# Saudi Arabic: على الحلوة والمرة



## MarcB

This idiom is from Saudi Arabia على الحلوه و المره what is it's English equivalent?


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## ayed

MarcB said:


> This idiom is from Saudi Arabia على الحلوه و المره what is it's English equivalent?


 
there is another equivalent in the pure Arabic(al-FuS.Ha) as well :
*في السراء والضراء* fissa/rrai waDh.dhar/rai
Engilsh : in ups and downs


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## Zeidan

Hi,
I think I have a better equivalent, which is : through thick and thin.

e.g: she has stuck by her husband through thick and thin.


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## ayed

Zeidan said:


> Hi,
> I think I have a better equivalent, which is : through thick and thin.
> 
> e.g: she has stuck by her husband through thick and thin.


Thank you , Zeidan for this idiom.


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## Zeidan

Thanks for you too bro.


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## cherine

It's also used in Egypt. 3al 7elwa wel-morra (it's even a title of an old song  ) means to stay together not only in good times, but also in the bad ones. I remember this expression when I hear the exchange of vowes in a wedding in an American movie (in sickness and in health...)


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## MarcB

اشكركم كلهم زين​


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## ayed

MarcB said:


> اشكركم كلهم زين​


MarcB , does the expression "ups and downs" carry the same connotation of "through thick and thin"?


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## MarcB

Ayed,I would say they are similar,through thick and thin seems more intense.


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## Talib

Doesn't this literally mean, "Upon sweet and bitter"?


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## MarcB

Talib said:


> Doesn't this literally mean, "Upon sweet and bitter"?



Yes.


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## theturkeyisfat

is this pronounced "ala alhalwa wa almarra?"


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## Mahaodeh

Yes it is.


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## WadiH

theturkeyisfat said:


> is this pronounced "ala alhalwa wa almarra?"


 
No no no ... it's _'alal hilwa wil murrah_


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## Mahaodeh

Yep, I'm sorry, I guess I'm not so good at translitration.


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## WadiH

Mahaodeh said:


> Yep, I'm sorry, I guess I'm not so good at translitration.


 
You'll get the hang of it.


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## Nikola

Correct me if I am wrong but Wadi Hanifa is giving the Saudi spoken form not the MSA form. I think theturkeyisfat is trying to write MSA.


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## ayed

Nikola said:


> Correct me if I am wrong but Wadi Hanifa is giving the Saudi spoken form not the MSA form. I think theturkeyisfat is trying to write MSA.


 
*3ala al-H*u*lwati wa al-Murrah

Saudi colloquial form : 3ala al-Hilwah wa al-Murrah


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## WadiH

Nikola said:


> Correct me if I am wrong but Wadi Hanifa is giving the Saudi spoken form not the MSA form. I think theturkeyisfat is trying to write MSA.


 
Yes.  The Standard way of saying it would be something like:

_'alal hulwati wal murrati _(or _murrah_ if you're pausing on that word)

If you don't want to use case endings then it would be:

_'alal hulwah wal murrah_


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## cherine

The Egyptian pronounciation is 3al-Helwa wel-morra.


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## suma

"through good times and bad"


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