Arabic expressions quiz
Your textbook never taught you these.
Could you follow the news, a speech or a novel in Arabic? Let’s see how many of these you’d catch.
10 expressionsbeginner to advancedabout 2 minutesno sign-up
Word for word: “on a foot and a shin”
So what does it really mean? Tap an answer to start.
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Arabic expressions quiz
The 10 expressions in this quiz
Word for word, they make no sense. Here’s what they mean when you meet them in the news, in books and in speeches.
على قدم وساقʿalā qadamin wa-sāq
BeginnerWord for word: “on a foot and a shin”
In full swing
التحضيرات للمهرجان تجري على قدم وساق.Preparations for the festival are in full swing.
Fine at workبين عشية وضحاهاbayna ʿashiyyatin wa-ḍuḥāhā
BeginnerWord for word: “between an evening and its morning”
Overnight, all of a sudden
تغيّر كل شيء في حياته بين عشية وضحاها.Everything in his life changed overnight.
Fine at workحفظ ماء الوجهḥifẓ māʾ al-wajh
BeginnerWord for word: “keeping the water of the face”
Saving face
انسحب من المنافسة بهدوء ليحفظ ماء وجهه.He quietly pulled out of the race to save face.
Fine at workيصطاد في الماء العكرyaṣṭādu fī l-māʾi l-ʿakir
IntermediateWord for word: “he fishes in murky water”
He exploits trouble for his own gain
بعض السياسيين يصطادون في الماء العكر بعد كل أزمة.Some politicians exploit every crisis for their own ends.
Fine at workبلغ السيل الزبىbalagha s-saylu z-zubā
IntermediateWord for word: “the flood has reached the hilltops”
Enough is enough
تأخرت الرواتب ثلاثة أشهر، وقد بلغ السيل الزبى.Salaries are three months late. Enough is enough.
Fine at workوضع النقاط على الحروفwaḍaʿa n-nuqāṭa ʿalā l-ḥurūf
IntermediateWord for word: “he put the dots on the letters”
He spelled things out clearly
في الاجتماع وضع المدير النقاط على الحروف.In the meeting, the manager spelled it all out.
Fine at workذرّ الرماد في العيونdharr ar-ramād fī l-ʿuyūn
IntermediateWord for word: “throwing ash in the eyes”
A smokescreen, pulling the wool over people’s eyes
هذه الوعود مجرد ذرّ للرماد في العيون.These promises are just a smokescreen.
Fine at workرجع بخفّي حنينrajaʿa bi-khuffay ḥunayn
AdvancedWord for word: “he came back with Hunayn’s two slippers”
He came back empty-handed
ذهب ليطالب بحقه، فرجع بخفّي حنين.He went to claim what he was owed and came back empty-handed.
Fine at workسبق السيف العذلsabaqa s-sayfu l-ʿadhal
AdvancedWord for word: “the sword got there before the blame”
Too late, the damage is done
حاول أن يعتذر، لكن سبق السيف العذل.He tried to apologise, but the damage was already done.
Fine at workأصبح في خبر كانaṣbaḥa fī khabari kān
AdvancedWord for word: “it became the predicate of “was””
It’s a thing of the past
كان المقهى مشهورًا، أما الآن فقد أصبح في خبر كان.The café used to be famous. Now it’s a thing of the past.
Fine at work
Questions
Are these expressions still used?
Yes, every day. The quiz leaves out anything dated or crude, and every answer tells you where it’s safe to say: fine at work, with friends, or best avoided.
Why does the quiz go from beginner to advanced?
The first three are common and you’ll hear them early on. The last three need nuance, like sarcasm or mood, which is where most learners lose the thread.
What do I get if I unlock the 15?
A free deck with all 25 expressions, added for you when you finish setting up: the 10 from the quiz (the ones you missed first, each with its example), then the 15 new ones. Every card has audio and comes back for review just before you’d forget it.
Is this Modern Standard Arabic or dialect?
Modern Standard Arabic, the Arabic of newspapers, books, speeches and the news, and the Arabic liivret teaches. These idioms are understood from Morocco to Iraq. Everyday speech adds dialect expressions on top, which vary by country. Every expression shows a Latin transliteration, so you can say it before you can read the script.