Introducing yourself

The pronouns to start with: • أَنَا (anaa): I, me • أَنْتَ (anta): you (to a man); أَنْتِ (anti): you (to a woman) • هُوَ (huwa): he; هِيَ (hiya): she

Asking and saying your name: • مَا اسْمُكَ؟ (maa smuka): what is your name? (m.); مَا اسْمُكِ؟ (maa smuki): (f.) • اِسْمِي ... (ismii ...): my name is ... Example: اِسْمِي مَرْيَمُ (ismii Maryam): my name is Maryam.

Saying where you are from: • مِنْ أَيْنَ أَنْتَ؟ (min ayna anta): where are you from? (m.); مِنْ أَيْنَ أَنْتِ؟ (min ayna anti): (f.) • أَنَا مِنْ ... (anaa min ...): I am from ... Examples: أَنَا مِنْ كَنَدَا (anaa min Kanadaa): I am from Canada. أَنَا مِنَ الْمَغْرِبِ (anaa mina l-Maghrib): I am from Morocco.

Saying where you live: • أَسْكُنُ فِي مُونْتِرْيَال (askunu fii Montreal): I live in Montreal.

Saying what you do: • أَنَا طَالِبٌ (anaa ṭaalib): I am a student (m.); أَنَا طَالِبَةٌ (anaa ṭaaliba): I am a student (f.). Notice: the feminine is often formed by adding ـَةٌ (ta marbuta) at the end of the word.

To end the meeting: • تَشَرَّفْنَا (tasharrafnaa): nice to meet you, "it is an honour".

A short dialogue: — السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ، اِسْمِي يُوسُفُ. مَا اسْمُكِ؟ — وَعَلَيْكُمُ السَّلَامُ، اِسْمِي مَرْيَمُ. — مِنْ أَيْنَ أَنْتِ؟ — أَنَا مِنْ كَنَدَا. وَأَنْتَ؟ — أَنَا مِنَ الْمَغْرِبِ. تَشَرَّفْنَا!

Note: Arabic has no verb "to be" in the present. "I am a student" is simply "I student": أَنَا طَالِبٌ.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation Why does Arabic have no verb "to be" in the present? Because it has a sentence without a verb, the nominal sentence: you set down one word (what you are talking about), then another (what you say about it). أَنَا طَالِبٌ = "I, student". It is simple and very common: you will meet it again in lesson 8, and even in the prayer.

In اِسْمِي (my name) you can see اِسْم (name) + ـِي (my). In اسْمُكَ and اسْمُكِ, the ending changes depending on whether you speak to a man or a woman. These small endings are at the heart of Arabic: you will study them in lesson 6.

The lesson's Arabic title, التَّعَارُف (getting to know each other), comes from the root ع ر ف, "to know". It is the same root as in verse 49:13: Allah made us nations and tribes لِتَعَارَفُوا, "so that you may know one another". Introducing yourself is a small way of living out this verse.

Common mistakes: saying أَنْتَ to a woman; adding a word for "am"; forgetting the feminine ـَةٌ (طَالِبَةٌ for a woman); mixing up اِسْمِي (my name) and اسْمُكَ (your name).

Lessons to draw • Prepare a three-sentence introduction about yourself and repeat it until you can say it without reading. • Introduce yourself in Arabic to someone at the centre: it is the best exercise. • Pay attention to the person in front of you: man or woman, the form changes. • See every meeting as a chance to "know one another" (49:13), with respect.

Key points • أَنَا (I), أَنْتَ / أَنْتِ (you, m. / f.), هُوَ (he), هِيَ (she). • اِسْمِي … (my name is …), أَنَا مِنْ … (I am from …). • No verb "to be" in the present: أَنَا طَالِبٌ / أَنَا طَالِبَةٌ.

The main message Knowing how to introduce yourself in Arabic already creates a bond: language is first of all for getting to know one another and growing closer.