Vocabulary Cards — Session 29: Animals in the Wild

Print this page. Cut along the dotted lines. Each card is index-card sized. Carry them in your pocket. Look at one card during car rides, snack time, before bed.

Card 1

Say it: A-sad Means: Lion

🎨 Picture: A big lion with a thick mane, sitting tall on a rock, looking proud.

Use it when: You see a lion in a book. You watch a nature show. You pretend to roar with your little brother.

Card 2

Say it: gha-ZAAL Means: Gazelle

🎨 Picture: A slender gazelle leaping across a hillside, big dark eyes, curved horns.

Use it when: You see a deer-like animal in a story. Someone runs really fast (in Arabic, we say they run "like a ghazal!"). You read about animals in the desert or the mountains.

This is our letter of the day word — start it with غ (ghayn). Gargle it gently from the back of your throat.

Card 3

Say it: NASR Means: Eagle

🎨 Picture: An eagle with wide wings, gliding above mountains, looking down sharply.

Use it when: You see a big bird in the sky. You read a story with a hero who flies. You spot a hawk or an eagle on a hike.

Card 4

Say it: THA'-lab Means: Fox

🎨 Picture: A reddish-orange fox with a bushy tail, peeking out from behind a tree, looking clever.

Use it when: You read a folktale (foxes are ALWAYS the clever ones in Arabic stories!). You see a fox in a cartoon. Someone in your family is being a little sneaky — ya tha'lab!

Card 5

Say it: DHI'B Means: Wolf

🎨 Picture: A gray wolf standing in the snow at night, howling at the moon.

Use it when: You hear a wolf in a story. You play pretend with a stuffed animal. You read "Little Red Riding Hood" — that's a dhi'b!

The little mark in the middle (ء) is called a hamza. It's a tiny stop in your throat: dhi… 'b.

Card 6

Say it: QIRD Means: Monkey

🎨 Picture: A small monkey hanging by its tail from a tree branch, holding a banana, grinning.

Use it when: You see a monkey at the zoo. Your cousin is climbing on EVERYTHING — ya qird! You watch a silly animal video.

A bonus card — for the family

Card 7 (bonus)

Say it: ha-ya-WAAN Means: Animal

🎨 Picture: A big open book with a lion, a gazelle, an eagle, and a fox all on one page.

Use it when: You want to talk about ANY animal. You point at a picture and ask, "shu hayda?" (what's this?) and someone says, "hayawan!" You play a guessing game: "I'm thinking of a hayawan…"

The plural is حَيَوانات (hayawanaat) — animals. That's the second word in today's title: Hayawanaat barriyyeh — wild animals.

How to use these cards

1. Keep them somewhere visible. Fridge, backpack pocket, by the bed.
2. Play "which animal?" Lay the cards out. Make an animal sound. Kid points to the right card.
3. Sort them. Big animals vs. small. Animals that fly vs. run. Animals you'd see in Lebanon (foxes, eagles, wolves still live in the mountains!) vs. animals from far away.
4. Don't try to memorize. Just notice. Letters become familiar, then friends.

On the letter of the day

Today's letter is غ (ghayn). You hear it at the start of ghazal (gazelle). It sounds like a soft gargle from the back of your throat — like when you're about to say a French "r."

Try it: gh… gh… ghazal.

You'll also hear ghayn in everyday Levantine words:

• ghada (lunch) — غَدا
• ghaali (precious / expensive) — غالي
• Baghdad — بَغداد

It's a big-kid letter. Be patient with your tongue.

A note on wild animals in Lebanon

The mountains of Lebanon and Syria really do have wolves, foxes, and eagles. Up in the cedar forests, sometimes hikers spot them. Gazelles used to roam the whole region — they show up in old poems and songs all the time. When a Lebanese grandmother tells her grandchild, "ya ghazaali" (my little gazelle), that's why. It's the oldest compliment in the language.

Yalla Arabic · Vocabulary Cards · Session 29