Grocery shopping

يناير 21st, 2008

GroceryThere 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

Space for Living - Part II

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, …

ٍٍٍٍٍٍSpace for Living

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

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.