A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
Tag Archives: language
Saying “May” or “Might” in Arabic
مُصْطَلَح root: ص-ل-ح / noun / plural: مُصْطَلَحات / definition: term (e.g. linguistic or technical) If you’re studying Arabic, you’ll know that there is usually a plethora of corresponding Arabic terms for each English word—and you’ll also know that a lot of those Arabic words can carry a variety of different meanings based on theContinue reading “Saying “May” or “Might” in Arabic”
Wehr Wednesdays #18
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
Reference: Arabic Verb Forms Table
جَدْوَل root: ج-د-ل / noun / plural: جَداوِل / definition: chart, table I can’t quite believe that I have been posting on this blog since October without actually posting an Arabic verb table for reference. So, without further ado:
Wehr Wednesdays #17
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
Certainties and Uncertainties
يَقين root: ي-ق-ن / noun / definition: certainty There’s a number of certainties in my life—one of them being that I must resume studying Arabic formally after this year-long hiatus that I decided to take.
Wehr Wednesdays #16
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
Arabic Observations: Root Derived From Phrase
جَذْر root: ج-ذ-ر / noun / plural: جُذور / definition: root Flick through to page 1016 of the Hans Wehr dictionary (4th ed.) and you’ll find something really intriguing.
Wehr Wednesdays #15
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
Something Along These Lines…
فَنّ root: ف-ن-ن / noun / plural: فُنون / definition: art In much more succinct terms than those which appeared in its title, my dissertation explored specific expressions of the concept of “homeland” (الوَطَن) in Arabic poetry.
Wehr Wednesdays #14
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
The Textbook Safety Net?
سَلامة root: س-ل-م / verbal noun of form I / meaning: safety, security Not long after I had paraded across the stage at my graduation, a shiny, new Arabic textbook was delivered to my door and I felt an engulfing sense of relief—ahh, structure.
Wehr Wednesdays #13
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
Explaining “Although”
تَفسير root: ف-س-ر / verbal noun of form II / plural: تَفاسير / meaning: explanation The phrase “بالرغم مِن أنّ ــــــ إلّا أنّ ـــــــ” means “although”–but how do we actually use it and what goes where?
Wehr Wednesdays #12
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
Arabic Observations: Word Twins
تَوْأَم root: ت-و-ء-م / noun / plural: تَوائِم / definition: twin You notice many things when you look at the pages of Hans Wehr more than you see daylight. And time and time again, I’ve noticed this one phenomenon which I call (in my head) “word twins”.
Wehr Wednesdays #11
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
Arabic Headline Analysis
تحليل root: ح-ل-ل / verbal noun of form II / plural: تَحليلات or تَحاليل / definition: analysis Sometimes you might see a news headline in which you understand all of the words, yet you can’t make enough sense of the grammar to get to the meaning. And sometimes you just don’t know the words. SoContinue reading “Arabic Headline Analysis”
Wehr Wednesdays #10
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
Is Motivation Enough?
دافِع root: د-ف-ع / active participle of form I / plural: دَوافِع / definition: incentive, motive I think it’s now been over eight months since my last Arabic lesson at university, which feels very odd to think about. It’s almost felt like I’ve just been on a long summer break this whole time, with thatContinue reading “Is Motivation Enough?”
The Arabic Pages 