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“Tawjihi”تَوجيهي Every Jordanian Student’s Nightmare! Posted by yasmine on Feb 6, 2019
If you think you had it hard in high school المَدرسة الثانَوِيّة, ask any Jordanian about their experience تَجْرِبة, and for sure they will have an interesting story to tell about their year as a “Tawjihi” student. What is Tawjihi تَوجيهي? Tawjihi is the General Secondary Education Certification Examination in Jordan and serves to determine يُحَدِد which…
How to use the Dual form الْمُثَنَّى in Arabic? Part two Posted by yasmine on Jan 30, 2019
Going back to talking about the Dual, in this post we’ll be focusing on applying the dual form to adjectives and verbs. Let’s first look at adjectives: A dual noun is modified by a dual adjective. For example: “two Iraqi (male) students” is طالبان عراقيان “two Iraqi (female) students” is طالبتان عراقيتان Remember: Any noun…
How to use the Dual form الْمُثَنَّى in Arabic? Part one Posted by yasmine on Jan 23, 2019
Learning Arabic plurals is not easy, I’ll admit, but… we cannot forget the dual form in Arabic الْمُثَنَّى which is a separate form for talking about two people, things, or actions. It’s important to know how to use the dual in Arabic because we cannot simply use the plural form instead. The dual form can…
Harissa /Basboosa /هريسة / بسبوسة (Semolina Cake) Posted by yasmine on Jan 16, 2019
If you have tried any Middle Eastern desserts or sweets, I’m sure you have been craving تشتهي for more ever since. Some Arabic desserts can be difficult to make at home and not everyone lives near a Middle Eastern restaurant. So, I wanted to share a recipe وصفة for an easy Arabic dessert that you…
Aqiqah – Celebrating the birth of a child! (العقيقة) Posted by yasmine on Jan 9, 2019
Just got back from Jordan and Turkey where I spent the holiday with family and friends. I had just become a mother in August, and we wanted everyone to see the new grandchild حفيد. During our stay, my mother and father in law decided they wanted to perform “Aqiqah” عقيقة that is to sacrifice يضحي…
What can Arabic Proverbs tell us about Arab Culture? Posted by yasmine on Dec 26, 2018
You can learn a lot about a culture when you know some of its proverbs مَثل/حِكمة or wise sayings. Here are some Arabic proverbs with their English translations. I have all the English translations at the bottom of the post, so you can first try to understand the meaning in Arabic or at least the…
Envy and the Evil Eye in Arab and Islamic Culture الحسد Posted by yasmine on Dec 19, 2018
What do you know about the “evil eye” العين الحسود in Arab and Islamic culture الثقافة العربية والإسلامية? Like many people in the Middle East, I grew up believing in the power of envy الحسد and the existence of the evil eye. That one could envy intentionally and unintentionally, therefore, it’s always best to say…