Learn ArabicB2 › غالِي

غالِي

expensive /ˈɣaː.liː/

adjectiveB2#3780 most common

Also: dear, precious, beloved

Example sentences

القميص غالي.
The shirt is expensive.
هذه الساعة غالية جدا.
This watch is very expensive.
لا أشتري الأشياء الغالية عادة.
I don't usually buy expensive things.
أنتِ غالية على قلبي يا أمي.
You are dear to my heart, mother.
رغم أن الشقة كانت غالية جدًا، قررنا شراءها لأنها قريبة من العمل.
Although the apartment was very expensive, we decided to buy it because it's close to work.
في اقتصاد اليوم، أصبحت الأشياء الغالية بالأمس رخيصة اليوم، والعكس صحيح.
In today's economy, things that were expensive yesterday have become cheap today, and the reverse is also true.

Declension

CaseSingularPlural
Nominativeغالٍغالون
Genitiveغالٍغالين
Accusativeغاليًاغالين
Vocativeيا غالييا غالون

Word family

غلاto be or become expensive
أغلىmore expensive, dearest
غلاءhigh cost, expensiveness, inflation
غاليةexpensive, dear (feminine form)
تغالىto be overpriced, to go to excess in price

Etymology

غالي comes from the Arabic root غ-ل-و (gh-l-w), tied to the verb غَلَا (ghalā), meaning to be high in price or to exceed a normal limit. غالي is the active participle of this verb, so it literally names something that is 'rising' or 'exceeding' in cost. The same root gives the noun غلاء, meaning high cost or inflation.

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