The BBC Xtra English segment from December 5, 2005 is about various terms in English for streets, including the term “lane” which is deemed “classier” and can help a property sell for more.

Again, while this segment of the BBC Xtra program is intended for Arabic speakers who are learning English, it is also very helpful for learning Arabic since they explain things in both English and Arabic.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/arabic/elt/newsid_4493000/4493070.stm

Here are some Arabic words used in the BBC Xtra audio clip:

Most verbs in Arabic are built around a trilateral root, consisting of three consonants. For example, the word دَخَلَ (dakhala) which means “to enter”. The root of the word is د + خ + ل . The consonants will remain the same, no matter what tense the verb is in. As in Spanish, verbs in Arabic are conjugated (change form, depending on pronoun). In the “present” tense, it works like this, with use of a prefix (ت - “ta” , ي - ya, or ن - na) along with modifying the vowel pattern. The root consonants remain the same. The following example is in the “past” or perfect tense, with a suffix attached to the root.
He entered - دَخَلَ (dakhala)
She entered - دَخَلَتْ (dakhalat)
You (m. sing.) entered - دَخَلَتَ (dakhalata)
You (f. sing.) entered - دَخَلَتِ (dakhalati)
I entered - دَخَلَتُ (dakhalatu)
They (dual m. - 3rd person) - دَخَلا (dakhala)
They (dual f. - 3rd person) - دَخَلَتَا (dakhalata)
You (dual 2nd person) entered - دَخَلْتُمَا (dakhaltuma)
They (m. pl) entered - دَخَلُوا (dakhalua)
They (f. pl) entered - دَخَلْنَ (dakhalna)
You (m. pl) entered - دَخَلْتُمْ (dakhaltum)
You (f. pl) entered - دَخَلْتُنَّ (dakhaltunna)
We entered - دَخَلْنَا (dakhalna)

Arabic does not have an exact equivalent of the “present” and “past” tense, as used in English. Instead, it has the “perfect” and “imperfect” tenses. Perfect tense is used to describe actions that have been completed, such as “he ate” but not “he was eating” which is imperfect (incomplete action in the past or present). The above example is the perfect tense, describing completed actions in the past. The above is also in the “active” voice (”he entered”), rather than “passive” which would be “he had entered”.

When looking up words in the dictionary, verbs are given in the male singular third person (”He”), in the perfect tense. For example, you would find “to enter” listed as دَخَلَ (dakhala).

Here are some words associated with the kitchen (المطيخ - matbakh):

Source: srbyug on Flickr, CC-BY
ثلاجة (thalaja) - refrigerator
فرن (furn) - oven
مغسلة (ma’sala) - sink
أرض (ord) - ground, floor
قدور (quduur) - cooking pots
دولاب (duulaab) - cupboards, kitchen cabinents
نور (noor) - light

The Arabic version of the 2008 IKEA catalogue is full of material for learning vocabulary. The catalogue is broken down by sections, depending on type of room.
الأطفال (al atfaal) - children
إيكيا - IKEA
طهى (taha) - to cook
أكل (akal) - to eat
نظم (nathama) - to order, to put in order, arrange, file, …
المنزل (menzil) - home
منسوجات - textiles
إضاءة (ida’a) - lighting, illumination; ضاء (da’a) - to shine, light, illuminate, …
زينة (zaina) - to decorate, adorn, embellish, …

Space for Living (مساحة المعيشة) is the theme for the 2008 IKEA catalogue. IKEA has locations in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, selling the same furnishings and other products for the home as is sold in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere.
The 2008 catalogue is published in both English and Arabic:
http://www.ikea.com.sa.ethosksa.com/
On the first page, it says إكتشف أفكار تخزين (discover storage ideas):
إكتشف - discover
أفكار (fikr) thought, idea - from افكار (afkar) thinking, cognition, reflection, meditation, speculation, …
خزين (khazana) to store, stock, amass, accumulate
The first page also has an index to the catalogue, listing the various rooms of the home. Here are some of the sections of the catalogue:
غرفة (ghurfa) - room
غرفة الجلوس (ghurfat al jaloos) - sitting room or living room
غرفة النوم (ghurfat al naum) - bedroom
الحمام (hamam) - bathroom
العمل في المنزل (al a’mel fi al-menazil) - work in/at home or home office
غرفة الطعام (ghufat al ta’am) - dining room
المطبخ (al matbakh) - kitchen

One topic that is very important is vocabulary involved in renting an apartment. The Arabic word for apartment is شَقّة - shaqqa (pl. سُقَق - shuqaq).
Here is an advertisement for an apartment:
http://www.mehtag.com/
Some useful words here:
رقم (roqum) - number
لِلبيع (lilbay’) - for sale
سعر (si’r) - price
منطقة (mintaqa) - area, region
مصر (misr) - Egypt
شارع (shaari’) - street
In the description, it says منطقه حيويه وجميله, with the word منطقة (area). This word is followed by three adjectives, which are connected with the word “and” which is و (wa) in Arabic. The adjectives are حيوية (hayawiya), which means vitality, vigor, lively …, and جميلة (jamila), which means beautiful. The third adjective is راقية.
The advertisement also says غرف وريسبش وحمام ومطبخ.
غرف (ghuraf) - rooms (singular - غرفة, ghurfa)
حمام (hamaam) - bathroom
مطبخ (matbakh) - kitchen