Definition
A large motor vehicle carrying passengers by road, typically one serving the public on a fixed route and for a fare.
| Arabic | حَافِلَة |
| Translitertion | Ḥāfilah |
| Pronunciation | |
Grammatical Information
- Part of Speech: Noun (اسم – Ism)
- Gender: Feminine (مُؤَنَّث – Mu’annath).
- Number: Singular (مُفْرَد – Mufrad)
Example Sentences
| Arabic | Transliteration | English Translation | Pronunciation |
| اِنْتَظَرْتُ الْحَافِلَةَ طَوِيلاً | Intaẓartu al-ḥāfilata ṭawīlan | I waited for the bus for a long time. | |
| هَذِهِ حَافِلَةٌ جَدِيدَةٌ | Hādhihi ḥāfilatun jadīdatun | This is a new bus. | |
| ذَهَبْتُ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ بِالْحَافِلَةِ | Dhahabtu ilā al-madīnati bi-l-ḥāfilati | I went to the city by bus. |
Related Words and Phrases
- Synonym (مُرَادِف): بَاص (bāṣ): A widely used colloquial term borrowed from English.
- Words from the Same Root:
- حَفَلَ (ḥafala): To gather or teem (the bus is named this because it “gathers” people).
- حَفْلَة (ḥaflah): A party or ceremony (a gathering of people).
- مَحْفَل (maḥfal): An assembly or forum.
Cultural Context
In many Arab countries, the حَافِلَة is the backbone of daily life. Public buses connect major metropolitan hubs like Cairo, Amman, and Dubai, while smaller minibuses (often called service or microbus) weave through narrow neighborhood streets.