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Three Very Common Arabic Words Posted by yasmine on Sep 4, 2019
If you’ve had the opportunity to listen to Arabic speakers have everyday conversations or watch Arabic T.V shows, you most probably have heard three commonly used words. Can you try to guess what they could be? They are (يَعني، خَلَص، يَلّا). I myself use them for sure every day. In this post, I will be…
Plugging English Words into Everyday Arabic Posted by yasmine on Aug 28, 2019
Growing up in Jordan, over the years, I have noticed a significant increase of using English alongside Arabic in people’s everyday speech. Of course, Modern Standard Arabic remains untouched. Here, I focus on everyday dialectical Arabic and how English has penetrated Jordanian’s everyday speech. Sometimes certain Arabic words are replaced with English words. I will…
What You Find at a Maza Breakfast Posted by yasmine on Aug 21, 2019
For the last twenty days, I’ve been visiting family in Jordan and Turkey and enjoying maza breakfasts every morning. I think when Arabic breakfast comes to mind, some may think only of hummus and falafel. But, an Arabic breakfast spread has so much more variety. In this post we’ll be learning about some common Arabic…
Basic Technology Terms in Arabic and How to Write in Arabizi Posted by yasmine on Aug 7, 2019
Have you ever thought of switching your phone or computer to Arabic? Try it for a day and see what terms you understand such as “username”, “save”, “delete”, etc. In this post, we’ll be looking at technology vocab in Arabic. Keep in mind, some terms are the same used in English. You’ll also find that…
What’s at the Stationery Store in Arabic? Posted by yasmine on Jul 31, 2019
In this post, we’ll be looking at items you’ll find at any stationery store or bookstore in Arabic. In the Arab world, you can find separate stationery stores usually called “مَكتبة”. This word, as you may already know is also used for “library”. These stores sell stationery items الأدوات المكتبية such as school and office…
What’s at the Arabic Bakery? Posted by yasmine on Jul 24, 2019
You’ve probably tried pita bread خُبْز before but having fresh طازَج baked pita bread from your local bakery مَخبَز مَحلي is something else. Living in Jordan, I had gotten used to walking to the bakery and getting fresh bread, pastries, and sweets at any time. Now, living in the US, buying bread from a regular…
“Money” in Arabic Posted by yasmine on Jul 17, 2019
When visiting an Arab country, it’s good to know “money” related vocabulary. Knowing your numbers is of course crucial, but understanding words like “money”, “change”, “currency”, etc. will come in handy. Also, knowing more Arabic will help you in places where you have to bargain يُساوِم. In this post, we’re going to look at Arabic…