Gulf Arabic

We're aware that as a beginner you might be slightly overwhelmed by this lesson. This is a sample lesson that relies on a lot of material that has been covered in the course up to this point. However, we decided it's good for you to get an idea of the level of understanding of Gulf Arabic you will achieve by joining the course.

This lesson is for learners who have covered most of the GulfArabic course. It is based on the answer of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Emir of Dubai, to a question by a Kuwaiti national at the UAE Government Summit. Check the video below.

موظف، موظفين
muwaDHDHaf (pl. muwaDHDHafiin) – employee (usually, a government employee)
حب
Habb – to love (Present: أحب، تحب aHibb, tHibb… ) (Past: حبيت، حبينا، حبو Habbeyt, Habbeyna, Habbaw… )
أحبج
aHibbich. – I love you (said to a woman).
أحبك
aHibbik. – I love you (said to a man).
Used in the Past Tense, it means 'I'd like to...', for example:
حبيت أسئلك شي
Habbeyt as'ilak shey. – I'd like to ask you (masc.) something.
حبيت أقول لج شي
Habbeyt agul-lich shey. – I'd like to tell you (fem.) something.

وجه
wajjah – to direct, to address (Present: أوجه، توجه awajjih, twajjih… )
إن
inna – that (conjuction); in many contexts it's just a filler

كل
kill (literary variant: kull ) – 'every' when used with an indefinite noun; 'all the' or 'the whole' when used with a definite noun
For example:

كل عربي يعرف هذا
kill ^arabi ya^rif haadha – Every Arab knows this.
كل الناس
kill in-naas – all the people
كل العرب
kill al-^arab – all the Arabs
كل مدرسة
kill midirsa – every school
كل المدرسة
kill il-midirsa – all the school, the whole school

صار
Saar – to become; to happen (Present: أصير، تصير aSiir, tiSiir… )

بسرعة
b-sir^a – quickly, fast
الوقت
l-wagt – time
نفس
nafs (fem.) – soul
روح
ruuH (fem.) – soul

بنفس
b-nafs + possessive suffix - by myself, by yourself, etc. (literally, with my soul, with your soul, etc.)
بروح
b-ruuH + possessive suffix - same as above (more frequent in the Gulf)
سافرت بروحج؟
saafart b-ruuHich? – You (fem.) travelled alone?
كنت أقول له يروح بروحه
chint agul-lah yiruuH b-ruuHah. – I was telling him to go alone.
كتبت الكتاب بنفسي . محد ساعدني
kitabt li-ktaab bi-nafsi. maHHad saa^dni. – I wrote the book by myself. Nobody helped me.

nafs + noun = the same + noun
noun + nafs + possessive suffix = the same + noun OR the + noun + itself/herself/himself
For example:
في نفس الوقت
fi nafs al-wagt – at the same time
في الوقت نفسه
f-il-wagt nafsah – at the same time
في نفس المكان
fi nafs il-makaan – at the same place
في المكان نفسه
f-il-makaan nafsah – at the same place, also in the place itself
في نفس المدينة
fi nafs il-madiina – in the same city
في المدينة نفسها
f-il-madiina nafsaha or f-il-madiina nafiss(h)a – in the same city; also in the city itself

تطور
taTawwar – development, growth

باجر
baachir , as you already know, is the Gulf Arabic word for 'tomorrow'. In Literary Arabic, you would say الغد al-ghad or غداً ghadan .

أجل
'ajjal – to put off, postpone (أجل ، تأجل Present: a'ajjil, t'ajjil… )
قوى
gawwa – to strengthen, to empower (Present: أقوي، تقوي agawwi, tgawwi… )
الله يقويك
allah yigawwiik – May Allah give you strength. (Said to somebody engaged in hard work.)
قوي
gawy / qawy – strong
هو رجال قوي
huwa rayyaal gawy. – He is a strong man.
بلد، بلدان / بلادين
balad (pl. bildaan, balaadiin) – country
من أي بلد إنت؟
min ayy balad int? (pl. bildaan) – Which country are you (masc.) from?

إقتصاد
iqtiSaad – economy
إقتصادياً
iqtiSaadiyan – economically, in terms of the economy

سياسة
siyaasa – politics
سياسياً
siyaasiyan – politically, in terms of politics

aguum, tiguum…

gimt, gimna...

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