aallah ykhalii-k

Audio with Theyab's pronunciation

Moving in together - and not killing each other - requires
the art of give-and-take. It's just that, ba:d shwayyah, you
don't keep score. So it is sahl for every request to be one
step towards ya:nii taking advantage.

سهل	sahl	Easy
بعد شوية	ba:d shwayyah	After a while
يعني	ya:nii	Like / it means

khafiif

Audio with Theyab's pronunciation

Today's post will be light in content, with good reason.

When we went to aHsan cafe :indinaa for a Sunday brunch,
we couldn't decide on a dessert to share so we ordered two.


hadhaa al-Helu khafiif:

hadiik al-keikah thigiilah:

But it doesn't end there. If someone is charismatic, their damm
is considered khafiif, too. And if damm-ah thigiil ... in a country
as sociable as Kuwait, you mind find yourself in a predicament.
For as my loving husband explained, having "heavy blood" is the
same as being totally lame.

احسن كفة عندنا	aHsan cafe :indinaa	Our favourite cafe
هذي	hadhii	This (f)
هذيك	hadiik	That (f)
الكيكة	al-keikah	Cake
ثقيل	thigiilah	Heavy (f)
دم	damm	Blood

imbalah

Audio with Theyab's pronunciation

- yibiil-ii birrah, yibiil-ii biirrah!

shinuu? maa gilt-lii chithii, 9a7?

- imbalah, gilt-ich.

laa, maa gilt-ii wa maa y9iir tguul chithii, 3aib!

- laa traddiin.

haddii! maa-abii aat-haawash!

- laazim tisma3ii-nii liin akhalli9 al-jumlah.
inzain.

- yibiil-ii birrah, yibiil-ii birrah ... law sama7tay ... 7abiibtii.

...haak ya 3amii! (spills the beer on his lap)

يبيلي برة	yibiilii birrah	Bring me beer! (to a woman)
ما قلتلي چذي	maa gilt-lii chidhii	You didn’t say that
صح	9a7	Right?
إمبلة	imbalah	I did!
ما يصير تقول چذي، عب	maa y9iir tguul chidhii, 3aib	You shouldn’t say things like that
لا تردين	laa traddiin	Don’t argue
شي هدي	shay haddii	Calm down!
ما ابي اتهوش	maa-bii aat-haawash	I don’t want to fight
لازم تسمعيني لين اخلص الجمية	laazim tisma3ii-nii liin akhalli9 al-jumlah	You should listen until I finish the sentence
هك \ هچ	haak / haach	Here, take it
يا عمي	ya 3amii	Dearest

umbayh

Audio with Theyab's pronunciation

This kalimah is colloquial, used quite often by mutHajibaat
and rarely, if ever, by men. So the meme below is, let's say,
totally inaccurate.

Here's a more likely usage: a mutHajah walks into her Saalah
without her Hijaab on. What she doesn't know that is a
male friend of zawj-haa is playing video games on the sofa.
She will shriek umbeyh rayaal! and run away.

كلمة	kalimah	word
متحجبه	mutHajbah (mutHajibaat)	Muslim (f) wearing headscarf and fitted clothing
حجاب	Hijaab	A headscarf
صاله	Saalah	A living room
زوجها	zawj-haa	Her husband
زوجته	zajt-ah	His wife
!امبيه ريال	umbeyh rayaal!	Oops, a man!

maa yi'6a7-ik

Audio with Theyab's pronunciation

Sometimes zawjii drives me mad. His antics are non-stop, and often
take place when ana ta:baanah and all I want to do is switch off. 

mathalan, he pretends to leave the apartment aS-SubH without saying 
ma:a s-salaamah.  Big deal, right? muu mushkilah if this was a one-off
or occasional joke. But no, haadha ySiir kul yawm.

He also teases a lot, demanding something fii asra: waqt mum kin
when it turns out he doesn't even want the thing at all.

Nothing is going to stop him, so all I can do is send out a gentle reminder,
each and every time, that really, truly ... maa yiDHaH-ik!

زوجي	zawjii	My husband
انا تعبينة	ana ta:baanah	I am tired
مثلن	mathalan	For example
مع السلامة	ma:a s-salaamah	Goodbye
مو مشكلة	muu mushkilah	No problem
هزا يصير	haadha ySiir	This happens (lit. this it happens)
كل يوم	kul yawm	Every day
في اسرع وقت ممكن	fii asra: waqt mumkin	As soon as possible

maa 3ind-ii maani3

Audio with Theyab's pronunciation

"shbtsawii?" he asks.

"ana baarkiD ... bruuHi," I reply a little sadly.

"Hag shinu?" he asks.

"Exercise!" I exclaim. 

"mumkin yikuun fii muTar," he warns.
"maa :indii maani:," I shrug. "I will shower gabl al-riyuug."
"laiish muu gabl maa tinaamiin, like me," he jokes.
"maa yiTHaHik!" And with that, I leave for my run.

