A LEVANTINE EXPRESSION FRIDAY (ALEF) #02:

فوقاني تحتاني

Transliteration:

fawq2ani taHtaani

Meaning:

“upside down”

Not literally but figuratively.

As in “you turned my world upside down”. Not “the picture is hung upside down”.

The usage of the phrase will be clearer after going through the examples below.

Examples:

الحرب قلبت العالم فوقاني تحتاني

el harb 2albet el 3aalam fawq2ani taHtaani

The war turned the world upside down

الاولاد عملوا فوضى وقلبوا البيت فوقاني تحتاني

el uulad 3amalu fawdha uu 2alabuu elbayt fawq2ani taHtaani

The children made a mess and turned the house upside down

BONUS

Okay, so what if you want to say “the picture is hung upside down”?

The word is:

بالمقلوب

bel maqluub

inverted / upside down

Here are two examples:

الصورة معلقة بالمقلوب

el suura m3ala2a bel maqluub

The picture is hung upside down

علقوهن (علقوهم) الأسرى بالمقلوب

3ala2uuhun (3ala2uuhom) el usraa bel maqluub

The prisoners were hung upside down

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PS: If you like this post, you’ll like the rest of the ALEF series too.

ALEF #01: Ma Bahut Bidimtii

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