Week 1 · Unit 1: Meeting People & Describing Things
السَّلَامُ
Greetings — As-Salām
Every Arabic greeting is built from the same root, س-ل-م, “peace” — the same root behind the word “Islam” and the name “Muslim.” This week needs no verbs at all: Arabic greetings, like most of the sentences you'll build in these first weeks, are simply two nouns placed side by side.
Every Arabic passage has a small circle button — tap it to hear it read aloud by a native-sounding voice; tap again straight away to hear it slowly.
Before you start: the course is taught in vowelled Arabic script, and the readings and exercises use no transliteration, so you need to be able to read Arabic letters with their vowel marks. Can you sound out this line?أَهْلًا وَسَهْلًا يَا صَدِيقِي، الْبَيْتُ جَمِيلٌ جِدًّا.If you can, even slowly, you’re ready. If the letters themselves are new to you, learn to read them first with Week 0 (free, with audio) and then start here. Already know some Arabic? The free placement test suggests which week to start from.
BY THE END OF THIS WEEK YOU WILL BE ABLE TO
Greet someone and respond correctly, in full sentences
Ask and answer “how are you?”
Build a nominal sentence — two nouns, no verb — the core pattern of early Arabic
Read a short Qur'ānic greeting phrase
TEACHER NOTES
Pacing: 45–60 min
Prerequisite check: None — this is the starting point.
Watch out for: Students will want to use أنا/أنت before they're taught — the supplementary table lets you say them now without a full grammar detour.
01 — LISTEN & REPEAT
حِوَارٌDialogue
Ibrahim and Amira meet on their way to the mosque. Every line here is a nominal sentence — no verbs.
إِبْرَاهِيمُ
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ.
as-salāmu ‘alaykum.
Peace be upon you.
أَمِيرَةُ
وَعَلَيْكُمُ السَّلَامُ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ.
wa ‘alaykumu-s-salāmu wa raḥmatu-llāh.
And upon you be peace, and Allah's mercy.
إِبْرَاهِيمُ
كَيْفَ حَالُكِ؟
kayfa ḥāluki?
How are you?
أَمِيرَةُ
بِخَيْرٍ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ. وَأَنْتَ؟
bi-khayrin, al-ḥamdu lillāh. wa anta?
Well, praise be to Allah. And you?
إِبْرَاهِيمُ
بِخَيْرٍ أَيْضًا. أَهْلًا وَسَهْلًا بِكِ.
bi-khayrin ayḍan. ahlan wa sahlan biki.
Well too. Welcome.
02 — CORE WORDS
الْمُفْرَدَاتُVocabulary
Notice not one of these words is a verb — each greeting is simply nouns, prepositions, and set phrases.
Arabic
Says
Meaning
Note
NEWالسَّلَامُ
as-salām
peace
Root س-ل-م — the same root as ‘Islam’ and ‘Muslim.’
NEWعَلَيْكُمْ
‘alaykum
upon you (pl./formal)
A pronoun attached to the preposition عَلَى.
NEWكَيْفَحَالُكَ/حَالُكِ
kayfa ḥāluka / ḥāluki
how are you? (m./f.)
Literally ‘how is your state.’
NEWبِخَيْرٍ
bi-khayrin
well, fine
Literally ‘in goodness.’
NEWالْحَمْدُلِلَّهِ
al-ḥamdu lillāh
praise be to Allah
Root ح-م-د — you'll meet this root again throughout the Qur'ān.
NEWصَبَاحُالْخَيْرِ
ṣabāḥu-l-khayr
good morning
NEWمَسَاءُالْخَيْرِ
masā’u-l-khayr
good evening
NEWأَهْلًاوَسَهْلًا
ahlan wa sahlan
welcome
NEWشُكْرًا
shukran
thank you
NEWمَعَالسَّلَامَةِ
ma‘a-s-salāmah
goodbye
Literally ‘with safety’ — same root as السَّلَامُ.
Also in this week's dialogue and reading. These aren't the grammar focus, but you'll meet them right away — worth knowing from day one.
Arabic
Says
Meaning
Note
EARLYأَنَا
anā
I
Full pronoun set comes next week — but you need this one now.
EARLYأَنْتَ / أَنْتِ
anta / anti
you (m./f.)
Same — full set next week.
EARLYشَيْءٌ
shay’
thing
As in كُلُّ شَيْءٍ, "everything."
EARLYجَمِيلٌ
jamīl
beautiful, nice
Full adjective agreement comes in Week 5.
EARLYهُنَا
hunā
here
EARLYمَعِي
ma‘ī
with me
مَعَ + ي (attached pronoun).
EARLYصَدِيقِي
ṣadīqī
my friend
صَدِيق + ي — you'll see this "my ___" pattern constantly.
EARLYكُلُّ
kullu
all, every
EARLYلَا / مَا
lā / mā
no, not / what
Two of the most common words in the language.
EARLYيَا
yā
O... (calling someone)
يَا سَلْمَى = "Salmā!" — used before a name to address someone.
EARLYعَفْوًا / مَعْذِرَةً
‘afwan / ma‘dhiratan
pardon me, excuse me
عَفْوًا also means "you're welcome" in reply to شُكْرًا.
EARLYمَبْرُوك / هَنِيئًا
mabrūk / hanī’an
congratulations / enjoy (it)
Two common set phrases you'll hear socially.
03 — HOW THE LANGUAGE WORKS
رُكْنُ الْقَوَاعِدِGrammar Corner
The nominal sentence — no verb needed. Arabic doesn't need a word for “is” in the present tense. Just place two nouns (or a noun and a prepositional phrase) side by side, and Arabic understands “is/are” between them.
