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Rating: 
Summary: Best combination phrasebook/dictionary I've yet found
Review: And I've looked. One of my chief complaints about phrasebooks is that they never have a very comprehensive dictionary section. This book has an excellent one. It also refrains from using the transliteration (the strange symbols one normally sees in such books), focusing on the arabic text itself. It also has a short section on grammar...not enough to make one an expert, but certainly enough to get a basic handle on sentence structure, posessives, verbs, etc. I've used mine so much living in Saudi Arabia that I've had to get another. One of the best parts about it (while probably not intentional) is the extensive list of verbs in the Arabic section of the dictionary (3rd person masculine form). It's thorough, and gives one pretty much any verb needed. One minor complaint...It would be nice if it also listed colloquialisms next to the main form of the word. But, admittedly, it's just a small phrasebook...for that, one can buy any number of specific dialectical phrasebooks (e.g., Lonely Planet series). Overall, this is an excellent, comprehensive, yet compact resource. Any student of Arabic or anyone living and working in an Arabic speaking country would greatly benefit from having this book.
Rating:
Summary: Best combination phrasebook/dictionary I've yet found
Review: And I've looked. One of my chief complaints about phrasebooks is that they never have a very comprehensive dictionary section. This book has an excellent one. It also refrains from using the transliteration (the strange symbols one normally sees in such books), focusing on the arabic text itself. It also has a short section on grammar...not enough to make one an expert, but certainly enough to get a basic handle on sentence structure, posessives, verbs, etc. I've used mine so much living in Saudi Arabia that I've had to get another. One of the best parts about it (while probably not intentional) is the extensive list of verbs in the Arabic section of the dictionary (3rd person masculine form). It's thorough, and gives one pretty much any verb needed. One minor complaint...It would be nice if it also listed colloquialisms next to the main form of the word. But, admittedly, it's just a small phrasebook...for that, one can buy any number of specific dialectical phrasebooks (e.g., Lonely Planet series). Overall, this is an excellent, comprehensive, yet compact resource. Any student of Arabic or anyone living and working in an Arabic speaking country would greatly benefit from having this book.
Rating:
Summary: The very best product of its kind.
Review: I am very well pleased with this pocket-sized phrasebook and mini dictionary. The introductory grammar notes and the everyday application lists are well done and easily understood. Best of all the Arabic script is provided alongside the English phonetics. Outstanding bargain!
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