If you’re learning Levantine Arabic, you may eventually run into two verbs that seem to mean exactly the same thing.
“Baslo2 \ بَسلُق”
and
“Baghli \ بَغلي”
Look them up in English, and both can easily be translated as “I boil.”
But if you ask a native Arabic speaker to boil an egg and then boil some water, you’ll probably hear two different verbs.
So what’s the difference?
“Baslo2 \ بَسلُق”
“Baslo2” is used when you cook something by boiling it in water.
Think about eggs, potatoes, chicken, vegetables, or pasta. The food is placed in water and cooked by boiling it.
For example:
“Baslo2 beiD \ بَسلُق بَيض”
“I boil eggs.”
Or:
“Baslo2 baTaaTa \ بَسلُق بَطاطا”
“I boil potatoes.”
The important thing here is that you are talking about the food being boiled, not the water itself.
“Baghli \ بَغلي”
“Baghli,” on the other hand, is used when you bring a liquid to a boil.
For example:
“Baghli may \ بَغلي مَيّ”
“I boil water.”
You can also use it with other liquids, such as milk.
“Baghli 7aleeb \ بَغلي حَليب”
“I boil milk.”
So while English uses the same verb in both situations, Levantine Arabic makes a distinction between boiling a liquid and boiling food in that liquid.
One Kitchen, Two Different Verbs
Imagine you’re making boiled eggs.
First, you might boil the water.
“Baghli il-may \ بَغلي المَيّ”
Then, you boil the eggs.
“Baslo2 il-beiD \ بَسلُق البَيض”
In English, you used “boil” twice.
In Levantine Arabic, you used two different verbs.
That small difference is exactly why translating Arabic word for word can sometimes be confusing. Two words may have the same English translation without actually being interchangeable.
For learners of Jordanian Arabic, Palestinian Arabic, and Levantine Arabic, noticing distinctions like this can make everyday speech sound much more natural.
Instead of memorizing that both words simply mean “boil,” remember the situation:
If the liquid itself is being brought to a boil, think “baghli.”
If food is being cooked by boiling it in water, think “baslo2.”
Same English verb. Two different Arabic verbs. And once you know the difference, it’s actually pretty simple.
