Time-out for Words
Time-out for Words

Time-out for Words

Share Emotions:

The human being is an emotional being, programmed to feel from the moment of birth. It is known that emotions are universal and are experienced similarly in response to similar situations or events in various cultures, but they are, at the same time, subjective and can be interpreted on a personal basis, according to each individual’s personality, familial and social circumstances.

Much psychological research regarding emotions shows that the human being has six basic biological emotions that are perceived similarly in every culture: Happiness, fear, anger, surprise, disgust and sadness. In every culture, people report they strive to feel more positive feelings than negative ones, and what we claim, is that the important thing is to maintain a balance, because every emotion has a role in our life. Let’s find out how we express emotions in words in Arabic:

 

Happiness
سعادة
Sa’ada

I am delighted to meet you.
سعيدة بلقائك
Sa’ida Belika’ek

Fear
خوف
Khaof

I am afraid of thunder.
أخاف من صوت الرعد
Akhaf min sot elra’ad

Anger
غضب
R’adab

It upsets me to miss the bus.
اغضب عندما يفوتني الحافلة
Ar’dab indama yefuteni elkhafile.

Surprise
مفاجأة
Mofaja’a

I had a surprise visit from my friend from abroad.
تفاجأت بحضور صديقي من الخارج
Tefajatu b’khudur sadiki min elkharej.

Sadness
حزن
Khuzun

I am sad; I failed the test.
انا حزينه, رسبت بالامتحان
Ana khazina; resabtu b’l’emtikhan.

Disgust
اشمئزاز
Ishme’izaz

I am disgusted by the smell of onions.
اشمأز من رائحة البصل
Ashma’ez min ra’ekhat elbassal.

Love
حب
Khob

I love you.
احبك
Ikhibak / b’khibak (colloquial)

 

Teaching manners:

One of the important factors in interpersonal communication is manners and etiquette, whose aim is to create a general system of behavioral protocol and positive interaction between people. Our role as educators, is to inculcate in the next generation a “totebag” of accepted behavioral values and norms, and to serve as a model for inspiration. It is incumbent upon us to teach mutual respect, polite greetings, listening skills, appropriate dress codes, table manners, etc. In the Arab culture, there are many rules of etiquette. Let’s learn a few of them.

Please, have some.
تفضل/ي
Etfadal/i

May I? (Allow me.)
There are three variations of this expression in Arabic:
1.(f): تسمحي لي
Tismakhili
(m): تسمح لي
Tismakhli

Sentence: May I (Allow me to) leave, please.
تسمح لي بالخروج
Tismakh li bil khu’ruj.

2. (f): لو سمحت
L’au samakhti

(m): لو سمحت
L’au smakhet

Sentence: May I (Allow me to) come in?
لو سمحت ممكن “افوت” / ادخل
L’au samakhet mumken “efut”/adkhol.

3. (f): بعد اذنك
Ba’ed iznak

(m): بعد اذنك
Ba’ed iznek

Sentence: May I (Allow me to) sit down?
بعد اذنك ممكن اجلس / “اقعد”
Ba’ed iznek mumken ajles / “ek’od”?

Please
من فضلك
Min fad’lak

I’m sorry
(f): اسفة
Asfi

(m): اسف
Assef

 

Addressing someone:

Excuse me, you dropped your cellphone.
عفواً هاتفك وقع / سقط
Afwan, telefunek wak’a.

Thank you / you’re welcome.
شكراً , عفواً
Shukran / afwan

Excuse me, may I have a piece of paper?
عفواً ممكن ان اخذ ورقة
Afwan, memuken akhud warakah?


Greetings

Humanism is a multi-branched, moral, philosophical approach that places the human being in the center as an influential factor on the environment, as an individual and as a social group. The term comprises values of loving humanity, respect, human rights, tolerance, consideration, etc.

