Language/Egyptian-arabic/Grammar/Negation

Egyptian Arabic Grammar - Negation

Hi Egyptian Arabic learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will focus on negation in Egyptian Arabic. We will go over the basic rules and provide examples to help you better understand how to negate sentences. As always, we will also include cultural information and interesting facts about the language. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to add them in the comments section below. Don't forget to check out the Polyglot Club website to find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Basics of Negation

In Egyptian Arabic, negation is usually formed by adding a specific word before the verb. This word is "mesh" (written in Arabic as "مش"). It is similar to the English word "not". For example:

• Egyptian Arabic: أنا مَا نَامْتْش.
• Phonetic pronunciation: Ana ma namtsh.
• English translation: I did not sleep.

As you can see, "mesh" comes before the verb "namt" (which means "slept"). Here are some more examples:

Egyptian Arabic	Pronunciation	English
مَا بَرْدَش	ma bardash	It's not cold.
مَشَيْتْش	mashaytsh	I didn't walk.
مَا بِدِّيش	ma biddish	I don't want to.
مَا حَبَّش يِنْجُن	ma habshe yingun	He doesn't want to sing.

Notice that "ma" and "mesh" can be used interchangeably, but "ma" is often used in the context of negating an adjective or a noun. For example, "ma bardash" means "not cold", while "mesh bardash" means "did not become cold". Also, if the verb starts with a vowel, the "a" in "ma" is omitted, and only the consonant sound is pronounced (e.g. "ma biddish" instead of "ma abiddish").

Negation in present tense

To negate the present tense in Egyptian Arabic, add "mesh" before the present tense verb. For example:

• Egyptian Arabic: أَنَا مَا بَرْتَاحْش لِلْدُرْس.
• Phonetic pronunciation: Ana ma berta'ash lil-dars.
• English translation: I am not comfortable with the lesson.

Notice that the present tense verb "berta'ash" (which means "am comfortable") became negative when "mesh" was added before it.

Here is another example:

• Person 1: إزَايَكْ؟ (izayak? - How are you?)
• Person 2: أَنَا مَا بِتْكَلِّمْش اللَّغَة العَرَبِيَّة. (Ana ma betkallimsh el-lughat el-'arabiyya. - I don't speak Arabic)

Notice that in this example, "ma" was used instead of "mesh". This is because "ma" can be used to negate an action or a verb, while "mesh" is used mostly to negate a state or a fact.

Negation in past tense

To negate the past tense in Egyptian Arabic, add "mesh" before the past tense verb. For example:

• Egyptian Arabic: مَا رَحْتْ الأسْبُوع اللَّي فَات.
• Phonetic pronunciation: Ma raht el-osbu' elly fat.
• English translation: I didn't go last week.

Here is another example:

• Person 1: شَرِبْتْ شَاي؟ (Sharibt shay? - Did you drink tea?)
• Person 2: مَا شَرِبْتْش شَاي. (Ma sharibtsh shay. - I didn't drink tea.)

Notice that the verb "sharibt" (which means "drank") became negative when "mesh" was added before it.

Negation in future tense

To negate the future tense in Egyptian Arabic, use the word "hayefdal" (written in Arabic as "هيفضل") instead of the future tense verb. For example:

• Egyptian Arabic: مَا هِيْفْضَلْ مَفْتُوحْ.
• Phonetic pronunciation: Ma hayifdal maftooh.
• English translation: It won't remain open.

Here is another example:

• Person 1: حَتْشْتَرِيْ إيْهْ غَدًا؟ (Hatchtrii eh gada? - What are you going to buy tomorrow?)
• Person 2: مَا هَشْتَرِيْش حَاجَة. (Ma hashtriihsh haga. - I'm not going to buy anything.)

Notice that "hayefdal" is used to negate the future tense in this example. Also, "haga" means "thing" or "anything".

Dialogue

• Person 1: بَتَحْبِسَّنِي مُشَاكِل العَمَل اللَّي مَا بِتِنْحَلْش.
• Phonetic pronunciation: Bat7abseenni moshakel el-'amal elly ma bintehalsh.
• English translation: Work problems are stressing me out because they never get resolved.
• Person 2: لَازِمْ تِسْتَنَّى وَتَأْخُدْ نَفْسًا. مِنَّمَا تَرْجِعْ تِشُوفْ إزَايْ.
• Phonetic pronunciation: Lazem testanna wa ta'khod nfsa. Mennamma tarje3 teshouf izay.
• English translation: You need to wait and take a breather. When you come back, you'll see how things are.

Cultural Insight

Egyptian Arabic is spoken by an estimated 68 million people worldwide. It is the most widely spoken Arabic dialect and is heavily influenced by the Coptic language, which was spoken in Egypt before the Arab invasions.

Egyptians are known to be quite humorous and lighthearted, and language plays a large role in Egyptian humor. This includes puns, wordplay, and jokes that often revolve around dialectical expressions that have multiple interpretations or meanings.

Summary

Negation in Egyptian Arabic is usually formed by adding "ma" or "mesh" before the verb. "Ma" is used to negate an action or a verb, while "mesh" is used to negate a state or a fact. The word "hayefdal" is used instead of the future tense verb to indicate negation in the future tense. By following these basic rules, you can begin to negate sentences in Egyptian Arabic.

Additional Resources

• Egyptian Arabic on Wikipedia
• Arabic grammar on Wikipedia

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