Arabic Headline Analysis #7

جامِعة root: ج-م-ع / noun / plural: جامِعات / definition: university So I’m finally here, at university (!), after a four-hour drive which depleted my already-sunken energy levels and temporarily numbed my arm that had the misfortune of being the support pillar of a precariously-balanced bag. But who cares about the fatigue, the six hillsContinue reading “Arabic Headline Analysis #7”

Useful Arabic Phrases Meaning “Tantamount to”

عَكَسَ root: ع-ك-س / form I verb / present tense: يَعكِسُ / definition: to reflect I was toying with the title Fancy Ways to Say “Is” in Arabic for this post—which would have been reflective of the content, albeit a little ambiguous. Nevertheless, the phrases we’re going to look at in this post which—by dictionaryContinue reading “Useful Arabic Phrases Meaning “Tantamount to””

Four Arabic Verbs Meaning “to Listen”

أُذن root: ء-ذ-ن / noun / plural: آذان / definition: ear A few months ago, we took a look at a plethora of Arabic words that all mean “to look at”. Now, we’re adding to the synonyms series by exploring another common verb related to one of the senses: “to listen“!

Step-by-Step Arabic Literature Translation #8

سيرة root: س-ي-ر / noun / plural: سِيَر / definition: biography For this post in the literature translation series, we’ll be going word-by-word through a non-fiction excerpt, taken from بغداد: سيرة مدينة (Baghdad: Biography of a City) by the Iraqi writer نجم والي (Najem Wali).

Root Exploration: ع-ر-ق

زَمَن root: ز-م-ن / noun / plural: أَزمان / definition: stretch of time It’s been a long time since our last post in the Root Exploration series. (In all honesty, though, it hasn’t felt long at all to me since I explore roots in the dictionary every day!) I’ve had a few roots written downContinue reading “Root Exploration: ع-ر-ق”

Arabic Observations: Compound Quadriliteral Arabic Verbs

اِندِماج root: د-م-ج / verbal noun of form VII / definition: merging I’m super excited as I begin this post, because not only is it part of my beloved Arabic Observations series, it’s all about quadriliteral roots!