A guide to 15 Emirati words Arab expats need to know

If you are having a chat with your Emirati friends then you are having a “ramsa.” And if you enjoy someone’s conversation then you can say: “I like your ramsa." 

If you are from a Levant country then, you’d think that “tarresh” means “to splash water.” In Emirati it means "send". So, next time your Emirati colleague says “tarreshli email,” don’t go around splashing water all over his or her laptop!

Again, it doesn’t mean "start". In Emirati it means tomorrow. Example: "Bacher is another day".

This Emirati word actually comes from the English word “light.” It also has the same meaning. In Levant countries this word is “dhaw”, while in Egyptian it is “nour”.  

“Yalla nseer el barr” is what your Emirati friend would say to you if he’s inviting you on a trip to the desert.

If you're Moroccan, you’d say “bezzaf”, Syrian “ktir”, Egyptian “2awi”, Tunisian “barsha”. But if you're Emirati, the word for “a lot” is “wayed”. The many ways you can say this word in different Arabic dialects inspired Tamer Hosni to sing a song about it!

So “light” in Emirati is “late”, but “dhaw” is “fire”! Ok, we are all confused now!

So instead of “say whaaaaaat?!” or “shuuu??!!” you can simply say “3eeel”!

If you call in sick, that means you are “mayhoud”. You need to rest and drink plenty of karak tea.

When your Emirati friend says “atrayyak”, that means he’s “waiting” for you.

All you need after a hot day in the “barr” is a cold “gharsha” of water … that’s “bottle” in case you didn’t get it.

Yes, shisha is the addictive thing you smoke in the café for hours ... but in Emirati it also means the petrol station.

Seriously, how many selfies do you take daily in front of the “manthara”? Yes, we mean “mirror” selfies.

It’s the Emirati word for “disappeared” or “gone”.

We all know that “rabee3” means “spring”, but in Emirati it also means “friend”. This sounds funny if you have a “rabee3” whose name also happens to be “rabee3”!