Ra'ed Al-Ramahi
EDUCATOR - Specialized in Arabic as a Foreign Language
Learn Arabic Proverbs
JANUARY 2008
“akl wu mar’a wu gillit San’a”
It literally means “Eating and grazing and no job (very little to do)”.
This expression is said to lazy people who sit back and prefer others to do things for them all the time.
DECEMBER 2007
“il-manHūs manHūs wa law ‘allagu ‘ala rāsu fānūs”
It literally means “The unlucky are unlucky even if they hang a lantern on their head”.
This is said when someone experiences bad luck in many aspects of life – e.g. not getting a good job, not getting things done, having troubles, etc.
NOVEMBER 2007
“il-bāb illi bijīk minnu ir-rīh, siddu wistarīH”
It literally means “The door the wind comes from, close it and relax yourself”.
This saying is almost the same as the previous one. It is used when you have had enough of a particular irritation and you just “close the door” to relieve yourself from trouble.
OCTOBER 2007
“ib'ed 'an ish-shar wu ghannī lu”
It literally means “Get a way from the evil and sing for him”.
This is used when a person annoys you all the time, and you decided to avoid them.
SEPTEMBER 2007
“ramadān karim”
It literally means “The Holy month of Ramadan is generous”.
This saying is said to Muslim people when the Holy month of Ramadan starts or during the month.
AUGUST 2007
“il-'iz lar-ruz, wil- burghul shanag hālu”
It literally means “The glory is for the rice, and the bulgur wheat has hanged itself”.
This proverb is said when you see another person who is rich or possesses many extravagant possessions. It is a comparison between what you have and what you see.
JULY 2007
“Darabni wu baka wu sabaqni wish-taka”
It literally means “He hit me and cried, and also went to complain before me”.
This saying is used when someone complains about you following an argument when the guilt actually lies with them. It essentially means that they are the one to be blamed; not me.
JUNE 2007
“mā biHik jildak illa dufrak”
It literally means “Nothing can scratch you skin but your nail”.
This saying is used when someone does something for you, but not in the way you wanted. You can say this expression either to yourself, or him/her. You can also say it when you ask someone to do you a favour but they refuse.
MAY 2007
“bukra bedűb it-talj wu bebân il-marj”
It literally means “Tomorrow the snow will melt and grass will appear”.
This proverb is used when someone is uncertain about some news at the moment but will know about it in the near future.
Also, if someone knows something about a certain matter, and s/he refused to tell you about it, then you can say it to him/her because you will know about it in the near future.
APRIL 2007
"zai il-aTrash biz-zaffeh"
It literally means “Like a deaf in the loud wedding party”.
This proverb is said to a person who is sitting with a group of people and he does not understand what they are talking about.
You can also say to the people that you are talking with them about something that is understood by all but you: It is not nice to leave me like “the deaf in a loud wedding”.
MARCH 2007
"'ala gad lehafak med rejlayk"
It literally means "Stretch your legs upto the size of the your quilt/blanket". This expression is said to a person who is trying to spend more than what s/he has. A person himself/herself can also say it when they are planning to do something or buy something, they will plan/buy according to their budget.
FEBRUARY 2007
"Shu tisawwi? hayk id-dunya"
This expression is said when someone is complaining to telling his/her difficulties to another, and s/he can not do anything about it, so s/he say this expression. It means “What can you do? Such is life.” Or, when your boss ask you to do something that you don’t like to do, but you have to do it.
JANUARY 2007
"Kul 'aam wa antum bekhayr"
This expression is said in the following ocassions:
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