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…
CAPHARNAÜM (کفرناحوم) : The Lebanese Movie Nominated for a Golden Globe. Posted by Anastasia on Dec 17, 2018
Capharnaüm (کفرناحوم) is a Lebanese drama film (فيلم) written and directed by Nadine Labaki. The movie follows the life (حياة) of young Zain, a Syrian refugee (لاجئ سوري) living on the streets of Beirut (بيروت) for 9 years, without identification papers or even an identity card (بطاقة هوية). The movie is very relatable and dives…
How to pronounce the letter “ق” when SPEAKING Arabic Posted by yasmine on Dec 12, 2018
So, you’ve learned to read in Arabic and you’ve practiced how to pronounce the “ق” which is a “Q” sound in the back of your throat. Then, you hear Arabic speakers talk and realize that sometimes the letter “ق” is being replaced with another sound. Why is this so? Before reading this post, did you…
Marhaba!مرحباً It’s Anastasia, the new Arabic blogger! Posted by Anastasia on Dec 10, 2018
Marhaba!مرحباً My name is Anastasia Ibrahim and I’m the new Arabic language blogger for Transparent Language! But before our journey through the Middle East starts, let me tell you a bit about myself. LEBANESE BORN AND RAISED I was born in 1995 in a small town by the sea called Chekka in North Lebanon(لبنان)…
Jordan’s Melting Pot Posted by yasmine on Dec 5, 2018
مرحباً! If you’re studying Arabic, then you probably have Jordan as one of the Arab countries on your list to visit. Of course, if you are interested in Arab culture, Jordanians for the most part are Arabs, yet Jordan is also home to a few non-Arab ethnic minorities (أقليات عرقية) who have adapted to Arab…
!تفضل Tafaddal! Posted by yasmine on Nov 28, 2018
Oh, the many uses of “تفضل”. If you’ve been to any Arab country, watched any Arabic shows, visited an Arab friend, you’ve most likely heard this word being used over and over again. So, what does “تفضل” mean, what is it derived from, and pragmatically speaking, how is it used appropriately and in what contexts?…
MarHaba from the newest Arabic Blogger Posted by yasmine on Nov 21, 2018
مرحباً! My name is Yasmine and I will be posting about Arabic language and culture here on the Arabic Language Blog! I thought I’d share with you my background خلفيتي in learning Arabic and experiencing the Arab culture. Moving to Jordan! I was born in the United Sates to an American mother and Jordanian father…