7irrah ma7irrah

Audio with Theyab's pronunciation

Go to any Kuwaiti saaHah and aside from the children playing, running about and cracking shwayyat nikkat, you may see kids grinding a fist into their palm. For anyone who didn't grow up in Kuwait, this sight is fairly mysterious but as I've recently learned, the gesture is the bonafide Kuwaiti way of children yaTaffruun and making each other ghayurriin.

The grinding palm action has its British equivalent when children stick out their tongue at someone and say "naa naa na naa naa."

When you get older, the same sentiment tends to be communicated by saying inta ghayuur or intay ghayuurah? Or even, after Theyab teases me into silence, he says, with a wry smile, "aTaffar-ich waayid, Sij wallah muu Sij?"

But grinding a fist into your palm and heckling Hirrah maHirrah is far more fun.

Verb	انا اطفر	ana aTaffir	I tease
	انت تطفر	inta taTaffir	You (m) tease
	انتي تطفرين	intay taTaffriin	You (f) tease
	انتو تطفرون	intaw taTaffruun	You (pl) tease
	احنا نطفر	aHnaa naTaffir	We tease
	هو يطفر	uhuwa yaTaffir	He teases
	هي تطفر	ihiya taTaffir	She teases
	اهما يطفرون	uhuma yaTaffruun	They tease
	غيور	ghayuur	Jealous (m)
Adjectives	غيورة	ghayuurah	Jealous (f)
	غيورين	ghayurriin	Jealous (pl)
	مرتاح بنفسه	mirtaaH bi nafs-ah	Comfortable (in himself)
	ساحة	saaHah	The playground
Nouns	نكتة	niktah	A joke
	شوية نكت	shwayyat nikkat	Some jokes
Phrase	اطفرچ وايد، مو صج؟	aTaffar-ich waayid, muu Sij?	I tease you a lot, right (>f)?

ayiib

Audio with Theyab's pronunciation

When a group of friends are having a gathering, it's nice when everyone offers to put shwayyat filuus in al-jumlah without being asked.

Not that Talab by the host to make a monetary contribution is a bad thing, it's just that it has potential to open a can of worms. How much should you tiyiib? Too little may come across as la:iin. Too much and the gesture may seem more like showing off than being kariim.

Maybe the best contribution is when someone yiyiib something that doesn't simply have a price, but instead tells you something about who they are.

Verb	انا اييب	ana ayiib	I bring
	انت تييب	inta tiyiib	You (m) bring
	انتي تييبين	intay tiyiibiin	You (f) bring
	انتو تييبون	intaw tiyiibuun	You (pl) bring
	احنا نييب	aHnaa nyiib	We bring
	هو يييب	uhuwa yiyiib	He brings
	هي تييب	ihiya tiyiib	She brings
	اهما يييبون	uhuma yiyiibuun	They bring
	لعين	la:iin	Mean (m)
Adjectives	لعينة	la:iinah	Mean (f)
	لعينين	la:iiniin	Mean (pl)
	كريم	kariim	Generous (m)
	الجملة	al-jumlah	The kitty
Nouns	طلب	Talab	A request
	شوية فلوس	shwayyat filuus	Some money
Phrase	اييب شي؟	ayiib shay?	Shall I bring something?

maa-nii

Audio with Theyab's pronunciation

"ana maa-nii yaayah," said the girl, pouting her lip.

"maa-nii m9addig-ah!" yells her mother. "Family lunch is the only majaal we all get to see each other."

"Family lunch is mummil," the girl mutters, shifting from foot to foot in her huge party dress.

The mother knows her daughter is only five years old, but still al-raf'9 hits her hard. How can she teach her child that az-zuwaarah is an event that is khaa9ah? After all, shwayyat naas may continue on the same path and grow up without realising that people aren't going to be around forever.

"Oh so... min-tay yaayah? So when I go, what are you going to do?" asks the mother.

"Play dolls?"

"Until when?"

"Forever."

The mother makes a mental note to self - give up now and try again next year.

