Tag Archives: vocabulary

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.

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”

Arabic Verb Forms XI-XV

أَكْثَر root: ك-ث-ر / comparative, superlative / definition: more, most As you can see, I couldn’t wait too long for another post about Arabic roots following our look at quadriliteral (four-letter-root) verb forms. But this time, we’re going back to triliteral (three-letter) verb forms and exploring the ones above X—i.e. forms XI-XV (yes, they exist!).

Step-by-Step Arabic Literature Translation #6

شاعِر root: ش-ع-ر / noun / plural: شُعَراء / definition: poet For today’s addition to the literature translation series, I’ve chosen some lines from a poem that really had an impact on me the first time I read it. And that’s because the poet’s words are not confined to a poem. Instead, they unsettlingly foreshadowContinue reading “Step-by-Step Arabic Literature Translation #6”

Six Ways to Say “Can” or “to be Able to” in Arabic

قُدْرَة root: ق-د-ر / noun / plural: قُدُرات / definition: ability, capability For the vast majority of us, this past year has swirled into a nebulous stretch of time—a calendar that’s run away with itself and plunged into senselessness. One of the only things punctuating my weeks has been writing these posts (the Wehr WednesdaysContinue reading “Six Ways to Say “Can” or “to be Able to” in Arabic”