Arabic Grammar – Lesson 3: Master Long Vowels & Tanween Easily

Are you struggling with Arabic pronunciation or confused by those double vowel marks (ً، ٍ، ٌ)? You’re not alone! In this lesson, we’ll break down two essential pillars of Arabic grammar: Long Vowels and Tanween—from the absolute basics all the way to advanced Gulf Arabic usage.

Whether you’re brand new or brushing up your skills, this guide will walk you through:

• The 3 long vowels in Arabic (with examples)
• What tanween means and how it’s used
• Real-life conversations with breakdowns
• Tips from Gulf dialect and spoken Arabic
• Grammar rules and exceptions for advanced learners

Let’s start from the beginning!

Part 1: Long Vowels in Arabic – What Are They?

Arabic has three long vowels that stretch the sound of the basic vowel. Mastering these helps with pronunciation, reading, and even understanding dialects.

How Long Vowels Work:

• They must follow a consonant with a short vowel.
• They stretch the sound: like “a” becomes “aa”.
• These vowels cannot start a word.

Pronunciation Tip:

• بَ + ا = بَا = baa
• بُ + و = بُو = boo
• بِ + ي = بِي = bee

These sounds are longer than short vowels and are crucial in meaning. For example:

• kitaab (كتاب) – book
• kitab (short “a”) – incorrect or another word entirely

Part 2: What Is Tanween?

Tanween means “doubling” of a short vowel. It’s placed at the end of indefinite nouns or adjectives to show grammatical case.

The Three Types of Tanween:

Tanween is used ONLY with indefinite nouns and adjectives.

Important Notes:

• Tanween Fatha is written with an extra Alif: كتابًا
• You’ll mostly see tanween in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) or Qur’anic Arabic
• In Gulf Arabic, tanween is often dropped in speech

Part 3: Real-Life Conversations with Word Breakdown (10 Examples)

Conversation 1:

Arabic: haadha baab Roman: هذا باب English: This is a door.

Tip: “baab” uses long vowel aa from letter ا.

Conversation 2:

Arabic: fee noor kabeer Roman: في نور كبير English: There is bright light.

Tip: “noor” has long vowel oo from letter و.

Conversation 3:

Arabic: aindee kitaab jadeed Roman: عندي كتاب جديد English: I have a new book.

Tip: “kitaab” uses long vowel aa; “jadeed” ends with ee sound.

Conversation 4:

Arabic: hal aindak qalam? Roman: هل عندك قلم؟ English: Do you have a pen?

Tip: No long vowel here, but good for spotting tanween in answers.

Conversation 5:

Arabic: laa, maa aindee qalamun Roman: لا، ما عندي قلمٌ English: No, I don’t have a pen.

Tip: “qalamun” ends with tanween damma (un).

Conversation 6:

Arabic: haadha kitaaban mufeedan Roman: هذا كتاباً مفيداً English: This is a useful book.

Tip: Both “kitaaban” and “mufeedan” use tanween fatha (an).

Conversation 7:

Arabic: huwa taalibun dhakeeyun Roman: هو طالبٌ ذكيٌ English: He is a smart student.

Tip: “taalibun” and “dhakeeyun” both end in tanween damma and use long vowels aa, ee.

Conversation 8:

Arabic: aindana maktabun jameelun Roman: عندنا مكتبٌ جميلٌ English: We have a beautiful office.

Tip: “jameelun” has long ee, and both words end with tanween.

Conversation 9:

Arabic: fi baitin sagheerin Roman: في بيتٍ صغيرٍ English: In a small house.

Tip: Tanween kasra (in) appears in both words.

Conversation 10:

Arabic: ureedu darsan sadeedan Roman: أريدُ درساً شديداً English: I want a strong lesson.

Tip: “darsan” and “sadeedan” end with tanween fatha and help practice long vowels aa, ee.

Part 4: Tanween vs Long Vowels – Quick Comparison Table

Part 5: Gulf Arabic Insights

🗣 How Gulf Dialects Use These:

• Long vowels are used just like MSA but often exaggerated for emotion.
  • laaazim (you must!)
• Tanween is usually dropped in speech:
  • MSA: kitaabun
  • Gulf: kitaab

Part 6: Advanced Grammar Tips & Rules

1. Only Indefinite Nouns Take Tanween
   • كتابٌ – a book
   • الكتابُ – the book (no tanween)
2. Adjectives Match the Noun
   • كتابٌ جديدٌ (kitaabun jadeedun)
   • بنتٍ ذكيةٍ (bintin dhakiyyah)
3. Tanween Fatha Requires Alif
   • منصوب = accusative = كتابًا (kitaaban)
4. Use after Prepositions (Genitive/Kasra)
   • في بيتٍ – in a house
   • مع صديقٍ – with a friend
5. Dropped in Poetry or Dialect
   • Native speakers often skip tanween unless speaking formally.
6. In Qur’an and Formal Arabic
   • You MUST pronounce tanween clearly.

Part 7: Practice Quiz

Match the sentence with the correct tanween ending:

1. شربتُ ___ باردًا (a cold drink)
2. في ___ قديمٍ (in an old house)
3. شاهدتُ ___ ممتعًا (an entertaining movie)

Answers: ماءً، بيتٍ، فيلمًا

Final Thoughts: Why This Lesson Matters

Mastering long vowels and tanween opens doors to:

• Reading fluency
• Quranic accuracy
• Clear pronunciation
• Understanding Gulf and MSA Arabic

Whether you’re reading signs in Riyadh, chatting in Doha, or diving into Qur’anic verses—these grammar tools are essential.

What’s Next? (Your Call-to-Action)

✅ Buy Our Arabic Spoken eBook – Speak Arabic Like Arab

✅ Join Our Live Arabic Classes – Practice Gulf Arabic with native speakers.

✅ Comment Below: Which tanween word did you find most interesting?

Arabic learning is a journey—and you’re well on your way!

بِالتَّدْرِيبِ، كُلُّ شَيْءٍ مُمْكِنٌ!
bit-tadreeb, kullu shay’in mumkin!
(With practice, everything is possible!)