Arabic Word of the Day

2006-04-30T15:47:00.000-07:00

oppressed – مظلوم

(mathluum)

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-04-26T03:35:00.000-07:00

injustice – ظلم

(thulm)

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-04-23T22:57:00.000-07:00

Yes indeed! I’m going to start posting to my Word of the Day blog once again (more or less).

Today’s word is:

was signed – تم التوقيع

(tamma attoqiia3)

Please note that the above is used with the preposition على (a3la)

Generic Dictator Chant

2006-03-16T03:53:00.000-08:00

Sorry for not posting since my arrival in Yemen. I keep busy doing nothing at all it seems. Fortunately, I got stuck at the internet cafe during a rainstorm so I thought I'd update the site.

I'm doing this from memory so it may be a tad off. It's a generic dictator chant!

(Insert random dictator's name) بالروح بالدم نفديك يا
{biruuh bidim nafdiik Ya (random dictator's name)}

This loosely translates to "With soul, with blood, we sacrifice - Oh (random dictator's name)!

Off to Yemen

2006-02-18T23:33:00.000-08:00

I'm off to Yemen in about 7 hours so no posts for a while.

Cheers

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-02-16T12:17:00.000-08:00

To extract – أخْرَخَ / يُخْرِج

(Aakhraja / yukhriju)

أخرج الكتاب من الحقيبة
He took the book out of the bag.

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-02-14T21:34:00.000-08:00

music – موسيقى

(muusiicah)

Phrase of the Week

2006-02-12T22:21:00.000-08:00

winter clothes – مَلابس شِتويَّة

(malaabis shitwiyah)

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-02-10T23:52:00.000-08:00

I honor of Egypt's victory over the Ivory Coast...

soccer - كُرَة القَدَم

(kuratul qadam – is what it would sound like together, but if you say the words separately it would be kura for ball and al-qadam for the foot)

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-02-08T21:25:00.000-08:00

steamer/steamship - باخِرَة

(baakhira)

M’kay, I know what you’re thinking – Why this word? Well, just because it was one of my vocabulary words for today.

It was translated in the dialogue I was reading as “ship” but I had learned "ship" as (سَفينَة - safiina), so I went to my Oxford English-Arabic Dictionary and looked up ship and باخِرَة wasn’t there. Then I looked up boat but still no باخِرَة

That’s when I turned to my good friend, Mr. Hans Wehr. Hans says that باخِرَة is known in English as a steamer/steamship. Go figure :)

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-02-07T19:13:00.000-08:00

town – بَلْدَة

(belda)

Phrase of the Week

2006-02-06T01:20:00.000-08:00

It's Sunday (well, technically Monday, but since I've not gone to bed yet, I refuse to recognize the new day!) so that means it's time for a new phrase of the week.

Tell it like it is - قل كما هي

(qul kamaa hiyya)

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-02-03T20:11:00.000-08:00

the political situation – الوضع السياسي

(alwada3 assiiyaasii)

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-02-02T20:53:00.000-08:00

television – تِلْفاز

(tilfaaz)

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-02-01T22:41:00.000-08:00

crazy – مَجْنون

(majnuun)

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-01-31T20:01:00.000-08:00

agenda – جَدْوَل أعْمال

(jadwal a3maal – Can refer to a long or short-term agenda)

Phrase of the Week

2006-01-30T09:36:00.000-08:00

In honor of the recent democratic elections in Palestine, my last three Arabic Word of the Day entries have actually been leading up to the phrase of the week:

Revolution until Victory! – ثورة حتى نصر

(thowra hatta naSar)

Supposedly, this used to be a popular phrase in Palestine back in the day. I can’t verify whether it really was, but it sure has a catchy ring to it!

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-01-30T09:23:00.000-08:00

victory – نصر

(naSar)

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-01-29T22:38:00.000-08:00

until – حتى

(hatta)

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-01-28T00:31:00.000-08:00

revolution – ثورة

(thowra)

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-01-26T19:12:00.000-08:00

by way of, by means of - عَن طَريق

(3an Tariiq)

I was also taught to say بطَريق (biTariiq)

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-01-23T22:39:00.000-08:00

Duty/duties – واجب / واجبات

(waajib / waajibaat) This word is also means homework.

