Number challenge

The parking where we live is horrendous. At times we end up with double and triple parking in the car park outside the apartment block. The etiquette is to leave your mobile phone number in the window of your car, so if you need to ask someone to move you can contact them. At times this can be really annoying when you get calls at midnight and you are fast asleep 'cos you went to bed knackered and you have to get up and move your car! However, you just have to live with it, otherwise you would just simply have nowhere within a 500M radius to park.

Now this morning when I needed to leave for work at around 7.30am I had to phone about 4 people to move. One in particular though posed a problem. He had his mobile number alright, but only in Arabic numbers! Actually if you read up on the history, what are known as Arabic numerals are in fact originally Indian numerals adopted by the Arabs and what we use (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0) are, in fact, originally Arabic.

As I haven't got these memorised yet, the tactic I deployed was to look at the older style number plates that show the number in both styles to work out the numbers. It took me about 10 minutes to find enough cars with these plates to complete all the numbers I was looking for! The mistake I made was not saving it in my phone so I don't have to do the same again next time he is blocking me in.........aaagghhh


وَاحٍدْ - ١ - Wahid - One
إِثْنَيْن - ٢ - Ithnain - Two
ثَلاَثَة - ٣ - Thalatha - Three
أَرْبَعة - ٤ - Arbaa - Four
خَمْسَة - ٥ - Khamsa - Five
سِتَّة - ٦ - Sitta - Six
سَبْعَة - ٧ - Sabaa - Seven
ثَمَانِيَه - ٨ - Thamaniah - Eight
تِسْعَة - ٩ - Tisaa - Nine
عَشْرَة - ١٠ - Ashra - Ten

Arabic tourettes

Me and Caroline are now suffering from what I have decided to call Arabic tourettes! It is the uncontrolled, unwanted use of Arabic words and phrases. Whereas we might finish a sentence with " so that's that. End of.", we are saying "khallas"; or instead of "no problem", "mafi mushkillah". Whilst I consciously say other phrases before I say them, like "as-salam alaykum" (peace be with you/formal greeting) or "min fadhlik" (please), "shukran" (thank you) , "kef Halak?" (how are you?) etc. the other two keep blurting out even to non Arabic speakers and to each other at home - it's weird!

I'll try not to do it when we are home in the UK from Friday for a week!