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Expressions

تعبيرات فلسطينية

Greetings & Hospitality

تحيات وضيافة

you lit up the place / welcome

nawwart

نوَّرت

Said to welcome a guest arriving at your home or place

please, come in / go ahead / help yourself

tfaḍḍal

تفضل

Inviting someone in or offering something

welcome

ahla w-sahla

اهلا وسهلا

Standard welcome greeting, often repeated for emphasis

no bother at all / it's no trouble

ghalabtak rāḥa

غلبتك راحة

Response when someone apologizes for troubling you

may God give you strength/health

allah yaʿṭīki l-ʿāfye

الله يعطيكي العافية

Said to someone who is working hard, especially cooking or cleaning

may God make your heart happy

yisʿad albak

يسعد قلبك

Expression of gratitude or affection

may God make your soul happy

yisʿad rūḥak

يسعد روحك

Variant of يسعد قلبك - expression of gratitude or affection

that's from your kindness

hād min luṭfkum

هاد من لُطفكم

Humble response to a compliment or kind gesture

Emotions & Reactions

مشاعر وردات فعل

what a shame! / what a loss!

ya khasāra!

يا خسارة!

Expressing disappointment about a missed opportunity

how shameful!

ya ʿēb ish-shōm!

يا عيب الشوم!

Expressing strong disapproval or shock at something improper

shame on you

ʿēb ʿalēk

عيب عليك

Mild scolding or disapproval

Conversational Phrases

عبارات محادثة

believe me

ṣaddiqni

صَدِّقني

Emphasizing the truth of what you're saying

I believe you / honestly

bṣidqak

بصدقك

Affirming belief in what someone said

in any case / anyway

ʿala kull ḥāl

على كل حال

Transitioning to a new topic or wrapping up

get away from me / leave me alone

jill ʿanni

جل عني

Telling someone to go away (can be playful or serious)

of course / yes indeed

imbalā

امبلا

Strong affirmation, often contradicting a negative

I'm preparing

baḥaḍḍir

بَحَضِّر

Describing the act of preparing something (food, etc.)

now / right now

hassa / halla' / halʾēt

هسا / هلأ / هلقيت

Three regional variants for 'now' in Palestinian Arabic

Idiomatic Expressions

تعابير اصطلاحية

you made me proud (lit: you raised my head)

rafaʿti rāsi

رفعتي راسي

Expressing pride in someone's achievement

I wish / I really want (strong desire, almost impossible)

jāy ʿala bāli

جاي على بالي

Expressing a strong desire that may not be fulfilled. Same as نفسي

you're on my mind / I'm thinking of you

inta fi bāli

انت في بالي

Expression of affection or care

I've seen the whole world and everything in it

shuft id-dinya w-ma fīha

شُفت الدّنيا وما فيها

From the Juha story - claiming to have seen everything

how sweet/beautiful you are

ma aḥlāk

ما احلاك

Compliment using ما + comparative form + attached pronoun

how clever you are

ma ashṭarak

ما اشطرك

Compliment using ما + comparative form

يلا نحكي سوا

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