جدة
jaddah
The English word grandmother is translated into Arabic as جدة (jaddah).
The term is used to refer to the mother of one's parent.
Meaning: mother of someone's parent (noun)
Which one should you use?
While جدة is a standard form, other regional and informal terms like تيتة, ستّي and جَدّة are used depending on the specific dialect or level of formality.
Is it said differently in some regions?
تيتة is commonly used in Egypt, Lebanon and Syria. ستّي is commonly used in Palestine, Jordan and some parts of Lebanon. In the Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, some people use جَدّة to refer to their grandmother.
How do you pronounce it?
jaddah
Did you know?
- The city of جدة (Jeddah) on the Red Sea coast shares the same spelling as the word for 'grandmother' in Arabic.
- The informal term تيتة (teta) used in Egypt and the Levant is a loanword likely influenced by European languages like French or Italian.
- The term ستّي used in Palestine and Jordan literally translates to 'my lady' or 'my mistress', used as a term of endearment for a grandmother.
Examples in context
- جدة سيباستيان كانت من أول النساء اللواتي تقلدن منصب قاضية في نافارا.Sebastian's grandmother is the first woman to hold the position of a judge in Navarre.This sentence is useful for seeing جدة used in a biographical context.Tatoeba #1569058 by Amastan, translation #1962692 by swingman57
Example conversation
Sarah is showing Ahmed a family photo.
- سارة Saraانظر، هذه جدة والدي.Unzur, hadhihi jaddatu walidi.Look, this is my father's grandmother.
- أحمد Ahmedتبدو جدة طيبة جداً.Tabdu jaddatan tayyibatan jiddan.She looks like a very kind grandmother.
- سارة Saraنعم، هي تحب الجميع.Na'am, hiya tuhibbu al-jami'.Yes, she loves everyone.
- أحمد Ahmedهذا رائع يا سارة.Hadha ra'i' ya Sarah.That is wonderful, Sarah.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
