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A close look at a headline
al-Quds: Responding to the tragedy of al-Jazeera journalist Wael al-Dahdouh
- His wife, 7-year-old daughter, and 15-year-old son were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Nuseirat refugee camp (مخيّم النصيرات) on October 28, 2023, along with 8 of his other relatives.
- On December 15, 2023, while covering the airstrike on the Haifa school in Khan Yunis (خان يونس), al-Dahdouh and his colleague cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa (سامر أبو دقة) were hit by an Israeli missile, injuring Dahdouh and killing Abu Daqqa.
- His son, journalist Hamza al-Dahdouh (حمزة الدحدوح), was killed in an Israeli attack on Khan Younis on January 7, 2024, and 2 of his nephews were killed the following day.
ARABIC | EXPLANATION |
---|---|
سِياسيٌّ | political; politician |
نَشِيطٌ – نُشَطاءُ | active; activist. For example: human rights activist (نُشَطاءُ حُقُوقِ الْإنْسانِ). There is also a rare plural form, which is نِشاط |
تَضامَنَ – يَتَضامَنُ مع | to be solidary with; to stick together; to be in accord; to have mutual responsibility. It is a VI-verb (تَفاعَلَ), thus, we already have a hint that a mutual aspect is at play. The infinitive noun (مصدر) is تَضامُنٌ usually denotes solidarity. For example: to declare one’s solidarity with (أَعْلَنَ التَّضامُنَ مَعَ). |
إعْلامِيٌّ | informative/media; media personality |
نَقِيبٌ | union leader (in this context since we talk about Tunisia where unions are strong); it can also mean captain (in the military) and, more generally, leader, chief, head. |
صَحافِيٌّ or صُحُفِيٌّ | journalist |
سابِقٌ | former, ex-; past; preceding |
صُمُودٌ | perseverance; persistence; endurance |
أَهْلٌ – أَهالٍ | people (in this context and usually when used in the plural); family. For example: the People of the Book = Christians and Jews (أَهْل الكِتابِ); the local people (أَهالي البَلَدةِ) |
Sky News Arabia: the snowball method
ARABIC | EXPLANATION |
---|---|
دَيْنٌ – دُيُونٌ | debt. For example: national debt (دَيْنُ الدَّوْلةِ). Notice the pronunciaton “dain”. The word for religion looks the same, but is pronounced with “i” – “deen”: دِينٌ (plural: أَدْيان) |
خُطّةٌ – خُطَطٌ | plan. In politics you often hear the phrase five-year plan. In Arabic, this can be difficult to understand because in Arabic, this is often expressed without mentioning the word year: خُطَّةٌ خَمْسِيَّةٌ |
كُرةٌ – كُرىً | ball, globe. The word is generally used for ball/round things. For example: soccer/football (كُرَةُ الْقَدَمِ); tennis (كُرَةُ الْمِضْرَبِ or justتِنِس). Note that مِضْرَب means bat; racket. |
ثَلْجٌ – ثُلُوجٌ | snow. Arabic does not really have words for different kinds of snow like German or English. By putting together ball and snow, we get the word for snowball: كُرةُ ثَلْجٍ. When we talk about the weather, we use the construction “it is… snowing”. How do we say that in Arabic? We need a different construction. We do need a noun as a subject. So, it is snowing can be expressed by تُثْلِجُ السَّماءُ. It is like in Egyptian Arabic – it’s raining is el-dunya betishti (الدنيا بتشتي). |
نَصَحَ – يَنْصَحُ لِ بِ | to advise/counsel someone (لِ) to do something (بِ). |
اعْتَمَدَ – يَعْتَمِدُ عَلَى | to rely on; to trust in. The infinitive noun (مصدر) of this VIII-verb is اِعْتِمادٌ |
Translation of an article
Opinion piece in Al Modon: “From the Renaissance Dam to the Somaliland” – Egypt, Ethiopia and the role of Somaliland
- Somalia is an internationally recognized sovereign nation, with Mogadishu (مقديشو) as its capital. It has been grappling with periods of civil unrest and complex challenges to its federal authority over the past decades.
