Chapter 3.1: Vocabulary and Expressions
Learning Objectives
In this chapter, you will:
- Identify types of clothes in standard and spoken Arabic.
- Learn about traditional clothing in different parts of the Arab world.
Vocabulary and Expressions
Read and listen to the following vocabulary and expressions.
| English | Arabic |
|---|---|
| to wear | لَبِس - يلبَس - اللبس |
| clothes | ملابس |
| women's clothes | ملابس حريمي |
| men's clothes | ملابس رجالي |
| kids' clothes | ملابس أطفال |
| store/s | محل ج. محلات |
| color/s | لون ج. ألوان |
| price/s | سِعر ج. أسعار |
| offer/s | عرض ج. عروض |
| sale/s | تخفيض ج. تخفيضات |
| summer clothes | ملابس صيفية |
| winter clothes | ملابس شتوية |
| light of weight or texture | خفيف - خفيفة |
| heavy of weight or texture | ثقيل - ثقيلة |
| shirt/s | قميص ج.قمصان |
| pant/s | بنطلون ج. بنطلونات |
| t-shirt/s | تي شيرت ج. تي شيرتات |
| jacket/s | جاكيت ج. جواكت |
| suit/s | بدلة ج. بِدَل |
| shorts | شورت ج. شورتات |
| pajamas | بيجامة ج. بيجامات |
| pullover/s | بلوفر ج. بلوفرات |
| coat/s | مِعطف ج. معاطف |
| shoe/s | حذاء ج. أحذية |
| sneaker/s | كوتشي ج. كوتشيات |
| sock/s | جورب ج.جوارب |
| glove/s | قفاز ج. قفازات |
| dress/es | فستان ج. فساتين |
| skirt/s | جيبة = تنّورة |
| blouse/s | بلوزة ج. بلوزات |
| tight | ضيّق - ضيّقة |
| loose | واسع - واسعة |
Note on Vocabulary of Clothing
Expect to see different words for some items in other resources. There are many words that describe the same item in standard Arabic as well as in different dialects. Additionally, there will be some clothing words that use the same English words and can have some other Arabic translation that is not frequently used. One example is بيجامة for pajamas: some standard coinage would refer to it as منامة, derived from sleep.
Feel free to explore these vocabulary beyond textbooks. You can see some of these here in the video.
Activity 1: Vocabulary Check
Activity 2: Question and Answer
Ask and answer questions with your classmates.
| مع زميلة | مع زميل |
|---|---|
| ما لونكِ المفضل في الملابس؟ | ما لونكَ المفضل في الملابس؟ |
| من أين تشترين ملابسك عادة؟ | من أين تشتري ملابسك عادة؟ |
| ماذا تلبسين عادة في الشتاء؟ | ماذا تلبس عادة في الصيف؟ |
| ماذا ستلبسين إذا كان عندك مقابلة عمل؟ | ماذا ستلبس إذا كان عندك مقابلة عمل؟ |
| ماذا ستلبسين إذا كان عندك حفلة؟ | ماذا ستلبس إذا كان عندك حفلة؟ |
| ماذا تحتاجين أن تلبسي في الشتاء والصيف؟ | ماذا تحتاج أن تلبس في الشتاء والصيف؟ |
| ما هي الملابس التي تلبسينها في البيت؟ | ما هي الملابس التي تلبسها في البيت؟ |
Colors as Adjectives
Adjectives of color can be of two types: the regular one in the form of نسبة adjective, like the following.
Examples of Nisbah Color Adjectives
- Orange برتقالي - برتقالية : from برتقال (orange)
- Brown بُنّي - بُنّية : from بُن (coffee beans)
- Purple بنفسجي - بنفسجية from بنفسج (violet)
- Silver فضّي - فضّية from فضة (silver)
- Pink زهري - زهرية from زهرة (flower)
Or the other type, following the pattern of أفعل, in which case it follows different patterns in feminine and plural, as in the following examples.
Examples of Color Adjectives under أفعل Pattern
| Plural | Feminine | Singular |
|---|---|---|
| حُمر | حمراء | أحمر |
| بيض | بيضاء | أبيض |
| سود | سوداء | أسود |
| صُفر | صفراء | أصفر |
| زُرق | زرقاء | أزرق |
| خُضر | خضراء | أخضر |
Note that the plural form can only be used with human plurals. As you may remember, nonhuman plurals in Arabic are considered feminine. Therefore, if you want to use colors, you can sayرجال بيض (white men) but with clothes, for example, you would say قمصان بيضاء (white shirts). In other words, the plural colors of adjectives are not frequently used, as it is not common to say رجال زرق (blue men), for example.
Activity 3: Forms of Color Adjectives
Activity 4: Making Sentences
Using the pictures below, write one sentence for each numbered picture. Use adjectives and colors as in the example provided. You can express this using the verb يلبس/تلبس or the active participle in Egyptian Arabic لابس أو لابسة (he is wearing, she is wearing).
- هو لابس بدلة زرقاء
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Photo by Tamarcus Brown on Unsplash -
Photo by Sebastian Pociecha on Unsplash -
Photo by Mezidi Zineb on Unsplash -
Photo by Pasha Chusovitin on Unsplash -
Photo by Kizkopop on Unsplash -
Photo by Ahmed Sheraz on Unsplash
ثقافة : الزي التقليدي في الدول العربية
Culture: Traditional Clothes from Arab Countries
Learn some terms for what these customs are called from the following blog post:
Cultural Wear in the Arab World
And check out this magazine article.
Activity 5: Presentation
Pick an Arab country and research their national dress. Prepare a few slides to share in class.
Key Takeaways
- I can describe clothing using colors and appropriate adjectives.
- I can distinguish persons from different cultures by their dress.
