Arabic: Using Arabic Dictionary is More Difficult than English Dictionary

Using Arabic Dictionary is More Difficult than English Dictionary

I often learn English and Arabic language in autodidact. I think a dictionary is main capital for me. Almost everyday, I use dictionary to understand meaning of words or sentence from the foreign languages.

I realize that I more focus on learning English than Arabic. So, now I feel more easy to understand English (though not completely yet), than Arabic.

My experience in using dictionary says “Arabic dictionary is more difficult than English dictionary.”

In English, every word from a sentence or paragraph can be found its translation in the dictionary directly. For example:

In English, I want to know meaning of ‘DID’.

Then I can find the meaning by keyword ‘DID’ in the dictionary directly. I get the meaning is ‘melakukan’. It is developed from ‘DO’.

How about Arabic dictionary?

I want to know meaning of “YA’MALU”

I can not find word “YA’MALU” in Arabic dictionary directly. I must find it by keyword “’AMALA”. YA’MALU is developed from “’AMALA”.

So, to understand using of Arabic language, we must learn Sharaf lesson first. Sharaf is about how to build a word. And it is provided in a small book.

For example:

Word “‘Amala” can be developed among others becoming:

‘amala (past tense: did)

ya’malu (continouous tense: doing)

‘amalan (object: work)

‘aamilun (doer)

ma’luumun (object)

‘imal (instruction: Do!)

la ta’mal (prohibition: Don’t do!)

ma’lamun (place to do something)

ma’lamun (time to do something)

mi’lamun (tool to do something)

So, if we want to know meaning of “mi’lamun’, then must find it by keyword “‘amala”. It is different from English, alright?

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