Jun 21, 2016 17:47
8 yrs ago
Arabic term
ما عنتش
Arabic to English
Art/Literary
Poetry & Literature
In a novel by an Egyptian author, a character says (in Egyptian 3ammiya):
انا ما عنتش فاهم حاخة
The meaning SEEMS to be something like "I don't understand anything anymore (?)", but how do you parse عنتش?
Is it some past tense form, negated?
Thanks a bunch
انا ما عنتش فاهم حاخة
The meaning SEEMS to be something like "I don't understand anything anymore (?)", but how do you parse عنتش?
Is it some past tense form, negated?
Thanks a bunch
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
14 hrs
Selected
first person singular verb negated in the past
As long as your questions are not answered in the above proposed answers, I have to post mine. Here is my own analysis for such a colloquial expression that is used is more common in lower Egypt, while in my region in upper Egypt ما بقتش is more common.
First: the MSA equivalent
ما عدتُ I am no more
first person negated past tense but it indicates the present as well. It is like the English present simple or present perfect
Second: sheen indication
In the Colloquial Egyptian Arabic, ش is added at the end of words to indicate negation, e.g., ما أكلتش، ما فيش I did not eat, there is nothing
ش is basically contraction of ،شيئًا أو شيء anything
Hence it is ما أكلت شيئًا I did not eat anything, then, it is used to indicate negation even if the the word "anything" is not there as in the word in question. The same applies to "ما بقتش" because if we are going to translate it in light of the rule of adding /sheen/ to words, the literal meaning will be "I am no more anything!!"
So, ش is added to the verb عدت to be in harmony with other verbs that have such a contraction as a suffix to indicate negation.
Then it becomes ما عدتش
Third: ما عُتّش
letters of /dal/ and /taa/ are from one place of articulation, so they are assimilated and pronounced as two taas that some people pronounce it as
ما عُتّش
Fourth: adding extra /noon/
some people tend to replace the shdda (stress or emphasis on letters) and double letters with /noon/ letter, e.g., some people pronounce ممتاز as منتاز
Accordingly, it becomes ما عنتش
Fifth: Yes, the tense is past
Best,
Saleh
First: the MSA equivalent
ما عدتُ I am no more
first person negated past tense but it indicates the present as well. It is like the English present simple or present perfect
Second: sheen indication
In the Colloquial Egyptian Arabic, ش is added at the end of words to indicate negation, e.g., ما أكلتش، ما فيش I did not eat, there is nothing
ش is basically contraction of ،شيئًا أو شيء anything
Hence it is ما أكلت شيئًا I did not eat anything, then, it is used to indicate negation even if the the word "anything" is not there as in the word in question. The same applies to "ما بقتش" because if we are going to translate it in light of the rule of adding /sheen/ to words, the literal meaning will be "I am no more anything!!"
So, ش is added to the verb عدت to be in harmony with other verbs that have such a contraction as a suffix to indicate negation.
Then it becomes ما عدتش
Third: ما عُتّش
letters of /dal/ and /taa/ are from one place of articulation, so they are assimilated and pronounced as two taas that some people pronounce it as
ما عُتّش
Fourth: adding extra /noon/
some people tend to replace the shdda (stress or emphasis on letters) and double letters with /noon/ letter, e.g., some people pronounce ممتاز as منتاز
Accordingly, it becomes ما عنتش
Fifth: Yes, the tense is past
Best,
Saleh
Note from asker:
Thank you, Saleh. |
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: ":) شكرا"
+2
11 mins
I do not / I'm not
أعتقد أن أصلها
ما عدت
ما عدت أفهم شيئًا
ثم حرفت في العامية لتصير بهذا الشكل
ما عدت
ما عدت أفهم شيئًا
ثم حرفت في العامية لتصير بهذا الشكل
Note from asker:
Thank you, Erfan. |
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Randa Farhat
: "أصلها بالفصحى "ما عدتُ فهمتُ شيئاً - I no longer understood a thing
2 days 1 hr
|
agree |
fatma abou auf (X)
28 days
|
13 mins
I do nor MORE understand
Suggestion
Note from asker:
Thank you, Chakib. |
40 mins
I could barely understand
--
Note from asker:
Thank you, Hadi. |
+1
2 hrs
I don't understand anything anymore
-
Note from asker:
Thank you, Liliane. |
Discussion