However, everything begins with the every-day inter-personal contact, positive, respectful communication, with the added value of a smile. So – let’s learn a few words of every day greeting in Arabic:

 

Good morning!
صباح الخير
S’bakh el khir

Good evening
مساء الخير
Massa el khir

How are you?
كيف حالك
Kef halak?

Good day!
نهارك سعيد
Naharak sa’id

 

Exam time is around the corner. Therefore, we have chosen some keywords: Good luck, as a heartfelt greeting and reminds us that we all have a common ground at this time of year – we all want to pass the tests with flying colors.

Good luck
بالنجاح
Binja’akh

Here are a number of options for our word of the month: wishing people “good luck”.

1.Good luck on the test.
بالنجاح بالامتحان
Naja’akh b’lamtikhan

2. In what class is the test taking place?
باي صف الامتحان راح يكون؟
Ba’ai saf elimt’khan y’kun?

3. What time does the test begin?
أي ساعة راح يبدأ الامتحان؟
Ay se’ah rakh

4. When is the test over?
متى ينتهي الامتحان
Emta binta’hi elimtikhan?

5. Did you study for the test?
حضرت نفسك للامتحان؟ او, درست للامتحان؟
(f). Khadarti naspek  / darasti lal’imtikhan?
(m). Khadart / darast lal’imtikhan

 

Holiday greetings:

Happy holiday
عيد سعيد
Id sa’id

Season’s greetings
عيد مبارك
Id mubarak

Merry Christmas
عيد ميلاد سعيد
Id milad sa’id

Happy holiday (festival of the sacrifice(
عيد اضحى سعيد
Id adkha sa’id

Wishing you a healthy new year
كل سنة وانت سالم
Kul sana uwenta salaam

This greeting is relevant to all holidays throughout the year that are celebrated according to the Hijira calendar, according to which the Islamic holidays are determined. This calendar is based on the lunar cycle, similar to the Hebrew calendar.

 

Holiday of Holidays

This festival was celebrated for the first time in Haifa. Its goal was to express Haifa’s uniqueness as a pluralistic city, in which people of all faiths live in harmony. The aim of the holiday is to promote pluralism and tolerance among the different cultures and is symbolizes the different holidays celebrated in December, except for Ramadan, which changes every year according to the calendar.

 

Islam

Islam commemorates, for the most part, events that are mentioned in the Q’uran and usually relate to the prophet Mohammed. The two main Islamic holidays are Eid el Fitr (celebrating the end of the Fast of Ramadan) and Eid el Adkha (the Festival of the Sacrifice). Muslims celebrate these holidays differently in different areas, and the dates are determined according to the lunar calendar, thus the holidays fall on a different date every year according to the Gregorian calendar.

 

Judaism

Hanukkah falls on the 25th of the Hebrew month of Kislev, (it usually falls somewhere between the 12th and the 20th of December) and is celebrated for eight days. It commemorates the Hasmonean victory in the rebellion against the Greeks, the inauguration of the Holy Temple, and the miracle of the oil lamp. The holiday is celebrated by expressing thanks and lighting the 8-candle “menorah” or “hanukkiah”.

The fast of the 10th of Tevet usually falls somewhere towards the end of December. It is one of the four fast days to commemorate the destruction of the First Temple. On this day, according to the Jewish tradition, Nebuchadnezzar’s (the Babylonian king) commanded siege over Jerusalem. Since 1950, this day has also been appointed as a general day of mourning to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust, whose date of death is unknown.

 

Christianity – Catholicism and Protestantism

During December 24-26, Christians celebrate Christmas, which commemorates the birth of Jesus. According to Christian tradition, Jesus was born to Mary in Bethlehem, on a site which is known today as the Church of the Nativity. On December 31, Christians celebrate New Year’s Eve, which commemorates the circumcision of Baby Jesus. Israelis who have immigrated from the former Soviet Union (and many other countries as well), celebrate this holiday, known in Russian as “Novi God”, which simply means “new year”.