The best French Arabic dictionaries in the UK 2023

A dictionary is always useful for students, professionals or travelers. But which one to choose? The choice is vast, but not all dictionaries available on the market are equal, some are much better than others. To help you find the best French Arabic dictionary, this comparison shows you the criteria to consider, the types of dictionaries available and several tips for learning Arabic.

Larousse-Dictionnaire Fançais Arabe maxi poche plus 1
9/10

Editor's Choice

Larousse-Dictionnaire Fançais Arabe maxi poche plus

The best Arabic French dictionary in 2021

It is a very rich literary pocket dictionary with 100,000 words, expressions and translations. This pocket dictionary from the publishing house La Rousse has a very good reference in terms of content and form.

14,36 £ on Amazon

You have here a pocket dictionary of the most complete with a large collection of words from French to Arabic and from Arabic to French. More than 100,000 words, expressions and translations. You can find Arabic vocabulary and idiomatic expressions, not to mention conjugations and the Arabic alphabet. This dictionary is very useful for comparisons with terms from local dialects. The dictionary is very comprehensive, providing the essentials of modern Arabic vocabulary, as well as essential elements such as the plurals of nouns and the vowel structure of first-form verbs in the inaccompliate.

Like all the other works of the Larousse publishing house, this French-Arabic dictionary is of very good quality both in content and in form. Moreover, it is very practical, because you can easily and quickly find the words you want to translate. Not to mention the fact that the dictionary offers clear, clean and simple translations.

Larousse - 100% visual Arabic dictionary 2
7/10

The best cheapest

Larousse - 100% visual Arabic dictionary

The best entry-level Arabic French dictionary

If you're looking for an easy-to-use, easy-to-understand beginner's dictionary, Larousse's Mini Visual Dictionary is just what you need. This collective work offers translations, expressions that will help you survive everyday life, etc.

7,12 £ on Amazon

This small 100% visual French-Arabic dictionary is 192 pages long. With this 100% visual dictionary, Larousse goes off the beaten path by offering you a dictionary that does not contain long lists of words, but rather beautiful images classified by theme. Larousse offers you the opportunity to learn while being entertained, with an easy-to-read dictionary perfect for an average learner.

This dictionary contains more than 1,000 of the most important words in the Arabic language and beautiful pictures to facilitate understanding. The images are classified by theme and they are also accompanied by clear examples, for a more effective memorization. You will also find cultural and grammatical notes, as well as tips for the more curious.

Larousse-Arabic-French/French-Arabic dictionary compact+ paperback 3
9/10

The best high-end

Larousse-Arabic-French/French-Arabic dictionary compact+ paperback

The best high-end Arabic French dictionary

This dictionary is very rich in translations, expressions and words. It is an exhaustive dictionary, perfect for learning modern Arabic quickly, with its thousands of words, expressions and translations (in both languages). The dictionary is 1728 pages long, paperback format.

23,99 £ on Amazon

This is a very complete bilingual dictionary, ideal for people who are new to Arabic. The Arabic part of this dictionary is very rich, which makes you discover the expressions, vocabulary and words of this language. This book is very modern and you can find the most common expressions.

The particularity of this dictionary is that it is reversible: it is an Arabic-French/French-Arabic dictionary. The techniques used for this dictionary make it easy to read, and the translations and expressions are simple and easy to understand. The dictionary is a real treasure in terms of content, but it is rather fragile in terms of form, as it tears easily and is a bit heavy, which does not really make it easy to handle. This dictionary contains 200,000 words, including common vocabulary and a large number of terms borrowed from specialized fields: economics, politics, science and technology, culture, etc., not to mention proper nouns, proverbs and many idiomatic expressions.

Harrap's- Mini Visual Dictionary Arabic Paperback 4
9/10

The best value

Harrap's- Mini Visual Dictionary Arabic Paperback

Excellent Arabic French dictionary

You have here a visual dictionary French Arabic. Many topics are covered and organized by categories. This dictionary is very practical for beginners and travelers.

5,52 £ on Amazon

This visual dictionary is very practical, because it can be easily put in the pocket. In terms of content and form, this dictionary is really good. You will find beautiful illustrations on very good quality paper. The Arabic of this dictionary is classical Arabic and the book has 256 pages in paperback.

