阿拉伯语—英语假朋友：完整清单

1两条借词路线，两种错误

阿拉伯语母语者接触英语时，脑子里已经装着数量异常多的共有词汇，而它们是沿着两条完全不同的路进来的。知道一个词走的是哪条路，就知道能不能信它。

第一条路是法语。在黎巴嫩、叙利亚、阿尔及利亚、摩洛哥和突尼斯，法语做了几代人的行政、医疗和教育用语，数百个法语词永久落户到了日常阿拉伯语里。这些词保留的是**法语**含义——而法语含义往往并不是英语含义。

第二条路是英语，多半是晚近的、技术性的。这些更安全，因为它们直接进来，通常也保住了原义。كمبيوتر、إنترنت、موبايل 的意思就是你以为的那个。

还有几乎没人告诉阿拉伯语母语者的第三类，而且它走的是反方向：英语里有数百个词是**从阿拉伯语借来的**。那是第九节，也是这份指南里最有意思的部分。

Tip: 如果一个词感觉像欧洲词，而且描述的是老东西——家具、衣物、药品、行政事务——就去查一查。如果它描述的是互联网之后发明的东西，放心用。

2黎凡特和马格里布阿拉伯语里的法语陷阱

这些是最危险的条目，因为那个词根本不是英语。听者没有什么可以替你纠正的——他要么听成另一个词，要么什么都没听懂。

• كرافات (krafāt), from cravate — say tie or necktie
• بيرو (bīrō), from bureau — say office, or desk
• أسانسير (asansēr), from ascenseur — say lift (UK) or elevator (US)
• كاميون (kāmyōn), from camion — say truck or lorry
• بلكونة (balkōna), from balcon — balcony is correct, one of the safe ones
• شمينيه (shimineh), from cheminée — say fireplace or chimney depending on which you mean
• أبونيه (abōneh), from abonnement — say subscription
• دوش (dūsh), from douche — say shower; the English word douche is vulgar slang and must be avoided
• سبور (sbōr) in Maghrebi, from sport — means casual clothes, not sport
• طوموبيل (ṭōmōbīl), from automobile — say car

Tip: دوش 值得单独点出来，跟波斯语母语者的情况一样。发音最接近的那个英语词在美式英语里是句脏话，这是清单上唯一一个真能让你在工作会议上难堪的条目。

3阿拉伯语借走并改造过的英语词

这一组更微妙。词确实是英语的，所以词典会确认它存在，你的信心因此上升。问题是阿拉伯语把意思收窄了、放宽了，或者整个挪走了。

• موبايل (mōbāyl) — mobile is correct in Britain; Americans say cell phone
• بنزين (banzīn) — say petrol (UK) or gas (US), never benzine, which is a solvent
• سوبر ماركت — supermarket, safe
• كافيتيريا — cafeteria in Arabic often means any café; in English it implies a self-service canteen
• تكنيك (tiknīk) — say technique for a method, technology for the field
• فيديو — video, safe
• بروجيكت — project, safe
• أوكازيون (ōkāzyōn), from occasion — means a sale or discount; English "occasion" is an event

4危害最大的二十个

如果你只背一节，就背这一节。它们按在阿拉伯语母语者的真实英语中出现的频率、以及把句子带偏的严重程度排列。每行给出阿拉伯语词、你很可能说出的那句，以及母语者会说的那句。

• صالون — 'We sat in the saloon' → 'We sat in the living room'
• فيلا — 'I live in a villa' → 'I live in a house'
• كابينة — 'Where is the cabinet?' → 'Where is the fitting room?'
• كوستيم — 'I wore a costume to work' → 'I wore a suit to work'
• كنترول — 'Give me the control' → 'Pass me the remote'
• دكتور — 'Doctor, can I ask a question?' (to a professor) → 'Professor, can I ask a question?'
• نورمال — 'Is it normal?' (meaning is it okay) → 'Is that alright?'
• دوش — 'I took a douche' → 'I took a shower'
• سبور — 'I wore sport to the party' → 'I wore casual clothes'
• أوكازيون — 'There is an occasion at the shop' → 'There is a sale at the shop'
• حساس — 'I am very sensible' → 'I am very sensitive'
• سمباتيك — 'He is very sympathetic' (meaning likeable) → 'He is very likeable'
• أسانسير — 'Take the ascenseur' → 'Take the lift' / 'the elevator'
• كرافات — 'He wore a cravat' → 'He wore a tie'
• بيرو — 'I am at the bureau' → 'I am at the office'
• بنزين — 'I need benzine' → 'I need petrol' / 'gas'
• سيروم — 'They gave me serum' → 'They put me on an IV'
• أمبول — 'The doctor gave me an ampoule' → 'The doctor gave me an injection'
• ماغازين — 'I went to the magazine' → 'I went to the shop'
• كافيتيريا — 'Let's meet at the cafeteria' → 'Let's meet at the café'

