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ARABIC ONLINE اللّغة العربيّة |
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Sound Masculine Plural Nouns Irregular Perfective Conjugation Irregular Imperfective Conjugation Inactive Particles Vocative Particles Praise & Disparagement Participle-like Adjectives Place-nouns Tool-nouns Diminutives
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Polite Request
The polite way to ask for something in English and other European languages would be by using the subjunctive mode of verbs; e.g. would you do this? could you do that? In Arabic, there are several formulas for request, and several of them employ the subjunctive mood of verbs as well. One of the most common phrases for request in Arabic is the following: لَوْ سَمَحْتَ ...ه law samaht(a) ... = if (you sing. masc.) allowed ... This formula is not a question. It uses the subjunctive mood of the verb "allow," though in the form of a perfective, or past, verb rather than a subjunctive imperfective, or present, verb. Perfective verbs are often used as subjunctive verbs in Arabic. This phrase will be followed by a normal command, using the imperative mood of verbs. لَوْ سَمَحْتَ ، نَاْوِلْنِيْ الْطَبَقَ law samaht(a) naawil-nee ('a)l-tabaq(a) = if (you sing. masc.) allowed, hand me the dish Translation: please, hand me the dish
Another way: نَاْوِلْنِيْ الْطَبَقَ لَوْ سَمَحْتَ naawil-nee ('a)l-tabaq(a) law samaht(a) = hand me the dish if (you sing. masc.) allowed Translation: hand me the dish, please
Another variant of this phrase, which means just the same: إِذَاْ سَمَحْتَ ...ه 'ithaa samaht(a) ... = if (you sing. masc.) allowed ...
Example: إِذَاْ سَمَحْتِ ، أَغْلِقِيْ الْبَاْبَ 'ithaa samaht(i) 'arliqee ('a)l-baab(a) = if (you sing. fem.) allowed, close the door Translation: please, close the door
Another way: أَغْلِقِيْ الْبَاْبَ إِذَاْ سَمَحْتِ 'arliqee ('a)l-baab(a) 'ithaa samaht(i) = close the door if (you sing. fem.) allowed Translation: close the door, please
A third less common variant: إِنْ سَمَحْتَ ...ه 'in samaht(a) ... = if (you sing. masc.) allowed ... This is used like the previous ones.
Conjugation for all subjects:
*The word law can be replaced with 'ithaa or 'in.
The phrase law samaht(a), usually translated to "please" or "excuse me," can be used in other ways than being followed by a direct command. Example: مَاْ اِسْمُكِ لَوْ سَمَحْتِ ؟ maa ('i)smu-k(i) law samaht(i) = what (the) name (of) you (sing. fem.) (is) if (you sing. fem.) allowed Translation: what's your name, please?
لَوْ سَمَحْتَ ، بِكَمْ هَذَاْ الحِذَاْءُ ؟ law samaht(a) bi-kam haathaa ('a)l-hithaa'(u) = if (you sing. masc.) allowed, by how much this the shoe (is) Translation: excuse me, how much are these shoes?
Another similar phrase to law samaht(a) that is very common is: مِنْ فَضْلِكَ ...ه min fadli-k(a) ... = from/of (the) favor (of) you (sing. masc.) ... This phrase does not use any subjunctive verbs. It will be followed often by a direct command, like the previous one. It is also usually translated to "please" or "excuse me." Examples: مِنْ فَضْلِكَ ، أَعْطِنِيْ الْقَلَمَ min fadli-k(a) 'a"ti-nee ('a)l-qalam(a) = please, (you sing. masc.) give me the pen Translation: please, give me the pen
Another way: أَعْطِنِيْ الْقَلَمَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ 'a"ti-nee ('a)l-qalam(a) min fadli-k(a) = (you sing. masc.) give me the pen please Translation: give me the pen please
هُدُوْءًا مِنْ فَضْلِكُمْ hudoo'a(n) min fadli-kum = (I ask for) a quietness please (plu. masc.) Translation: quiet, please
Conjugation for all subjects:
A third way for request is by using the following word: رَجَاْءً ...ه rajaa'a(n) ... = (I beg) a begging ... This is more urgent than the previous two. It also means "please" or "excuse me" and it is used just like the formulas mentioned above. However, it does not have other conjugations than this one. Examples: رَجَاْءً سَاْعِدْنِيْ rajaa'a(n) saa"id-nee = please (you sing. masc.) help me Translation: please, help me Or: سَاْعِدْنِيْ رَجَاْءً saa"id-nee rajaa'a(n) = (you sing. masc.) help me please Translation: help me, please
A common polite formula for request in Arabic is the following: هَلْ مِنَ الْمُمْكِنِ أَنْ ...ه hal min(a) ('a)l-mumkin(i) 'an ... = is it that (he/it) (is) of the possible that ...? Translation: is it possible that ... ? The particle 'an = "that" is called in Arabic "infinitival 'an" because it is used to form "infinitival phrases" or infinitives, just similar to how the particle "to" is used to form infinitives in English (e.g. the infinitive "to go"). An imperfective verb following 'an must be in the subjunctive mood. Example: هَلْ مِنَ الْمُمْكِنِ أَنْ تُسَاْعِدَنِيْ ؟ hal min(a) ('a)l-mumkin(i) 'an tusaa"ida-nee = is it possible that (you sing. masc.) help me Translation: would/could you help me?
