# Arabic is different to all other languages.



## linguist786

In the sentence:

_Arabic is different to all other languages_

Would _languages_ be definite or indefinite? i.e:

الـْعَرَبـِيَّة مُخـْتـَلِفـَةٌ مِن كُلِّ لـُغَاتٍ أخرى
or
الـْعَرَبـِيَّة مُخـْتـَلِفـَةٌ مِن كُلِّ اللُّـغَاتِ الأخرى

Corrections for any other mistakes would be appreciated


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## Tajabone

Hi linguist,

 Yes, the sentence should have a definite article for "Al-lughaat al-ukhraa" (you've written twice the same sentence  )


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## linguist786

شكرًا

Sorry about writing the same sentence twice - I simply copy and pasted the top sentence and forgot to make the changes! I've changed it now.


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## elroy

The correct preposition is عن, not من.

Also, I would prefer العربية *تختلف عن* كل اللغات الأخرى.


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## ayed

elroy said:


> The correct preposition is عن, not من.
> 
> Also, I would prefer العربية *تختلف عن* كل اللغات الأخرى.


 
Yes, I agree with Elroy.
عن  connotes "far away from"
من connotes "from"


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## abusaf

I prefer جميع instead of كل

اللغة العربية تختلف عن جميع اللغات الأخرى


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## ayed

abusaf said:


> I prefer جميع instead of كل
> 
> اللغة العربية تختلف عن جميع اللغات الأخرى


Welcome back , Abusaf.
I like *سائر    *


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## Tajabone

Thanks folks for the details !

 I just wanted to say that *مختلف من* is very frequent now in Arabic (more than 1 million hits in the web). This construction is mainly used in the press. However I think that *مختلف عن* is more "correct".

 Thanks to all your propositions, many options are now possible


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## elroy

Tajabone said:


> I just wanted to say that *مختلف من* is very frequent now in Arabic (more than 1 million hits in the web).


 First of all, there are only 34,600 hits.  You need to use quotation marks to limit your results to those containing the two words in succession.

Secondly, if you analyze the results carefully you will see that the expression is used in other contexts in which it is correct: مستوى مختلف من الفخامة and الموضوع مختلف من شخص لآخر, to name but two. 

Obviously I can't go through all the results, but I scanned the first few pages of results and did not see any in which it was used to mean "different from/to."

I have never come across it used that way, and it sounds jarringly dissonant to my ears.


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## Tajabone

I've scanned more than 10 pages. Of course, a good deal do not match and this is very usual with the Google hits. 
I didn't want to go through details but it's ok since you do it.

Here is one example (from the BBC) : 
الآن الأمر *مختلف*، فلديك جيش *من* المحترفين وأصبح لدى الجمهور موقف *مختلف* *من* السلطة". 

Here is another one: 
ومن حبي للمهنة كنت أقوم باستغلال وقت فراغي في عمل شيء *مختلف* *من* التورتات والحلويات، 


I must agree that talking about "one million" or more is a mistake. We are really far from it. Yet, it could be seen or read here and there without being that correct.

I still wonder if in oral discourses, the improper formulation is not that frequent.

Thanks for your comments, Elroy, which are closer to what should be believed on that matter.


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## cherine

First, I'd like to confirm the other answers: the best structure for such sentence is :
العربية تختلف عن كل/سائر/جميع اللغات
even better : تختلفُ العربيةُ عن كل/جميع/سائر اللغات .
But of course the adjective is also correct: العربية مختلفة عن كل اللغات

Now, for the preposition.
I don't know why do you,Tajabone, insist on trying to prove the correctness of something that's simply wrong, to the point of going so far as to choose the wrong example to support your argument!


Tajabone said:


> Here is one example (from the BBC) :
> الآن الأمر *مختلف*، فلديك جيش *من* المحترفين وأصبح لدى الجمهور موقف *مختلف* *من* السلطة".


Nice one. This structure موقف مختلف *من* السلطة means: different position *towards* authority.


> Here is another one:
> ومن حبي للمهنة كنت أقوم باستغلال وقت فراغي في عمل شيء *مختلف* *من* التورتات والحلويات،


Can't come with a good translation, but this one means : doing *different kinds of* cakes.


> I still wonder if in oral discourses, the improper formulation is not that frequent.


