Word search: ten words, three languages, one collection

There are words that do not translate well into Italian, and others that sound truer in Arabic. With Parole intrecciate (Intertwined Words), we have taken ten of these words and put them on T-shirts, sweatshirts, and caps: an Arabic word intertwined with an Italian or English one in the same design.

It is our idea of bilingual streetwear. You don’t need to speak Arabic to wear them, but every garment has a story to tell when someone asks you, "What does it say?"

The words, one by one

Amore / Love: حُب (ḥubb): love. This is the word everything starts from: it shares the same root as حبيبي (ḥabībi, "my love") and أحبك (uḥibbuk, "I love you"). The same root also gives us حَبّ (ḥabb), the grain, the seed: some see love as something one sows. It is pronounced with the ح, a "breathed" h from the throat that does not exist in Italian. It exists in two versions, Amore (Arabic and Italian) and Love (Arabic and English). In a sentence: حب من أول نظرة (ḥubb min awwal naẓra), "love at first sight."

Pazienza: صبر (ṣabr): patience, but also endurance and steadfastness. In Arabic, it is almost a philosophy of life: to wait without losing one's cool, knowing that things change. A proverb says الصبر مفتاح الفرج (al-ṣabr miftāḥ al-faraj), "patience is the key to relief." From the same root comes صبّار (ṣabbār), the cactus (prickly pear), which in the Levant is a symbol of those who endure and put down roots even where it is difficult. The ص is an emphatic "s," fuller and deeper than the Italian one.

Sogna! (Dream!): احلم (iḥlam): this is an imperative, an invitation. It comes from the verb حلم (ḥalim), "to dream," and the noun حُلم (ḥulm) denotes both the dream of the night and aspiration, that which you hope to become. To wish someone goodnight, one says أحلام سعيدة (aḥlām saʿīda), "happy dreams." In the feminine form, it becomes احلمي (iḥlami).

Smile: ابتسم (ibtasim): "smile!" From the same root comes بسمة (basma), "smile," which is also a very common female name: Basma literally means "smile." In the feminine form, it is ابتسمي (ibtasimi). A frequently cited saying from the Islamic tradition states that smiling at another person is a form of charity.

Breathe: تنفَّس (tanaffas): "breathe!" The sign on the ف (the shadda) doubles the consonant, which is why it is read tanaffas. It comes from نَفَس (nafas), "breath," which shares the root with نَفْس (nafs), "soul, self": in Arabic, breath and soul are related. To say "take a deep breath," one uses خذ نفساً عميقاً (khudh nafasan ʿamīqan).

Crea! (Create!): ابدِع (ibdia): in the sense of inventing something new. The verb أبدع (abdaʿa) means to create without a previous model: do not copy, do not repeat. Hence إبداع (ibdia), "creativity," and مبدع (mubdia), "creative": in conversation, writing مبدع! to someone is a compliment, "you are an artist." The ع (ʿayn) is a guttural sound that does not exist in Italian and is among the most difficult for non-native speakers.

Chill: رواق (rawāq): calm, serenity. It is the word for "chill." It is close to رايق (rāyiq), "relaxed, in a good mood" in the spoken language of Egypt and the Levant, which in turn evokes the sense of "clear," like water without cloudiness.

Peace: سلام (salām): peace, and it is also the most common greeting. It has the same root as إسلام (Islām) and سلامة (salāma, "safety"). It is inside السلام عليكم (as-salāmu ʿalaykum), "peace be upon you," to which one responds وعليكم السلام (wa ʿalaykum as-salām), and inside مع السلامة (maʿa s-salāma), "goodbye." In Italian, it arrived as "salamelecco."

Tired: تعبان (taʿbān): tired, worn out. It comes from تَعَب (taʿab), "fatigue." The feminine form is تعبانة (taʿbāna). It can also mean "I feel sick" or "I am at my limit," so the tone matters. If you say تعبت منك (taʿibtu minka), you aren't talking about physical fatigue: it means "I'm fed up with you."

Where to find them

Not all words are available in all formats:

• T-shirts: Love, Amore, Chill, Peace, Smile, Breathe, Sogna, Crea, Pazienza, Tired

• Crewneck sweatshirts: Sogna, Breathe, Pazienza, Love

• Hoodies: Amore, Chill, Peace, Smile

• Caps: Tired, Amore, Smile, Chill

Which one to choose?

Choose the word that reflects you today. If you need calm, pick Chill or Breathe. If you are waiting for something, Pazienza. If it’s one of those days, Tired says it better than you can. And if you need to give a gift, a well-chosen word is worth more than a card.

Discover the entire Parole intrecciate collection