Archive for 'Culture'
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…
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…
Celebrations in Arabic Posted by yasmine on Jun 26, 2019
What kind of celebrations احْتِفالات could you be invited to in an Arab country? In this post, we’ll look at four celebrations also common in English speaking countries and the useful phrases to say at these celebrations. Wedding reception عُرْس / زَفاف When invited to an Arabic wedding, expect it to be at a wedding…
Famous Arab Singers Who Sing in Standard Arabic Posted by yasmine on Jun 19, 2019
When learning a new language, some learners like to begin listening to songs أغاني in that language. In the case of Arabic, you can find many Arabic songs of course, but most songs are in different dialects such as Egyptian, Lebanese, and gulf. So, if you’re learning standard Arabic, you’ll want to listen to تَسْتَمِع…
The Hookah Lifestyle Posted by Anastasia on Jun 10, 2019
Hookah, shisha, arguileh or water-pipe tobacco is an instrument used for smoking or vaping flavored tobacco (Muaassal معسل) such as apple, mint, cherry, chocolate and watermelon through a hose (نبريش). Where does the hookah originate from? and when was it first used? The hookah(الأرغيلة) was first introduced in the 1500s AD . Some people claim that the…
A day in the Bekaa Valley رحلة إلى سهل البقاع Posted by Anastasia on May 27, 2019
Marhaba readers! Yesterday I spent the day in the Bekaa Valley( سهل البقاع), the largest valley in Lebanon. The first stop was in Zahle(زحله) the largest town and administrative capital of the Bekaa Governorate. In Zahle, we visited the biggest wine producers in Lebanon : Les Caves de Ksara (French). Les Caves de Ksara…