- Conversely, Somaliland declared its independence from Somalia in 1991, establishing its capital in Hargeisa (هرجيسا). However, despite having its own government, army, and currency, Somaliland’s sovereignty is not officially recognized by the international community. The territory operates largely as a de facto state, with its own institutions and a relatively stable political climate compared to Somalia.
- The Philadelphia Corridor ( ציר פילדלפי) is also called the Salah al-Din Axis (محور صلاح الدين) in Arabic.
- This corridor is located in Zone D of the Sinai Peninsula, categorized as such according to the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty.
- The axis stretches from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea to the Kerem Shalom crossing, approximately 14 kilometers.
- The peace treaty between Egypt and Israel mandates specific limits on the size and type of military forces each party can deploy, including those on the Egyptian side of the Philadelphia Axis.
- Israel maintained jurisdiction over the Philadelphia Axis within Area D until 2005, when it withdrew its presence from the Gaza Strip, ceding control to the Palestinian Authority.
- The withdrawal was accompanied by the signing of a new pact that set the framework for the military presence within the Axis and allowed for Egyptian-Israeli security cooperation.
- On its side of the axis, Egypt maintains a limited contingent of soldiers tasked with curbing cross-border incursions and smuggling attempts.
- Recent revelations suggest that Israel is considering the construction of an underground barrier hidden within the Philadelphi Axis zone.
Vocabulary list
ARABIC | EXPLANATION |
---|---|
عَقْدٌ – عُقُودٌ | decade. For example: the last decade (الْعَقْدُ الْأَخِيرُ) |
جَوْلةٌ | round; also: tour (tourism). For example: a tour of the office (جَوْلةٌ فِي المَكْتَبِ) – notice the preposition فِي. Or: to run/have a new round of negations (أَجْرَى جَوْلةً جَدِيدةً مِن الْمُباحَثاتِ) |
تَجَدُّدٌ | renewal, resumption. It is the infinitive noun of the V-verb تَجَدَّدَ – يَتَجَدَّدُ which means to renew; also: to happen again or to be revived |
كُلُّ حِينٍ وَآخَرَ | every now and then. There are many similar phrases with حِين which basically just means time or opportunity. For example: from time to time = now and then can also be expressed by بَيْنَ الْحِينِ وَالْآخَرِ or مِن حِينٍ لِآخَرَ or مِن حِينٍ إِلَى حِينٍ. Watch out: If you use حين with the definite article, it expresses something else! The expression فِي الْحِينِ denotes immediately; directly; right away. |
خِلافٌ | In politics, it usually means disagreement, conflict, dispute. In a more general sense, it means difference. |
سَدٌّ -أَسْداد/سُدُودٌ | dam; blockage. In a certain context, it can mean payment. For example: road block (سَدُّ طَرِيقٍ) |
