Special Arabic Occasions: What they are, What to Do and Say in them? Posted by Ibnulyemen اِبْنُ اليَمَن on Apr 15, 2017
Certain linguistic expressions are associated with specific cultural and religious occasions. For example, “Happy Easter!”, “Joyeuses Pâques!”, and “Frohe Ostern!” are expressions said in special occasions in English; French; and German, respectively. Among the most culturally celebrated, congratulation-invoking, and religiously observed occasions among Arabs (and Muslims) are Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-AdhHa, Ramadhan, and Friday of…
Arabic Graffiti Posted by aziza on Apr 14, 2017
Graffiti (الغرافيتي) is the art of writing and drawing on walls. It usually serves to deliver a social or political message. The art is very common in the Arab world where social and political problems affect the lives of millions and where the freedom of expression margin is very narrow. I remember as a child…
How does Nominal Derivation work in Arabic? Posted by Hanan Ben Nafa on Apr 12, 2017
Some Arabic learners out there might be struggling with Arabic vocabulary or complaining that they don’t know enough words. Arabic vocabulary is indeed quite rich and varied, but it is also systematic. One beautiful aspect of the Arabic language is its productivity when it comes to word formation. What is derivation? Derivation or what…
Hospitality Politics in the Arab world: ‘Bas Ma-shrebti Shi!’ Posted by Hanan Ben Nafa on Apr 5, 2017
As is the case with most cultures all over the world, people tend to attach a specific social meaning to food. However, food has a far more special place in the Arab world. In addition to being symbolic of hospitality, serving food and eating together is a social ritual and plays a huge role…
Learn Arabic vocabulary for 30 mins Posted by aziza on Mar 31, 2017
Today, I present a nice video I found on YouTube which I will use with my daughter over the weekend. I like the video so much because it is very useful and easy at the same time. It is a list of words in Modern Standard Arabic which are related to everyday life and which…
Arabic Definiteness: Formation, Meaning, and Assimilation Posted by Ibnulyemen اِبْنُ اليَمَن on Mar 30, 2017
Typically, nouns and adjectives in most languages are made definite by articles. ‘the’; ‘le, la, les’; ‘die, der, des’ are the definite articles in English, French, and German, respectively. In Arabic, nouns and adjectives are made definite using ال which is appended to the beginning of the word, as in these examples: مَدِينَةٌ جَامِعَةً حِذَاءً…
What do you think the Arabic saying ‘Ala Al-barakah’ means? Posted by Hanan Ben Nafa on Mar 29, 2017
There are many phrases in Arabic that not only have cultural connotations, but also direct religious ones. The Arabic phrase we are going to look at today is ‘Ala Al-Barakah’ على البركه , which means ‘By God’s blessings’. The word ‘barakah’ literally means “blessing” and “increase in something”. In the Arab Muslim world, the…