Verb	انا ماني ياي(ة)	ana maa-nii yaay(ah)	I'm not coming
	منت ياي	min-ta yaay	You (m) aren't coming?
	منتي ياية	min-tay yaayah	You (f) aren't coming?
	منتو يايين	min-taw yaayiin	You (pl) aren't coming?
	محنا ياين	m-a7naa yaayiin	We aren't coming
	مهو ياي	mu-huwa yaay	He isn't coming
	مهي ياية	mi-hiya yaayah	She isn't coming
	ماهم يايين	maa-hum yaayiin	They aren't coming
	خاص	khaa9	Special (m)
Adjectives	خاصة	khaa9ah	Special (f)
	خاصين	khaa9iin	Special (pl)
	ممل	mummil	Dull, boring (m)
	الرفض	al-raf'9	The rejection
Nouns	مجال	majaal	A chance
	شوية ناس	shwayyat naas	Some people
Phrase	ماني مصدقة	maa-nii m9addig-ah	I (f) can't believe it

mur

Audio with Theyab's pronunciation

Fatimah is at the market. tadawwar ingredients for dinner with her grandchildren. Impressing her beloved ones is not even an option: she wants the meal to have aT-Ta:am of a Michelin dish (why aim lower?) so it has to have notes that are mur, Hiluu, salty and sour. And riiHah that will make everyone overeat.

shwayyat akil look great but taste plain. shwayyat akil look a disaster but are divine on the palate. Finding a balance is key. And after hours at the souq, all she has is four bags full of shoes, sunglasses and eyeliner.

She calls her friend Mahmoud who's a great cook. "adawwar ingredients for dinner, any ideas?"

"Hmm, how about a fish stew with luumii, you know how its Ta:am is wonderfully mur. Oh and today at the market the fish will be really fresh, so pick out a decent Hamour, season it, then slow-cook it," recommends the friend.

As she listens, her eyes catch sight of Naif Chicken, the restaurant across the street. She thanks her friend, "laa tHaat-ii, come to think of it, they'd probably prefer simplicity over anything else." 

Verb	انا ادور	ana adawwar	I'm looking for
	انت تدور	inta tadawwar	You (m) are looking for
	انتي تدورين	intay tadawwariin	You (f) are looking for
	انتو تدورون	intaw tadawwaruun	You (pl) are looking for
	احنا ندور	aHnaa nadawwar	We're looking for
	هو يدور	uhuwa yadawwar	He's looking for
	هي تدور	ihiya tadawwar	She's looking for
	اهما يدورون	uhuma yadawwaruun	They're looking for
	مر	mur	Bitter (m)
Adjectives	مرة	murrah	Bitter (f)
	مرين	muriin	Bitter (pl)
	حلو	Hiluu	Sweet (m)
	الطعم	aT-Ta:am	The taste
Nouns	ريحة	riiHah	A smell
	شوية اكل	shwayyat akil	Some foods
Phrase	لا تحاتي	laa tHaat-ii	Don't worry (>m)

at-tarjamah

Audio with Theyab's pronunciation

Many moons ago, I went to a business lunch in Kuwait. The atmosphere was very serious. Then I get this minyuu put in front of me. And as soon as my eyes flicked to the first entry, frankly, maa gidart awagif DaH-ik.

My boss gave me a look, and oh did I know al-ma:naa of that look. So I straightened up and ordered the "chick and fleshy" ... while biting my lip. Then I tried to calm my rising giggles by looking around me. Big mistake. Because this happened to be al-yaafTah opposite the restaurant:

What was going on with this tarjamah? I wondered silently. It's a little ghariib that when someone yatarjim the Arabic text, nobody at the company bothers to check it over before forking out for a sign? 

Then I thought, as much as it's kharbuuTah, this tarjamah is kind of :ajiibah.

How will I ever forget Arab Shat Fresh Fish?

Verb	انا اترجم	ana atarjim	I translate
	انت تترجم	inta tatarjim	You (m) translate
	انتي تترجمين	intay tatarjimiin	You (f) translate
	انتو تترجمون	intaw tatarjimuun	You (pl) translate
	احنا نترجم	aHnaa natarjim	We translate
	هو يترجم	uhuwa yatarjim	He translate
	هي تترجم	ihiya tatarjim	She translate
	اهما يترجمون	uhumaa yatarjimuun	They translate
	خربوطة	kharbuuTah	Ridiculous (m/f/pl)
Adjective	(عجيب (ة	:ajiib(ah)	Amazing (m/f)
	(غريب (ة	ghariib(ah)	Strange (m/f)
	منيو	minyuu	Menu
Noun	اليافطة	al-yaafTah	The street sign
	المعنى	al-ma:naa	The meaning
Phrase	ما قدرت اوقف ضحك	maa gidart awagif DaH-ik	I couldn’t stop laughing