How to say "to fail (an exam)" in Arabic
New wordMeaningto fail (an exam)
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
رَسَبَ
rasabaרסב
رسب
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
נכשל
nikhshalنِخْشَال
How the two words are related
New word
No Hebrew relative — learn it fresh.
Arabic root
ر-س-بThe root means 'to sink, settle to the bottom' (rawāsib is sediment): the failing student sinks.
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On the street
How people actually say it in the spoken dialects, where it differs from the standard word.
Levantine · Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria
سَقَط
saʾaṭסאטSpoken Arabic says the student 'fell': saʾaṭ bil-imtiḥān.
Egyptian · Cairo and the Nile Delta
سِقِط
siʾiṭסאטCairene: siʾiṭ fil-imtiḥān, 'he failed the exam'.
In a phrase
رَسَبَ فِي الرِّيَاضِيَّات
rasaba fī r-riyāḍiyyātרסב פי א-ריאצ'יאתHe failed math.