أجداد
ajdād
The English phrase 'grandparents' is translated into Arabic as أجداد (ajdād).
أجداد is used to refer to the parents of a person's father or mother. Depending on the context, it can also mean 'ancestors'.
What does it mean word for word?
The word أجداد is a broken plural, which is a common method in Arabic for forming the plural of certain nouns.
How does it change in a sentence?
The term أجداد functions as the broken plural of جد.
How do you pronounce it?
ajdād
Did you know?
- In some traditional cultures, a grandchild may address their grandfather as سيدي, which translates to 'my master' or 'my lord'.
- Arabic explicitly distinguishes between a maternal grandfather جد لأم and a paternal grandfather جد لأب for legal and inheritance purposes.
- The word جد can also refer to 'seriousness' or 'earnestness' in certain linguistic contexts, showing a conceptual link between the weight of an ancestor and the weight of a serious matter.
Examples in context
- أحب أجدادي كثيراً.uḥibbu ajdādī kathīran.I love my grandparents very much.
- أين يعيش أجدادك؟ayna ya‘īshu ajdāduka?Where do your grandparents live?
- زارني أجدادي في العيد.zāranī ajdādī fī al-‘īd.My grandparents visited me during the holiday.
Example conversation
Laila and Ahmad are talking about family traditions at a cafe.
- ليلى Laylaهل زرت أجدادك هذا الأسبوع؟hal zurta ajdādaka hādhā al-usbū‘?Did you visit your grandparents this week?
- أحمد Ahmedنعم، ذهبت إلى بيت أجدادي.na‘am, dhahabtu ilā bayti ajdādī.Yes, I went to my grandparents' house.
- ليلى Laylaهذا رائع يا أحمد.hādhā rā’i‘ yā aḥmad.That is wonderful, Ahmad.
- أحمد Ahmedأنا أحب قضاء الوقت معهم.anā uḥibbu qaḍā’ al-waqt ma‘ahum.I love spending time with them.
