سوق root: س-و-ق / noun / plural: أَسْواق / definition: market, bazaar It’s nearing midnight and I’ve just returned from Souq Waqif having mistakenly ordered a very sugary tea of which I could only drink half before succumbing to the headache and nausea that now strike whenever I consume sugar. A cup of (very muchContinue reading “The Feminine Superlative in Arabic: When to Use It”
Tag Archives: learning
Wehr Wednesdays #253
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
Arabic Headline Analysis #10 and an Invitation to Akkadian Class
دَعْوة root: د-ع-و / noun / plural: دَعْوات / definition: invitation, call There’s not much that lifts my spirits like an email from my enthusiastic Akkadian teacher, who reached out a few days back about resuming our language classes in October. As I’m spending a semester here in Qatar (and drowning in the workload ofContinue reading “Arabic Headline Analysis #10 and an Invitation to Akkadian Class”
Wehr Wednesdays #252
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
Six Arabic Verbs Meaning “to Prefer”
حُبّ root: ح-ب-ب / noun / definition: love Deciding to spend the rest of my year studying in Qatar has come with many immediate benefits. For one, it motivated me to finally address a major point of procrastination: sorting through the big bag of miscellanea at the foot of my bed which has been satContinue reading “Six Arabic Verbs Meaning “to Prefer””
Wehr Wednesdays #251
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
Form I Active Participles of Hollow Roots
فَراغ root: ف-ر-غ / noun / definition: void, emptiness I’m wrapping up my last week in London for the next few months on the emptiness of fallen-through plans and the urge to claw out a silent space to curl up in and calm my mind. In the corner of my field of vision, I seeContinue reading “Form I Active Participles of Hollow Roots”
Wehr Wednesdays #250
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
Dictionary Finds: فَوَّزَ
إنْجاز root: ن-ج-ز / form IV verbal noun / definition: milestone Have I really written five hundred posts on this blog? It seems so. I would reflect more deeply on this milestone, but there’s an open suitcase on the living room floor with a four-month supply of my various vitamins, four pairs of shoes, enoughContinue reading “Dictionary Finds: فَوَّزَ”
Wehr Wednesdays #249
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
Root Exploration: ع-ذ-ب
سِلْسِلة root: س-ل-س-ل / noun / plural: سَلاسِل / definition: series, chain Due to an unexpected series of events, I found myself this weekend somewhere I never thought I’d go: mini golf. As it turns out, I’m quite the pro (for a beginner, anyway). But I bring myself back to more familiar territory now, asContinue reading “Root Exploration: ع-ذ-ب”
Wehr Wednesdays #248
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
Prepositions and Pronoun Suffixes: Pronunciation Shifts
نُطْق root: ن-ط-ق / noun / definition: pronunciation We’re probably all aware that Arabic prepositions can take pronoun suffixes to denote the object. For example, we can add the suffix ـكَ (you) to مَعَ (with) to give us مَعَكَ (with you). However, when we add (certain) pronoun suffixes to certain prepositions, the spelling and pronunciationContinue reading “Prepositions and Pronoun Suffixes: Pronunciation Shifts”
Wehr Wednesdays #247
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
Arabic’s Chameleon Words: حقّق
حَقّ root: ح-ق-ق / noun / definition: truth After I washed down the social anxieties of last week with a few Kalms‘, I woke up this Monday looking ahead to an empty social calendar for the next two weeks. Huh. Feels odd. Well, it’ll give me some time to work on creating more content forContinue reading “Arabic’s Chameleon Words: حقّق”
Wehr Wednesdays #246
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
Wehr Wednesdays #245
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
Step-by-Step Arabic Literature Translation #15
قَيْلولة root: ق-ي-ل / noun / definition: nap It must be this autumnal weather that’s breezed into mid-summer like an uninvited guest that has me seeking out daytime naps all of a sudden. Maybe I’m squirrelling away energy so I can cope with the gloom. But I’ll claw myself away from another micro-hibernation long enoughContinue reading “Step-by-Step Arabic Literature Translation #15”
Wehr Wednesdays #244
A new word or phrase from the Hans Wehr dictionary, every Wednesday.
Some Arabic Words for “Darkness”
اِسْحِنْكاك root: س-ح-ك / form XIV verbal noun / definition: to be extremely dark Last week for me was full of meetings, meet-ups, appointments, and a good three-hour conversation over dinner. So my productivity and social battery, this week, are dragging their feet to recovery—and taking a few hits on the way. But we’re onContinue reading “Some Arabic Words for “Darkness””
The Arabic Pages 