mahsheesh (Ar.) stuffed vegetables
Mah yesh lachem b’Sha’ar
Shchem? (Heb.) Why do you want to go to Damascus Gate?
makluube (Ar.) a Palestinian dish made with rice, vegetables, silver noodles, and chicken
ma’lesh (Ar.) never mind
mamnuah (Ar.) forbidden
Manara Square the center of Ramallah
mansaf (Ar.) lamb stew
maramiya (Ar.) sage
marhaba (Ar.) greetings
mashalla (Ar.) a blessing, lit. It’s God’s will.
matbach (Ar.) kitchen
Me atem? (Heb.) Who are you?
Meayfo? (Heb.) From where?
miin? (Ar.) who?
Miit marhaba (Ar.) A hundred greetings
min Gaza (Ar.) from Gaza
Min weyn inta? (Ar.) Where are you from?
mish mushqele (Ar.) no problem
mithli (m.)
/mithliya (fem.) (Ar.) gay; lit. like; same; homo
mujaddara (Ar.) Palestinian dish of lentils and rice
molochia (Ar.) soup made from Egyptian spinach
mnih (Ar.) fine
mqabala (Ar.) dialogue, normalization
muhabarat (Ar.) secret police
mujaddara (Ar.) a Palestinian dish of lentils and rice
mulsaqaat (Ar.) stickers
mumkin (Ar.) could be; possible
Mumkin ahki maa… (Ar.) May I speak with…
mwaffak (Ar.) good luck
naam (Ar.) yes
naami andna (Ar.) sleep at our house
Nakab (Ar.) the desert in southern Israel (Heb.
nana (Ar.) mint
Neve Tirzah Israeli women’s prison in Ramle
Nimti kwa’is? (Ar.) Did you sleep well?
niqab (Ar.) face-covering veil
N’okel (Ar.) Let’s eat
Olim (Heb.) Jews immigrating to Israel (“making aliyah”)
PASSIA Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs, publishes an annual datebook and directory of Palestinian, Israeli and international governmental and nongovernmental organizations
Pesach (Heb.) Passover
Qaddeesh umrik? (Ar.) How old are you?
raqabe (Ar.) neck
Red Crescent The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), a national humanitarian organization which runs ambulances, hospitals, medics and dispenses emergency relief
Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), an international humanitarian organization with quasi-governmental status; functions include oversight of prison conditions and monitoring of weapons used against civilians
rotzah (Heb.) (fem.) want
sabah al-kheir (Ar.) morning of joy
sabah an-noor(Ar.) morning of light (response to sabah al kheir)
sabah sneen (Ar.) seven years
sah (Ar.) true
sahibtik (Ar.) (fem.) your friend
Salamtik (Ar.) (fem.) your health (said to someone who is recovering; also when someone sneezes)
Sawrini (Ar.) Take my picture
servees (Ar.) service taxi
settlement an Israeli colony in the West Bank or East Jerusalem for Jews only
Sha’ar Shchem (Heb.) Damascus Gate
shabab (Ar.) youth
SHABAK Israeli secret police, also called Shin Bet
shater/shatra (Ar.) clever boy/girl
shawarma (Ar.) a sandwich of grilled chicken or lamb, served with salad
shelach (Heb.) yours
sherut (Heb.) shared taxi
Shu akhbarik? (Ar.) (fem.) How are things? (lit. What’s your news?)
Shu hada? (Ar.) What’s this?
Shu ismik? (Ar.) (fem.) What’s your name?
shukran (Ar.) thank you
snaan (Ar.) teeth
suhaqqiyya (Ar.) lesbian (derogatory), plural
suhaqqiyyaat
sulha (Ar.) a traditional Palestinian form of conflict resolution
sulta (Ar.) authority; Palestinian authority
suq (Ar.) market
ta’al/ta’ali (Ar.) come
taba’an (Ar.) of course
tachtonim underpants
tamam (Ar.) okay
tasrih (Ar.) permit
tawjihi (Ar.) college entrance exam
Taybeh Palestinian beer (manufactured in Taybeh village, in the Ramallah area)
tayeb (Ar.) good
Tekhase et ha’einayim shela (Heb.) Cover her eyes
T’faddal/t’faddali/t’faddalu (Ar.) (masc./fem./plural) Come in; join me
Tash’iri et ha’einayim shelakh mekhusot l’od khamesh dakot! (Heb.) Keep your eyes covered for five more minutes!
tjawaz (Ar.) to marry
Tsharafna or
itsharafna (Ar.) Nice to meet you
ustaz (Ar.) teacher (also general term of respect)
wajib (Ar.) duty; homework
Waqf (Ar.) the Islamic trust with authority over the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque
Weyn? (Ar.) where?
Weyn bakeeti? (Ar.; colloquial) (fem.) Where have you been?
Weyn imik? (Ar.) Where is your mother?
yaa achti (Ar.) my sister
yaa akh (Ar.) my brother
yaa binti (Ar.) my daughter
ya’anni (Ar.) I mean, like… (lit. it means)
yaa walad (Ar.) young man
Yahudi (Ar.) (m.) Jew; Israeli
yalla (Ar.) Let’s go!
Yesh lach teudot? (Heb.) Do you have papers?
Yesh po mishehu (Heb.) Someone is here
Yom il Ahad (Ar.) Sunday
Yom il Jumaa (Ar.) Friday
za’atar (Ar.) a Palestinian blend of oregano, thyme, and other herbs, usually mixed with sesame, salt, and sumac; also a wild herb, similar to oregano or thyme, indigenous to the Levant countries
zai hek (Ar.) like this
zaki (Ar.) delicious
zar/bizur (Ar.) visited/visiting
SELECTED TITLES FROM SHE WRITES PRESS
She Writes Press is an independent publishing company founded to serve women writers everywhere. Visit us at www.shewritespress.com.
Murder Under The Bridge: A Palestine Mystery by Kate Raphael
$16.95, 978-1-63152-960-3
Rania, a Palestinian police detective with a young son, meets cheeky Jewish-American feminist Chloe at an Israeli checkpoint—and soon becomes embroiled in a murder case that implicates the highest echelons of the Israeli military.
In the Shadow of Lies: A Mystery Novel by M. A. Adler
$16.95, 978-1-938314-82-7
As World War II comes to a close, homicide detective Oliver Wright returns home—only to find himself caught up in the investigation of a complicated murder case rife with racial tensions.
The Wiregrass by Pam Webber
$16.95, 978-1-63152-943-6
A story about a summer of discontent, change, and dangerous mysteries in a small Southern Wiregrass town.
Water On the Moon by Jean P. Moore
$16.95, 978-1-938314-61-2
When her home is destroyed in a freak accident, Lidia Raven, a divorced mother of two, is plunged into a mystery that involves her entire family.
Glass Shatters by Michelle Meyers
$16.95, 978-1-63152-018-1
Following the mysterious disappearance of his wife and daughter, scientist Charles Lang goes to desperate lengths to escape his past and reinvent himself.
A Girl Like You: A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel by Michelle Cox
$16.95, 978-1-63152-016-7
When the floor matron at the dance hall where Henrietta works as a taxi dancer turns up dead, aloof Inspector Clive Howard appears on the scene— and convinces Henrietta to go undercover for him, plunging her into Chicago’s gritty underworld.
Fig Tree