نَهْضةٌ | rebirth; renaissance; advancement (in an abstract sense). For example: The Renaissance (عَصْرُ النَّهْضَةِ). You should use this expression carefully and specify which Renaissance you mean: The Renaissance in Europe (النَهْضة الأوروبّيّة) or the al-Nahda = The Arab Awakening of the nineteenth century (عَصْرُ النَهْضَةِ العَرَبِيَّةِ). The al-Nahda was a cultural movement that flourished in Arab-populated regions of the Ottoman Empire, particularly in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Tunisia, during the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century. In general, the word نَهْضةٌ is often used in an Islamic political context. One political party in Tunis is called Ennahda (حَرَكَةُ النَّهْضَةِ). |
مَسْدُودٌ | blocked; closed. It is the passive participle of the I-verb سَدَّ – يَسُدُّ which means to block (see the word for dam). The phrases طَرِيقٌ مَسْدُودٌ or حائِطٌ مَسْدُودٌ mean dead end; impasse; deadlock. For example: The negotiations reached a dead end (وَصَلَتْ الْمُفاوَضاتُ إِلَى طَرِيقٍ مَسْدُودٍ). |
قَطَعَ خُطُواتٍ واسِعَةً | to make big steps. Another example: to make significant progress (قَطَعَ شَوْطًا كَبيرًا). The word شَوْطٌ – أَشْوُاطٌ means part (جُزْء) or round. How can it be that the I-verb قَطَعَ – يَقْطَعُ, which means “to cut”, can express such a meaning? That is because قَطَعَ has many, many meanings, among them also to overcome; to cross/traverse. |
مَرْحَلةٌ – مَراحِلُ | phase; stage. Note that the plural form مَراحِلُ is a diptote (ممنوع من الصرف). For example: an early stage (مَرْحَلةٌ مُبَكِّرةٌ) |
خَزّانٌ – خَزازينُ/خَزّاناتٌ | reservoir; storage tank. Also used for the car. For example: a full tank (خَزّانُ وَقُودٍ مَلِيءٍ); an empty tank (خَزّانُ وَقُودٍ فارِغٍ) |
مُلْزِمٌ | binding; obligatory – active participle (اسم الفاعل) of IV-verb أَلْزَمَ which means to bind; to force. For example: a binding agreement (اِتِّفاقٌ مُلْزَمٌ). If you use the word غَيْر, you can produce the opposite meaning, like in non-committal (غَيْر مُلْزِمٍ). Now, what about the passive particle (اسم المفعول), i.e., مُلْزَمٌ? It means liable to/for or bound. For example: to be confined to bed (كانَ مُلْزَمًا بِالفِراشِ). |
حَوْضٌ | basin. It is used in geography as well as for household stuff. For example: river basin (حَوْضُ نَهْرٍ); sink (حَوْضُ غَسِيلٍ) |
ضَمِنَ – يَضْمَنُ | to guarantee (I-verb). Watch out: In the phrase to guarantee somebody that something will work, you should use the preposition ل in front of the person: ضَمِنَ لِشَخْصٍ نَجاحَ شَيْءٍ |
حِصّةٌ – حِصَصٌ | share; portion; quota. It can also mean period; class; season. For example: a share of the profit (حِصّةٌ فِي الرِّبْحِ). First period at school is الْحِصّةُ الْأُولَى. Note: First Season (e.g. on Netflix) is usually expressed by the word مَوْسِم which means season. |
مَصَبٌّ – مَصابُّ | outlet; drain; river mouth |
ARABIC | EXPLANATION |
---|---|
اِكْتِفاءٌ بِ | satisfaction; contentment with (ب). It is the infinitive noun of the VIII-verb اِكْتَفَى – يَكْتَفِي بِ which means to be enough; to content oneself with. |
عَنْ كَثَبٍ | at close quarters; at a short distance. The noun كَثَبٌ means nearness; proximity. |
مَلْءٌ | filling. It is the infinitive noun of the I-verb مَلَأَ – يَمْلَأُ. For example: to fill out a form (اسْتِمارةً) |