As Arabic is a complicated language, this kind of dictionary is a real practical tool to learn Arabic quickly. It is very well illustrated and the expressions and translations are quite rich despite its format. Indeed, it contains 4000 words and expressions. To memorize Arabic vocabulary, it also contains 2000 photographs with 100 themes of daily life. In addition, you will find examples to learn how to build simple and useful sentences.

Reverso Context - Online dictionary 5
8/10

The most convenient

Reverso Context - Online dictionary

The most convenient Arabic French dictionary

Reverso Context is an online dictionary that needs no introduction: it is an in-context translation search engine that has a reputation for being reliable and easy to use.

See on Reverso

The Reverso Context online dictionary is an online and mobile application that combines big data from large multilingual corpora to allow users to search for translations in context. The app can be easily installed on your tablet or smartphone and uses millions of bilingual texts, processed by complex AI algorithms. The examples are extracted from real-life contexts, allowing it to cover a wide range of speech registers.

Available wherever you need it and easy to use, you'll be able to translate French texts into Arabic, or vice versa, by typing them, dictating them (with the mobile app) or selecting them in your browser (on Firefox or Chrome). When you translate directly in your browser, you get the translations that are most relevant to your search context. The best thing about this online dictionary is that thanks to its AI algorithm, it evolves quickly and is able to propose billions of translations, the number of words is almost unlimited.

Buying guide • November 2023

Best French Arabic dictionary

Any specific needs?

The best Arabic French dictionary in 2021

The best entry-level Arabic French dictionary

The best high-end Arabic French dictionary

Excellent Arabic French dictionary

The most convenient Arabic French dictionary

Your guide : Samuel

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Comparison table of the best French Arabic dictionaries

THE BEST CHEAP HIGH END EXCELLENT PRACTICAL
Larousse-Dictionnaire Fançais Arabe maxi poche plus 6
9/10
Larousse - 100% visual Arabic dictionary 7
7/10
Larousse-Arabic-French/French-Arabic dictionary compact+ paperback 8
9/10
Harrap's- Mini Visual Dictionary Arabic Paperback 9
9/10
Reverso Context - Online dictionary 10
8/10
OUR SELECTION
Larousse-Dictionnaire Fançais Arabe maxi poche plus
Larousse - 100% visual Arabic dictionary
Larousse-Arabic-French/French-Arabic dictionary compact+ paperback
Harrap's- Mini Visual Dictionary Arabic Paperback
Reverso Context - Online dictionary
It is a very rich literary pocket dictionary with 100,000 words, expressions and translations. This pocket dictionary from the publishing house La Rousse has a very good reference in terms of content and form.
If you're looking for an easy-to-use, easy-to-understand beginner's dictionary, Larousse's Mini Visual Dictionary is just what you need. This collective work offers translations, expressions that will help you survive everyday life, etc.
This dictionary is very rich in translations, expressions and words. It is an exhaustive dictionary, perfect for learning modern Arabic quickly, with its thousands of words, expressions and translations (in both languages). The dictionary is 1728 pages long, paperback format.
You have here a visual dictionary French Arabic. Many topics are covered and organized by categories. This dictionary is very practical for beginners and travelers.
Reverso Context is an online dictionary that needs no introduction: it is an in-context translation search engine that has a reputation for being reliable and easy to use.
Editor
Larousse
Larousse
Larousse
Harrap's
Reverso
Language
French-Arabic
French-Arabic
arabic-French/French-Arabic
French-Arabic
Arabic-French/French-Arabic
Number of pages
920
192 p
1728
256
-
Number of words
100 000
1 000
200 000
4000 words and 2000 photographs
Illimited
Number of expressions and translation
-
-
-
-
Weight
880 g
2.05 kg
300 g

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Buying guide - French Arabic dictionary

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How to choose your French Arabic dictionary

#1 - The publishing house

Whether it is for a book or a dictionary, knowing the publishing house is always important. Indeed, it will allow you to know in which year the book or dictionary was made and how is the quality of the latter. Among the references already known and which are very good publishing houses, we can mention Larousse or Le Petit Robert. The dictionaries published by these references are always quite extensive, enough to give you a good foundation in Arabic.

