Tag Archives: hans wehr

The End, the Middle, and the Beginning

أُفُق root: ء-ف-ق / noun / plural: آفاق / definition: horizon Today, I was conducting the Arabic oral exams for my second-year students and it became apparent that I have some residual anxiety from my undergraduate days as I felt nervous for them. They seemed chilled in comparison, which I’m happy about. This sort ofContinue reading “The End, the Middle, and the Beginning”

Arabic Words for “Eternity”

جَزيرة root: ج-ز-ر / noun / plural: جُزُر / definition: island I’ve spent the past week reconnecting with my home from home: backpacking around Majorca and reacquainting myself with its beaches and towns, and visiting the school I once attended for a year in our village in the south of the island. Ah, those irresistibleContinue reading “Arabic Words for “Eternity””

The Wind, and a Wandering Mind

ريح root: ر-و-ح / noun / plural: رِياح / definition: wind I was watching an episode of Karadayı last week, my favourite Turkish series, and two phrases related to the wind came up in quick succession: Hangi rüzgâr attı sizi buraya? (literally: which wind threw you here? / meaning: what brought you here unexpectedly afterContinue reading “The Wind, and a Wandering Mind”

Quinquiliteral Arabic Roots

خُماسيّ root: خ-م-س / adjective / definition: consisting of five consonants I have just a matter of hours before I’m due to catch a flight, and an unexpected nap earlier means that I’m now two to-dos behind on my to-do list, with writing this post being in prime position. Anyhow, you’ve read about my obsessionContinue reading “Quinquiliteral Arabic Roots”

Dictionary Finds: جِفتلِك

نَفَس root: ن-ف-س / noun / plural: أَنْفاس / definition: breath For the first time in a while, I feel like I can take a breath. And I can feel my creativity, whose absence I’ve been mourning for the past few weeks, rushing back as though floodgates have suddenly been lifted. What a relief!

Solidarity and Coming Together: Seven Verbal Nouns in Arabic

كارِثة root: ك-ر-ث / noun / plural: كَوارِث / definition: catastrophe We’ve all no doubt heard about the earthquakes that struck this week, affecting parts of Türkiye and Syria. And perhaps most of us have seen photos and videos of the catastrophic consequences. Alongside the horrors, we’ve also seen people coming together and joining forcesContinue reading “Solidarity and Coming Together: Seven Verbal Nouns in Arabic”