اِحْتِفاظٌ بِ | persevering; maintaining. It is the infinitive noun of the VIII-verb احْتَفَظَ – يَحْتَفِظُ بِ which means to keep, to preserve something (use the ب before the thing you want to preserve). |
ضَرَرٌ -أَضْرارٌ | damage; harm. For example: severe damage (أَضْرارٌ جَسِيمةٌ) vs. minor damage (ضَرَرٌ خَفِيفٌ) |
بِمَثابةِ | like/as; equivalent to |
اسْتِسْلامٌ | capitulation; surrender. It is the infinitive noun of the X-verb اسْتَسْلَمَ – يَسْتَسْلِمُ لِ to surrender to something. For example: to give in to depression (اِسْتَسْلَمَ لِلْاكْتِئابِ) |
أَمْرٌ واقِعٌ | fait accompli; status quo; (an accomplished) fact |
غَزِيرٌ | abundant; lavish. For example: heavy rain (مَطَرٌ غَزِيرٌ) |
مَوْسِمٌ – مَواسِمُ | season; time of year. It can also be used for Netflix series (season 1). |
مَلْمُوسٌ | noticeable; tangible; concrete. For example: tangible results (نَتائِجُ مَلْمُوسَةٌ). It is the passive participle (اسم المفعول) of the I-verb لَمَسَ – يَلْمُسُ which means to touch. |
مُؤَجَّلٌ | postponed; deferred. For example: a postponed match (مُباراةٌ مُؤَجَّلَةٌ) |
جَفافٌ | drought; dryness |
مُحْتَمَلٌ | possible; probable; likely |
مُعْضِلةٌ – مَعاضِلُ | problem; dilemma; puzzle. For example: economic dilemma (مُعْضِلَةٌ اِقْتِصادِيَّةٌ) |
ARABIC | EXPLANATION |
---|---|
بادَرَ – يُبادِرُ بِ / إِلَى | to start, begin with (ب or إِلَى); to take the initiative. For example: to start doing something (بادَرَ ب إلى (فِعْلِ) شَيْءٍ) |
خَرْقٌ – خُرُوقٌ | hole; breach; violation |
إقْدامٌ عَلَى | recklessness; audacity; boldness. The IV-verb أَقْدَمَ – يُقْدِمُ عَلَى means to risk, to dare, also: to commit/carry out. |
مَهَّدَ – يُمَهِّدُ | to pave; to smooth; to make even; to facilitate. For example: to pave the way for something/someone (مَهَّدَ الطَريقَ لِشَيْءٍ لِشَخْصٍ) |
مَنْبَعٌ | origin, source; well, spring. For example: the sources of the Nile (مَنابِعُ نَهْرِ النِّيلِ) |
خَسارةٌ – خَسائِرُ | damage; loss. For example: loss of human lives (خَسائِرُ بَشَرِيَّةٌ); minor losses (خَسائِرُ طَفِيفَةٌ) vs. substantial losses (خَسائِرُ جَسِيمَةٌ). |
صَبَّ – يَصُبُّ | to spill; to pour (out). The phrase يَصُبُّ فِي مَصْلَحَةِ is very common in the media. It literally means: to pour/spill into the favor of – but is usually translated as to be in the interest of. For example: What is being done is in the interest of our people (وَما نَفْعَلُهُ يَصُبُّ فِي مَصْلَحَةِ الشَعْبِ.). |
اسْتِشْرافٌ | foreseeing; predicting. For example: foreseeing the future (اسْتِشْرافُ الْمُسْتَقْبَلِ). It is the infinitive noun (مصدر) of the X-verb اسْتَشْرَفَ – يَسْتَشْرِفُ which means to look towards. For example: to look into new prospects (اسْتَشْرَفَ الْآفاقَ الْجَدِيدةَ). |
مُسْبَقًا | beforehand |
فِي ظِلِّ | under the protection/patronage of; under the sovereignty of (plus noun in the genitive = 2nd part of the إضافة). It can often simply be left untranslated. |
نِيّةٌ – نَوايا | intention; will/desire |
تَرْغِيبٌ | arousal of interest. It is the infinitive noun of thee II-verb رَغَّبَ – يُرَغِّبُ فِي which means to arouse/awaken interest in |
تَفاوُضٌ | negotiation |