#2 - The word count

No dictionary can claim to include all the words you might encounter. Smaller dictionaries have to be especially picky about which words to include. As a general rule, desktop dictionaries (as opposed to pocket dictionaries) include 100,000 to 180,000 words, and unabridged dictionaries include more than 265,000 words.Consider choosing your French Arabic dictionary based on your word count needs.

#3 - The quality of the expressions

As Arabic is already a fairly complicated language, you should opt for expressions that are easy to adopt. In other words, always choose French that is easy to read and understand, because there are dictionaries that offer translations with very sustained expressions that are sometimes difficult to grasp. There are dictionaries that offer these light and easy translations like Larousse.

#4 - The illustrative quotes

To show how a particular word is used, most dictionaries include example sentences. Some dictionaries use made-up examples, which are more efficient and save space, while other dictionaries only use sentences that have appeared in published or recorded sources to illustrate the meaning of a word in context. Choose your Arabic French dictionary enhanced with as many illustrative quotes as possible.

#5 - The versatility

While a dictionary is most often used to look up an unfamiliar word and find out what it means, consider choosing one that can help you for other purposes. Think of a dictionary as a versatile tool. Just as the famous Swiss Army knife comes in many versions to meet the different needs of users, so do Arabic French dictionaries. A versatile dictionary should be able to give you the meaning of words, their spelling, pronunciation, etymology, scope, etc.

Is Arabic a difficult language?

For beginners, right off the bat, you should know that when you learn Arabic, you'll face a number of challenges: you'll have to learn to read and write a whole new alphabet... from right to left. You will need to become familiar with several difficult sounds: the glottal stop, the emphatic consonants, and the consonants that are reintroduced into the throat (i.e. the uvular and pharyngeal consonants). Also be aware that in practice, Arabs do not bother with diacritical marks (short vowels, shadda and sukuun) in everyday life. And learning to look up words in a French-Arabic dictionary is not very easy either. Here are some tips to help you find your way around.

Arabic words are listed as quotes

A dictionary is a reference book with a list of words from one or more languages. This list of words is normally arranged in alphabetical order and provides explanations of the meaning of each word. The explanations can be etymological meanings, meanings about the use of the word and/or the proper translation of the word.

As in English and other languages, the basic form ("citation") of a word is the one listed in dictionaries. For example, if you wanted to look up go, go, gone or gone, in an English dictionary, you would look up go, rather than an inflected form. And, of course, it takes some grammatical knowledge of the language to get back to the most basic form of a word. What does this mean for Arabic?

Arabic nouns

The citation form of a name is its singular form. You may first need to get rid of prefixed particles such as و (and), بـ (in,with), فـ (so), كـ (as), and الـ (the). This is also true for the regular plural and dual suffixes ـان, ـين, ـون, and ـات. For معلمون (teachers [male]) the citation form is معلم (teacher). ـات is a bit tricky because it can replace the feminine singular ending ـة, but it can also be added as a suffix to a noun without ـة. The citation form of حيوانات (animal) is حيوان (animal), while the citation form of معلمات (female teachers [women]) is معلمة (teacher). You can only find out if a name ends in ـة once you find it in the dictionary.

However, many nouns in Arabic have irregular plurals, which, nevertheless, follow certain patterns. This is where your grammatical knowledge really comes into play. And when you can't figure out what the singular form of an irregular plural would be, fortunately, you can always find it using the root classification system of Arabic dictionaries.

Adjectives

Most of what was said above for the noun applies to adjectives as well. The game is to find the singular form. But also, adjectives take ـة (and sometimes ـاء) when they modify a feminine noun or a non-human plural noun. The citation form is always the masculine singular form because it is the most basic form, without the ـة suffix.

Verbs

A verb may have a prefixed particle that must be removed, including لـ (so that; say). Unless it is conjugated in the perfect tense (i.e., past tense), it will also have personal prefixes (تـ, نـ, or يـ) and sometimes suffixes such as ـين, ـان, ـون, or ـن); verbs in the past tense will have suffixes such as ـت and ـنا, among others. The past tense masculine singular verb form has no prefix or suffix and is therefore the most basic form of the word - the one you will look up in the dictionary.

This may seem daunting at first, but as your level of Arabic improves, you will be better able to recognize prefixes and suffixes and determine the citation form of words. What seems impossible now will seem like child's play later.

