Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| تَأْسِيَة | taʔsiya | feminine |
| تَعْزِيَة | taʕziya | feminine |
These terms refer to the expression of sympathy when someone has died. If you wish to use a verb to say 'he offered condolences (to him)', you would use the form عَزَّاهُ.
Which one should you use?
While both terms refer to condolences, تَأْسِيَة is a more literary or classical term that often implies the specific act of consoling or soothing someone's grief.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Gulf Countries (such as Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar), you may use the phrases أتقدم بأحر التعازي والمواساة or نعزيكم في مصابكم الأليم to offer condolences.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both تَأْسِيَة and تَعْزِيَة are feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization for تَأْسِيَة is taʔsiya.
When do people say it?
When someone offers you condolences, a common traditional and formal response is to say شَكَرَ اللهُ سَعْيَكَ, which means 'May God reward your efforts/endeavors'.
Did you know?
- In some regions, rather than just saying 'I am sorry', people will use the phrase البقاء لله, which means 'Permanence belongs only to God', to remind the bereaved of the eternal nature of life.
- When using the formal phrase أتقدم بأحر التعازي, the word 'hottest' (أحر) is used to describe the condolences, meaning 'the most heartfelt' or 'most intense' in English.
- In many Arabic cultures, condolences are traditionally offered over a period of three days, during which the community provides meals for the grieving family.
Example sentences for Arabic are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Maryam and Youssef are talking about a mutual acquaintance who passed away.
- مريم Maryamهل أرسلت تَأْسِيَة لعائلة الراحل؟Hal arsalta ta'siya li-ʿāʾilat ar-rāḥil?Did you send a condolence to the deceased's family?
- يوسف Youssefنعم، اتصلت بهم صباح اليوم.Naʿam, ittaṣaltu bihim ṣabāḥ al-yawm.Yes, I called them this morning.
- مريم Maryamهذا لطف منك يا يوسف.Hādhā luṭfun minka yā Youssef.That is kind of you, Youssef.
- يوسف Youssefشكراً لكِ يا مريم.Shukran laki yā Maryam.Thank you, Maryam.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “condolence” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