لُجُوءٌ إِلَى | referring to; seeking refuge in; fleeing/resorting to. This is the infinitive noun (مصدر) of the I-verb لَجَأَ – يَلْجَأُ which means to refer to; to turn to; to flee to; to seek refuge in. |
ARABIC | EXPLANATION |
---|---|
الْجامِعةُ الْعَرَبيّةُ | The Arab League. Another version is The League of Arab States (جامِعةُ الدُّوَلِ الْعَرَبيّةِ) |
الْاِتِّحادُ الْأُورُوبِّيٌّ | European Union |
خُشُونةٌ | crudeness; rudeness; roughness. For example: to deal with someone roughly (تَعامَلَ مَعَ شَخْصٍ بِخُشُونةٍ) |
مَشْفُوعٌ بِ | accompanied by. It is the passive participle (اسم المفعول) of the I-verb شَفَعَ – يَشْفَعُ which means to add; to enclose; to attach. In the passive voice, you use the ب, for example, to be accompanied by something (شُفِعَ بِشَيْءٍ). |
جَرَّبَ – يُجَرِّبُ | to try out; to examine. But also: to tempt; to put to the test. It is a II-verb. |
حَذَّرَ – يُحَذِّرُ مِن | to warn. It is a II-verb. Please keep in mind the preposition مِن if you want to include what the warning is about. For example: to warn that… (حَذَّرَ مِنْ أَنَّ). But if you want to include the addressee of the warning, you just add it directly as a direct object or a pronoun attached to the verb. For example: I warn you! (أُحَذِّرُكَ) |
مَغَبّةٌ | result; consequence; effect. It is a مصدر ميمي of the I-verb غَبَّ – يَغِبُّ. The verb is tricky. The meaning is various. In the old times, it meant to be watered every second day or to pass the night. But it does also convey the meaning of to be brought to an end – which is usually meant when we see the infinitive noun غِبٌّ or, more commonly, مَغَبّةٌ. For example: He warned him of the consequences of his disgraceful behavior (حَذَّرَهُ مِنْ مَغَبَّةِ سُلُوكِهِ وتَصَرُّفِهِ الْمَشِينِ) |
مِساسٌ بِ | breach; violation; without the preposition: touching; feeling. For example: breach of the peace (الْمِساسُ بالنِّظامِ وَالْأَمْنِ الْعامِّ). The infinitive noun مِساسٌ is sometimes difficult to translate because it has many meanings. For example: it touches upon/concerning (لَهُ مِساسٌ بِ). The I-verb مَسَّ – يَمُسُّ means to touch; to feel or to befall, to hit, but when the preposition بِ is added, it means to harm. For example: he fell ill = the illness befell him (مَسَّهُ المَرَضُ). |
سِيادةٌ | sovereignty; rule. For example: a sovereign state (دَوْلَةٌ ذاتُ سِيادَةٍ) |
ضِمْنِيٌّ | implicit; tacit; hidden. Notice: some phrases can be tricky to translate. For example: قَبِلَ شَيْئًا ضِمْنيًّا which means to take something for granted. |
مَعْنِيٌّ بِ | concerned, involved. You will often encounter the phrase مَعْنِيّ بِالْأَمْرِ which can often be translated as (the person/thing) concerned. |
مُعادَلةٌ | leveling. In mathematics, it means equation. |
كِفّةٌ – كِفَفٌ | scale (of a balance); evening the score |
مُعاهَدةٌ | agreement; treaty; pact |
جِدّيّةٌ | seriousness. For example: seriously; in all seriousness (بِجِدّيّةٍ) |
مُناوَرةٌ | move; maneuver. For example: a tactical maneuver (مُناوَرةٌ تَكْتِيكيّةٌ). It is the infinitive noun (مصدر) of the III-verb ناوَرَ – يُناوِرُ (root: ن-و-ر) which means to maneuver. |
عَمَليٌّ | practical; pragmatic; useful; function. For example: in theory and practice (نَظَرِيًّا وَعَمَلِيًّا) |
