العالم كبير.

big

Breakdown of العالم كبير.

• عالم: world

Questions & Answers about العالم كبير.

How would I pronounce العالم كبير in Levantine Arabic?

A common Levantine pronunciation is il-ʿālam kbīr or l-ʿālam kbīr, depending on the speaker and what comes before it.

A few notes:

• العالم = il-ʿālam / l-ʿālam
• كبير = kbīr in everyday Levantine speech
• The letter ع is the sound ʿayn, which does not exist in English. You produce it deep in the throat.
• The k in kbīr is usually pronounced clearly, even though English speakers may want to insert a vowel and say ka-bīr. In Levantine, kbīr is normal.

Why is there no word for is in this sentence?

In Arabic, present-tense sentences like this usually do not use a word for is.

So:

• العالم كبير literally looks like the world big
• but it means the world is big

This is called a nominal sentence. In the present tense, Arabic normally leaves out is / am / are.

If you wanted the past tense, then Arabic would use a verb, like كان for was.

Why does كبير come after العالم?