# All dialects: to stare at



## Tilmeedh

Hi all--how would you say 'to stare at', i.e., MSA (يحدّق في/إلى), in your native dialect?

Would you use a different verb for 'to ogle', i.e., MSA (ينظر بشهوانيّة إلى)?

Thanks in advance.


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## al-Moroccan

Salaam. There is حنزز meaning حدّق in Moroccan Arabic.


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## Tilmeedh

al-Moroccan said:


> Salaam. There is حنزز meaning حدّق in Moroccan Arabic.



Is it a four-letter verb like (ترجم) and pronounced '7anzaz'? Which preposition does it take?


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## al-Moroccan

Yes, right.


Tilmeedh said:


> Which preposition does it take?


It takes the preposition «في». In Arabic, we say «يَتَعَدَّى بالحَرْفِ في».
حنزز فيه. (_ḥanzaz fīh_) : He stared at him.


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## Tilmeedh

Great info. Does it have any sexual implications, or is there another verb like 'to ogle'?


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## al-Moroccan

Tilmeedh said:


> Does it have any sexual implications?


No, not particularly, hardly so. حنزز is rather hostile, not always, but... There is another word for staring when at awe; it's بقلل. Mostly intransitive, it is originally transitive with the eyes being the object: بقلل عينيه or بقلل بعينيه. It can be sexual if the context makes it so, but again it means staring with astonishment (best translated as open-mouthed), not really a lustful stare.


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## Finland

There's another great word in Moroccan or Algerian for an angry look you give someone: تخنزيرة!

More normal staring could be expressed with the darija verb بلّظ, n'est-ce pas ?

In Iraqi Arabic, the verb I have heard in this use is بحلق, although I have a feeling it is also used in MSE.


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## Hemza

In Morocco is also used خزر (but I feel it's fading out?). There is also برّق


Finland said:


> More normal staring could be expressed with the darija verb بلّظ, n'est-ce pas ?


Where did you hear this? I never heard this verb (if it's slang, then it's normal, I don't know it well ).


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## Finland

Hemza said:


> In Morocco is also used خزر (but I feel it's fading out?). There is also برّق
> 
> Where did you hear this? I never heard this verb (if it's slang, then it's normal, I don't know it well ).


I have heard in in use from Moroccans or Algerians, not quite sure which ones now that I think about it...


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## Hemza

Finland said:


> I have heard in in use from Moroccans or Algerians, not quite sure which ones now that I think about it...


Oh ok, I may see what you're talking about. Is it بلّق? To look at something with wide open eyes?

If the word you're talking about is specifically Algerian then I don't know.


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## Sadda7

Tilmeedh said:


> how would you say 'to stare at', i.e., MSA (يحدّق في/إلى), in your native dialect?


Algerian:

"يْشُوفْ [في]", "يُخْزُرْ [في]" both mean to look or stare at. There is also "يْبَلَّقْ/مْبَلَّقْ عَيْنِيه في" (_yballag/mballag ʻaynīh fi_) that means to look at sb/sth with your eyes wide open, and in some central cities in Algeria, people instead use "يْبَحْلَقْ/مْبَحْلَقْ عَيْنِيه في" (_ybaḥlag/mbaḥlag ʻaynīh fi), _and someone who's bug-eyed is called "مْبَحْلَقْ العَيْنِينْ" (_mbaḥlag lʿainīn_).



Tilmeedh said:


> Would you use a different verb for 'to ogle', i.e., MSA (ينظر بشهوانيّة إلى)?


Yes, a commonly used verb which is "يْكَحَّلْ" (_ykaḥḥal_), you can use the other ones too, but "يكحل" is specific.


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## WadiH

There are many words for this.  Common words would include يناظر, يطالع, although they can also just mean to 'look' rather than 'stare'.

To stare/ogle at someone would be يبحلق (related to Classical يحملق) but could also be used for staring generally.

To look into the distance you could say يبحّر or يبرّق.

EDIT: There's also يخزّ, meaning to give a sharp look or to stare aggressively, e.g. يخزّني بعيونه.


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## Tilmeedh

Great responses, everyone.

Wadi Hanifa--which dialects use those verbs?


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## bwac14

Tilmeedh said:


> is there another verb like 'to ogle'?


Levantine and Egyptian use يبصبص

Thread


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## djara

Tunisian: بحلق


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## WadiH

Tilmeedh said:


> Great responses, everyone.
> 
> Wadi Hanifa--which dialects use those verbs?



Najdi dialects, but probably most Gulf and Peninsular dialects have the same words.


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