How to say "without" in Arabic

New word

Meaningwithout

Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic

بِدُونِ

bidūniבדון

بدون

Hebrew · Modern Hebrew

בלי

bliبْلِي

How the two words are related

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No Hebrew relative — learn it fresh.

How people actually say it in the spoken dialects, where it differs from the standard word.

Levantine · Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria

بَلَا

balāבלא

Alongside bidūn, the dialect loves balā: balā sukkar — "no sugar". To a Hebrew ear it lands right next to בלי.

Egyptian · Cairo and the Nile Delta

مِن غِير

min ghērמן ע'יר

Cairo usually says min ghēr: min ghēr sukkar — 'no sugar'.

Moroccan · Morocco — Casablanca, Rabat, Fes

بْلَا

blāבלא

Darija says blā, the first vowel dropped: blā sukkar — 'no sugar'.

قَهْوَة بِدُونِ سُكَّر

qahwa bidūni sukkarקהוה בדון סכר

coffee without sugar