Meaning
To descend a flight of steps.
Cultural Background
In hilly cities like Amman, public staircases (Adraj) are landmarks. People often use them as meeting points or shortcuts between streets. The 'Sullam' (stairs) in Egyptian apartment buildings is a major social space. It's common to see neighbors chatting on the landing. In the Medinas, stairs are often narrow and made of beautiful tile (Zellij). Descending them carefully is a part of daily life. The 'Bawab' (doorman) often sits near the bottom of the stairs, making the act of descending a social interaction where you must give a greeting.
Sun Letter Alert
Remember that 'Dal' in 'Daraj' is a sun letter. Don't pronounce the 'L' in 'Al-Daraj'. Say 'Ad-daraj'.
Don't say 'Go Down'
In English we say 'Go down', but in Arabic, the verb 'Nuzul' already includes the 'down' part. Don't add 'ila asfal' unless you want to be redundant.
Meaning
To descend a flight of steps.
Sun Letter Alert
Remember that 'Dal' in 'Daraj' is a sun letter. Don't pronounce the 'L' in 'Al-Daraj'. Say 'Ad-daraj'.
Don't say 'Go Down'
In English we say 'Go down', but in Arabic, the verb 'Nuzul' already includes the 'down' part. Don't add 'ila asfal' unless you want to be redundant.
Test Yourself
Fill in the blank with the correct present tense form of 'nuzul' for 'I'.
أنا _______ الدرج الآن.
The prefix 'a-' (أ) is used for the first person singular (I) in the present tense.
Which sentence means 'He went down the stairs'?
Choose the correct past tense sentence:
'Nazala' is the past tense form for 'he'.
Complete the dialogue.
أحمد: لماذا أنت متعب؟ خالد: لأنني _______ الدرج عشر مرات للرياضة.
Khaled is talking about himself, so he uses the '-tu' suffix for the past tense.
Match the phrase to the situation.
Situation: The elevator is broken and you are on the 4th floor.
If you are on a high floor and need to get out without an elevator, you go down the stairs.
🎉 Score: /4
Visual Learning Aids
Practice Bank
4 exercisesأنا _______ الدرج الآن.
The prefix 'a-' (أ) is used for the first person singular (I) in the present tense.
Choose the correct past tense sentence:
'Nazala' is the past tense form for 'he'.
أحمد: لماذا أنت متعب؟ خالد: لأنني _______ الدرج عشر مرات للرياضة.
Khaled is talking about himself, so he uses the '-tu' suffix for the past tense.
Situation: The elevator is broken and you are on the 4th floor.
If you are on a high floor and need to get out without an elevator, you go down the stairs.
🎉 Score: /4
Frequently Asked Questions
10 questionsYes, but it's more specific to say 'yanzilu 'ala al-daraj al-kahraba'i' (descending the electric stairs).
It is a collective noun. A single step is a 'daraja'.
'Daraj' is usually built-in stairs. 'Sullam' can be stairs or a portable ladder.
You can say 'أنا نازل تحت' (Ana nazil taht) in dialect, or 'أنزل إلى الطابق السفلي' in MSA.
Yes, it is the standard verb in Modern Standard Arabic.
No, for a mountain you would say 'yanzilu min al-jabal' (descending from the mountain).
It is 'Nahnu nanzilu al-daraj'.
The opposite is 'su'ud' (صعود) or 'tulu'' (طلوع) in dialect.
Usually 'al-daraj' (the stairs) because you are referring to a specific staircase in a building.
Only if you are literally talking about the building's facilities! It's not a common business idiom.
Related Phrases
يصعد الدرج
contrastTo go up the stairs
ينزل بالمصعد
similarTo go down by elevator
درجة درجة
builds onStep by step
هبط الدرج
synonymTo descend the stairs (formal)
