ما هذا بحق الجحيم
ma hadha bihaqqi al-jahim
In Arabic, "what the heck" can be expressed as ما هذا بحق الجحيم (ma hadha bihaqqi al-jahim).
Meaning: softer form of "what the hell" (phrase)
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form ما هذا بحق الجحيم is a Modern Standard Arabic construction and sounds more formal or dramatic than how people express surprise in spoken dialects.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Levantine Arabic (spoken in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine), the informal phrase شو هالحكي؟ is commonly used to mean "What the Heck?" or "What is this talk?"
How do you pronounce it?
ma hadha bihaqqi al-jahim
Did you know?
- While the phrase ما هذا بحق الجحيم is grammatically perfect, using it in a casual setting like a cafe might make you sound like a character in a dubbed Hollywood movie rather than a local.
- In many Arabic dialects, expressing shock or 'what the heck' is often accompanied by a gesture of placing the palm on the forehead or chest to signal disbelief.
- The word الجحيم for 'hell' in this phrase carries a heavy theological weight, making the 'softer' English equivalent 'heck' feel much more intense in Arabic.
Examples in context
- شو هالحكي؟What the Heck?
Example conversation
Yousef finds a strange object on Maryam's desk.
- يوسف Youssefمريم، ما هذا بحق الجحيم؟Maryam, ma hadha bihaqq al-jahim?Maryam, what the heck is this?
- مريم Maryamإنه مجرد مشروع فني للمدرسة.Innahu mujarrad mashru' fanni lil-madrasa.It's just an art project for school.
- يوسف Youssefلكنه يبدو مخيفاً جداً!Lakinnahu yabdu mukhifan jiddan!But it looks very scary!
- مريم Maryamلا تقلق يا يوسف، إنه ليس حقيقياً.La taqlaq ya Yousef, innahu laysa haqiqiyan.Don't worry Yousef, it's not real.
