سهل
sahl
The Arabic word for easy is سهل (sahl).
The word is an adjective used to describe something that requires little skill or effort.
Meaning: requiring little skill or effort (adj)
Which one should you use?
While سهل is the standard form, مُيَّسَّر is used in formal or literary contexts to specifically mean something that has been facilitated or made easy. Additionally, بَسِيط can be used to mean simple.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Levantine Arabic, the word بسيطة is commonly used to mean easy or simple.
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine form of the adjective is سهلة, which is used when describing a feminine noun. In formal Arabic, if the adjective is the object of a verb or follows certain particles, it takes the accusative form سهلاً.
How do you pronounce it?
sahl
Did you know?
- The word سهل can also refer to a 'plain' or a flat, level piece of land, much like how 'easy' describes a level surface in English.
- In an ironic twist, the word بسيط comes from a root meaning 'to spread out' or 'to expand', suggesting that something is easy because it is laid out clearly.
- In many Levantine dialects, بسيطة is a common way to respond to an apology, serving the same social function as 'no big deal' in English.
Examples in context
- لم تكن الدراسة سهلة.School was not easy.This sentence shows how to use سهل to describe schoolwork in a negative context.Tatoeba #12172768 by dididodo, translation #9956187 by Amastan
- السفر سهل هذه الأيام.Travelling is easy these days.This sentence uses سهل to describe the ease of travelling.Tatoeba #416561 by saeb, translation #18688 by Zifre
- هذا السؤال ليس سهلاً.This question isn't easy.This sentence demonstrates the use of سهل when describing a question.Tatoeba #419506 by saeb, translation #56704 by CK
- لا، الدرس سهل جداً.No, the lesson is very easy.
- بالطبع، ذلك سهل.Of course, that's easy.
- لا، اللغة العربية سهلة بالتدريب.No, Arabic is easy with practice.
- 42 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nour and Yusuf are talking about a new cooking recipe.
- نور Nourهل طبخ هذا الطعام سهل؟hal tabkh hadha al-ta'am sahl?Is cooking this food easy?
- يوسف Youssefنعم، هو سهل جداً.na'am, huwa sahl jiddan.Yes, it is very easy.
- نور Nourهذا رائع بالنسبة لي.hadha ra'i' binisba li.That is great for me.
- يوسف Youssefيمكنكِ تجربته اليوم.yumkinuki tajribatuhu al-yawm.You can try it today.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
