# I'm about to, I was wondering...



## SarahBeth

How or do these translate into Arabic? For example, instead of "I'm going to the store", "I'm about to go to the store" [we in the Southern US would say, "I'm fixin' to go to the store  ] and instead of "Do you have any new books for sale?", "I was wondering, do you have any new books for sale?"


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## elroy

My suggestions:

I'm about to go to the store = بعد قليل أذهب إلى الدكان.

I was wondering, do you have any new books for sale? = يا ترى، هل لديك كتب جديدة للبيع؟

The problem with translating such colloquial "cushioning phrases" is that these would not really be used in standard Arabic, unless you were writing a novel with dialogue.  I'm far more able to give you equivalents of these expressions in colloquial Arabic, because that's the variety of the language we'd use to say them.  However, unless you specify which version(s) of the language you'd like I must assume that you mean standard Arabic.


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## Josh_

What about ?*كاد*
*
أكاد الذهاب إلى الدكان 

*I know that qarrab (2arrab) is used in Egyptian colloquial as a meaning of "about to ...", but I do not know if it is used that way in fusHa


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## elroy

Josh Adkins said:
			
		

> What about ?*كاد*:
> 
> 
> *أكاد الذهاب إلى الدكان *


 
Yes, that would work too - in fact, it sounds better than mine - but it's

أكاد *أذهب*



> I know that qarrab (2arrab) is used in Egyptian colloquial as a being of "about to ...", but I do not know if it is used that way in fusHa


 
In Palestinian Arabic "2arrabet aruu7" means "It's almost time for me to go."

I don't think it's used that way in FuS7a.


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## Josh_

You mean:

*أكاد أن أذهب*

But why wouldn't the the maSdar following the conjugated verb work in this case?


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## elroy

Josh Adkins said:
			
		

> You mean:
> 
> *أكاد أن أذهب*
> 
> But why wouldn't the the maSdar following the conjugated verb work in this case?


 
No, I meant it the way I wrote it. 

I've never seen or heard it with a MaSdar or with أن + verb. I guess the latter could work as an alternative option (but I'm not sure), but I'm pretty sure the MaSdar would not work here. I don't know why, but it just sounds wrong. Maybe someone else has an official explanation.


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## Josh_

Oh, that's right, it functions similar to *كان* .  But it is listed as either way in the Hans Wehr.  Maybe there is a difference in meaning when *أن *is used.

Again, maybe when *أن *is used the maSdar would be ok, but when used without it, like *كان *, it would not work.


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## SarahBeth

Sorry, I should have been more clear.  I'm interested in knowing the colloquial versions of these phrases.


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## elroy

Here are some suggestions in Palestinian Arabic:

*I'm about to go to the store.
_Ana kamaan ishway raaye7/raay7a 3ad-dukkaan._
_Ana naawi/naawye halla2 aruu7 3ad-dukkaan._
(raaye7/naawi - masculine; raay7a/naawye - feminine)

I would not use "2arrabet aruu7" in this sentence.

*I was wondering, do you have any new books for sale?
_Ballaahi 3indak kutub ijdiide lal-bee3?_
_3indak balla kutub ijdiide lal-bee3?_


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## Josh_

In Egyptian:

"I'm about to go to the store."

2arrabt aruuH il-maHall/il-dukkaan.
or
HaruuH il-maHall/dukkaan 2urayyib.
HaruuH il-maHall/dukkaan fil-2ariib il-3aagil.

If there are better ways, hopefully others will provide them.



"I was wondering, do you have any new books for sale?"

"I was wondering" seems like one of those difficult phrases to translate into Arabic. 
Here is a suggestions in Egyptian Arabic:

3andaksh/3andukuush kutub gadiida (lil-bee3)?
3andak followed by the 'sh' gives the meaning of "you don't happen to have...?" So the sentence would literally be "you don't happen to have any new books?"  The "lil-bee3" is really unnecessary


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## ayed

I'm going to the store
*أنا ذاهب إلى المتجر*
*colloquial :*
*أنا رايح للدكان*
I'm about to go to the store
*أنا على وشك الذهاب إلى المتجر*
*colloquial*
*أنا ماشي للدكان*
I'm fixin' to go to the store 
*أنا عازم على الذهاب إلى المتجر*
*Colloquial :*
*أنا معزم على المراح إلى الدكان*


I was wondering, do you have any new books for sale
*أتساءل ، هل لديك أي كتب جديدة للبيع؟*
*Colloquial :*
*أبسأل هل عندك/هو عندك أي كتب جديدة للبيع*


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## Josh_

ayed said:
			
		

> I was wondering, do you have any new books for sale
> *أتساءل* *، هل لديك أي كتب جديدة للبيع؟*


I actually thought about the word *أتساءل *but I believe it is reflexive, i.e. I am wondering to myself; I am asking myself -- and as such not a question you would ask to someone else. But, I guess it would also work in this context as well. I've always been curious about this word and wondered about the exact usage.

Edit: After I posted I noted the irony of the  question.


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## ayed

Josh Adkins said:
			
		

> I am wondering to myself
> I was wondering
> Edit: After I posted I noted the irony of the question.


Do not they have the same connotation with slight difference, Josh?
What do you think?


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## elroy

I really like على وشك as a standard translation of "about to"; that's definitely the best one so far.  

One question though: would you really say the part in red below in *colloquial Arabic*?  Obviously I don't speak Saudi Arabic but that seems quite unlikely to me, and I'm wondering if it wasn't a slip on your part.



			
				ayed said:
			
		

> I'm fixin' to go to the store
> *أنا عازم على الذهاب إلى المتجر*
> *Colloquial :*
> *أنا معزم على الذهاب إلى الدكان*


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## Josh_

With my suggestions above, it should be noted that I was just trying to find a translation of the initial question, but really, the phrase "I was wondering...",while very common in English, is not used in Arabic, and may, really have no direct translation. Arabic would probably just use a basic (more straight forward) question, "do you have any new books?"

3andak/3anduku (ayy) kutub gadiida?

Also, 3ala washak (or washk) is common in colloquial as well (at least Egyptian) and, like elroy said, would be best way to say "about to ..."


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## elroy

Josh Adkins said:
			
		

> With my suggestions above, it should be noted that I was just trying to find a translation of the initial question, but really, the phrase "I was wondering...",while very common in English, is not used in Arabic, and may, really have no direct translation. Arabic would probably just use a basic (more straight forward) question, "do you have any new books?"
> 
> 3andak/3anduku (ayy) kutub gadiida?


 
As per my post #9 above, in Palestinian Arabic it's very common to use "balla" or "ballaahi" to soften a request.  It doesn't have the same literal meaning as "I was wondering," but it serves a similar function in this case. 



> Also, 3ala washak (or washk) is common in colloquial as well (at least Egyptian) and, like elroy said, would be best way to say "about to ..."


 
Same for Palestinian Arabic.  It just hadn't occurred to me before.


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## ayed

elroy said:
			
		

> would you really say the part in red below in *colloquial Arabic*?


I corrected it .See the underlined word

*أنا **معزم على* *المراح* *إلى** الدكان*


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