Arabic for Nerds 1: Fill the Gaps - 270 Questions about Arabic Grammar

I bought the Kindle version of "Arabic for Nerds" almost a couple of years ago. I find myself returning to it whenever traditional grammar books fall short and reference books feel obscure. As my grasp of the language grows, so does my fascination with this book. This intrigue even led me to acquire the hardcover editions. So, what is at the heart of this fascination? Despite its casual title, the book deals with pretty sophisticated stuff. It effortlessly goes deep into the complexities of classical grammar, all the while offering riveting explanations in a style that contemporary readers will find appealing, and even entertaining. The book provides plenty of examples drawing both from classical and modern texts to illustrate the usage. Such a unique blend of a contemporary approach in grammar is a rarity. The author keeps you engaged with enticing phrases like: "Arabic has a sophisticated approach for this…" or "There is a mysterious connection between...". He brings your attention to unexpected aspects of the language with stimulating statements such as, "There is a cryptic grammar term for this…" or "There is a delightful grammar trick for this...", "Let us look at the DNA of the expression…". His writing will sustain your curiosity even when the complexity of the subject might nudge you into disinterest and disengagement. Occasionally, he will alert you against pitfalls with labels like, "WATCH OUT:", because in your quest to comprehend, you might inadvertently draw incorrect conclusions. He will summarize the rules for you, or even give you a "RULE OF THUMB" after discussing a lengthy topic. How can you do without a book like this? Diving into studies with Mr. Drissner offers more than mere explanations of a set of grammar rules. He navigates you into the hidden beauty within Arabic grammar. He aids you in forging a deep connection, sparking in you a passion for a subject that might have appeared intimidating previously. He will show you the exceptional logic of Arabic grammar, a phenomenon he aptly dubbed as "the internal harmony of the language". You can trust Mr. Drissner to be your guide for an expedition into the magnificent logic of a subject that might have eluded you. I have searched extensively, both online and for printed books on Arabic grammar. I found nothing as resourceful in a single book. I can now confidently say that these two volume books are the most comprehensive yet captivating book on Arabic grammar in English.

Arabic For Nerds 1 and 2 reveal the sugar cane furnishings of the proverbial Arabic steel house. As someone who inched along the path laid out by the Madinah books for almost two years I felt myself losing the spark of interest in studying that I initially experienced. To put it simply, I was burning out on Arabic. This led me to look for alternatives and then finding the Arabic for Nerds series. These books by Gerald Drissner "fill in the gaps" in a couple of ways. Firstly, as the author himself states, there is not much to be found when looking for intermediate to advanced material on Arabic grammar. Although, it is not difficult to locate any number of Teach yourself Arabic style and Arabic grammar books on a beginner level. AFN is targeted to intermediate and advanced learners who want to get into the nitty gritty of grammar. Personally, these books are helping me foster a deeper connection with the Qur'an. Secondly, I am finding that AFN 1 actually *does* fill in the gaps of my knowledge. As I read, or should I say "savor" a particular entry, I find myself saying "Oh! That's what that means." The beginning level grammar books that I've read tend to gloss over topics, not going in too deeply, and leaving the reader with a skeleton or framework for how Arabic works. Arabic For Nerds puts meat on those bones. Mr. Drissner is careful to use the Arabic terminology for grammar devices, something that as far as I can tell is not often encountered in most grammar books written for a Western audience. The books themselves are densely packed with information. Arabic for Nerds 2 is over 800 pages. I own both books and really don't think I will be needing any additional resources for the foreseeable future.

I purchased volumes 1 and 2. The work is fantastic if you are a language nerd and one can hardly estimate the huge amount of time and work that the author invested. I understand the author considers the volumes as work-in-progress, and also wants to keep it as a completely personal enterprise, but I think the work has reached such a state where it deserves a traditional publisher. My Vol. 1 copy looks like printed in an old ink-jet printer; Vol. 2 is printed in laser which is better, but for both copies the paper is standard white paper, which is not suitable for long books, that's why the volumes are so bulky and heavy, and tend to wrinkle. It might be time for the author to give it to a traditional printing house like Routledge or Pearson.

A wonderful book for all those who need to learn the intricacies of Arabic Grammar. Scores of Questions and Answers that help to understand the inner logic of the language and to master its patterns and structures, which the author compares to grandmaster chess-playing and to a 'mathematical game'. The author recommends his book to those who have studied Arabic intensively for a minimum of two years, with a good knowledge of Arabic vocabulary, and 'who know about tenses, verb moods and plurals'. He warns that the book doesn't teach vocabulary and that there are no exercises. While he also cautions that the book is neither scientific nor academic, his love for the language is so obvious and contagious that, along with the easy-going, conversational style and Q&A format, this book will ultimately be most helpful to all serious students of the Arabic language.

Gerald Drissner ist leidenschaftlich verliebt in diese Sprache und das spürt man. Die meisten existierenden Arabischbücher sind leider etwas veraltet oder viel zu steif. Dieses Buch kann man einfach stundenlang im Sofa durchblättern und dabei viel lernen. Dass ein Ausländer dieses Buch geschrieben hat, ist auch wichtig: er weiß, was einem Ausländer beim Erlernen dieser Sprache schwer fallen kann. Also danke!

This book is recommended for someone who already has a certain level of Arabic proficiency.... however, I've found it being very interesting even for a beginner, like myself: - The author explains different aspects of the language, randomly going from general to specific subjects (which makes the reading not boring) - The author does a great job explaining unusual grammar or morphological nuances of the language to the audience whose native languages are Romano-Germanic For a beginner the book gives a perspective about challenges at the advanced level...

Livre pour niveau avancé (au moins B2+) qui explique clairement et de façon attrayante la grammaire arabe. On peut lire quelques petits articles chaque jour. Très utile pour progresser logiquement et efficacement.

Although the layout is a little messy and it is not easy to look up the answer you want, it truly does address the intricacies of Arabic in an appealing way. An important stepping stone into higher levels of this amazing ancient language. The author would do us good by preparing an exercise book to master the grammar points he explains.

I was excited for the arrival of this book and I'm already glued after having it for one day. Grammar is explained really well in a structured, understandable and helpful manner. I know that this book will be essential to reference back to throughout my years of learning Arabic. I agree that its content is for those serious about the language, and with a love for Grammar (boxes all of which I tick), though I disagree with the author saying that it is aimed at advanced learners with 2+ years of Arabic knowledge behind them. I am a first year University Student and we have already covered a lot of these questions in class, and I'm fining the book extremely enlightening. A must buy.