لعنة الله عليك
la'nat Allah 'alayk
The English phrase "curse you" is translated to Arabic as لعنة الله عليك (la'nat Allah 'alayk).
لعنة الله عليك is a very strong and serious expression used to wish divine punishment or bad luck upon someone. It is typically reserved for religious or highly emotional contexts rather than being used as a casual insult.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "The curse of God upon you".
How does it change in a sentence?
The ending of the pronoun in لعنة الله عليك changes depending on the gender of the person you are addressing: use alayka for a male and alayki for a female.
How do you pronounce it?
la'nat Allah 'alayk
Did you know?
- While لعنة الله عليك is a direct curse, Arabic has many specific 'mild' curses that wish for something trivial, such as a person's foot to trip, which are used in daily banter.
- The word الله is a linguistic relative of the Hebrew word 'Eloah' and the Aramaic word 'Alaha'.
- The word لعنة implies a total removal of mercy and grace, rather than just a wish for bad luck.
Examples in context
- لعنة الله عليك!la'nat Allah 'alayka!May God's curse be upon you!
- لعنة الله عليك يا ظالم.la'nat Allah 'alayka ya zalim.May God curse you, you oppressor.
Example conversation
Two people are arguing after a heated betrayal.
- سارة Saraلقد خنتني، لعنة الله عليك!laqad khantani, la'nat Allah 'alayka!You betrayed me, curse you!
- يوسف Youssefلا تبالغ يا سارة.la tubaligh ya Sarah.Don't exaggerate, Sarah.
- سارة Saraلن أسامحك أبداً.lan usamihaka abadan.I will never forgive you.
- يوسف Youssefهذا مؤسف حقاً.hadha musif haqqan.That is truly unfortunate.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries الله, CC BY-SA 4.0.
