“sometimes” in Arabic dialects
adverb
How do you say sometimes across the major spoken Arabic dialects? Compare sometimes (adverb) sense by sense across 5 dialects — Egyptian, Levantine, Gulf, Iraqi, Maghrebi — with English meaning, native script, transliteration and usage.
What does “sometimes” mean?
adverb
- On certain occasions or in certain cases but not always“sometimes she wished she were back in England”
English definitions from Princeton WordNet.
Quick comparison across dialects
| Dialect | Arabic (sometimes) | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Egyptian Arabic | ساعات | saʿāt |
| Levantine Arabic | مرات | marrāt |
| Gulf Arabic | أحياناً | aḥyānan |
| Iraqi Arabic | مرات | marrāt |
| Maghrebi Arabic | شي مرات | shi marrāt |
Full breakdown by dialect
Egyptian Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| ساعات | saʿāt | at times, now and then |
| أحياناً | aḥyānan | occasionally |
Levantine Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| مرات | marrāt | on some occasions, from time to time |
| أوقات | awqāt | occasionally, at times |
| أحياناً | aḥyānan | sometimes, occasionally (slightly more formal) |
Gulf Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| أحياناً | aḥyānan | on some occasions, at times |
| مرات | marrāt | at times, sometimes |
| بعض المرات | baʿḍ al-marrāt | some of the time |
Iraqi Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| مرات | marrāt | at times, on some occasions |
| أحياناً | aḥyānan | occasionally, now and then |
Maghrebi Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| شي مرات | shi marrāt | sometimes (Moroccan) |
| مرة مرة | marra marra | sometimes, from time to time |
| خطرات | khaṭrāt | sometimes (Algerian) |
| ساعات | sāʿāt | sometimes (Algerian/Tunisian) |
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