Free guides
Bookmarkable answers to every Palestinian Arabic question.
Short, practical reads on pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and the culture behind the language. 35 of them, free forever.
Grammar· 9
GRAMMAR
3am byaakul: saying it's happening right now
The marker 3am turns 'he eats' into 'he's eating' and pins the action to this exact moment.
3 min read · 20 audio clips
GRAMMAR
There's no verb for 'have': you say it with 3ind
Palestinian has no verb for 'to have.' You hang the my/your/his endings onto 3ind and name what you've got: 3indi waqt, 3indo sayyaara.
3 min read · 23 audio clips
GRAMMAR
There's no word for 'is' in Palestinian Arabic
How to build a finished present-tense sentence with no verb for 'to be.' You set the two words side by side and you're done.
3 min read · 24 audio clips
GRAMMAR
katabt, katab, katabu: the past tense one ending at a time
Take the 'he did' form, add a short ending, and the verb tells you who acted. No separate pronoun needed.
4 min read · 21 audio clips
GRAMMAR
ra7: how to talk about tomorrow
Put ra7 in front of a bare verb and you've got 'going to': ra7 asaafer bukra, ra7 yiji 3a-s-saa3a sitte.
4 min read · 22 audio clips
GRAMMAR
There is, there isn't: fee and ma feesh
fee covers 'there is' and 'there are' without ever changing, and ma feesh says there's none. The two words you'll lean on at every shop counter.
3 min read · 23 audio clips
GRAMMAR
This, that, these: haada, haay, hadowl
The three pointing words, how they split by gender and number, and the quick hal- that clamps onto any noun.
4 min read · 22 audio clips
GRAMMAR
Saying 'I want' the Palestinian way: biddi
There's no verb for 'to want.' You hang the my/your/his endings onto bidd, and biddi, biddak, biddo come almost for free.
3 min read · 23 audio clips
GRAMMAR
Palestinian Arabic vs MSA: What's the Difference?
Modern Standard Arabic is what textbooks teach. Palestinian Arabic is what people actually speak. The key differences, and which one to learn first.
5 min read · 50 audio clips
Pronunciation· 5
PRONUNCIATION
kh and gh: the two sounds from the back of your throat
The rasp of kh in akh and the soft gargle of gh in ghada. Two letters with no English twin, and how to make each one cleanly.
4 min read · 16 audio clips
PRONUNCIATION
3 and 7: the two throat sounds you can't skip
Two sounds English has no letter for, written 3 and 7. How each one feels in your throat, and why flattening them turns one word into another.
4 min read · 15 audio clips
PRONUNCIATION
Why it's Subu7, not Sub7: the helping vowel
Palestinian slips a short vowel into hard consonant clusters, which is why we write Subu7 and shughul with that extra e or u.
4 min read · 19 audio clips
PRONUNCIATION
Sun letters: when the l in il- disappears
Why 'the sun' comes out ish-shams and not il-shams, and how to tell which letters swallow the l in il-.
4 min read · 21 audio clips
PRONUNCIATION
Simplified Romanization: An English-Friendly Key
How Tfaddalu spells Arabic in plain English letters. The system every guide on the site uses, with a few rules to read by.
3 min read · 5 audio clips
Vocabulary· 10
VOCAB
From raas to 'eed: the body parts you'll actually use
Head, hand, eye, heart. The body words you'll hear in everyday talk far more than at the doctor's office.
4 min read · 19 audio clips
VOCAB
One apple or a kilo: tuffaa7 and tuffaa7a
Apples come as one word, tuffaa7, the whole pile of them. Add an -a and you've named a single one, tuffaa7a. How to ask for food, and how to count it at the market.
4 min read · 23 audio clips
VOCAB
Colors that change shape: a7mar, 7amra
The everyday colors, and why the feminine remolds the whole word instead of adding an -a.
3 min read · 23 audio clips
VOCAB
Counting your way through the week
Five of the seven Palestinian day names are just the numbers one through five, so most of the week comes free once you can count.
3 min read · 20 audio clips
VOCAB
keef 7aalak? Greetings and the how-are-you dance
mar7aba, 'ahlan, and keef 7aalak: the fixed little opening every Palestinian conversation runs through, and why the warmth of your reply beats its honesty.
3 min read · 20 audio clips
VOCAB
What do you do? Talking about jobs
mudeer, m3allem, doktowr, shoofeer: how to name your line of work, and how to ask someone about theirs.
3 min read · 23 audio clips
VOCAB
Weather talk: shams, shita, and how to grumble about it
The words for sun, rain, cold and snow, plus the verbless lines locals use to say what it's like out and complain about it.
4 min read · 25 audio clips
VOCAB
Talking about your family: abooy, immi, akhooy
The words for father, mother, brother and sister, the short endings that turn them into 'my' and 'your', and the odd abooy and akhooy that break the rule.
4 min read · 25 audio clips
VOCAB
Watching the World Cup in Palestinian Arabic
The phrases you need to follow a match with friends: who's playing, who won, and what to yell at the screen.
4 min read · 23 audio clips
VOCAB
Counting from one to ten in Palestinian Arabic
The numbers one to ten, the throat sounds English speakers trip on, and the dual ending that means 'two' without a separate word.
4 min read · 25 audio clips
Travel & daily life· 6
TRAVEL
biddi haada, law-sama7t: pointing at what you want
When you don't know the word, point. biddi haada means 'I want this one,' and law-sama7t makes it polite instead of blunt.
4 min read · 22 audio clips
TRAVEL
ween il-ma7aTTa? Asking where things are
ween for 'where,' the handful of place words to point it at, and enough near, next-to, and far to follow the answer back.
3 min read · 24 audio clips
TRAVEL
Saying you're sick: at the doctor in Palestinian Arabic
Walk into a clinic and be understood: where it hurts, that you've got a fever, and how to ask for medicine.
3 min read · 24 audio clips
TRAVEL
Catching the bus: stops, drivers, and getting on
The words for finding the stop, asking the driver if his bus goes your way, and getting off at the right corner.
3 min read · 21 audio clips
TRAVEL
Ordering coffee the way you like it
Order 'ahwe or shaay, ask for it bala sukkar, and trade the little courtesy words that make the whole exchange land.
3 min read · 23 audio clips
TRAVEL
How much is it? Asking prices at the sooq
qaddeesh and 'addeesh, talking in shekels, asking for a kilo, and settling il-7saab without freezing up.
4 min read · 24 audio clips
Culture· 4
CULTURE
Why he's abu khaled: the abu and imm naming custom
Grown-ups get called 'father of' and 'mother of' their oldest child. How abu and imm work, and why the name often beats their own first one.
4 min read · 23 audio clips
CULTURE
Offering condolences: what to say when someone dies
The phrases for a condolence visit, the verbs 3azza and akhad bi-khaaTro, and the look-alike that means you took offense.
4 min read · 18 audio clips
CULTURE
inshalla, walla, and the God-words in every sentence
inshalla, il-7amdilla, walla, mabrook — the little phrases that pepper every conversation, and the exact moment each one lands.
3 min read · 13 audio clips
CULTURE
tfaDDal: the one word that runs Palestinian hospitality
Come in, sit, help yourself, here you go. How one word does all the welcoming, plus the guest-and-host phrases around it.
4 min read · 20 audio clips
