Marhaba! A simple post for today – how to say “by mistake” and “on purpose” in Levantine Arabic.
Let’s take a look at some sample sentences:
عن قصد
on purpose / deliberately
*The word قصد can be pronounced as ‘gaSed’, ‘qaSed’ or ‘2aSed’. (ء = 2)
شفتك شو عملت وبعرف انك عملته عن قصد
I saw what you did and I know that you did it on purpose
ماله محمد؟ ليش ضرب هداك الشب عن قصد؟
What’s wrong with Muhammad? Why did he deliberately beat up that guy?
انت ليش معصب؟ مو انا قلتلك انه ما عملتها عن قصد
Why are you so angry? Didn’t I tell you that I did not do it on purpose?
Alternatively, you can use the word:
قصداً
**Note that the word قصداً is more frequently used in Syria and Lebanon and less so in Jordan and Palestine.
هو قصداً كذَب علي مشان أعمل الشي اللي طلبه مني
He deliberately lied to me so that I will do the thing that he asked of me
ليلى ما تأخرت بالرد مو قصداً بس ما كان عندا (عندها) نت قوي لترد بسرعة
Layla did not deliberately reply late but she did not have a strong internet connection to be able to reply quickly
The following are 2 words that have the same meaning but are more frequently used in Jordan and Palestine.
عمداً
&
بالعمداً
on purpose / deliberately
Here are some examples:
احمد بالعمداً بحب يضايق اخته بالحكي
Ahmad likes to deliberately annoy his sister with (his) words
انا بالعمداً كتبت هالكلمة لاني كنت زعلان منك
I wrote this word on purpose because I was upset at you
صحيح اني سويت هالشي بس ما سويته بالعمداً
It is true that I did this (thing) but I didn’t do it on purpose
In general, the words, بالعمداً and عمداً can be used interchangeably in Spoken Arabic. So it is perfectly fine if you choose to say عمداً instead of بالعمداً in the sample sentences above.
بالغلط
by mistake / accidentally
الكل ضحكوا على سلمى لما دخلت حمام الرجال بالغلط
Everyone laughed at Salma when she accidentally entered the male washroom
انا متأكد إنو هاي الكلمة مكتوبة بالغلط لانو ما الها معنى
I’m (m) sure this word is written by mistake because it doesn’t make any sense
(محمد حكى عن سر روان بالغلط قدام أهلها (أهلا
Mohamad accidentally mentioned Rawan’s secret in front of her parents
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That’s it, folks!
If you like the post and found it useful, do share it with other Levantine Arabic learners 🙂
Till then, take care & I’ll see you around in the hosh.
Lyn
pop
Wow I found your website today searching for study materials of Levantine idioms. It contains so much valuable information. I am currently trying to learn jordanian dialect but I have been finding it difficult to find jordanian study material except basic Diwan vocab book and 101verb book though I can find Syrian and Palestinian resource more easily. You know online dictionary Lugatina is basically syrian and Olive dictinary is palestinian. The good thing about your postings for me is they cantain a lot of idioms/slang expressions. It is so hard to find those with english translations. Please keep posting in the future especially jordanian idioms/slang. Thank you. God bless you.
Lyn
Hi!
Thanks for your kind words 🙂
Yup, there are not a lot of resources for Arabic dialects in general. And I will surely continue to post more in the future.
The best and fast way is still learning through speaking with native speakers. If you have Jordanian language partners, that’s great. If not, try looking at Italki or Verbling.
Learning Spoken Arabic may not be easy due to the lack of resources but it is an incredibly rewarding journey. All the best 🙂
Lyn