"Ali Baba and Meshmosh" Arabic Short Story with English Translation and Subtitles in PDF

In this blog post: a short Arabic story + Free PDF download + English subtitles and transcription + A detailed YouTube explanatory video (1 hour long Arabic grammar and comprehension crash-course) + Free Homework Book to practice.

Who hasn't heard of the Arabian nights fable of Ali Baba and the forty thieves. It is a popular and traditional folk Arabic folk tale that's known to almost every Arab. It has been retold in many languages and in many various versions. Movies and cartoons have been made about it too. I personally recall as a child, how I was captivated with the story and the magic of the cave. And of course, the famous words: " Open Sesame". The folk tale also carries a lot of meaning beyond amusement, such as staying away from greed which can cause serious trouble, and the importance of cooperation to achieve good and work towards a unified goal.

"Ali Baba and Meshmosh" is inspired by the original Ali Baba fairy tale, and made into a simple, short and sweet story, suitable for beginners learning Arabic language or small children. It is colorful and has simple yet entertaining illustrations, and comes in a PDF format, so you can easily download, read or print. It has English translation and Arabic pronunciation guides. (Just click here or on the picture to open and save the file). Note: Kindly no selling or altering of material allowed or relisting on another website without written permission.

"Ali Baba and Meshmosh" Arabic Short Story with English Translation in PDF. Click to open.

The plot revolves around a kind man called Ali Baba and his donkey "Meshmosh", who comes across forty evil thieves on his way to work. He hides and watches them get into a cave filled with gold and stolen goods. He learns the trick and decides to get in himself after they leave. What will Ali Baba do next? Will he tell anyone or will he decide to take the gold himself? Find out in the story.

You can also watch the story on YouTube and take a mini-crash course in Arabic grammar. At 1 hour long, the video aims to improve your comprehension and grammar skills in Arabic, as well as sentence formation. You can even do the recommended homework and download the solved homework book (Click here to download) to compare and check your answers. The story is read out in both Arabic and English, followed by sentence by sentence and word by word explanation. You will learn useful vocabulary and synonyms, as well as practically understand grammar within context.

For more Arabic short stories with English translation and pronunciation, click here, to read a previous blog post. For short stories in Arabic without English subtitles click here. You may also wish to browse the Downloads page for a wider selection of Arabic reading and learning resources for kids and beginners. Don't forget that reading to your child is a great way of learning a new language like Arabic, simply because it's a way of contextualizing and visualizing the language, in addition to hearing and learning new vocabulary. Persistence and repetition is key, so get into the habit of reading in Arabic as often as possible. The main goal behind "Ali Baba and Meshmosh" and other stories I have composed, putting forward many hours of love and labor, is providing simple short reading material in Arabic with English pronunciation and translation. I had in mind non-native speakers especially, whether small children or beginners, or even parents wanting to learn Arabic along with their child.

For more interesting reads and topics on Arabic learning for kids, visit and subscribe to "Learning Arabic With Angela" educational blog. Support our endeavor for free and good quality Arabic learning resources for kids and beginners by Liking our Facebook Page. Please feel free to share any ideas, comments or resources with other readers by leaving a comment below.