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-01-22T21:48:00.000-08:00

politics – السياسة

(as-siyaasa)

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-01-20T23:10:00.000-08:00

party /ies (political) - حِزْب / أحْزاب

(Hizb / aHzaab)

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-01-19T18:35:00.000-08:00

organization /s - مُنظّمَة / مُنظّمَات

(munaZZama / munaZZamaat – often followed by a noun stating it’s name or duties)

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-01-19T00:27:00.000-08:00

Nationality /ies – جنسيّة / جنسيّات

(jinsiyya / jinsiyyaat – often followed by the name of the specific nationality)

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-01-17T22:16:00.000-08:00

independence - إسْتِقلال

(istiqlaal)

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-01-15T16:45:00.000-08:00

freedom /s – حُرّيّة / حُرّيّات

(Hurriyya / Hurriyyaat)

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-01-11T20:30:00.000-08:00

Elections - إنْتِخاب / إنْتِخابات

(intixaab / intixaabaat)

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-01-10T19:40:00.000-08:00

demonstration /s, spectacle /s - مُظاهَرة / مُظاهَرات

(muZaahara / muZaaharaat – can be followed by a descriptive adjective or noun)

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-01-09T23:05:00.000-08:00

constitution /s - دُسْتور / دَساتير

(dustuur / dasaatiir)

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-01-07T18:11:00.000-08:00

conference /s - مؤتمر / مؤتمرات

(mu’tamar / mu’tamaraat – can be used alone or followed by a descriptive adjective)

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-01-05T18:20:00.000-08:00

So yesterday I was reviewing the previous words I’d posted when I came to citizen. As I looked at it I said to myself “مواتن that’s derived from وطن which is Arabic for homeland.”

It was then that I realized that I had misspelled مُواطِن as مواتن. Oh how I laughed and laughed!

And now, without further ado, I bring you today’s Arabic Word of the Day:

Civil rights - الحقوق المدنية

(al-Huquuq al-madaniyya)

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-01-05T00:43:00.000-08:00

cabinet /s (government) – وِزارَة / وِزاراب

(wizaara / wizaaraat – can be followed by an adjective or noun)

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-01-03T18:52:00.000-08:00

citizen (m/f/pl) - مُواطِن / مُواطِنة / مُواطِنُون

Arabic Word of the Day

2006-01-02T17:36:00.000-08:00

center /s, headquarters - مَرْكز / مَراكِز

(Markaz, Maraakiz - can be followed by an adjective or noun)

Arabic Word of the Day

2005-12-29T18:12:00.000-08:00

Embassy /ies - سِفارة / سِفارات
(sifaara / sifaaraat)

Arabic Word of the Day

2005-12-28T02:28:00.000-08:00

bus stop - مَوْقِفُ حافِلَة

Arabic Word of the Day

2005-12-26T00:46:00.000-08:00

In keeping with the season…

Happy Holiday! – كُلّ عَام وَ أنتم بخيْر

This doesn’t necessarily refer to holiday and could also mean Happy Eid (feast). It can be used for birthdays, Greater and Lesser Bairam Feasts (Muslim), Christmas and Easter, the New Year, etc.

It can also be used to mark an occasion that repeats yearly at a certain time of year.

Arabic Word of the Day

2005-12-22T20:58:00.000-08:00

I’m a few days behind on my words so here are several to catch me up :)

Ambassador/s – سَفير \ سُفَراء

assembly/ies, council/s, board/s – مَجْلِس \ مَجالِس

minister/s – وَزير \ وُزَراء

foreign minister وزير الخارجيّة

Arabic Word of the Day

2005-12-19T20:31:00.000-08:00

Debt/s – دَيْن/ديُونُ
(dayn / duyuun)

This word can be used literally as in ديونه كثيرة (his debts are many) or to refer to obligations.

Arabic Word of the Day

2005-12-18T23:34:00.000-08:00

Economic – إقْتصادي

Arabic Word of the Day

2005-12-16T21:01:00.000-08:00

True or false – صَوَاب أم خَطَأ

Sometimes preceded by the preposition على as in:

هل أنا على صَوَاب أم خَطَأ ؟
Am I right or wrong?

Arabic Word of the Day

2005-12-14T00:49:00.000-08:00

No doubt - لا شَكّ

This is often followed by "anna" ("that") or followed by "fii anna" ("in that").

Another similar phrase is: Without a doubt - بدُون شَكّ
(biduun shekk)

Arabic Word of the Day

2005-12-12T17:13:00.000-08:00

M'kay. I might need to rebrand this as the Arabic Word of Every Other Day. Sorry for the lapse in posting. So, without further ado...

Enemy/ies - عَدُو/ أعْداء

Besides the obvious military application, the word “3aduw” can be used in a non-military context. Such as “3aduw as-salaam” (enemy of peace).

Arabic Word of the Day

2005-12-03T14:31:00.000-08:00

Border/s, Boundary/ies حَدّ/حُدُود

Arabic Word of the Day

2005-12-02T09:27:00.000-08:00

Rainy - مُمْطِر

Arabic Word of the Day

2005-12-01T22:19:00.000-08:00

Sunny - مُشْمِس

Arabic Word of the Day

2005-11-30T00:07:00.000-08:00

without - بدُون

(bi-duun)

Arabic Word of the Day

2005-11-29T03:40:00.000-08:00

Stupid - غَبي