ARABIC | EXPLANATION |
---|---|
غَرِقَ – يَغْرَقُ | to sink; to drown. Also metaphorically: to be deep in thought (غَرِقَ فِي أَفْكارِهِ) or to sleep well (غَرِقَ في النَوْمِ) |
فِي أَعالِي الْبِحارِ | on the high seas. The noun بَحْر (sea) has many plural forms: بِحار or أَبْحار or بُحُور or أَبْحُر |
يُحْسَدُ عَلَيْهِ | enviable. We use the passive voice of I-verb حَسَدَ – يَحْسُدُ to envy something (=على)! For example: an unenviable position/task (وَضْعِيَّةٌ مُهِمَّةٌ لا يُحْسَدُ عَلَيْها) |
بِشَكْلٍ أَوْ بِآخَرَ | one way or another |
بِحَسَبِ | according to; depending on; occasionally also with عَلَى. You will encounter it in many forms: حَسَبَما (according to what; depending on how) |
مِعْيارٌ – مَعاييرُ | criterion; standard |
أَوْلَويّةٌ | priority; precedence. For example: to give priority to something (أَعْطى الأَوْلَويّةَ لِشَيْءٍ) |
الْواقِعُ أَنَّ | it is a fact that…; as a matter of fact…; actually… |
تَوازٍ | parallelism; also: equal distance. Often used in phrases like side by side; parallel (عَلَى التَّوازِي). The noun تَوازٍ is the infinitive noun (مصدر) of the VI-verb تَوازَى – يَتَوازَى which means to run side by side; to go together. |
مُلَوَّح بِ | waved; signaled at. Passive participle of II-verb لَوَّحَ – يُلَوِّحُ ب to wave; to signal (to = ب). |
تَبِعةٌ – تَبِعاتٌ | consequence. Sometimes, it may also denote responsibility; liability, as in legal liability (تَبِعاتٌ قانُونِيَّةٌ). |
حالَ | in case of; in the event of – when used as an adverb (ظرف منصوب), thus followed by the second part of a إِضافة. can also mean: during; immediately upon; just at. The noun حالٌ is part of many phrases: in any case; anyhow (عَلَ كُلِّ حالٍ) |
مُبادَرةٌ | initiative. For example: peace initiative (مُبادَرةُ سَلامٍ) |
قائِمٌ | established (lit.: standing) |
كافّةٌ | all; entirely, fully. For example: all the people (النّاسُ كافّةً or كافّةُ النّاسِ) |
صَرامةٌ | strictness; harshness; fierceness |
مُوْطِئُ قَدَمٍ | foothold. The word مُوْطِئُ means footstep; footprint. |
ARABIC | EXPLANATION |
---|---|
اِضْطِرابٌ – اِضْطِراباتٌ | unrest; turmoil; riots. For example: social unrest (اِضْطِراباتٌ اِجْتِماعيّةٌ) |
الْقَرْنُ الْإِفْرِيِقيُّ | the Horn of Africa |
مِلاحةٌ | shipping; navigation, maritime transport. Watch out: مَلاحةٌ with “a” means beauty; kindness. |
مُفْتَقِدٌ | lacking; being deprived of. It is the active participle (اسم الفاعِل) of the VIII-verb افْتَقَدَ – يَفْتَقِدُ |
أَرْجَحُ | most likely. It is a diptote (ممنوع من الصرف) and based on the root ر-ج-ح (to incline; to be very likely). Usually used in the phrases الأرْجَحُ أَنَّ and عَلَى الْأَرْجَحِ which can be translated as most likely; probably. |
تَدَهْوُرٌ | decline; deterioration; decay. For example: degeneration of morals/society (تَدَهْوُرُ الْأَخْلاقِ) |
سَيِّئٌ | bad; evil |
أَساسٌ – أُسُس/أَساسات | foundation. For example: a solid/firm foundation (أَساسٌ مَتِينٍ) |
Footnotes:
For +members: Vocab Quiz 01/24
You can practice the vocabulary presented in this article with this interactive quiz.
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