Archive for the year 2010
The Absolute Object Posted by aziza on May 25, 2010
The Absolute Object (المفعول المطلق) is a special type of object that serves to emphasize the meaning of the main verb. It is typically formed by using the verbal noun (المصدر) derived from the main verb in the accusative form, e.g. انتصر الجيش انتصاراً. ‘The army has achieved victory.’ The absolute objects can be modified…
Tricky Dual (both) Posted by aziza on May 23, 2010
Dual can be very tricky at times. The word (كِلا) in Arabic means ‘both’ in English. It is used mainly as part of an idaafa construction, either with a definite noun (كِلا الطالبان) ‘both students’ or a pronoun, e.g. (كِلاهما) ‘both of them’. Many people erroneously use (كِلا) with both masculine and feminine, without realizing…
A Confusing Arabic Word Pair: An and Anna Posted by aziza on May 20, 2010
There are two words that are written in the same way and that are often confusing for learners of Arabic. These words are (أنّ) ‘anna’, (أنْ) ‘an’. They are functional words that differ in the way they are used. These two words collocate with different verbs, e.g. with (عرف) ‘knew’, we must use (أنّ) which…
Horoscopes in Arabic Posted by aziza on May 17, 2010
The horoscopes (الابراج) play an important role in some people’s lives – but not me! I have never believed in horoscopes or even cared to read them in the newspaper. This may have some personal or religious reasons. Some people, on the other hand, are obsessed by horoscopes to the extent that they depend on…
Countries of the Arab World Posted by Transparent Language on May 16, 2010
The names of countries considered to be part of the Arab World including grammatical gender.
The Other Lebanon Posted by Transparent Language on May 15, 2010
Photos of Lebanon by Pascal Beaudenon.
Latifa Al-Zayyat Posted by aziza on May 14, 2010
Latifa Al-Zayyat (لطيفة الزيات) is a distinguished novelist (روائية), literary critic (ناقدة أدبية), an academic (أستاذة جامعية) and an intellectual (مفكرة). She was born in Damietta, on August 8, 1923. She received her education at Egyptian schools and later obtained her PhD in English literature from Cairo University in 1957. She is also a political…