Tag Archives: learning

How to Say “Post-” in Arabic

مَرْحَلة root: ر-ح-ل / noun / plural: مَراحِل / definition: stage, phase Don’t get confused, it’s not البريد (the post, mail) that we’re talking about this week—we’re actually looking at how to create words with the post- prefix, such as: postcolonial, postmodern, post-pandemic, etc.

Arabic Headline Analysis #6

شَهر root: ش-ه-ر / noun / plural: أَشهُر or شُهور / definition: month Seeing as it’s the first week of Ramadan (!رمضان مبارك)—and hopefully it still is by the time I finish this post—I’ve chosen a fitting headline to analyse in our latest addition to the series. Let’s begin our word-by-word vocabulary and grammar explanationContinue reading “Arabic Headline Analysis #6”

The Three Types of “If” in Arabic

إمْكانِيّة root: م-ك-ن / noun / plural: إمْكانِيّات / definition: possibility I intended for this week’s post to be a headline analysis or root exploration—neither of which we’ve had in a while. But then someone mentioned they’d like to see a post about the different types of “if” in Arabic, which happens to be oneContinue reading “The Three Types of “If” in Arabic”

Comparing بعض and بضع

تَحْديد root: ح-د-د / verbal noun of form II / definition: specifying The specifiers بَعْض and بِضْع are another example of the “same root letters, different sequence” phenomenon, as they have shared meanings. However, there’s some key differences between the meanings and grammar of these two words that we should know.

Dissertation Topic Ideas for Arabic Language Students

رِسالة root: ر-س-ل / noun / plural: رَسائِل or رِسالات / definition: dissertation I remember—back in autumn 2018, starting my final year of BA Arabic and Linguistics—I was searching for dissertation ideas. I’m not sure why I was surprised, given the general lack of specific resources for Arabic students, but I didn’t find anything helpfulContinue reading “Dissertation Topic Ideas for Arabic Language Students”

Meanings and Uses of غير

اِسْتِعْمال root: ع-م-ل / verbal noun of form X / plural: اِسْتِعْمالات / definition: use, application This week, it’s another grammar explanations post (yay!) which was requested through Instagram. And the question we’re going to answer is: what are the different meanings of the word غير and how can we use it?

An Indefinite Noun Followed by ما

نَكِرة root: ن-ك-ر / noun / definition: indefinite noun It doesn’t feel like we’ve had a grammar explanations post in a while—perhaps because the last two were focused on less-discussed verb forms (interesting stuff for fellow grammar nerds) rather than syntactic structures. So today, we’re going to look at what effect ما has on anContinue reading “An Indefinite Noun Followed by ما”

Arabic Observations: Time of Day and “to Become” Synonyms

وَقْت root: و-ق-ت / noun / plural: أَوْقات / definition: time The first post in the synonyms series was Four Common Words for “to Become” in Arabic. By definition, the verb “to become” is inherently linked to time—it indicates that something first wasn’t and then came to be afterwards. But the synonyms of “to become” inContinue reading “Arabic Observations: Time of Day and “to Become” Synonyms”

Arabic Books Currently in My Basket

سَلّة root: س-ل-ل / noun / plural: سِلال / definition: basket It’s been quite a few months since I told you about the useful Arabic books I have on my bookshelf. And while I’ve advised against overwhelming yourself with resources (advice mainly directed at myself), this hasn’t stopped me from steadily filling up my AmazonContinue reading “Arabic Books Currently in My Basket”

My Favourite Arabic Podcast is Back!

عَودة root: ع-و-د / verbal noun of form I / definition: return Over a year ago, I shared with you the best Arabic podcast I’d found—recordings from The Arabic Circle, by the University of Chicago. The only issue was that new uploads stopped years ago and I was desperate for some new listening material. (TheContinue reading “My Favourite Arabic Podcast is Back!”