Scroll down for a short lesson by Nihaya!
But first…
We need volunteer learners for the Arabic teachers that are training right now. If you are interesting in joining us and have a small taster, do get in touch by writing to Hala (see below):
And now, here’s Nihaya’s Palestinian Arabic taster:
We have used a few words of Arabic in our posts before. You’ll have come across Marhaba (Hello) or Ma’salama (Bye). These are words that are very common in Modern Standard Arabic and that people also use in Gaza all the time.
However, we now want to teach you some common expressions that you may hear when you talk to someone speaking Palestinian Arabic. Some of these colloquial expressions are used in other Arab countries, but they are not considered Standard Arabic. They are words from the variety of Arabic that is spoken in Palestine and in Gaza.
Yalla (يلا) means ‘hurry up , come on, lets go’
Ba’rafesh (بعرفش) means ‘I don’t know’
Mesh moshkela: (مش مشكلة) means ‘No problem’
Jad! (!جد) means ‘ Really!’
Lahza (لحظة) means ‘one second’. This word is often used to ask someone to wait for you. If you hear this you know that, despite its literal meaning, you will wait for more than ‘lahza’ 😊
Teglagesh (تقلقش) / teglageesh (تقلقيش) means ‘Don’t worry’ (when talking to a male/female). But beware: do not be too optimistic! Most of the time this means that what you have agreed on won’t actually happen! 😉
These and many, many more things you can learn when taking the Online Arabic from Palestine course! Check out what one of our volunteer learners had to say after a few lessons with one of the Arabic Center‘s capable teachers:
We hope to hear from you soon!
palestinian arabic online 