin 'akhi yaskun fī l-qāhira 'al-ān.

My family lives also in Alexandria, but my brother is now living in Cairo.

huwa yaqūl innahu yuhibbuha akthar mina l-'iskandariyya.

He says that he loves it more than Alexandria.

'anā 'azunn innahu majnūn.

I think he is mad.

Word list for this lesson >>

Grammar: The vowels in Arabic

There are 3 vowels to Arabic. These are not written as letters, but are indicated above or under the letter preceding it.

Does this look a bit confusing? Well yes, that is also one of the reasons why it is seldom included in Arabic writing. But at this stage you could do well with writing down the vowels, in order to remember the correct pronounciation of the words.
When these vowels are used, as well as some of the other indicators from above, it is with care, and only important vowels and indicators are used, in an acheivement to avoid misunderstandings.
The pure pronounciations coming from these vowels are short, sometimes hardly pronounced at all.