Gulf Arabic: Level 1

احبك لو تكون حاضر

“I Love You If You Are Present”

عبادي الجوهر

lyrics: لطفي زيني

music: طلال مداح

 

• احبك لو تكون حاضر

Aḥebbik law tkūn ḥāẓir.

I love you if you’re present.

– aḥebbik = note: 1. unlike Levantine or the Egyptian dialect there is no b- in the present tense, the b- prefix is used for the future.

2. You would expect it to be aḥibbik but the -i- often becomes -e- in vicinity of ḥ (as in احكي “eḥči” (= I speak)) and -a- in vicinity of ‘ .

3. the -ik suffix is the 2. person masculine pronoun while in Gulf dialects while -ič is used for the feminine

– law = usually lō in Gulf dialects

– حاضر  = note that the ض  is pronounced like the ظ

 

•  احبك لو تكون هاجر

Aḥebbik law tkūn hājir.

I love you if you’re gone.

 

• ومهما الهجر يحرقني

U-mahma il-hajr yiḥrigni.

No matter how much you leaving burns.

 

• .. رح امشي معاك للاخر

Raḥ amši ma‘āk li-l-ākhir.

I will walk with you until the end.

 

• …احبك حب خلاني

Aḥebbik ḥubb(i) khallāni…

I love you and my love let me…

– خلّى، يخلّي  = to keep; to let; to make (s.o. do sth.)

 

• ابيع الدنيا من اجلك …

Abī‘ ad-dunya min ajlik

…sell the world for your sake.

 

• وبكرة لو تعود تاني

U-bukra law t‘ud tāni

If you come back again tomorrow…

– bukra  = Fuṣḥā غدًا , usually bāčir in Gulf dialects

 

• .. اخلي الغالي يرخص لك

I will make the expensive cheap for you.

 

• احبك لو تحب غيري

Aḥebbik law tiḥebb ġēri…

I love you, even if you love someone other than me…

 

• وتنساني وتبقى بعيد …

U-tinsāni u-tibga ba‘īd

…forget me and stay away.

 

• عشان قلبي بيتمنى

‘ašān galbi byitmanna

Because my heart will hope…

 

• .يشوفك كل لحظه سعيد

Yišūfik kull(i) laḥẓa sa‘īd.

…to see you happy in every moment

 

• سنين وسنين وانا صابر

Snīn u-snīn u-ana ṣābir

For years and years I’ve been patient

 

• ورح اصبر كمان وكمان

u-raḥ aṣbur kamān u-kamān

And I will wait much longer.

 

• وبحر الشوق يلعبي

U-baḥr aš-šōg yil‘ab(i)

The ocean of longing is churning…

 

• لين اوصل لشط امان

lēn awṣal l-šaṭṭ(i) amān.

… until I reach a safe shore.

– شَطّ ج شطُوط  = shore (in Fuṣḥā also شاطِئ )