ضوء القمر
daw' al-qamar
The English word "moonlight" is translated into Arabic as ضوء القمر (daw' al-qamar).
The term refers to the light reflected from the Moon.
Meaning: light reflected from the Moon (noun)
Which one should you use?
While ضوء القمر is the standard term, نور البدر specifically refers to "the light of the full moon."
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, a common way to refer to moonlight is ضو القمر.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because it is a definite genitive construction, ضوء القمر is inherently definite and does not require an additional article to mean "the moonlight".
How do you pronounce it?
daw' al-qamar
Did you know?
- In many Arabic dialects, if you want to describe the 'mood' of moonlight, you might use the word قمر (moon) as an adjective to describe a person's beautiful face, rather than referring to the light itself.
- In the Quran and classical texts, the light from the moon is often categorized under the broader concept of نور (light) to distinguish it from the 'heat' of the sun.
- The phrase ضوء القمر is often paired with the word سهر meaning 'staying up late', as moonlight is the traditional companion of nocturnal poets and thinkers.
Examples in context
- توم عزف سوناتة ضوء القمر على البيانوTom played Moonlight Sonata on the piano.This sentence shows the use of ضوء القمر in a musical context.Tatoeba #7248484 by Mustava, translation #7248435 by Hybrid
- فشل الأطفال في رؤية الإقحوانات ترقص في ضوء القمر.The children failed to see the daisies dancing in the moonlight.This sentence illustrates the use of ضوء القمر when describing natural light.Tatoeba #1409305 by alanood, translation #324105 by Scott
- كانت أنوار القمر خياليةThe moonlight was ethereal.
- تجولوا على الشاطئ تحت نور القمرThey strolled along the beach under the moonlight.
- هيا نتمشى تحت نور البدر الليلة!Let's take a walk under the moonlight tonight!
- أحب المشي تحت ضوء القمر.uḥibbu al-mashya taḥta ḍaw' al-qamar.I love walking under the moonlight.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sarah and Ziad are walking in a park at night.
- سارة Saraانظر يا زياد، ضوء القمر قوي جداً الليلة.Unzur ya Ziyad, daw' al-qamar qawiyyun jiddan al-laylah.Look Ziad, the moonlight is very strong tonight.
- زياد Ziadنعم يا سارة، السماء صافية تماماً.Na'am ya Sarah, as-samā' sāfiyyatun tamāman.Yes Sarah, the sky is completely clear.
- سارة Saraهل يمكنك رؤية الطريق بدون مصباح؟Hal yumkinuka ru'yat at-tarīq bidūn misbāh?Can you see the road without a flashlight?
- زياد Ziadنعم، ضوء القمر يكفي لرؤية المسار.Na'am, daw' al-qamar yakfī li-ru'yat al-masār.Yes, the moonlight is enough to see the path.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
