13 Common Idioms in Arabic
By: Lindsey Penn/Arab America Contributing Writer
Idioms, or phrases that are figurative, non-literal, and have a different literal meaning, are tough to understand, especially in another language or culture. For example, in English, a common idiom is, “it’s raining cats and dogs.” That means that it is raining hard, but that’s not really what the phrase says. Once you learn a few idioms, you can gain quite a bit of insight into another culture, especially if they are commonly used. Here is a list of a few common Arabic idioms.
Ilee ala om Hussein bijeebha bileil/الي على أم حسين بجيبها بالليل
This phrase literally means “whatever is on Um Hussein will come at night.” Its meaning in context, though, is more like, “if you think about this idea all day, it will come to you at night.” The phrase is meant for people who think on the same problem all day, and then that same problem comes to them in their dreams.
Ad-dunia ‘osor wa yosor/الدنيا عُسر و يُسُر
The phrase means “the world is hard and happy,” but is really meant to say that the world has good and bad in it. Someone will use this phrase, for example, when they might have had a bad day.
Shayif haloh/شايف حاله
This phrase is one of the most common ones that you will hear. It literally means “seeing himself,” however, it means that someone is narcissistic or they think only of themselves. The phrase is also one of the few that also exists in English, although it is not always said as an idiom. In English, the idiom for this situation might be “stuck up.”
Ibn halal/ابن حلال
“Ibn halaal” directly translates to “legitimate son” or “halal son.” It is used when someone is a good and decent person.
Jibna seerit al-qat ija yanet/جبنا سيرة القط اجى ينط
The direct translation of the phrase is, “we mentioned the cat and it came jumping.” This phrase is used when you are speaking of someone and then they appear.
Sawheb wajihayn/صاحب وجهين
Literally meaning “owner of two faces,” this phrase is used to describe someone who is hypocritical and says one thing, but will do something else. “Two-faced” is a similar phrase in English, and we use it for someone who isn’t sincere.
R’as ala ‘aqab/رأس على عقب
This phrase literally means “head over heels.” The irony of this phrase is that we use it in English, but it has a different meaning. In English, when we use the phrase “head over heels,” we mean someone has fallen completely in love with someone else. However, in Arabic, the phrase means that something or someone has completely changed or became the opposite of what it was before.
Samin ala ‘asal/سمن على عسل
Literally meaning “fat and honey,” this phrase is used when things are in harmony or go really well together.
Taqborni/تقبرني
This phrase literally means “you bury me.” However, people use it when they love someone a lot. They want to die before the person they love so that they don’t have to live life without that person, and they don’t want anything to happen to that person.
Inta qalbak l’Allah/ انت قلبك لالله
The phrase means “your heart is for Allah.” People will use this phrase to describe someone who has a kind heart, is always ready to help anyone, and is always happy.
Bali’a radio/بالع راديو
This idiom is in the spoken dialect and is very common. Its direct translation is along the lines of “having a radio in your mouth.” In reality, this phrase means that someone talks a lot. The comparison in English would be the phrase “talk a blue streak” or “chatterbox.”
Dammoh tha’eel/دمه ثقيل
This phrase is another common colloquial idiom. Literally meaning “his blood is thick,” it is used to describe someone who is annoying.
Fi saabi’a noumoh/في سابع نومه
Yet another phrase in the spoken dialect, this one directly means “he is in the seventh sleep.” Its meaning, though, is when someone is about to be overpowered or they fall asleep quickly. The idiom in English is “down for the count.”
If you’re looking for more idioms, here and here have some good ones!
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