Arabic Words That Look English but Mean Something Else

You probably know the word dean, like the head of school or university. But depending on the language you're using, that exact same sound can mean something totally different. Dean, welcome to Arabic with Amina, where today we're going through English words you think you know, but in Arabic they mean something completely different. You already have these words in your mind. I'm just helping you unlock their Arabic meaning. Let's start with delicious one. All right. First word, fool. In English, you'd say, "Don't be fool." But in Arabic, fool is an Egyptian breakfast made out of fava beans. So can say And by the way, fool is actually really delicious. If you've tried the fool with the bread, tomatoes, olive oil, some cumin on top, bonapit, very delicious. Do you love fool or have you never tried it? Let me know in the comments below. Next up, dean. The dean is the university's big boss, such as Mrs. She's the university's dean. But in Arabic, dean means religion. So al Islam, Islam is the religion of mercy. It's such simple word, but so central to Arabic culture. You probably don't come around Dean in English that frequently, but in Arabic you'll see it everywhere. So, this one is super easy and super common. Moving on to dam. Like structure that holds water. They built dam across the river. In Arabic, dam. Its meaning is related to continuity. So we could say we won't go out as long as it's raining. Dam in Arabic usually has the word ma before it and it means as long as. And this is useful phrase to know because it'll make you sound more natural when speaking Arabic. Madame Kind of similar to madame. Madame. Madame or just damn. Next is mat like yoga mat or floor mat. Look at this mat. But in Arabic, matt means he died. Mats, he died yesterday. Very dramatic difference in English. Please pick up the mat. Arabic, he died. Very, very dramatic. Huge jump. This is one that's going to be stuck in your head forever. Next word, can. Like can of pop. In Arabic, can isn't noun. Instead, it's like past tense verb meaning was. Was teacher. So every time you see pop can from now on your brain should whisper was was. Let's move to the word rough which is the opposite of smooth. Like the sandpaper has rough texture. In Arabic rough means shelf. So The book is on the shelf. And if you want fun way to remember this word, imagine rough shelf. Boom. Both meanings together in your brain. Next is tip. Like small piece of advice like my channel on YouTube where share Arabic learning tips. In Arabic it would be because which means medicine. So medicine is noble profession. You can notice the difference in pronunciation between the two. Whereas English has the letter there is no equivalent to that letter in the Arabic alphabet. So it's pronounced as tip lib. Our next English word is dress like clothing or the dress is pink. But when you pronounce it, the is actually really close to being dress, which in Arabic is jus, which means bell. jerus. hear the sound of the bell. So if someone rings the bell while you're showing your dress to your friend, that's the ultimate language mashup. Dress jett. Next is shape. Like square, circle, triangle. These are shapes. In Arabic, shape means gray hair or the signs of aging. So if someone says, it means that signs of old age such as gray hair began to appear on him. So just think instead of shapes, you're thinking wrinkles and white hair. easy to remember because it's so unexpected. Now, let's talk about cool. In English, it means you're awesome and you are very cool, by the way. You're pretty cool person. But in Arabic, Kul means all or every such as this is all have. Or we could say go every day. So it could be all or every. And you, yes you, the one watching this video, you're cool. And in Arabic, you're all everything. don't know. like it. You can be everything and cool. Next word, who. Like, who is that? In Arabic, who means he, he is the manager. Now, don't get mixed up between English and Arabic. You don't want to say who is the manager instead of saying he is the manager. Make sure you have your vocabulary all in one language. And who actually is funny word to learn about because the English word he which means male person. Again, he is the manager. If you want to know what it is in Arabic, it's he, which means she he is doctor. Very confusing. But who is he? And he is she. Yes. Welcome to Arabic everybody. And congratulations, you just unlock the Arabic meanings of 13 English words you already know. If you enjoyed this video, let me know in the comments. And don't forget to like the video, share it with someone who loves the Arabic language, and subscribe so you don't miss out on the next lesson. See you next time, Arabic with Amina.