شاي
shay
شاي (shay) is the Arabic word for tea.
شاي refers to the drink made from the leaves of the tea plant. You can use it to specify types of tea, such as شاي أخضر for green tea. It is also used in common social phrases like هل تريد شاي؟ (Do you want tea?) or لدي شاي أخضر لو ترغب (I have green tea if you'd like).
Meaning: drink made from leaves of tea plant (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
To indicate possession, such as 'her tea', you can add the suffix -ha to the noun, resulting in شايها.
How do you pronounce it?
shay
When do people say it?
When serving someone, you might hear the phrase استمتع بشايك, which means 'Enjoy your tea'.
Did you know?
- The word شاي is actually a linguistic traveler that likely entered Arabic via Persian, connecting it to the Chinese word for tea.
- In North Africa, particularly Morocco, شاي is often served with a high pour from the pot to create a layer of foam on the surface.
- In many Arabic dialects, the word for tea is so central to social life that offering شاي is a standard way to welcome a guest into a home.
Examples in context
- شاي بالليمون، لو سمحت.A tea with lemon, please.This sentence shows how to order tea with lemon using شاي.Tatoeba #2602869 by Samer, translation #29490 by CK
- لنعمل حفلةَ شاي بعد غد.Let's have a tea party the day after tomorrow.This sentence uses شاي to suggest having a tea party.Tatoeba #670922 by Samer, translation #323020 by CK
- وضعت ماري الملح في شايها بالخطأ.Mary put salt in her tea by mistake.This sentence demonstrates the use of the possessive form شايها.Tatoeba #10225059 by Amastan, translation #7376389 by CF
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ahmed and Layla are having a break at home.
- أحمد Ahmedهل تريدين شايًا؟hal turidina shay'an?Do you want some tea?
- ليلى Laylaنعم، أحب الشاي كثيرًا.na'am, uhibbu ash-shay kathiran.Yes, I love tea very much.
- أحمد Ahmedسأحضر لكِ الشاي الآن.sa'uhdiru laki ash-shay al-aan.I will bring the tea to you now.
- ليلى Laylaشكرًا لك يا أحمد.shukran laka ya Ahmed.Thank you, Ahmed.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries شاي, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
