Welcome to our Arabic Word of the Day.
Today we will talk about the word شَرِكَة /Sharikah/
A. Main Meaning
The word شَرِكَة /Sharikah/ has two main meanings:
1. Joint ownership or partnership between two individuals
Example 1: أَملِكُ مصنَعًا شَركةً مَعَ صَديقي
/Amliku mṣnaʻan sharktan maʻa ṣadyqy/
(I co-own a factory with my friend.)
Example 2: رَبِحتُ مِئةَ ألفٍ شَرِكَةً مَعَ أَخي
/Rabiḥtu miʼta alfin sharikatan maʻa akhy/
(I won a hundred thousand dollars, shared with my brother)
The word here implies that the money the speaker earned is not solely his; his brother shares it with him.
2. A business institution where multiple employees work
Example 1: يَعمَلُ إِبراهِيمُ فِي شَرِكَةِ مُنَظِّفاتٍ
/Yaʻmalu ibrāhīmu fī sharikati munaẓẓifātin/
(Ibrahim is employed at a detergent company)
The word here refers to Ibrahim’s role in an institution dedicated to producing and trading detergents. Here is another example:
Example 2: أَعمَلُ في شَرِكَةٍ إِلكِترونِيّةٍ
/Aʻmalu fī sharikatin ilkitrwnīytin/
(I work at an electronic company)
The word here refers to the occupation the speaker has within an institution specializing in electronic devices.
B. Plural Form
There is a plural form for the word شَرِكَة /Sharikah/ that carries the meaning “company” and that’s شَرِكات / Sharikāt/ i.e. “companies”
C. Collocations
In most cases, the word شَرِكة /Sharikah/, which means company, is paired with other vocabulary to form phrases with specific meanings.
Here are two example collocations paired with شَرِكَة:
1. Airline Company
| Airline Company | شَرِكةُ الخُطوطِ الجَويّة |
| /Shariktu alkhuṭwṭi aljawyyh/ |
The collocation refers to an institution that owns and operates aircraft.
Example:
| I traveled to Turkey with the Turkish Air Lines Company | سافَرتُ إلى تُركيا مع شَركِةِ الخُطوطِ الجَوّيّةِ التُّركيّةِ |
| /Sāfartu ilá turkyā maʻa sharkiti alkhuṭwṭi aljawwyyti altturkyyti/ |
2. Equity Company
| Equity Company | شَرِكَة أَسْهُمٍ |
| /Sharikatu ashumin/ |
Example:
| I invested in the equity company NASDAQ | استَثمَرتُ في شَركِةِ الأَسهُمِ ناسدِك |
| /Istathmartu fī sharkiti alʼashumi nāsdik/ |
D. Main Derivations
Several Arabic words can be derived from the same root word شَرِكَة, including:
| Derivations | ||
| 1. شَرِيكٌ | /Sharīkun/ | (partner) |
| 2. مُشَارَكَةٌ | /Mushārakatun/ | (share) |
| 3. اِشْتِرَاكٌ | /Ishtirākun/ | (participation) |
Example 1:
| Ahmed is Samir’s partner in the dairy factory | أحمَدُ شَريكُ سَمير فِي مَصنَعِ الألبانِ |
| /Aḥmadu sharyku samyr fī maṣnaʻi alʼlbāni/ |
Example 2:
| Haifa enjoys sharing food with her friend | هَيفاءُ تُحِبُّ مُشارَكَةِ صَدِيقَتِها فِي الطَعامِ |
| /Hayfāʼu tuḥibbu mushārakati ṣadīqatihā fī alṭaʻāmi/ |
Here the word signifies a preference for dining with someone.
The following words are other derivations that stem from the same root شَرِكَة:
| Derivation | |||||||||||
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F. Synonyms
When used to describe a place of employment, the term “company” is synonymous with the word “institution.” For instance, you can say,
| I work for AlifBee company.
Or I work at AlifBee institution. |
أَنا أَعمَلُ في شَرِكَةِ أَلِف بي /Anā aʻmalu fī sharikati alif bī/ أَنا أَعمَلُ فِي مُؤسَّسةِ أَلِف بي /anā aʻmalu fī muʼsaasti alif bī/ |
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G. Antonyms
| شركة /Sharikah/ | in partnership |
| خاصّ /Khāṣṣ/ | one’s own |
Example:
| I own one factory with my family, and the other one is entirely my own |
أَملِكُ مَصنَعينِ واحِدٌ شَركِةً مَعَ عائِلَتي والآخر خاصٌّ لي فقط |
| /Amliku maṣnaʻyni wāḥidun sharkitan maʻa ʻāʼilaty wa-al-ākhar khāṣṣun lī faqaṭ/ |
Make sure to use the new word in its different forms in your daily conversations. To get more practice, you can check our unique planner that you can use to speed up your learning journey. This planner offers a rich 30-page worksheet accompanied by over 200 practical exercises and activities. It will serve as a powerful tool to back your acquired knowledge and newly learned language and push your learning journey forward with tons of practice opportunities.
