Hebrew and Arabic: Semitic Cousins
شاميLevantine
متوسطIntermediate·
1127 wordsكلمة
·
6 min readدقيقة قراءة
Why يوم is יום but لحم isn’t לחם: shared Semitic roots, the Canaanite shift, س/ש swaps, and Hebrew–Arabic false friends like مكتب and מכתב.
نسمة كلمة
Word Breeze is short Shami language notes: vocabulary, useful phrases, grammar patterns, and Tunisian vs. Levantine comparisons.
Light Blood, Heavy Blood
شاميLevantine
سهلEasy·
306 wordsكلمة
·
2 min readدقيقة قراءة
In Shami, blood is either light or heavy: دمّه خفيف is someone fun to sit with, دمّه تقيل is someone you want to escape. Meaning and examples.
To His Mother, the Monkey Is a Gazelle
شاميLevantine
سهلEasy·
322 wordsكلمة
·
2 min readدقيقة قراءة
«القرد بعين أمّه غزال»: the Shami way to say love is blind, especially a parent’s. Meaning, tone and examples.
Go Pave the Sea
شاميLevantine
سهلEasy·
271 wordsكلمة
·
2 min readدقيقة قراءة
«روح بلّط البحر»: the Levantine way to say «do whatever you want, it won’t change anything». Meaning, tone and examples.
Worry, Guilt, and Disappointment in Shami: Notes From My Diary
شاميLevantine
متوسطIntermediate·
533 wordsكلمة
·
3 min readدقيقة قراءة
The phrases I used to write about holiday guilt — أشيل هم، أحس بالذنب، خيّب أمل — pulled out into one place, with short examples.
Kfāya (Enough) — Shami Arabic Word of the Day
شاميLevantineتونسيTunisian
سهلEasy·
356 wordsكلمة
·
2 min readدقيقة قراءة
How do you say ’enough’ in Arabic? Kfāya (كفاية) — pronunciation, IPA, and real examples for stopping something, quantities, and daily life in Shami Arabic.
Da3i (Need, Reason) — Shami Arabic Word of the Day
شاميLevantineتونسيTunisian
سهلEasy·
193 wordsكلمة
·
1 min readدقيقة قراءة
Learn the word for ’need’ or ‘reason’ in Shami Arabic (Da3i - داعي) with common daily life examples.
Da3if (Weak) — Shami Arabic Word of the Day
شاميLevantineتونسيTunisian
سهلEasy·
366 wordsكلمة
·
2 min readدقيقة قراءة
How do you say ‘weak’ in Arabic? Da3if (ضعيف) — pronunciation, IPA, and real examples for people, objects, and arguments in Shami Arabic.
Arabic Word, Hebrew Word — A New Kind of Video
شاميLevantine
سهلEasy·
54 wordsكلمة
·
1 min readدقيقة قراءة
A short video in English comparing one Arabic word and one Hebrew word. New format — let me know what you think.
Can, Want, Must, Would in Shami Arabic
شاميLevantine
سهلEasy·
530 wordsكلمة
·
3 min readدقيقة قراءة
Quick guide to فيني/بقدر (can), بدي (want), لازم/مفروض (must), كنت/لو فيني (would) with IPA and examples.