Learn the Arabic vowel and pronunciation marks: fatha, kasra, damma, sukun, shadda and tanwin, with practice words.
فَتْحَة (بَ)
Fatha: short 'a' sound
كَسْرَة (بِ)
Kasra: short 'i' sound
ضَمَّة (بُ)
Damma: short 'u' sound
سُكُون (بْ)
Sukun: no vowel (the letter is unvoweled)
شَدَّة (بّ)
Shadda: doubled consonant
تَنْوِين فَتْح (بًا)
Tanwin fath: '-an' ending
تَنْوِين كَسْر (بٍ)
Tanwin kasr: '-in' ending
تَنْوِين ضَمّ (بٌ)
Tanwin damm: '-un' ending
كَتَبَ
kataba: he wrote (fatha on every letter)
كُتُب
kutub: books (damma, damma)
كِتَاب
kitāb: book (kasra, fatha)
كَتَبْتُ
katabtu: I wrote (sukun on the ب)
مُعَلِّم
muʿallim: teacher (shadda on the ل)
كِتَابًا
kitāban: a book (accusative, tanwin fath)
كِتَابٌ
kitābun: a book (nominative, tanwin damm)
كِتَابٍ
kitābin: a book (genitive, tanwin kasr)
بَيْت
bayt: house (fatha + sukun = diphthong 'ay')
نَوْم
nawm: sleep (fatha + sukun = diphthong 'aw')
مَدْرَسَة
madrasa: school (sukun on the د)
أُسْتَاذ
ustādh: teacher, professor (damma + sukun)
مُسْتَشْفَى
mustashfā: hospital (sukun on the ش)
اِسْتِقْلَال
istiqlāl: independence (kasra, sukun, kasra, sukun)
جَمِيل
jamīl: beautiful (fatha, kasra)
صَغِير
ṣaghīr: small (fatha, kasra)
كَبِير
kabīr: big (fatha, kasra)