The different types of French Arabic dictionaries

French Arabic paper dictionary

The advantage of a paper dictionary is that when you flip through the manual, you will immediately find the word you are looking for without having to go through several advertisements like when you are online. In addition, you can access illustrations to help you better understand the word you don't know. Moreover, the paper dictionary will always give you that feeling of the new word combined with the unexpected simplicity of its translation.

French Arabic online dictionary

The online Arabic French dictionary saves your time and helps you find the answer to your question very easily when you are in your distress. Moreover, it is not cumbersome, as you will be able to access it through your phone or laptop or tablet. Moreover, you can always consult it at any time and at any place. In short, the online French Arabic dictionary is the tool that makes your life easier.

French Arabic dictionary or French Arabic learning manual

French Arabic dictionary

First of all it is important to specify that the French Arabic dictionary is a bilingual dictionary: it allows you to translate the Arabic words (or vice versa) that you want if it is listed in the said dictionary. Dictionaries generally offer more explanations than a textbook on the origin of a word, its synonyms and in which contexts to use it. It is especially in this last point that this type of work is useful: it allows you to know and place at the right moment the idiomatic expressions specific to a language. The dictionary is indispensable for learning Arabic or French in practice. It allows you to familiarize yourself with everyday expressions, the words most commonly used to describe a situation without making mistakes.

Arabic French learning manual

It is a manual for learning French into Arabic (or vice versa). It serves to deepen the knowledge of the Arabic language with grammatical rules, expressions, and vocabulary with their respective rules. The process with this learning manual is to bring a person to an agreed upon level of competence through instruction that relates to practical approaches such as spelling, pronunciations, and even listening. And regarding learning Arabic French, the learning manual will focus more on the terms of communication between the two languages.

Verdict

In conclusion, both the French Arabic dictionary and the French Arabic learning manual are useful for students, professionals and travelers. They both contain various information that is very useful for learning Arabic. However, if you are really starting to learn, a textbook will be easier to use, since it will be easier to identify the words. On the other hand, if you already have a basic knowledge of grammar and spelling, you can also use a dictionary in addition to your textbook.

5 reasons to use a French Arabic dictionary

Using a French-Arabic dictionary is necessary because :

They can be consulted anywhere and at any time:

Since there are already online dictionaries, the translation of a word is currently more easily accessible especially when it comes to the Arabic language. As soon as you have access to the internet, you can use your phone, tablet or computer. Otherwise, there are also pocket dictionaries that will be as easy to access as your phone if you are not too adept with new technology.

Saves you time:

When you are in the process of looking for a synonym of a word, we can especially see it when you are writing a correspondence or a professional email or simply when you are writing your internship report, the French Arabic dictionary is the tool that saves you time. Instead of looking for translators or others, just consult your dictionary whether it is online or on paper.

It brings you a density of knowledge:

Indeed, consulting a dictionary will always bring you extra knowledge, whether in the meanings of a word or in the expressions. It also helps you to develop your expressions which can often be too focused on the expressions you use in everyday life. In short, the dictionary educates you.

It helps you with visual memory:

In order to better memorize, paper dictionaries often explain the most difficult or interesting words with illustrations. This way you can create a strong association and memorize the word that is more difficult to remember.

It contains clear, crisp and precise information:

The dictionary is a book, a tool designed to be as clear and easy to use as possible, so it gives definitions, explanations in a clear, concise and very easy to grasp. Some dictionaries offer meanings according to the meaning of the word in a sentence, others do not, but in general, the explanations are always simple to understand.

The best brands of French Arabic dictionaries

In our opinion, the best brands of French Arabic dictionaries in 2022 are :

Lexilogos
Larousse
Reverso
Glosbe
Info

Extremely rich and varied, this online Arabic French dictionary offers translations according to religion, different professional fields, etc. Moreover, beyond meaning and synonymy, this dictionary offers the possibility to translate entire texts from Arabic to French and vice versa.

This Arabic French dictionary contains more than 40,000 words and expressions, more than 55,000 translations and more than 1,000 proper nouns. Larousse books are extremely rich and allow you to improve your vocabulary as much as possible. The online version of this French Arabic dictionary is as rich as its paper version.

It is an online dictionary in constant innovation. It is extremely rich in words and expressions and forms a universe that offers great accuracy in declining translations in terms of context, synonyms, without forgetting the additions of topical words and expressions.

