“borrow” in Arabic dialects
verb
How do you say borrow across the major spoken Arabic dialects? Compare borrow (verb) sense by sense across 5 dialects — Egyptian, Levantine, Gulf, Iraqi, Maghrebi — with English meaning, native script, transliteration and usage.
What does “borrow” mean?
verb
- Get temporarily“May I borrow your lawn mower?”
- Take up and practice as one's own
English definitions from Princeton WordNet.
Quick comparison across dialects
| Dialect | Arabic (borrow) | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Egyptian Arabic | استلف | estalef |
| Levantine Arabic | استعار | istaʿār |
| Gulf Arabic | اِسْتَلَف | istalaf |
| Iraqi Arabic | يتداين | yitdāyan |
| Maghrebi Arabic | تْسَلَّف | tsellaf |
Full breakdown by dialect
Egyptian Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| استلف | estalef | to take and use, intending to return |
| استعار | estaʿār | to borrow (esp. books, more formal) |
Levantine Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| استعار | istaʿār | to borrow an object |
| تداين | tdayyan | to borrow money |
Gulf Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| اِسْتَلَف | istalaf | to take and use temporarily |
Iraqi Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| يتداين | yitdāyan | to take and use with intent to return |
| يستعير | yistaʿīr | to borrow an item |
Maghrebi Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| تْسَلَّف | tsellaf | to borrow money or an item |
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