iraqi arabic
Grammar
خل + فعل
- Let (imperative) + فعل
- Example:
- Let us go: خل نروح
- Let them (f) play: خل يلعبن
- Let them (m) sleep: خل ينامون
- Let me sit: خل أگعد
هذا & هدي/هاي
- Demonstrative pronouns, used the same way as فصحى
محتاج/محتاجة/محتاجين
- To need/should
- Example:
- I should rest: آني محتاج اراح
- They need food: هم محتاجين الاكل
- She needs information: هي محتاجة معلومات
Emphasis with personal الصمائر
- Attach the personal pronoun for emphasis
- Example:
- Where is the book? - وينه الكيتاب
- Where is the professor (f)? - وينها الاستاذة
چان + فعل مضارع (past modal construction)
- States “would have <verb>”
- Sometimes will also take a past tense verb
- Example:
- I would have heard you.
- جان أسمعك
- You (m.s.) would have heard her.
- جان تسمعها
- I would have eaten.
- جان اكلت
- I would have heard you.
اللي
- Means who/whoever/whomever/that/which depending on the context
- Example:
- He who tries will succeed.
- اللي هو يحاول راح ينجح
- He who sleeps well will work well.
- اللي ينام زين راح يشغل رين
- The problem he has is that he doesn’t do anything.
- المشكلة عنده اللي هو ما يسوي اي شي
- He who tries will succeed.
إذا & لو
- اذا means “if”
- Combines with ما to mean “if not”
- لو is a negative “if”
- Example:
- If you go to the store, I’ll go too.
- اذا تروح المحل، اني هم راح اروح
- If he writes to me, I’ll read his letter.
- اذا هو يكتب الي، اني راح رسالته
- If you send me the homework, I will do it.
- اذا تدز واجب بيتي، اني راح اسويه
- If you go to the store, I’ll go too.
يخبل
- Frequently used with راح, means to drive someone crazy
- Example:
- Haddad is going to drive his father crazy
- حداد راح يخبل ابوه
- Haddad is going to drive his father crazy
معجب ب
- Used to express admiration for something or someone, using ب
- Example:
- I don’t admire him.
- اني مو معجب به
- I’m not very interested in him.
- اني مو كلش معتم بيه
- I don’t admire him.
ما/م/مو
- ما - Used with verb or verb like word
- ّI didn’t eat.
- اني ما اكلت
- ّI didn’t eat.
- م - Used with verb-like word
- It is not necessary.
- ملازم
- We have no other.
- ما عدنا عيره
- It is not necessary.
- مو - Used with nouns/pronouns/adj
- Not us
- مو احنا
- Not us
Special construction of ناس
- In colloquial, ناس is almost always treated as a feminine singular word.
- Example:
- The people rest.
- الناس ترتاح
- There are people coming from the club.
- اكو الناس تجي الملهى
- There are people who don’t eat meat.
- اكو الناش اللي ما تكل الحم
- The people rest.
حتى
Two uses:
حتى
- Means so/in order to
- Example:
- So she doesn’t learn
- حتى لا تتعلم
- So I can sleep
- حتى انام
- So he can understand
- حتى يفتهم
- So she doesn’t learn
حتى او…ما
- Conditional sentence expressing the negative result.
- Means “even if…not/no”.
- Example:
- Even if she is still young I do not let her go with you.
- حتى لو بعدها زغيرة ما أخليها تجي وياك
- Even if she is still young I do not let her go with you.
بعدني
- Expression of “still”/until now
- Constructed with بعد + personal pronoun
- Note that this takes the verbal form of the personal pronoun, so “still I” is بعدني
- Example:
- Fadi? He is still at work.
- فعدي؟ هو بعده بالشتعل
- My mother is still sleeping.
- امي بعدها تنام
- I am still hungry (f).
- اني بعدني جوعنة
- Fadi? He is still at work.
Verb Conjugation Tables
Double & Weak
- Double verbs
- جذر عنده two letters
- Weak
- جذر عنده vowel
- Table:
Person Gender Ending 1st M/F يت- 2st M يت- 2nd F تي- 3rd M N/A 3rd F تن- 1st pl M/F ينا- 2nd pl M يتو- 2rd pl F تن- 3rd pl M و- 3rd pl F ن-
Phrases
الله بالخير
- God bless
شكو ماكو
- What’s up?
علع كيف + الصمائر
- As someone likes; take it easy with
- Example:
- علع كيفي - As I like
- علع كيفك بالسيارة - Take it (you, M) easy with the driving
هاي وين + الصمائر
- Where have (you) been?
- Example:
- اي وين همه/ هاي وينهم - Where have they been?
لا غالي ولا رحيص
- Neither expensive nor cheap
- Example:
- السيارة لا غالي ولا رحيص - The car is neither expensive nor cheap
لا شيش ولا كباب
- Not bad/okay/so-so (lit neither the skewer nor the meat)
- Example:
- الاكل لا شيش ولا كباب - The food is okay
شمدري + الصمائر
- How does (pronoun) know?
- Example:
- شمدريه آني جوعان - How does he know I am hungry?
الله يخلي + الصمائر
- May god preserve/keep
- Sometimes used as please
- Example:
- الله يخليك، وين التكسي؟ - Please, where is the taxi?
يا الله
- Said when someone is about to begin something
بلله
- Is it so? Is it true? Please
- Example:
- الفندق درجة اولة - The hotel is first class
- بلله؟ - Really?
- بلله فد جكارة - Would you give me a cig?
مو بلله؟
- Isn’t it so? Isn’t it?
- Example:
- الغرق بلد قديم، مو بلله؟ - Iraq is an ancient country, isn’t it?
علع عيني، علع راسي
- With pleasure (lit on my head or on my eye)
- Example:
- علع عيني، اصعد بالسيارة - With pleasure, get in the car
علع فكرة
- By the way
- Example:
- علع فكرة شلونه المطعم؟ - By the way, how was the resturant?
علع كل حال
- In any case, anyway
- Example:
- علع كل حل هو راح يزوح للعرق - Anyways, he will go to Iraq
شعبل + الصمائر
- What did you think?
- Example:
- شعبلك، الاكل مو زين؟ - What did you think, the food was not good?
ماشي الحال
- Okay, not bad (lit the condition is walking)
- Example:
- شلوم الشغل؟ - How is the work?
- ماشي الحال - Okay
دير بال + الصمائر
- Take care, watch out, give attention to
- Example:
- دير بالك درستك - Give attention to your study!
- ديري بالچ من لسيارة - Watch out for the car!
عاش من شاف + الصمائر
- It has been a long time (lit lived he who saw you)
- Example:
- هاي وين؟ عاش من شافك - Where have you been? It has been a long time since I saw you.
الخاطر
- For someone’s sake
- Example:
- الخاطري، روح للعرق - For my sake, go to Iraq
- الخاطر بسمة، اكل - For Basma’s sake, eat.