This Arabic French dictionary is very meticulous and offers several translations of words and word groups. It helps a lot with syntax and provides the most accurate answers to translation requests, etc. In fact, in addition to being a dictionary, Glosbe is also considered a translation memory from French to Arabic.

This French Arabic dictionary is available online. It is used like a real search engine. It is easy to use and very simple to handle. Word translations are given in both languages spontaneously when you enter the word to translate.

What is the price for a French Arabic dictionary

The diagram below will help you to get an idea of the typical prices for each price range (entry-level, mid-range and high-end).

However, more expensive does not necessarily mean better.

We therefore advise you to always consult our ranking before deciding, rather than blindly relying on price ranges.

Entry-level
7 £ to 13 £
Mid-range
13 £ to 20 £
High-end
more than 20 £
Price range diagram

Tips

Opt for other tools to learn the language as well

Of course, the dictionary is the quickest tool to help you translate and learn some Arabic words. However, there are also other tools such as learning manuals. These help you to assimilate expressions, grammar rules and other rules of the Arabic language. That is why, in addition to the French Arabic dictionary, it is also important to have a learning manual.

Learn expressions as well

It is very important to know the meaning of a word in learning a foreign language. But it is also important to know the expressions to better tame the language. In French Arabic dictionaries these expressions may or may not exist depending on the type of dictionary. For dictionaries that do have these expressions, you just need to look at the table of contents to know in which exact part of the dictionary the expressions are located. This is also known as idiomatic expressions.

Don't hesitate to check out online learning tutorials

The Arabic language is difficult, to learn it, only consulting a book dictionary may not be enough. Also opt for online tutorials and dictionaries, this will be an added advantage for you to learn how to spell and write the word you want. These tutorials will also help you get used to hearing the language you want to learn.

Don't hesitate to read books in Arabic

To get familiar with the language faster, with idioms, to learn how to build sentences in different tones (sustained, professional, colloquial, etc.), nothing beats reading. The more books you read in Arabic, the faster you'll improve.

Protect your dictionary

If you want your paper dictionary to last you years, consider protecting it, wrapping its cover in paper (not plastic, as it can moisten the book and could damage it). Put it in a well-ventilated, moisture-free place to avoid mold. Also, use a bookmark to avoid creasing the pages.

FAQ

How to download a free French Arabic dictionary?

To download your free French Arabic dictionary online, just look on the internet for the version that will be compatible with your computer. Then, choose the number of words that correspond to you and download the corresponding software.

What is the role of a French Arabic dictionary?

The French Arabic dictionary is a reference work intended to receive a set of words of the French and Arabic language, but also common expressions of every day, etc. To use your French Arabic dictionary well, remember to first look for the root present in the word and then look for the French translation according to this root.

Is Arabic an easy language to learn?

Modern literal Arabic is faster to acquire than classical Arabic. To do this, you need to set a goal in learning this language and carry your French Arabic dictionary at all times. You can also use a learning manual and tutorials for more efficiency. Because even though it is easier to grasp, modern Arabic is still a difficult language: it contains a 28-letter alphabet, is read from right to left, does not contain many vowels, and has quite complicated guttural letters.

How to use a French Arabic dictionary?

To fully understand how your dictionary works, you must first master the abbreviations that are used: so remember to check their meaning at the beginning of the dictionary.

Sources

Note: Below are some of the sources we have consulted in writing this article. Links to other sites are not continuously updated. It is therefore possible that a link may not be found. Please use a search engine to find the desired information. See more

Updates

March 2022 : Translation of this buying guide from our partner meilleurtest.fr

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Our selection
Larousse-Dictionnaire Fançais Arabe maxi poche plus 11
Larousse-Dictionnaire Fançais Arabe maxi poche plus
Larousse - 100% visual Arabic dictionary 12
Larousse - 100% visual Arabic dictionary
Larousse-Arabic-French/French-Arabic dictionary compact+ paperback 13
Larousse-Arabic-French/French-Arabic dictionary compact+ paperback
Harrap's- Mini Visual Dictionary Arabic Paperback 14
Harrap's- Mini Visual Dictionary Arabic Paperback
Reverso Context - Online dictionary 15
Reverso Context - Online dictionary

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