Tip: 注意其中有多少是日常普通词——你的房子、你的衣服、你的遥控器、你的医生。这正是它们能熬过多年学习的原因。

5衣着、居家与日常

居家词汇是法语借词最密集的地方，因为那正是殖民时期的行政机构和学校带来的东西。

• كوستيم — a suit, not a costume
• كرافات — a tie
• جاكيت — jacket, safe
• بلوزة — blouse, but in English blouse is specifically a women's garment
• روب (rōb) — a dressing gown or robe; English "robe" is more formal or ceremonial
• شورت — shorts, always plural in English

• صالون — living room, never saloon
• فيلا — house, not villa
• بلكونة — balcony, safe
• شمينيه — fireplace
• مطبخ — kitchen, no borrowing involved
• أنتريه (antrēh), from entrée — the hallway or entrance, not a food course

• سندويتش — for wrapped food say wrap; sandwich means bread slices
• كافيتيريا — a café, not a self-service canteen
• بوفيه (bōfēh) — buffet, safe, but note the English pronunciation drops the final t
• منيو — menu, safe
• ريجيم (rijīm), from régime — say diet; English "regime" means a government

6健康与医疗：风险最高的一组

阿拉伯语的医学词汇绝大多数经由法语而来，因为几代人以来，法语一直是黎凡特和北非医学训练的语言。在这一类里，假朋友不再只是尴尬，而是危险。

• عيادة — clinic or surgery (UK); note that "surgery" also means an operation
• إسعاف — say ambulance for the vehicle, emergency room or A&E for the department
• روشتة (rōshetta), from Italian ricetta — say prescription
• عملية — say operation or surgery, never 'operation' for a business process here
• كشف — say check-up, examination, or consultation
• حبوب — say tablets or pills

Tip: 如果你已经移居加拿大、英国或澳大利亚，请专门演练这一节。描述症状是唯一一个被误解会付出真实代价的场合，而紧张恰恰会把你推回阿拉伯语词。

7工作、大学与文书

行政阿拉伯语里塞满了法语，而这类词出现的场合，恰恰是你最希望显得称职的场合。

• بيرو — office, not bureau (though bureau exists in English for certain agencies)
• ليسانس (līsāns) — a bachelor's degree; English "licence" is a permit
• ماجستير — master's degree
• دكتوراه — PhD or doctorate
• شهادة — certificate, degree or qualification depending on context
• ستاج (stāj), from stage — say internship or work placement; English "stage" is a platform
• كونكور (konkūr), from concours — a competitive entrance exam; explain it rather than translating
• توظيف — hiring or recruitment
• عقد — contract
• إجازة — leave or time off; for illness say sick leave, not holiday
• مشروع — project, safe
• شركة — company; "firm" is narrower and usually means law or consulting

8sensible、sympathetic 与形容词陷阱

有一族形容词经法语而来，在英语里意思完全不同。它们值得单列，因为它们描述的是人，弄错就改变了你对某个人的评价。

• delicate — English means fragile or requiring care, not délicat as in fussy
• ignore — English means to deliberately not pay attention; French ignorer also means not to know
• assist — English means to help; French assister à means to attend
• eventually — English means in the end; French éventuellement means possibly
• library — a place to borrow books; French librairie is a bookshop
• college — in Britain a further-education institution; French collège is a middle school

Tip: eventually 和 actually 是这份清单上最可能出现在你书面语里的两个，而且它们改变的是句子的逻辑，不只是用词。

9反方向：那些真的是英语的阿拉伯语词

这一节几乎没有哪个阿拉伯语学习者被教过，而它对士气真的有用。英语从阿拉伯语借走了数百个词，多半经由中世纪的西班牙和西西里，其中很多是你每天都在用的。

• algebra — from الجبر
• algorithm — from the name of the mathematician al-Khwārizmī
• alchemy and chemistry — from الكيمياء
• alkali — from القلي
• zero and cipher — both from صفر
• average — from عوارية, a maritime damage term
• almanac — from المناخ

• coffee — from قهوة
• sugar — from سكر
• cotton — from قطن
• lemon — from ليمون
• orange — from نارنج
• candy — from قندي
• syrup and sherbet — from شراب
• sofa — from صفة
• mattress — from مطرح
• magazine — from مخزن, a storehouse
• safari — from سفر
• giraffe — from زرافة
• gazelle — from غزال
• tariff — from تعريف
• admiral — from أمير البحر
• cable and carat, monsoon and mummy

