فبراير 7th, 2008
Most verbs in Arabic are built around a trilateral root, consisting of three consonants. For example, the word دَخَلَ (dakhala) which means “to enter”. The root of the word is د + خ + ل . The consonants will remain the same, no matter what tense the verb is in. As in Spanish, verbs in Arabic are conjugated (change form, depending on pronoun). In the “present” tense, it works like this, with use of a prefix (ت - “ta” , ي - ya, or ن - na) along with modifying the vowel pattern. The root consonants remain the same. The following example is in the “past” or perfect tense, with a suffix attached to the root.
He entered - دَخَلَ (dakhala)
She entered - دَخَلَتْ (dakhalat)
You (m. sing.) entered - دَخَلَتَ (dakhalata)
You (f. sing.) entered - دَخَلَتِ (dakhalati)
I entered - دَخَلَتُ (dakhalatu)
They (dual m. - 3rd person) - دَخَلا (dakhala)
They (dual f. - 3rd person) - دَخَلَتَا (dakhalata)
You (dual 2nd person) entered - دَخَلْتُمَا (dakhaltuma)
They (m. pl) entered - دَخَلُوا (dakhalua)
They (f. pl) entered - دَخَلْنَ (dakhalna)
You (m. pl) entered - دَخَلْتُمْ (dakhaltum)
You (f. pl) entered - دَخَلْتُنَّ (dakhaltunna)
We entered - دَخَلْنَا (dakhalna)
Arabic does not have an exact equivalent of the “present” and “past” tense, as used in English. Instead, it has the “perfect” and “imperfect” tenses. Perfect tense is used to describe actions that have been completed, such as “he ate” but not “he was eating” which is imperfect (incomplete action in the past or present). The above example is the perfect tense, describing completed actions in the past. The above is also in the “active” voice (”he entered”), rather than “passive” which would be “he had entered”.
When looking up words in the dictionary, verbs are given in the male singular third person (”He”), in the perfect tense. For example, you would find “to enter” listed as دَخَلَ (dakhala).
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يناير 21st, 2008
There are several different words for a “store” or “shop” in Arabic. These include محل (mahall) and دكان (dukaan).
The word محل (mahall) is the most commonly used, especially in places including Egypt. To specify the type of store, you can say:
محل زهور (mahall zuhoor) - flower shop
محل بقالة (mahall baqal) - grocery store; alternatively, one can just say بقال (baqal)
محل ملابس (mahall malahbis) - clothing store
محل كبير (mahall kibeer) - department store (large store)
دكان (dukaan) is used more infrequently in Egypt, though has greater use in other areas (e.g. Kuwait). This word refers to a small shop, such as a neighborhood corner store.
In informal spoken Arabic (colloquial dialects), the word سوبرماركت, borrowed from English, is also used and understood.
Photo credit: stu spivack (Flickr), CC-BY-SA
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ديسمبر 17th, 2007
The Arabic version of the 2008 IKEA catalogue is full of material for learning vocabulary. The catalogue is broken down by sections, depending on type of room.
الأطفال (al atfaal) - children
إيكيا - IKEA
طهى (taha) - to cook
أكل (akal) - to eat
نظم (nathama) - to order, to put in order, arrange, file, …
المنزل (menzil) - home
منسوجات - textiles
إضاءة (ida’a) - lighting, illumination; ضاء (da’a) - to shine, light, illuminate, …
زينة (zaina) - to decorate, adorn, embellish, …
Tags: arabic, arabic language, home, shopping, vocabulary | No Comments »
ديسمبر 16th, 2007
Space for Living (مساحة المعيشة) is the theme for the 2008 IKEA catalogue. IKEA has locations in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, selling the same furnishings and other products for the home as is sold in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere.
The 2008 catalogue is published in both English and Arabic:
http://www.ikea.com.sa.ethosksa.com/
On the first page, it says إكتشف أفكار تخزين (discover storage ideas):
إكتشف - discover
أفكار (fikr) thought, idea - from افكار (afkar) thinking, cognition, reflection, meditation, speculation, …
خزين (khazana) to store, stock, amass, accumulate
The first page also has an index to the catalogue, listing the various rooms of the home. Here are some of the sections of the catalogue:
غرفة (ghurfa) - room
غرفة الجلوس (ghurfat al jaloos) - sitting room or living room
غرفة النوم (ghurfat al naum) - bedroom
الحمام (hamam) - bathroom
العمل في المنزل (al a’mel fi al-menazil) - work in/at home or home office
غرفة الطعام (ghufat al ta’am) - dining room
المطبخ (al matbakh) - kitchen
Tags: arabic, arabic language, home, shopping, vocabulary | No Comments »
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About This Blog
I am studying Arabic at the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC, and will be in Egypt in the summer. This site covers Arabic grammar, vocabulary, and other aspects of the Arabic language, and makes frequent use of YouTube videos, news, and other Arabic language resources on the Internet.
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