Saturday 19 February 2011

Arabic Survival Guide

In an effort to assist my fellow non Arab readers in deciphering the news coming out of North Africa, the Middle East and the Gulf States, I proudly present my inaugural installment of......

"WTF did they say ?"

Arabic Survival Guide edition....The following common words and phrases will assist you in communicating smoothly with your fellow online revolutionaries. Brought to you by the collective genius of social networks like Twitter and some Google / Wikipedia.

NOTE: 7 is the hard 'h' sound: 'Ha', not the 'Heh', or soft 'H'; 3 is the 'ayeen' sound: 'eye'; Another good symbolic sound you will see a lot is '2'. That is a short 'a' sound, shortens vowel pronunciations

Irhal = Leave
Batil = Invalid
Thawra = Revolution
Hurriya = Freedom
Khalas = Enough
Majnoon = Crazy
Yalla = Go (rallying cry)
Hokoma = Government
Neezam = Regime
Shoghl = Work
Khobz = Bread
Ma / Mayya = Water
Hathr Tajawwol = Curfew
Damm = Blood
Ghadab = Anger
Khara = Shit
Kalb = Dog or Dictator (insulting to dogs)
Baltagya = Thugs
Tazweer = Forgery
Ehtfal = Celebration
Kha'an = Traitor
Hob = Love
Salam = Peace
Aman = Safety
Inshallah = God willing
Masry / Masri = Egyptian
Fakhour = Proud
Bousa = Kiss
Yalla = let's go, in a very passionate way, or here we go, or literally oh god
Yasqut = Down with, as in down with mubarak, yasqut mubarak
Yalla yalla yasqut Quddafi! = Let's go, let's go, down with Quiddafi!
Kefaya! = enough!
Fahimtukum = I understood you
Hurreya / Houriyyah = Freedom
Irhal = Leave
vatil = invalid
Thawra = Revolution
Khalas = Enough
Majnoon = Crazy
Selmeyya = Peaceful
Howa yemshi, mesh hanemshi = He leaves, we won't leave.
Toz = Fuck off or Go to hell
"Toz, toz fel Gaddafi = Go to hell, Gaddafi"
Karama / Karamah = Dignity
Shaheed = Martyr (Arabic and Persian)
Shohada = Martyrs
Mesh Hntatay = We won't bow down
Harami = Criminal / Thief
Rooh ballit al bahr! = Go bail out the ocean! (get lost!)
Gazma = Shoe / Tool raised in contempt at dictator
Intifadah = Uprising, Resistance, Rebellion; literally, 'shaking off'
to wage a "jihad" for "Horiyah" = to "struggle" for "freedom"
Tahrir = Liberation
Balady / Bilaady = My country
Watan / Vatan = Homeland (Arabic and Persian)
Amal / Umeed = Hope
Degage = Get out
Shabab = Youth
Ashaab yurid escaat anzam = the people want the regime to fall down
Allah yir7amhom = May god have mercy on them, something like may they rest in peace
Watany 7abiby el watan el akbar = My great country (home); the biggest country(home); it's a name of an old song about the arabian countries
Istihbaal / Estehbal = Idiocy; Playing stupid or Playing dumb; In California-speak, "he's trippin"
Matestahbelsh (variation of estehbal) = Don't play dumb
Khobz wa ma, Ben Ali la' = Bread and water yes, Ben Ali no /  Yes to bread and water, no to Ben Ali
Ya Mubarak Ya gaban, 7'alee il sha3b yi 3eesh fi aman = Mubarak U coward,let the people live in peace
Adala = Justice
Irhal yaany imshy, yemken ma byefhamshy' = Leave means depart, maybe he doesn't understand
Baltagia = A part-time thug for hire (Government thugs who disperse protests on camels)
Go ballit el bahar = go put tiles on the sea: busy yourself with insane task, go fuck a duck
Erfaa rasak foa', enta masry = Hold your head up high, you're Egyptian
Ya Gamal oul li abouk, el musreen be ikhrahook = Gamal, tell your father, the egyptian people hate him.
Sahaafi = Journalist
Batal = Hero
Khayen = Traitor
Mogrim = Criminal
Ana hurr = I am free (masculine) Ana hurra= I am free (feminine)
Fassad = Corruption
Saffah = Murderer
Ameel = Agent
Khayen = Traitor
Haramy = Thief
Tesbahu Ala Khayr = Good night said to more than 2 people
Sarik / Sarrak / 7arami / Harami = Thief
Moataqal (m.) / Moataqala (f.) = Detainee
Masageen (n.pl) = Prisoners
Salam = Peace
Al salam alyakoom = Peace be unto you
Shokran = Thank you
Shokran jazeelan = Thank you very much
Jihad = Struggle
Demoqratiyyah = Democracy
Amal = Hope
Sabr = patience
Shuja'a = Courage
Irada = Will
Tahya Masr = Long Live Egypt
Irahal = Leave = Dégage
Dustoor = Constitution
Dawlah Madaniyah = Civil State
Qanoon = Law
Haq = Right
Dameer = Conscience
Sijn = Prison
Ghaz Miseel Lildemua' = Tear Gas
Resas = Bullets
Hokoma = Government
Neezam = Regime
Shoghl = work
Khobz = Bread
Ma/Mayya = Water
Hathr Tajawwol = Curfew
Damm = Blood

Get your non Arabic friends together and try mixing and matching the words above to make your own surprisingly authentic Arabic revolutionary slogans. Feel free to add words where appropriate. For example, here in Canada we might use one of the following:


Manjoon Harper Yalla !!
or
Khalas Manjoon Harper Irhal !!




SRW


Many thanks to Tallulah and her site here which provided many of the examples
and for further reading of info, look at these sites.

http://www.shariahprogram.ca/Arabic-alphabet2.shtml
http://wahiduddin.net/words/99_pages/app_a_pronunciation.htm

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