What School Is Like

School in Arabic

This topic is about school. Every word comes with its Arabic script, a transliteration in brackets to help you say it, and the English meaning. Remember: Arabic is read from right to left.

Classroom words in Arabic

Learn these school words:

Match each Arabic word to its English meaning

The Arabic word for a teacher

Which Arabic word means 'a teacher'?

• معلم (muallim)
• طالب (talib)
• كتاب (kitab)
• فصل (fasl)

How the script works

Two things about Arabic script. First, it is read from right to left. Second, the word for the is the prefix al (ال), joined to the front of a word. So مدرسة (madrasa, school) becomes المدرسة (al-madrasa, the school). Listen for that al sound at the start of many words.

School words

Select the TWO words connected with school.

• درس (dars)
• امتحان (imtihan)
• بحر (bahr)
• أب (ab)

Match each Arabic word to how it is said

How do you say it?

The school مدرسة is said _____. The teacher معلم is said _____. A book كتاب is said _____. A lesson درس is said _____.

Order the school day

Put a school day in a sensible order.

• Go to school (مدرسة, madrasa)
• Sit in the classroom (فصل, fasl)
• Study a lesson (درس, dars)
• Do your homework (واجب, wajib)

The Arabic word for an exam

Which Arabic word means 'an exam'?

• امتحان (imtihan)
• قلم (qalam)
• مادة (madda)
• طالب (talib)

Saying the school words in Arabic

At school مدرسة (said _____), a student طالب (said _____) studies a lesson درس (said _____) with a teacher معلم (said _____).

Arabic needs no word for is or am

The school words go straight into sentences, and Arabic needs no word for "is" or "am": - أنا طالب في المدرسة = "I am a student at the school". أنا, then what you are, then where. Nothing stands for "am". - ليس المعلم في المدرسة = "the teacher is not at the school". To make an equational sentence negative, put ليس (laysa) at the front. Without it, المعلم في المدرسة means "the teacher is at the school".

How do you turn المعلم في المدرسة, "the teacher is at the school", into "the teacher is NOT at the school"?

How do you turn المعلم في المدرسة, "the teacher is at the school", into "the teacher is NOT at the school"?

• ليس المعلم في المدرسة (laysa al-muallim fi al-madrasa)
• المعلم في المدرسة ليس (al-muallim fi al-madrasa laysa)
• المعلم ليس المدرسة (al-muallim laysa al-madrasa)
• أنا طالب في المدرسة (ana talib fi al-madrasa)

A school day

Choose the right Arabic word for each school situation.

• You want to say 'a book'. You choose:
• You need the word for 'a teacher'. You choose:
• To say 'homework', you choose:

Use what you know

Use what you know about Arabic to make each choice.

• Arabic is read in which direction?
• The word for 'the' is added to a word as...
• 'A school' in Arabic is:

Well done

You have met the key Arabic school words: مدرسة (madrasa, school), معلم (muallim, teacher), طالب (talib, student), درس (dars, lesson), كتاب (kitab, book) and امتحان (imtihan, exam). Keep practising the script and the transliteration together.