As always, diversity is a hot topic when it comes to the Arabic language. On that note, our topic today is going to be about the different love expressions used in different Arabic dialects.

To do that, we’re using an interesting song (check video below), by the by the Lebanese singer –  Sandra – and the song is called:

ببلاد الغربه  

 ‘Bi-blad         el-ghurbe’

In-country   the-foreignness (expatriation)

which means In the farway country or while I’m away.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVwjaExXeYo

The song is linguistically interesting because the singer is listing 15 different love expressions that is used by different groups of speakers, across different countries and parts of the Arab world. The song starts with a girl who lives abroad and starts singing: ‘I met this foreign guy who seems honest and I could tell that he likes me and wants to know how to say I love you in Arabic, so I started counting and asked me to listen’. The expressions are listed below based on the order in which they appear in the song, beginning from 0:58 until the end. You’ll hear the name of the country first, followed by the expression.

 

the first set of expressions starts at 0:58

• The Bedouins say:

أهواك .. أحيا معاك وأموت معاك

Ahwak .. Ahya  m’aak  w  moot  m’aak

(I love you.. I’d live and die with you)

 

• Qatar & Bahrain:

كاويني حبك يا زين

Kaawini   hubba-k  ya  zeen

(Your love burns me, beautiful)

 

• Egypt:

بحبك أوي أوي بجنون

Bhibba-k  awi awi  bi-gnoon

(I love you very very much, like crazy)

 

• Kuwait:

بقلبي لابنيلك بيت

B-galb-I   la-bneeli-k  beet

(I’d build you a house in my heart)

 

• Dubai & Ramallah (Palestine):

 

عاشق رمشك يا خيّ

‘aashig   rimsh-ak  ya  khayyi

(I’m in love with your eyelash, buddy)

*****

The second set starts at 2:09

 

• Levant (Syria):

يا مالكني بالغرام

Ya  maalik-ni  bi-l-gharaam

(You possess me with your love ‘You’re captivating’)

 

• Saudi Arabia:

إنت يا كل وجودي

Ent-I   ya   kell   wjood-i

(You’re everything to me ‘my existence’)

 

• Oman:

والله بحبك ولهان

Wallahi b-hubb-ik  walhaan

(I swear ‘wallahi’ I’ve totally fallen for you)

 

• Jordan & Iraq:

مشتاق لعينك مشتاق

Mishtaag l’een-ek  mishtaag

(I miss your eye, I miss them)

 

• Beirut:

بجنّ عليك وفيك بموت

B-jinn  ‘laik  w  feek  b-moot

(I’m crazy about you and I love you to death)

*****

The third set starts at: 2:47

 

• Algeria:

نعشق واي.. باسم العشق نغني راي

Ni’shig waai[1] ..  bi-sm  el-‘eshg  nghann-I  raai

(I’m in love .. in the name of love, I sing Ray)

 

• Tunis:

برشا نذوب من الإحساس

Barsha  nthoob  mn-il-ehsaas

(Too much, I’m melting because of my feelings for you)

 

• Morocco:

دايب بعيونك بزاف

Daayib   bi-‘yoon-ik   bizzaaf

(I’m melting because of your eyes, too much)

 

• Yemen:

عنك والله ما اتخلّى

‘annak  wallah ma  atkhalla

(I’ll never leave you, I swear ‘wallahi’)

 

 

[1] A phrase associated with a certain music culture in Algeria