# get behind in school



## elroy

How would you say "get behind in school" in MSA?

Context: Children often need glasses but don’t have them, so they get behind in school and can’t catch up without glasses. 

هناك أطفال كثيرون يحتاجون نظارات ولا يُمكنهم الحصول عليها، فيتراجعون في المدرسة والحل الوحيد هو النظارات

I didn't find many Google results supporting this translation, so I don't know if it works.

Thanks!


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## normordm

My first thought was ًيتأخرون دراسيا and it seems to be fairly used. Looking up التأخر الدراسي got me 4,720,000 results


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## cherine

The equivalent I know is يتأخرون في التعليم.

Edit: cross-posted with normordm. He's right, التأخر الدراسي is a set expression. So it's better to go with يتأخرون في الدراسة or يتأخرون دراسيًا.


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## Abu Talha

Do يتخلفون and يخلَّفون also work?

Edit: Now that I think about it, تخلف is to be left behind and not proceed at all, while تأخر is to lag behind but still proceed at a slower rate. What do you think?


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## elroy

@normordm @cherine, perfect, thanks!
@Abu Talha, I wouldn't use يتخلفون because متخلف means "mentally handicapped."  يُخلَّفون doesn't make sense because no one is making them fall behind.


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## Abu Talha

I see. Thanks.


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## cherine

متخلف doesn't in itself means mentally handicapped. The expression for this is مُتَخَلِّف عَقْلِيًّا which literally means mentally retard(ed). The word is not longer used, as it's deemed offensive (both in English and Arabic, as far as I know).

And while the verb تَخَلَّف in itself is perfectly fine and correct for "to stay behind", "to be late"... it's better to use متأخِّر instead of متخلِّف because of its association with mental handicap.

Usually the passive form of تَخَلَّفَ is خُلِّف not تُخُلِّف.


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## elroy

cherine said:


> متخلف doesn't in itself means mentally handicapped.


 In Palestine it is, or at least was, used to mean exactly that. Perhaps it originated as متخلف عقليًا and then got shortened.


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## cherine

Yes, it's the same usage in Egypt. And it is used as an insult. But as I said, it comes originally from متخلف عقليًا because متخلف on its own doesn't mean mentally retard, just retard, someone who's late, left behind...


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## Sun-Shine

تَخَلُّف can mean absence
المُتَخَلِّف عن الامتحان (absent)


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## cherine

True. It is (was?) used in Egyptian universities for students who don't show up for the exam الطُلاّب المتخلفون هم الذين تَخَلَّفوا عن حضور الامتحان. But its usage with this meaning is related to this context (that of the exam).


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## elroy

My point is that if I hear متخلف, I immediately think "mentally handicapped," and yes, it has offensive connotations in Palestine too.  So even if someone were to say متخلف في الدراسة, I still wouldn't be able to shake off the associations with the "mentally handicapped" meaning. 


sun_shine 331995 said:


> المُتَخَلِّف عن الامتحان (absent)


 Same with this.  I would use غائب or مُتغَيِّب.

Maybe usage is different from country to country?  In Palestine I've never come across متخلف used with any meaning other than "mentally handicapped."


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## Sun-Shine

لو قال أحدهم كلمة "متخلف" سوف تفهم على أنها "متخلف عقليًا" ولكن إضافة كلمة أخرى تنفي هذا

أرى عبارة "المتخلف عن الامتحان" أي المتغيب
وكثيرًا ما نسمع عبارة "من تَخَلَّف عن العمل/متخلف عن العمل" أي لم يذهب إلي العمل


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## cherine

Exactly. When you call someone a متخلف, you're insulting him, calling him a retard. But when the word is put in a different context and used as part of a structure, it can only have the meaning of being late, left behind...etc.

But anyway, in what regards the topic of this thread, I believe the answer was already given and I think we all agree that التخلف الدراسي is not the commonly used term.


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## elroy

cherine said:


> But when the word is put in a different context and used as part of a structure, it can only have the meaning of being late, left behind...etc.


 I’m not saying it would still *mean* “mentally handicapped.”  I’m saying that for me personally, it would *evoke* that meaning, and it would be distracting.  It’s kind of like how in American English almost nobody says “I’ve *drunk* my coffee,” because it evokes “drunk” = “intoxicated,” so it’s super awkward.

Again, my perception could be what it is because متخلف is not used with other meanings in Palestine.  If you’re used to hearing/reading it with other meanings, then it’s only natural that you’ll perceive it differently.


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## Sun-Shine

elroy said:


> I’m saying that for me personally, it would *evoke* that meaning, and it would be distracting.


The same with me.


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## Raspberryjam

What would you say in Palestinain, @elroy?


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## elroy

I'm not too sure  -- possibly ببطّلوا ملحّقين بالمدرسة


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