Al-kitab Al-mufid ─ An Introduction to Modern Written Arabic

This is the renewed and enlarged English version of a textbook developed at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, which introduced many generations of students successfully to Modern Written Arabic. It is a sequel to the well-known kullu tamam!, on Egyptian Arabic, by the same authors. It focuses on the modern written language used in real life by providing short texts taken from Egyptian journals, newspapers, official statements, and the internet, and introduces personal and business letters, some of them offered in handwritten form (ruqca). For those who have studied kullu tamam!, the first lessons give contrastive word lists and exercises to make the link with colloquial Egyptian. Extensive pattern drills, translation exercises in both directions, and writing exercises help to understand and make active use of the language. The key to the exercises, the Arabic-English and English-Arabic glossary, and the audio CD containing the texts will allow for classroom use as well as for self-study.

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Manfred Woidich is a professor in the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Amsterdam, and is the author of several books on the colloquial Arabic of Egypt.


Rabha Heinen-Nasr is a lecturer in the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Amsterdam.