Pronunciation Tip

Dagger Alif

In Arabic, there are a few words where the short vowel ــَ is pronounced as the long vowel ا. This type of unwritten but pronounced ا is called dagger alif. The following are a few words that contain dagger alif. Click to hear them pronounced.

1- The dagger alif is after the second الله :لـ Speaker Icon Meaning

God

2- The dagger alif is after the هَذِه :هـ Speaker Icon Meaning

This (feminine singular)

3- The dagger alif is after the هَذا :هـ Speaker Icon Meaning

This (masculine singular)

4- The dagger alif is after the ذَلِكَ :ذ Speaker Icon Meaning

That (masculine singular)

5- The dagger alif is after the لِذَلِكَ :ذ Speaker Icon Meaning

That is why

6- The dagger alif is after the كـَذَلِكَ :ذ Speaker Icon Meaning

Also

Practice
Read carefully the following sentences and pay attention to the spelling, then listen to them and notice how the words with dagger alif (highlighted in blue) are pronounced.

Meaning
My grandmother died two years ago, may she rest in peace (God bless her soul).
 Speaker Icon ۱- جدتي ماتت منذ سنتين الله يرحمها.
Meaning
This is Khalid’s picture.
 Speaker Icon ۲- هذِه صورة خالد.
Meaning
I like the sunny weather and also the rainy weather.
 Speaker Icon ٣- أنا أحبّ الجوّ المشمس وكذلك الجوّ الممطر.

Speak to Your Instructor
Practice listening and saying the following sentences in preparation for the chat session where you will be asked to read them aloud to your instructor.

۱- هذا بيتي. Speaker Icon Meaning
This is my house.

۲- ذلك الشارع مزدحم. Speaker Icon Meaning
That street is crowded.

۳- أنا أحبّ مشاهدة الأفلام كثيرًا لذلك أذهب إلى السينما كلّ أسبوع. Speaker Icon Meaning
I like watching movies a lot that is why I go to the cinema every week.

٤- هذه صور أصدقائي في الجامعة. Speaker Icon Meaning
These are pictures of my friends from college.