English → Arabic
literally in Arabic
- Pronunciation
- ḥarfiyyān
- Arabizi
7arfiian- Type
- adverb
- Root
- ح ر ف
How to use it
"Literally" is used to stress that something is exactly true, without exaggeration or figurative meaning. It is an adverb and does not change form. In Arabic the common equivalent is حَرْفِيًّا. Use it before a statement you want to present as exact.
Example sentences
-
هَذَا يَعْنِي حَرْفِيًّا، لا تَفْسِيرٌ.
hādhā yaʿnī ḥarfiyyān, lā tafsīrun.
That means literally, no interpretation.
-
قُلْتُ إِنَّهُ سَيَأْتِي حَرْفِيًّا غَدًا.
qultu innahu sayāʾtī ḥarfiyyān ghadan.
I said he will come literally tomorrow.
-
هَذِهِ الصُّورَةُ مَطْلُوبَةٌ حَرْفِيًّا فِي التَّقْرِير.
hādhihi al-ṣūrah maṭlūbatun ḥarfiyyān fī al-taqrīr.
This picture is required literally in the report.
Examples from real texts
Sentences taken from published bilingual texts (subtitles, documents). They show the word in context and are not reviewed one by one.
Sami literally knew no one.
لم يكن سامي يعرف أحدا على الإطلاق.
He means that quite literally.
يقصد ذلك يمعنى حرفي.
Sami literally knew no one there.
لم يكن سامي يعرف أحدا هناك على الإطلاق.
She translated the text literally.
ترجمت النص حرفياً.
The teacher literally body-shamed me.
كان المدرّس يسخر من جسمي حرفيّا.
Sami literally knew no one at the party.
لم يكن سامي يعرف أحدا على الأطلاق في ذلك الحفل.
It literally says, "Wat ar ou rea in?" Right?
إنه يقول حرفيا، "وات آر أو ري ين؟" أليس كذلك؟
Literally felt a bullet pass over my shoulder.
تكثف الاشتباكات فى رابعة.
Our cities risk becoming literally uninhabitable.
إن مدننا تخاطر بالتحول مناطق غير قابلة للسكنى حرفيا.
It's an infinite number -- literally goes on forever.
انه عدد لا محدود يمتد فعلاً حتى الأبد
The problem is that President Bush meant it literally.
لكن المشكلة أن الرئيس بوش كان يعني ما قال حرفياً.
The Prime Minister (, literally translated as Head Minister, Swedish: "statsminister", literally translated as Minister of State) is the Head of Government of Finland.
رئيس وزراء فنلندا (بالفنلندية: pääministeri، بالسويدية: statsminister) هو رئيس حكومة فنلندا، يـُعين في منصبه من قبل رئيس جمهورية فنلندا باعتباره رأس الدولة.
Questions and answers
Can I use "literally" for sarcasm?
In English it is often used sarcastically, but in Arabic حَرْفِيًّا is usually taken literally, so avoid sarcasm unless the context is clear.
Is there a shorter Arabic word?
Some speakers say "بالضبط" (exactly) which conveys a similar idea without the adverbial form.
Related words and expressions
Updated