Haki Kill Yoom 1: Situational Levantine Arabic is designed to help elementary and intermediate learners succeed at critical moments during everyday communicative tasks. This is the first of two books in a series.
The 15 chapters focus on everyday situations such as transportation, eating out, socializing, health. (See the Table of Contents for the full list of chapters.) Each chapter includes several mini-dialogues and an extended dialogue in authentic, everyday Levantine Arabic. Arabic script with phonemic transcription and English translations. Hundreds of language and culture notes. Lists of key vocabulary and expressions. Access to accompanying audio download.
Learning natural, idiomatic phrasing and vocabulary is essential to both listening and speaking, not only for living in Lebanon or another Levantine Arabic-speaking country, but also for communicating in Arabic with immigrants in your own country. Beiruti Lebanese Arabic is the variety of Levantine Arabic featured in Haki Kill Yoom. That said, you should find it easy to communicate with people throughout the Levant region (Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon) using what you learn from this book. There may be subtle differences in pronunciation, vocabulary, and even grammar, but these you can note, as needed, when dealing with speakers from other parts of the Levant to hone your style to match theirs, if that is your goal. This is not a coursebook with chapters that build on each other and need to be studied in order. Use the Table of Contents at the front of the book (also located on the back cover of the paperback edition, for your convenience) to find the topic that interests you for your immediate or future communicative goals. Of course, you're not going to go out into the real world and have conversations with people that follow the dialogues line by line. The purpose of the dialogues is to teach you different words and phrases that you can use and that you may hear. Synonyms, alternative expressions, and supplementary vocabulary are provided to help you form your own sentences to express yourself and to be prepared for the variety of possible things you may hear people say to you. By studying the dialogues, learning new vocabulary and key expressions, and listening to the accompanying audio, you will soon find yourself able to express yourself with confidence and better understand others in Levantine Arabic.