注意第一份清单里的规律。数学、化学和天文学是经由阿拉伯学术传入欧洲的，词汇也就一并进来了。algebra、alchemy、alkali、almanac 开头的那个 al，就是阿拉伯语的定冠词 **ال**，化石般嵌在了英语单词里。

这一点的意义不只是有趣。相信英语完全陌生的学习者，比看得见双向往来的学习者放弃得更早。大约一千个英语单词有阿拉伯语词根，而你本来就全都认识。

Tip: 把这一节用来建立信心，而不是用来背诵。意识到你本来就拥有英语词汇的一部分，会改变你面对其余部分的感受。

10干扰不只在词汇，也在语法

假朋友吸引了注意力，但真正把一个人标记为"讲英语的阿拉伯人"的错误是结构性的，它们来自阿拉伯语的语法而不是词汇。

• Adjective order: Arabic puts adjectives after nouns, so 'a car red' appears in early writing
• Plural agreement: Arabic non-human plurals take feminine singular agreement, producing 'the books is'
• إن شاء الله has no English equivalent — do not translate it; say 'hopefully' or 'I will'
• Two-word verbs: Arabic has no phrasal verbs, so they must be learned as vocabulary
• Arabic uses the present for the near future more freely than English does

11三十个句子，逐句改正

把右边遮住，看答案之前先改每一句。这些取自阿拉伯语母语者英语中出现频率最高的错误。

• We sat in the saloon → We sat in the living room
• I live in a villa with my family → I live in a house with my family
• Where is the cabinet? (in a shop) → Where is the fitting room?
• I wore a costume to the interview → I wore a suit to the interview
• Give me the control please → Pass me the remote please
• My daughter is very sensible (meaning emotional) → My daughter is very sensitive
• He is very sympathetic, everyone likes him → He is very likeable, everyone likes him
• Actually I work in Dubai (meaning currently) → Currently I work in Dubai
• I took a douche this morning → I took a shower this morning
• There is an occasion at the shop → There is a sale at the shop
• The doctor gave me a serum → The doctor put me on an IV
• I need to do an analyse → I need to do a blood test
• I did a stage at a bank last summer → I did an internship at a bank last summer
• I have a licence in economics → I have a bachelor's degree in economics
• I need benzine for the car → I need petrol for the car
• He is teacher → He is a teacher
• I like the music very much → I like music very much
• The life is difficult here → Life is difficult here
• The books is on the table → The books are on the table
• I bought a car red → I bought a red car
• Eventually I will come (meaning possibly) → I might come
• I will assist the meeting → I will attend the meeting
• I went to the library to buy a book → I went to the bookshop to buy a book
• Let's meet in the cafeteria → Let's meet at the café
• Come inside, we sit in the entrée → Come inside, we'll sit in the hallway
• I am on a regime → I am on a diet
• Take the ascenseur to the third floor → Take the lift to the third floor
• I wore sport to the party → I wore casual clothes to the party
• He works in a bureau downtown → He works in an office downtown
• Is it normal if I come at eight? → Is it alright if I come at eight?

Tip: 数一数你的错误里有多少来自法语而不是英语。对多数黎凡特和马格里布的说话者来说是绝大多数，而知道这一点就知道该在哪里起疑。

12在真实内容里抓假朋友

清单适合诊断，不适合治疗。治疗发生在你于一个真实句子里、从一个真实的人口中、在一个你在意的情境中遇到正确那个词的时候。

这就是从播客和视频学习而不是从教科书学习的实际理由。当你在商店里听到有人说 "the fitting rooms are at the back"，情境和词就一起被存了下来。下次你站在商店里，"fitting room" 会比 كابينة 先到。

• 看或听你本来就会消费的内容，只不过换成英语
• 当某个词让你意外时，点它，而不是从上下文猜
• 检查你原本打算用的那个阿拉伯语词，是否真的对得上它
• 把让你意外的词存下来，连同整句，而不是孤零零的词
• 复习到英语词先冒出来为止

对假朋友来说，存整句比平时更重要。"suit" 这个词单独看很简单。你真正需要的是触发它的那个情境，而只有完整的句子才承载得了。

Tip: FlexiLingo 在 YouTube 和播客上叠加互动字幕，你可以点任意单词查看释义和 CEFR 等级，再连同它所在的句子一起收藏。这正是本节描述的流程。