تعجب
ta'ajjob
surprise
nounB1
Quick Reference
ta-AJ-job
surprise
B1 — Intermediate
What it means
تعجب (ta’ajjob) means “surprise” or “astonishment.” It comes from the Arabic root ‘-j-b (wonder, marvel). The standard verb form is ta’ajjob kardan, “to be surprised.”
How to use it
- تعجب کردم (ta’ajjob kardam) “I was surprised”
- جای تعجب نیست (jâ-ye ta’ajjob nist) “It is not surprising”
- با تعجب نگاه کرد (bâ ta’ajjob negâh kard) “She looked with astonishment”
Common pairings and compounds
- تعجبآور (ta’ajjob-âvar) “surprising, astonishing”
- عجیب (ajib) “strange, odd” (same root)
- در کمال تعجب (dar kamâl-e ta’ajjob) “to my utter astonishment”
Cultural note
Ta’ajjob is what an Iranian aunt performs at a wedding when she has not seen you in three years and you have grown a beard. It is also the standard register for newspaper editorials expressing polite outrage: jâ-ye ta’ajjob ast, “it is a place for astonishment.”
References
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Ta'ajjob is what an Iranian aunt performs at a wedding when she has not seen you in three years and you have grown a beard. It is also the standard register for newspaper editorials expressing polite outrage: jâ-ye ta'ajjob ast, "it is a place for astonishment."Connected Words