طويل
tawīl
The English word "long" is translated into Arabic as طويل (tawīl).
طويل is an adjective used to describe something that has much distance from one point to another. You can also use the idiomatic phrase طويل العمر as a polite way to refer to someone's long life or as a respectful title for someone of high status.
Meaning: having much distance from one point to another (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine singular is طويل, while the feminine singular is طويلة. For plural forms, use طويلون for masculine plural and طويلات for feminine plural. If you wish to describe something as extended or stretched out, the word مُمْتَد is used instead.
How do you pronounce it?
tawīl
When do people say it?
The phrase طويل العمر is used as a polite way to refer to someone's long life or as a respectful title for someone of high status.
Did you know?
- In Arabic, the same word طويل is used to describe both 'long' and 'tall'.
- The word طويل shares an ancient ancestor with the Egyptian word dwn, which means 'to stretch out'.
- The root of طويل is shared with the word طول, which means 'length' but can also be used as a verb meaning 'to grow tall'.
Examples in context
- لم يلبث هنا طويلا.He didn't stay here long.The sentence uses طويل to describe a duration of time.Tatoeba #12827522 by dididodo, translation #8813352 by shekitten
- لدى الفيل أنف طويل.An elephant has a long nose.The sentence uses طويل to describe the length of a physical feature.Tatoeba #1593982 by Amastan, translation #268258 by CK
- لم تقاوم لوقت طويل.She didn't last long.Tatoeba #2774368 by Amastan, translation #2693177 by CH
- الطريق طَوِيل جدًا حتى نصل إلى الوجهة المطلوبة.The road is very long until we reach the desired destination.
- نهر الأمازون مُمْتَد لآلاف الأميال.The Amazon River is stretched out for thousands of miles.
- 73 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mariam and Yusuf are looking at a piece of fabric in a shop.
- مريم Maryamهل هذا الثوب طويل؟hal hadha al-thawb tawil?Is this dress long?
- يوسف Youssefنعم، هو طويل جداً.na'am, huwa tawil jiddan.Yes, it is very long.
- مريم Maryamهل هو طويل بالنسبة لك؟hal huwa tawil bil-nisba laka?Is it long for you?
- يوسف Youssefلا، طوله مناسب جداً.la, tuluhu munasib jiddan.No, its length is very suitable.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries طويل, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
