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Volume 1 · Lesson 21 · Letters
The alphabet complete · Alif maqsura
pages 52–54
ع
Letter 1 of 2
The letter ع (Ayn) is a very strong guttural sound produced deep in the throat by compressing the throat and expelling the breath.
It has no English equivalent; it is a tight, voiced constriction from the very bottom of the throat. The book transcribes it with the sign ( ' ). It is a moon letter in Arabic.
The letter ع is a connector: it joins to the letters on both sides. It has NO dot. It shares its shape with غ (Ghayn), which is the same letter with ONE dot ABOVE.
At the end of a word the long "aa" is often written not as a full ا but as a ى (a "ya" without its two dots and without sukoon). This is called Alif Maqsura, and it is read "aa." For example عَلَى ("'alaa," on/upon), رَمَى ("ramaa," he threw), بَنَى ("banaa," he built), مَتَى ("mataa," when). As soon as this ى takes a suffix, it turns back into an ordinary alif, e.g. رَمَاهُ ("ramaahu," he threw it).
ع is a MOON letter. With the article ال the "l" is written and pronounced: العَرَب (al-'arab).
How the letter changes with its place in a word, shown inside real words.
ع
عَ
'a
عـ
عَرَبٌ
'arabun
Arabs
ـعـ
فَعَلَ
fa'ala
ـع
مَعَ
ma'a
with
Short vowel marks change the sound that follows the letter.
عَ
عُ
عِ
عْ
عً
عٌ
عٍ
عَّ
عُّ
عِّ
Read each word; the new letter is highlighted.
عَرَبٌ
'arabun
Arabs
مَعَ
ma'a
with
سَمِعَ
sami'a
he heard
عَلَى
'alaa
on, upon
عَ
'a
عُ
'u
عِ
'i
عً
'an
Check what you have learned, then read the practice words aloud.
Identify
Which word contains ع?
Read each word, peek at the reading if you need to, and tick it off.
عَ
عُ
عِ
عْ
عً
عٌ
عَبَ
بَعَ
فَعَلَ
صَنَعَ
مَعَ
سَمِعَ
Trace each form over the guide, then try it freely.