Not even used in oral discourses in Egypt.


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## Tajabone

Hi Cherine,

 You seem upset. I start with apologies then !

 I guess that I made it clear: I overrated the "incorrect" use of the expression and stated I did a mistake.

 The BBC example is arguable. After all, it's a foreign version of an international mainstream media.

 As for the second one, due to the 4 lines rule, I was not able to provide a wider context. The context is the following:

وتدرجت فيه في قسم الحلويات حتى أصبحت مسئولا عنه، ومن حبي للمهنة كنت أقوم باستغلال وقت فراغي في عمل شيء *مختلف* *من* *التورتات* والحلويات، 

The speaker goes on telling why he was interested in doing other things that the typical cakes. And I think he used the expression in an incorrect way.

 The link is here: http://www.islamonline.net/arabic/arts/2005/10/article07.shtml

 I am also interested in the daily and erroneous use of words and expressions (at leat to mention the "correct" versus "used" items). My mistake was to think the mistaken usage already widely spread, which was untrue. And I told it.

 At least, we came to discuss the preposition in a deeper and clearer way.


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## cherine

Hi Tajabone,

No, I'm not upset, just astonished that -as I said- you're trying to prove that something is a "common mistake" even when it's not even used the way you say it is.

So, I thank you for your link, because it proves my translation in the previous post :


> ومن حبي للمهنة كنت أقوم باستغلال وقت فراغي في عمل شيء مختلف من التورتات والحلويات، وخاصة أن العمل في نادٍ يختلف عن العمل بالفنادق​


​Here we see different uses/meaning of the adjective "different" based on the preposition used:
1- different kinds of cakes
2- working in a club differs from working in hotels.

I hope this time I'm clear. 


Tajabone said:


> The BBC example is arguable. After all, it's a foreign version of an international mainstream media.


That foreign version is made by Arabic natives, as much as I know. It's a bit rare to find mistakes in the Arabic content of the BBC.


> وتدرجت فيه في قسم الحلويات حتى أصبحت مسئولا عنه، ومن حبي للمهنة كنت أقوم باستغلال وقت فراغي في عمل شيء *مختلف* *من* *التورتات* والحلويات،
> 
> The speaker goes on telling why he was interested in doing other things that the typical cakes. And I think he used the expression in an incorrect way.



I think not. And I don't think your correction is correct.
If you want to make another translation, maybe we can say: I wanted to make something different out of cakes.
But it still won't be the same meaning you're saying.

This is of course my personal opinion, but other forer@s may surely differ 


> I am also interested in the daily and erroneous use of words and expressions (at leat to mention the "correct" versus "used" items). My mistake was to think the mistaken usage already widely spread, which was untrue. And I told it.
> 
> At least, we came to discuss the preposition in a deeper and clearer way.


True.
And I too am interested in the erroneous use of words and expressions. But I don't think this applies on this one.


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## Tajabone

Many thanks, Cherine

 Actually, I was wrong thinking I was in front of a massive "alternative" use of the expression with "min". But believe me, I was sincere and not stubborn while saying so.

 So thank you all for your comments, whishing that we reached a positive aspect through error.


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## cherine

Tajabone said:


> Many thanks, Cherine
> 
> Actually, I was wrong thinking I was in front of a massive "alternative" use of the expression with "min". But believe me, I was sincere and not stubborn while saying so.
> 
> So thank you all for your comments, whishing that we reached a positive aspect through error.


 
Thank _*you*_  I'm glad we came to an agreement.
And I'm sorry if I sounded rough.


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## suma

ayed said:


> Yes, I agree with Elroy.
> عن connotes "far away from"
> من connotes "from"


 
I always tell learners to make a mental note or memorize which verbs take a preposition and as important which preposition it takes, because it's not always logical when compared to English speech.

In some cases the English equivalent verb needs no prepostion, but the Arabic one does.

Or the required Arabic preposition doesn't seem to match the English one

for example:
يختلف عن  differs from, is different than
يرغب في   desires (something)
يغضب من is angry with, angry at


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## Tajabone

cherine said:


> Thank _*you*_  I'm glad we came to an agreement.
> And I'm sorry if I sounded rough.


 
 No problem at all, Cherine 

 Maybe, we could collectively open more threads about such expressions. 

 Thank you all, once again !


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