ولد أبيض
walad 'abyad/wa.la.da ʔab.jadˤ/word by word
To say white boy in Arabic, use ولد أبيض (walad 'abyad), which describes a boy with white skin.
ولد أبيض is a plain description of a male child or youth with white skin. In a casual sentence you might say هذا ولد أبيض, this is a white boy.
What does it mean word for word?
ولد means boy and أبيض means white. As usual in Arabic, the adjective follows the noun.
Which one should you use?
الصبي الأبيض means the white boy and is the more formal wording.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /wa.la.da ʔab.jadˤ/. The last sound is a heavy d made with the tongue pressed back.
Did you know?
- In Arabic, the word أبيض (white) is categorized as a 'color or defect adjective'.
- The phrase uses the root ب ي ض, which also forms the Arabic word for 'egg' (بيضة).
- In some Arabic dialects, the word أبيض (abyad) can be used figuratively to describe someone who is 'pure' or 'clear', rather than just a literal skin color.
Examples in context
- هذا ولد أبيض جميل.Hadha walad abyad jamil.This is a beautiful white boy.
- هل ذلك ولد أبيض؟Hal dhalika walad abyad?Is that a white boy?
Example conversation
Layla and Omar are looking for a lost child.
- ليلى Laylaعمر، هل رأيت الطفل المفقود؟Omar, hal ra'ayta al-tifl al-mafqud?Omar, did you see the missing child?
- عمر Omarنعم، هو ولد أبيض يرتدي قميصاً أحمر.Na'am, huwa walad abyad yartadi qamisan ahmar.Yes, he is a white boy wearing a red shirt.
- ليلى Laylaأين كان يقف بالضبط؟Ayna kana yaqif biddabt?Where exactly was he standing?
- عمر Omarكان يقف بجانب بوابة المدرسة.Kana yaqif bijanib bawabat al-madrasa.He was standing next to the school gate.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (ولد, أبيض) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries أبيض, ولد, CC BY-SA 4.0.
