Free lesson Level A1 · Lesson · Unit: Family

My father and my mother: the family

The close family

MemberMy …Meaning
أَبأَبِيfather
أُمّأُمِّيmother
أَخأَخِيbrother
أُخْتأُخْتِيsister
اِبْناِبْنِيson
بِنْتبِنْتِيdaughter
زَوْجزَوْجِيhusband
زَوْجَةزَوْجَتِيwife

أَب and أَخ stretch before the other suffixes: “your father” is أَبُوكَ (ʾabūka), “his brother” أَخُوهُ (ʾakhūhu). With ـِي they stay short: أَبِي, أَخِي. Learn these forms as words.

One and two: أَخٌ وَاحِدٌ – one brother (the number comes after the noun); “two sisters” is one word, أُخْتَانِ (ʾukhtāni) – the ending -āni means “two”. A family is عَائِلَة or أُسْرَة; a child is طِفْل.

لِي أَخٌ وَاحِدٌ وَأُخْتَانِ.I have one brother and two sisters.

أَبُوكَ طَبِيبٌ، وَأَخُوهُ مُهَنْدِسٌ.Your father is a doctor, and his brother is an engineer.

Words in this lesson

WordMeaningExample
أَبfatherالْأَبُ طَبِيبٌ
The father is a doctor.
أُمّmotherالْأُمُّ فِي الْبَيْتِ
The mother is at home.
أَخbrotherأَخِي طَالِبٌ.
My brother is a student.
أُخْتsisterأُخْتِي طَبِيبَةٌ.
My sister is a doctor.
اِبْنsonاِبْنِي طِفْلٌ.
My son is a child.
بِنْتgirl; daughterبِنْت وَبَنَات
a girl and girls
زَوْجhusbandزَوْج وَبِنْت
a husband and a daughter
زَوْجَةwifeزَوْجَتُهُ مُدَرِّسَةٌ.
His wife is a teacher.
أَبُوكَyour father (to a man)أَيْنَ أَبُوكَ؟
Where is your father?
أَخُوهُhis brotherأَخُوهُ فِي فَرَنْسَا.
His brother is in France.
عَائِلَةfamily (the wider family)الْعَائِلَةُ كَبِيرَةٌ.
The family is big.
أُسْرَةfamily (household)أُسْرَتِي فِي الْبَيْتِ.
My family is at home.
طِفْلchild, babyالطِّفْلُ صَغِيرٌ.
The child is small.

Exercises

This lesson has 11 exercises in the app:

  • multiple choice: 3
  • fill the gap: 3
  • match the pairs: 1
  • build the sentence: 1
  • translate the sentence: 2
  • listen and type: 1

Try the first one

Which word means “wife”?

  1. بِنْت
  2. زَوْج
  3. زَوْجَة
  4. أُخْت

The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.

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