Arab Singers: The Top 10 of All Time

Posted on: Friday, June 21st, 2013 55 comments

The Arab world is culturally diverse and artistically rich. It has been well known over the course of time for its good and varied music. Arabic music can range from classical concerts with a single song taking up one hour to modern pop songs. The following is a list of … Continue reading

Tafaddal – Arab politeness

Posted on: Sunday, May 26th, 2013 10 comments

The Arabic word تفضّل tafaDDal is a commonly-used and highly-versatile expression. Depending on context, it: 1. Expresses an invitation to do something: تفضل اجلس واشرب شاي tafaDDal idjlis wa shrab shay – please, sit down and drink some tea. تفضل إلى الدكان tafaDDal ila d-dukkaan – please, take a look … Continue reading

Destiny in Arabic

Posted on: Monday, May 7th, 2012 7 comments

A reader requested that I translate the word “destiny” into Arabic. In fact, there are a number of alternative translations that are all correct, but might have slightly different meaning nuances. al-maSeer The Arabic word المصير al-maSeer can mean both destiny and fate. For example مصير الكون would translate as … Continue reading

Happy New Year!

Posted on: Friday, January 1st, 2010 0 comments

May I take this opportunity to wish all my readers a very happy and prosperous new year 2010! سنة سعيدة وكل عام وأنتم بخير (sana sa3eeda wa kull 3aam wa antum bi-khayr)

Merry Christmas in Arabic

Posted on: Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009 2 comments

As we are fast approaching Christmas and its associated festivities, it might be both interesting and useful to take a look at a few Arabic words and phrases surrounding the celebrations. So read on to discover how to say Merry Christmas in Arabic! What Christians are celebrating on Christmas is … Continue reading

Arabic Logo Creativity

Posted on: Friday, October 30th, 2009 1 comments

Today the elflisan blog called my attention to the CNN Arabic logo, which is indeed very creative. The Logo consists of the English letters CNN, but arranged in such a way that they are incorporated in the Arabic word بالعربية (bi l-3arabiya), or “in Arabic”. Really clever and must have … Continue reading

Do You Speak Arabic Chat? ta7ki 3arabi?

Posted on: Friday, September 25th, 2009 104 comments

When chatting online Arabs often use the Latin letters to write in Arabic instead of the Arabic alphabet. And, because certain sounds in the Arabic alphabet don’t have a counterpart in Western languages, there are a number of symbols used to represent these special sounds. So don’t be surprised to … Continue reading

BBC Correspondent Learns Arabic In Damascus – And Fails!

Posted on: Sunday, August 23rd, 2009 1 comments

There is an interesting article on the BBC News page detailing the experience of one of their correspondents in learning Arabic in Damascus. While I certainly applaud his efforts, I nevertheless have to remark on some inconsistencies in his article. In the article, the author writes: But however modest our … Continue reading

Arabic Tattoos – The Three Most Embarrassing Errors

Posted on: Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 104 comments

While Arabic tattoos can be aesthetically pleasing if the right calligraphy is used, there are a huge number of cases where neither the person getting the tattoo done nor the tattooist have the slightest idea of Arabic. The result is often disastrous: incorrect or ugly Arabic writing. I’ll show you … Continue reading

Arabic Tattoos – The Latest Celebrity Must-Have

Posted on: Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 322 comments

Arabic tattoos are definitively in fashion in the world of the rich and the famous. And I don’t mean temporary tattoos done with henna. This is perhaps surprising, because there are hardly any tattoos to be seen in the Arab World. In the West, however, tattoos have come a long … Continue reading