شبتسوي؟	shbtsawii?	What are you doing?
انا باركض	ana baarkiD	I am going running
بروحي	bruuHi	Alone
ممكن يكون في مطر	mumkin yikuun fii muTar	It might rain (lit. it is possible there will be rain)
قبل الريوق	gabl al-riyuug	After breakfast
ليش لا؟	laiish laa?	Why not?
قبل ما تنام؟	laiish muu gabl maa tinaamiin?	Why not have one before sleeping? (lit. why not before to go you sleep)

al-7ajz

Audio with Theyab's pronunciation

One day, I decide to run an errand, on foot and bruuHii.

"Hag shinu?" he asks.
"a-khalii-k tshuuf ... ba:adiin," is all I say.

It is ash-shita and al-jaw muu Haar, so moving around on foot is fine.
I walk for half an hour without seeing what I want to find. A woman passes
and I ask hعر: "law samaHtay, ta:rifiin al-shatayah al-watiyah?"
She seems confused and says, "maa a:rif." 

Then a taxi passes and slows down. I ask sawaag at-taaksi:
"luu samaHt, fiih maT:am kuwaiti gariib min hini?"
He replies: "ee fiih bas uhuwa ba:iid shwayah."

I get in the taxi and we arrive at Shatiyah Shatiyah Watiyah.
I greet the waiter. "Ah, but I don't want to eat right away.
mumkin Hajz tawlah Hag shakhSiin?" Can I reserve a table for two people?

And so I made aH-Hajz for a surprise :ashaa. 

بروهي	bruuHii	Alone (m/f)
حق شنو؟	Hag shinu?	What for?
اخليك تشوف	a-khalii-k tshuuf	You’ll see (lit. I let you you see )
بعدين	ba:adiin	Later
الشتاء	ash-shitaa’	Winter
الجو موحار	al-jaw muu Haar	It’s not hot out
سواق التاكسي	sawaag at-taaksi	Taxi driver
لو سمحتي	law samaHtay	Excuse me (to a woman)
تعرفين؟	ta:rifiin?	Do you know? (to a woman
ما عريف	maa a:rif	I don’t know
في مطعم؟	fiih maT:am?	Is there a restaurant?
قريب من هني	gariib min hini	near to here
اي في بس حو بعيد شويه	ee fiih bas uhuwa ba:iid shwayah	Yes there’s one but it’s a little far
العشاء	al-:ashaa	The dinner

hawaa

Audio with Theyab's pronunciation

According to khaleeji folklore, the first major wind of the year,
the shaamal, occurs around khams-wa-ishriin maayo. It is known
locally as al-Hafar since it drills huge depressions in dunes of al-barr.

The hawaa ath-thaniyah arrives in early yuunyo, coincides with
the dawn star, Pleiades, and is nicknamed ruuH thuurayah.
During this event, which is more violent than the others, fishermen 
remain in port because folklore tells them that this wind devours ships.

Near the end of June, the last shaamal arrives, known as the ad-dabaran.
It is violent and continues for several days. Local residents keep doors
and windows firmly shut, often placing fuwaT around the cracks
of al-bilbaan as this shaamal brings with it a fine dust.

خليجي	khaleeji	Arabian gulf
الشمال	ash-shamaal	The north
خمس و اشرين مايو	khams-wa-ishriin maayuu	25th May
الحفر	al-Hafar	Drill
البر	al-barr	Desert
هوا الثنيه	hawaa thaniyyah	A second wind
يونيو	yuunyuu	June
برح ثوريه	ruuH thuurayyah	Revolutionary spirit
الدبرن	ad-dabaran	The follower

taw an-naas

Audio with Theyab's pronunciation

Being a foreigner bi-l kuwait brings its challenges, bas none
more so than matters of time.

People may ask "as-saa:ah cham?" but knowing the time
doesn't mean someone won't be late for chai adh-dhuha,
lunch or even a wedding.

Coming from England where being 'fashionably late' equals
5 - 15 daagiigah, it's surprising to learn that in Kuwait someone
could possibly show up saa:atain after the meeting time.
I remember being invited to ghadaa' at 2pm, and on the stroke of 2pm,
being driven to the saluun to prepare my hair for the lunch.
At that point, hand on my heart, I couldn't make sense of anything.

yimkin it's nicer to be relaxed about time, neither too strict nor too lax.

So when Theyab wants to leave the house to not be on time,
but in fact early for a ministry appointment, it's a good time to say:
"taw an-naas inruuH!"

بالكويت	bi-l kuwait	In Kuwait
بس	bas	But
الساعه كم؟	as-saa:ah cham?	What time is it?
شي الظهة	chai aDH-DHuhah	Elevenses
داقيقه	daagiigah	Minute (daagiigtain 2 mins, digaayig 3-10 mins, daagiigah thereafter)
ساعتين	saa:atain	Two hours
الغداء	al-ghadaa’	Lunch
السلون	as-saluun	Beauty parlour
يمكن	yimkin	maybe