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