Three Ways to Say “Seize the Opportunity” in Arabic

حَرّ

root: ح-ر-ر / noun / definition: heat

I’ve been making the most of the heat and sun these two days with (very) mini sunbathing sessions in the garden fuelled by several litres of water and regular respite inside the somewhat-cooler house. Living in the UK, I feel like I need to make the most of whatever sun we’re lucky enough to get.

(I’ve also been watching A Place in the Sun enviously for the past two weeks, wishing it was me house-hunting in the Mediterranean—one day إن شاء الله…)

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Root Exploration: م-د-ن

مُصابَة

root: ص-و-ب / passive participle of form IV (feminine) / definition: afflicted, ill

After more than two years of successfully dodging Covid, it finally caught me—and my parents—out. At least there’s some solidarity.

That annoying cough is still plaguing me as I type this and, over the weekend, I was suffering the worst sore throat I can remember. Sense of taste and smell are gone too, I’m feverish, and, ooh, the relentless back pain between my shoulder blades was agony for the first few days.

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Seats of the Hamza (ء)

هَمْزة

root: ه-م-ز / noun / plural: هَمَزات / definition: the letter ء, the glottal stop

This is a post I’ve been meaning to make for a while—for my own sake as well as yours, fellow Arabic nerds.

I’m sure we’ve all noticed that the hamza (ء) sometimes appears independently in a word and, at other times, it appears on one of the following letters: ا / و / ى (the so-called seats).

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Four Words for “Contradiction” in Arabic

قِطار

root: ق-ط-ر / noun / plural: قِطارات / definition: train

I’m back in London as of Sunday and I’m relieved. It feels much less… claustrophobic. The two-hour train journey here was neither fun nor productive though, because although I had planned to get some dissertation reading done on the journey, I only managed about five pages before my travel sickness overwhelmed me and I succumbed to staring into space for the rest of the journey.

Ah well.

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Arabic Roots: the Different Types

نَوْع

root: ن-و-ع / noun / plural: اَنْواع / definition: type

I’ve thought about writing a book about Arabic grammar for a long time. Just because I love it so much. I thought that maybe I’d start off with a small one about Arabic verbs, focusing on the forms perhaps, but when I start making plans about what I’d include, the plan for the “small book” soon spirals out of control because there’s just so much I can’t bear to exclude!

The conclusion is that I’m sticking to writing blog posts for the time being. But keep an eye out…

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Passive Form I Quadriliteral Verbs

رُباعي

root: ر-ب-ع / adjective / definition: quadriliteral

Quadriliterals… we meet again. And this time, we’re looking at how to transform form I quadriliteral verbs from active to passive.

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The Causative بـ

ذاكِرة

root: ذ-ك-ر / noun / definition: memory

Ahh, finally, a grammar post! My brain feels at least somewhat refreshed now that I’ve had a week of doing nothing (except what we can call passive learning: watching Lebanese and Iraqi TV series and having الجزيرة on in the background every day while I play solitaire in the kitchen).

In today’s post we’re going to look at an interesting function of the preposition بِـ when it follows some verbs.

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Another Small But Useful Phrase: جاء في

تَقرير

root: ق-ر-ر / verbal noun of form II / plural: تَقارير / definition: report

With my last deadline until September out of the way as of Monday, my brain has finally had time to do… nothing. And it’s really needed that break to be honest—since we started semester two way back in January, it’s been non-stop: 11 consecutive weeks of class, 4 weeks in Jordan, and then 4 weeks of deadlines/exams.

No wonder I’m exhausted.

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Some Form VI Verbs for “to Compete with One Another”

مُنافَسة

root: ن-ف-س / verbal noun of form III / plural: مُنافَسات / definition: competition

Form VI verbs typically refer to some sort of exchange, or mutual action. And competition, by nature, involves mutual participation.

So let’s explore some of the form VI verbs that mean “to compete with one another”, and the roots they’re derived from…

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Dictionary Finds: أيِس

وَثائِقي

root: و-ث-ق / adjective / definition: documentary

I’ve spent the past few days furiously (and, sometimes, frustratedly) editing the mini documentary I have to submit for an Arabic assessment. I say “mini”, but creating a 30-minute video with footage from Jordan and videos I shot here in my flat of me speaking face-to-camera—with my phone precariously balanced on a chair, recycling box, and a stack of books I haven’t had time to read—has felt like no small feat.

And I say “frustratedly” because, other than the video transition glitches getting on my last nerve, watching and listening to yourself speak a foreign language—and having to re-watch and re-listen so many times during the editing process—is not too fun.

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