Arabic 101: Lesson 1: Consonants and Vowels
In this lesson, we are going to learn our first two consonants.
Click the blue icon () for pronunciation. To repeat, you can use the play button on the real audio control (faster). To see how a letter is traced properly, move (no need to click!) the mouse over the writing icon (). To stop the animation, simply move the mouse away from the writing icon. If you don't hear sound or don't see letter animation, you may want to check your browser for compatibility.
Carefully notice how letters are traced, their relative position to the line and their sounds. Needless to say, you'll need adequate practice before moving to the next section.

explain	read/write	letter
Waaw is Arabic letter number 27 (out of 28). It is equivalent to W in English. Waaw belongs to a small group of letters that can't be joined to the letter after them. It can also function as a long vowel (more on this later).
Daal is number eight in the Arabic alphabet. It is the same as D in English. Notice that, in writing, the two sides of the angle are equal. Daal, like Waaw, can'e be joined on the left (to the letter after it - remember: right to left order in Arabic!)
Alif is the first letter in the Arabic alphabet. In fact, Alif is the only vowel in the alphabet and sometimes, another character, the Hamza, is counted instead (Alif usually assists the Hamza). Alif sounds like A in dad, but twice as long. Like Waaw and Daal, Alif does not join on the left.
FatHa is not a letter - it's a short vowel. It sounds like a in pat but a little shorter. Usually, FatHa is not written. Short vowels do not exist as stand alone and this is why we had a gray Waaw to bear it. Try to compare and contrast with Alif.

Now that we already learned a few letters and vowels, we need to do some practice.
Try to write each letter without seeing it. Also, make sure you do enough pronunciation practice. Next, we'll talk a little about vowels and accent in Arabic. Then, we'll move on to examples and homework. Since we don't have enough letters yet, words in this lesson will not be real - just groups of letters and vowels to study sounds.

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