أَنَابِخَيْرٍ
anā bi-khayrin I [am] well. (pronoun + prepositional phrase, no verb)
السَّلَامُعَلَيْكُمْ
as-salāmu ‘alaykum Peace [be] upon you. (noun + prepositional phrase)
This two-part pattern — a mubtada’ (topic) and a khabar (comment about it) — is the single most common sentence type in early Arabic, and you'll build dozens of sentences with it before you ever need a verb.
Quick check: in “السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ”, is there a verb hiding anywhere? (No — السَّلَامُ is the mubtada’, عَلَيْكُمْ is the khabar, and ‘be’ is simply understood.)
04 — READING THE SOURCE
وَقْفَةٌ قُرْآنِيَّةٌQur'ān Connection
This exact greeting, in this exact form, is commanded to the Prophet directly in the Qur'ān.
SŪRAT AL-AN‘ĀM — 6:54
فَقُلْ سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ
Then say, ‘Peace be upon you.’
فَقُلْ
fa qul
then say
سَلَامٌ
salāmun
peace
عَلَيْكُمْ
‘alaykum
upon you
Strip away فَقُلْ (“then say” — a command form you'll learn properly in a later week) and what remains, سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ, is the exact nominal sentence pattern from this week's grammar box — the very greeting you just practised in the dialogue above.
One more — a short, spoken exchange of the very greeting this week teaches.
SŪRAT HŪD — 11:69 (EXCERPT)
قَالُوا سَلَامًا قَالَ سَلَامٌ
They said, “Peace.” He said, “Peace.”
قَالُوا
qālū
they said
سَلَامًا
salāman
peace (their greeting)
قَالَ
qāla
he said
سَلَامٌ
salām
peace (his reply)
This is the angels greeting Ibrāhīm, and his reply — the exact exchange you practised out loud, word for word, straight from the Qur'ān.
05 — SAY IT LIKE A NATIVE
عِبَارَاتٌ يَوْمِيَّةٌEveryday Phrases
A few more everyday expressions built the same verbless way.
لَا بَأْسَ
lā ba’s — no problem, it's fine
عَفْوًا
‘afwan — you're welcome / excuse me
مَعْذِرَةً
ma‘dhiratan — sorry, excuse me
بِإِذْنِكَ
bi-idhnik — with your permission
إِلَى اللِّقَاءِ
ilā-l-liqā’ — until we meet again
تَفَضَّلْ
tafaḍḍal — here you go, go ahead
مَبْرُوكٌ
mabrūk — congratulations
هَنِيئًا
hanī’an — enjoy, may it be pleasant
مَرْحَبًا بِكَ / مَرْحَبًا بِكِ
marḥaban bika / marḥaban biki — welcome to you (to a man / to a woman)
كَيْفَ الْأُمُورُ؟
kayfa l-umūr? — how are things?
SKILLS PRACTICE
الِاسْتِمَاعُListening
Audio track 1.1
Aḥmad and Salmā greet each other in the morning. Listen first, script second.
أَحْمَدُ
صَبَاحُ الْخَيْرِ يَا سَلْمَى.
سَلْمَى
صَبَاحُ النُّورِ! كَيْفَ حَالُكَ؟
أَحْمَدُ
بِخَيْرٍ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ. وَأَنْتِ؟
سَلْمَى
بِخَيْرٍ أَيْضًا، شُكْرًا لَكَ.
What time of day is it in this dialogue?
How does Aḥmad say he's doing?
What does Salmā say at the end?
Reveal answers
1. Morning (ṣabāḥ al-khayr). 2. Well, praise be to Allah (bi-khayrin, al-ḥamdu lillāh). 3. She's well too, and thanks him.
SKILLS PRACTICE
التَّحَدُّثُSpeaking
Pair work or solo
Model it first. Read both lines aloud, then say each one again without looking. (In class, the teacher reads each line and everyone echoes it before pairs try it.) A: السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ! كَيْفَ حَالُكَ؟ B: وَعَلَيْكُمُ السَّلَامُ، بِخَيْرٍ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ. وَأَنْتَ؟
Your turn. Greet with السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ, ask كَيْفَ حَالُكَ؟ (حَالُكِ to a woman), and answer — all without using a single verb. On your own? Play both parts aloud, then try the conversation partner at the end of this week: Ibrahim or Amira will answer you in Arabic.
Extension (uses this week's "Also in this week" words). After the basic exchange, add one more line each: say something is جَمِيلٌ (weather, the room, anything nearby), then say مَعَ السَّلَامَةِ to close. Aim for four lines total with no gaps.
Practise this with real people. In the live weekly class you do exchanges like this with Zuhayr and a partner. Book 2 free live lessons →
SKILLS PRACTICE
الْقِرَاءَةُReading
Read silently, then aloud
Read once for meaning, then aloud. Hover over or tap any word to check its meaning, or flip the switch to check whole sentences.
1. False — she says بِخَيْرٍ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ: she is well. 2. True — بِخَيْرٍ أَيْضًا. 3. True — Amira answers Ibrahim’s السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ with وَعَلَيْكُمُ السَّلَامُ.
SKILLS PRACTICE
قِرَاءَةٌ حُرَّةٌFree Reading
Tap or hover to check — no test, just read
A short passage using only words you've met so far this week. Just read for meaning — tap or hover any word if you get stuck. Flip the switch to check whole sentences instead of single words.
