Colin Gilbert

The English phrase “I trust you” is translated into Arabic as أنا أثق بك. أثق بك is a formal and direct way to say ‘I trust you’ in Arabic.

The Arabic word for balloon is نُفَّاخَة. The term refers to a child’s toy.

The English phrase “hi, my name is” is translated into Arabic as مرحبًا، اسمي. This phrase is used to greet someone and introduce yourself by name.

The English phrase ham is translated into Arabic as لحم خنزير. The term refers to the thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat (noun).

In Syria people say صحتين (sahtayn), literally “two healths”, to wish someone a good meal. A fuller wish is بالهنا والشفا (bil-hana wash-shifa).

The Arabic phrase for “ugly rat” is جرذ قبيح. This phrase is used to describe a rodent that is unpleasant to look at.

To say west in Arabic, use غرب (ḡarb), the word for the compass direction. غَرْب names the compass point west.

To say “good morning everyone” in Arabic, use صباح الخير جميعاً. A greeting used to wish a group of people a good start to their day.

In Arabic, the phrase for “looking beautiful” is تبدو جميلا. This phrase is a compliment used to tell someone that they appear attractive at the moment.

In Moroccan Arabic, ‘how much’ is بشحال؟ (bshhal?).