ألف المدّة in Verbs Starting with أ
When conjugated in المضارع with the first person singular, verbs whose root begins with a أ end up with two consecutive أ at the beginning, one followed by a ــَـ and the second followed by a ــْـ. This necessitates an alternative spelling and pronunciation where the two أ are contracted to form an آ that is pronounced as أ followed by an ا.
Example:
أ + أكل = آكل
أنا آكل تفّاحة. 
Practice
Practice listening and repeating the following sentences and notice how the أ أ combination turned into آ.
۱- أنا آخذ كلّ الصور. MeaningI take all the pictures.
۲- أنا أحبّ أن آكل الباستا كثيرًا. MeaningI like eating pasta a lot.
MeaningI take all the pictures.۲- أنا أحبّ أن آكل الباستا كثيرًا.
MeaningI like eating pasta a lot.