“excuse” in Arabic dialects
verb
How do you say excuse across the major spoken Arabic dialects? Compare excuse (verb) sense by sense across 5 dialects — Egyptian, Levantine, Gulf, Iraqi, Maghrebi — with English meaning, native script, transliteration and usage.
What does “excuse” mean?
verb
- Accept an excuse for“Please excuse my dirty hands”
- Grant exemption or release to“Please excuse me from this class”
- Serve as a reason or cause or justification of“Your need to sleep late does not excuse your late arrival at work”
English definitions from Princeton WordNet.
Quick comparison across dialects
| Dialect | Arabic (excuse) | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Egyptian Arabic | يسامح | yesāmeḥ |
| Levantine Arabic | سامَح | sāmaḥ |
| Gulf Arabic | سَامَح | sāmaḥ |
| Iraqi Arabic | يعذر | yiʿdhur |
| Maghrebi Arabic | سمح لـ | smaḥ l- |
Full breakdown by dialect
Egyptian Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| يسامح | yesāmeḥ | to forgive a person or fault |
| يعذر | yoʿzor | to find a reason to forgive |
| يستأذن | yestaʾzen | to ask for permission to leave |
Levantine Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| سامَح | sāmaḥ | to forgive someone |
| بَرَّر | barrar | to justify a fault or offense |
| إستَأذَن | istaʾzan | to excuse oneself, ask for permission to leave |
Gulf Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| سَامَح | sāmaḥ | to forgive or pardon someone |
| عَذَر | ʿadhar | to find an excuse for, accept an excuse |
| اِسْتَأْذَن | istaʾdhan | to excuse oneself, ask for permission to leave |
Iraqi Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| يعذر | yiʿdhur | to forgive or overlook a fault |
| يسامح | ysamiḥ | to forgive |
Maghrebi Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| سمح لـ | smaḥ l- | to forgive, pardon |
| استأذن | staʾdhen | to ask permission to leave |
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