Yallah, join The National's Saeed Saeed as he takes a deep dive into the cultural gems and quirks of the Arab world and its diaspora ...
The Emirati dialect is as vibrant and dynamic as the country itself.
Rich and rhythmic, certain local words hit the nail on the head when it comes to greetings, expressions and descriptions.
Best of all, they can be used in Arabic and English conversations without sounding off. Below are five common words you can adopt for everyday situations, what they mean and how to use them.
1. Ya reyal
This translates to "hey, man" or "oh, man".
Your tone and when you use it can give this expression a different meaning. Said with a smile, it is a fun and casual greeting, and should only be used among your friends and close acquaintances. It is considered a major faux pas if ya reyal is dropped in an official meeting or when addressing the elderly.
Another way to use it is when expressing incredulity or frustration. This is why it’s commonly heard in coffee shops when big football games are on television. When an incredible opportunity is missed, the crowd will often erupt in a chorus of "ya reyal!"
2. Wa-yed
Meaning "a lot", wa-yed is regularly used when telling colourful anecdotes or as an expression.
If asked how delicious your shawarma is, you can simply say "wa-yed" in approval. If you spot a desired item in a shop and you see the crazy price tag, you can remark it is "wa-yed expensive". Finally, for extra emphasis, make sure to stretch out the word. For example: "2020 has been a waaaaaaaaaa-yed long year."
3. Khaibah
The equivalent of "oh my", Khaibah is a casual word used to express surprise or disbelief. Often said among friends, it is a handy tool for some good-natured ribbing. If your pal orders half the menu in the restaurant, you can look at him in surprise and say, "Khaibah, you must be hungry". If you show your friends your new wheels and they are not impressed, they will simply shake their head and say "khaibah".
4. Kashkha
This is the Emirati version of fabulous. It's a word used to describe something or someone of good taste. Kashkha is often heard during Eid celebrations and weddings when remarking on someone wearing their finest threads.
5. Tarrish
A common word heard in the workplace. Tarrish means send, and is used when providing or receiving instructions. That said, different versions of the word are used depending on the gender of the person it's being used with. When sending something to a man it's tarrashtla and to a woman it's trarrashtlaha. If you are asking for something to be sent to you, it is tarrishli.
South Africa v India schedule
Tests: 1st Test Jan 5-9, Cape Town; 2nd Test Jan 13-17, Centurion; 3rd Test Jan 24-28, Johannesburg
ODIs: 1st ODI Feb 1, Durban; 2nd ODI Feb 4, Centurion; 3rd ODI Feb 7, Cape Town; 4th ODI Feb 10, Johannesburg; 5th ODI Feb 13, Port Elizabeth; 6th ODI Feb 16, Centurion
T20Is: 1st T20I Feb 18, Johannesburg; 2nd T20I Feb 21, Centurion; 3rd T20I Feb 24, Cape Town
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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India squad for fourth and fifth Tests
Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rahul, Shaw, Pujara, Rahane (vc), Karun, Karthik (wk), Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Pandya, Ishant, Shami, Umesh, Bumrah, Thakur, Vihari
Ferrari
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LAST 16
SEEDS
Liverpool, Manchester City, Barcelona, Paris St-Germain, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Valencia, Juventus
PLUS
Real Madrid, Tottenham, Atalanta, Atletico Madrid, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund, Lyon, Chelsea
Men from Barca's class of 99
Crystal Palace - Frank de Boer
Everton - Ronald Koeman
Manchester City - Pep Guardiola
Manchester United - Jose Mourinho
Southampton - Mauricio Pellegrino
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MATCH INFO:
Second Test
Pakistan v Australia, Tuesday-Saturday, 10am daily at Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Entrance is free
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
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AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Tour de France Stage 16:
165km run from Le Puy-en-Velay to Romans-sur-Isère
Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
FA Cup semi-finals
Saturday: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur, 8.15pm (UAE)
Sunday: Chelsea v Southampton, 6pm (UAE)
Matches on Bein Sports
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
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Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
The results of the first round are as follows:
Qais Saied (Independent): 18.4 per cent
Nabil Karoui (Qalb Tounes): 15.58 per cent
Abdelfattah Mourou (Ennahdha party): 12.88 per cent
Abdelkarim Zbidi (two-time defence minister backed by Nidaa Tounes party): 10.7 per cent
Youssef Chahed (former prime minister, leader of Long Live Tunisia): 7.3 per cent
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Age: 35
Inspiration: Wife and kids
Favourite book: Changes all the time but my new favourite is Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Best Travel Destination: Bora Bora , French Polynesia
Favourite run: Jabel Hafeet, I also enjoy running the 30km loop in Al Wathba cycling track
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
360Vuz PROFILE
Date started: January 2017
Founder: Khaled Zaatarah
Based: Dubai and Los Angeles
Sector: Technology
Size: 21 employees
Funding: $7 million
Investors: Shorooq Partners, KBW Ventures, Vision Ventures, Hala Ventures, 500Startups, Plug and Play, Magnus Olsson, Samih Toukan, Jonathan Labin
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(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)