Another variant of the phrase: أَمِنَ الْمُمْكِنِ أَنْ تُسَاْعِدِيْنِيْ ؟ 'a-min(a) ('a)l-mumkin(i) 'an tusaa"idee-nee = is it possible that (you sing. fem.) help me Translation: would/could you help me? The difference in this variant is that the interrogative particle 'a- was used instead of hal, which changes nothing anyway. One more formula: أَتَسْمَحُ أَنْ ...ه 'a-tasmah(u) 'an ... = is it that (you sing. masc.) allow that ...? = is it that (you sing. masc.) will allow that ...?
Example: أَتَسْمَحُ أَنْ آخُذَ الْكِتَاْبَ ؟ 'a-tasmah(u) 'an 'aakhuth(a) ('a)l-kitaab(a) = is it that (you sing. masc.) will allow that (I) take the book Translation: may I take the book?
Another variant: هَلْ تَسْمَحِيْنَ أَنْ أَسْئَلَكِ سُؤَاْلاً ؟ hal tasmaheen(a) 'an 'as'ala-k(i) su'aala(n) = is it that (you sing. fem.) will allow that (I) ask you a question Translation: may I ask you a question?
Conjugation for all subjects:
*The word 'a- may be replaced with hal.
Another way for polite request in formal Arabic would be by means of the "urging" particles.
Urging Particles Particles of "urging," or "inducement," أَدَوَاْتُ الْتَّحْضِيْضِ are a set of particles used to "urge" somebody to do something. They can be followed by indicative imperfective verbs, but they are often followed by perfective (≡subjunctive) verbs instead.
Excluding the first one, hal-laa, all of those compound particles are archaic and not used in modern Arabic. The particle hal-laa is often used for request, although it can also mean reproach, depending on the situation. Examples: هَلاَّ سَاْعَدْتَنِيْ ؟ hal-laa saa"adta-nee = would have (you sing. masc.) helped me? Translation: would/could you help me? OR: you could have helped me :(
Another possibility: هَلاَّ تُسَاْعِدُنِيْ ؟
hal-laa tusaa"idu-nee = will (you sing. masc.) help me ? Translation: will/can you help me?
When hal-laa is followed by an imperfective verb, it means only "urging" or request, and maybe command. When it is followed by an imperfective verb, it can mean request, command, or reproach. Examples on classical particles: أَلاَ أَعَنْتَنِيْ ؟ 'a-laa 'a"anta-nee = would have (you sing. masc.) helped me? Translation: would/could you help me? OR: you could have helped me :(
لَوْمَاْ تَأْتِيْنَاْ بِالْمَلائِكَةِ إِنْ كُنْتَ مِنَ الصَّاْدِقِيْنَ ؟ law-maa ta'<tee-naa bi-l-malaa'ika(ti) 'in kunt(a) min(a) ('a)s-saadiqeen(a) = will (you sing. masc.) come (to) us with the angels if (you) were from/of the honest (people)? Translation: would/could you bring us the angles if you were honest? OR: you could have brought us the angels if you were honest
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