Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Inshallah

Inshallah. It's the most overused word in Arabic. It is said at least once a conversation, but usually more. Once you know it, you can't help but use it too. It's just so versatile. It can convey so much in a single word. What does it mean you ask? God willing. (That's the answer, not a snarky comeback by the way.)




So I thought I'd pair the most common Moroccan word with the most common Moroccan visual. Yes, two guys on a moped with a ladder or in this case two, yes two ladders. I don't know what they need the ladders for or where they are taking them, but after watching these guys remount the moped with the ladders I do know that it does indeed take a minimum of two guys to hold two ladders on a moped. And even though this is the most common sight here, it's hard to get a picture of it while driving. I attempted to a picture of this for over two months with my kids shouting "MOM....two guys on a moped!" every two minutes from the backseat. So these aren't the best quality pictures, I'm happy I finally got it AND that no one was harmed to get it.



So, back to inshallah. Just imagine all the possibilities...



Concerned
I'm sorry to hear about the death of your cat. She is in a better place now, inshallah.

Hopeful
Inshallah, there is no rain so we can go to the beach.

Noncommittal
Me: When will my dress be ready?
Tailor: Tuesday, inshallah.

The Glutton
Do we have leftovers of that chocolate cake inshallah?

The Diss
Woman: The cashier told me I looked like Maria Sharapova.
Man: Inshallah

The Procrastinator
I'm going to start my taxes tomorrow, inshallah.

The Blow-Off
I have your number. I'll call you, inshallah

Eeyore
I'll wake-up if I have to tomorrow inshallah

The Deadbeat
Can I borrow some cash? I'll pay you back, inshallah.

The Sarcastic Kid
Me: Clean your room.
Sky: Inshallah


There you have it. The good, the bad and the ugly of inshallah. Essentially you can tack inshallah onto any sentence like a big exclamation point to convey anything you want. The question is, how will you abuse inshallah today? But please remember safety first and do not use inshallah on a moped with a guy and a ladder or two.
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7 comments:

  1. Jack ScottJuly 8, 2011 at 5:15 AM

    Oh yes, inshallah this, inshallah that. It's one of the few Arabic words left in Turkish after it was purged by Ataturk to be replaced by, of all things, French!

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  2. Roy A. Ackerman, PhD, EAJuly 8, 2011 at 5:24 AM

    I think Sky has the appropriate tenor of a response!

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  3. MaryhocamJuly 8, 2011 at 5:29 AM

    Used in exactly the same way here in Turkey. It was among the first words I learned as well as "problem yok" No problem. Even when water is gushing down the wall from burst pipes it is problem yok.

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  4. NVJuly 8, 2011 at 1:18 PM

    OK. This was hilarious -- inshallah. ;-)

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  5. DavidJuly 9, 2011 at 4:39 PM

    Inshallah you finally got your moped pic!! It's quite entertaining :)

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  6. RobynJuly 10, 2011 at 11:18 AM

    I lived in Arabia for over 9 years- Inshallah is so frustrating to hear...but isn't it great to say!? I love using it!
    (Thanks for stopping by my blog recently)

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  7. Jaime BrownAugust 12, 2011 at 7:35 AM

    I am literally in tears, full on tears!!!

    Here I am sitting completely wet-faced at my laptop with Moroccans looking at me like I'm a total lunatic. (Go figure, right?)

    Your blog is hysterical, snarky, raw, truthful, tell-it-like-it-is, observant, and perfectly Moroccan all at the same time.

    If you want to check out my blog (I'm an American girl from LA) you can click on http://www.MemoirsFromMorocco.blogspot.com and have a look-see. Mashi mushkil.

    Keep up the posts and I can't wait to hear about your trip to the States!

    ReplyDelete