“long” in Arabic dialects
adverb
How do you say long across the major spoken Arabic dialects? Compare long (adverb) sense by sense across 5 dialects — Egyptian, Levantine, Gulf, Iraqi, Maghrebi — with English meaning, native script, transliteration and usage.
What does “long” mean?
adverb
- For an extended time or at a distant time“a promotion long overdue”
- For an extended distance
English definitions from Princeton WordNet.
Quick comparison across dialects
| Dialect | Arabic (long) | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Egyptian Arabic | لمدة طويلة | le-modda ṭawīla |
| Levantine Arabic | كتير | ktīr |
| Gulf Arabic | فترة طويلة | fatra ṭawīla |
| Iraqi Arabic | هوايه | hwāya |
| Maghrebi Arabic | بزاف | bzzaf |
Full breakdown by dialect
Egyptian Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| لمدة طويلة | le-modda ṭawīla | for a long duration |
| كتير | ketīr | for a great duration (colloquial) |
Levantine Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| كتير | ktīr | for a long duration (e.g. didn't wait long) |
| فترة طويلة | fatra ṭawīle | for a long period of time |
Gulf Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| فترة طويلة | fatra ṭawīla | for a long duration |
| وايد | wāyid | for a long time (e.g. 'don't take long') |
Iraqi Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| هوايه | hwāya | for a great duration |
| فترة طويلة | fatra ṭawīla | for a long period of time |
Maghrebi Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| بزاف | bzzaf | for a long time (Moroccan/Algerian) |
| برشا | barsha | for a long time (Tunisian) |
| مدة طويلة | mudda ṭwila | for a long duration |
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