“tell” in Arabic dialects
verb
How do you say tell across the major spoken Arabic dialects? Compare tell (verb) sense by sense across 5 dialects — Egyptian, Levantine, Gulf, Iraqi, Maghrebi — with English meaning, native script, transliteration and usage.
What does “tell” mean?
verb
- Express in words“He said that he wanted to marry her”
- Let something be known“Tell them that you will be late”
- Narrate or give a detailed account of“Tell what happened”
English definitions from Princeton WordNet.
Quick comparison across dialects
| Dialect | Arabic (tell) | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| Egyptian Arabic | قال لـِ | ʾāl li- |
| Levantine Arabic | قال لـ | ʾāl la- |
| Gulf Arabic | يقول لـ | yigūl li |
| Iraqi Arabic | يگول | ygūl |
| Maghrebi Arabic | ڭال لـ | gāl l- |
Full breakdown by dialect
Egyptian Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| قال لـِ | ʾāl li- | to tell someone something |
| حَكَى | ḥaka | to tell a story, to narrate |
Levantine Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| قال لـ | ʾāl la- | to say something to someone |
| خَبَّر | khabbar | to inform someone |
| حَكَى | ḥaka | to narrate a story |
Gulf Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| يقول لـ | yigūl li | to say something to someone |
| يخبر | yikhbir | to inform someone |
| يحكي | yiḥchi | to narrate a story |
Iraqi Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| يگول | ygūl | to say something to someone |
| يحچي | yiḥchi | to narrate a story or events |
| يفرّق | yfarriq | to distinguish or identify a difference |
Maghrebi Arabic
| Word (Arabic) | Transliteration | English sense / usage |
|---|---|---|
| ڭال لـ | gāl l- | to tell someone something |
| حكى | ḥka | to tell a story, to narrate |
| عاود | ʿāwad | to retell, to recount a story |
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