# God forbid!



## Andrew___

Hi guys,

May I ask how to say this expression in MSA (& in Egyptian dialect if it differs)?

Context is:

Senator Jones might win the elections, God forbid!

Thanks


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## licinio

My attempt:
من الممكن أن يفوز الانتخابات السنتور جونز، لا سمح الله/لا قدّر الله


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## cherine

In Egypt, we say لا قدّر الله (one of the expressions pronounced in fuS7a), and also الله لا يقدر (Allah la y2addar).
There's also ba3d esh-sharr بعد الشر but I don't think it would work in this context.


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## Nunty

How do you say this in Palestinian Arabic?


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## elroy

Nun-Translator said:


> How do you say this in Palestinian Arabic?


 We say لا سمّح الله - _laa sama7a 'llaa_.

There's also الله لا يسمح ولا يقدر - _Alla laa yisma7 wala y2adder_ - but that tends to be used in response to something someone else said, as opposed to a "tag" following a statement.


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## Nunty

Thanks, elroy.


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## Josh_

I'm curious, is حاشا لله Haasha li-llaah used at all, in Egyptian or any other dialect?


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## cherine

Yes, we use it in Egypt. But I can't remember any examples now.


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## Ibn Monjur

Josh_ said:


> I'm curious, is حاشا لله Haasha li-llaah used at all, in Egyptian or any other dialect?


 
It is definitely used in الفصحى. You can find it in صورةِ يوسفَ ayah number 31;

فَلَمَّا سَمِعَتْ بِمَكْرِهِنَّ أَرْسَلَتْ إِلَيْهِنَّ وَأَعْتَدَتْ لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً وَآتَتْ كُلَّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِّنْهُنَّ سِكِّيناً وَقَالَتِ اخْرُجْ عَلَيْهِنَّ فَلَمَّا رَأَيْنَهُ أَكْبَرْنَهُ وَقَطَّعْنَ أَيْدِيَهُنَّ وَقُلْنَ حَاشَ لِلّهِ مَا هَـذَا بَشَراً إِنْ هَـذَا إِلاَّ مَلَكٌ كَرِيمٌ

*When she heard of their malicious talk, she sent for them and prepared a banquet for them: she gave each of them a knife: and she said (to Joseph), "Come out before them." When they saw him, they did extol him, and (in their amazement) cut their hands: they said, "Allah preserve us! no mortal is this! this is none other than a noble angel!" *

This is just one translation but we could translate it as "God forbid", "God save us", etc


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## ayed

Josh_ said:


> I'm curious, is حاشا لله Haasha li-llaah used at all, in Egyptian or any other dialect?


 
Sure, we use this expression when we try to negate such a faked lie attributed to us, for instance.
Ali:"Khalid says that you have beaten our frined's son , Ayed?"
(Me):"*حاشا لله*"!I have never ever touch or even met him, though!


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## Josh_

Thanks guys, I thought it was used, but I figured I would check anyway.  Now, my next question is how would you say "God forbid" in a sarcastic or joking manner?  Could any of the above be used?  I have used Haasha li-llaah in a sarcastic manner, but I don't know if that is right.  For example some people arguing about a man being five minutes late and one of them saying, "God forbid, he should be five minutes late!"


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## Mahaodeh

cherine said:


> There's also ba3d esh-sharr بعد الشر but I don't think it would work in this context.


 
I've heard it as be3eed es-shaar, the context is usually something like: فلان مريض، بعيد الشر.


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## cherine

Mahaodeh said:


> I've heard it as be3eed es-shaar, the context is usually something like: فلان مريض، بعيد الشر.


In Egypt it's ba3d esh-sharr.
A very common example:
Father: I want you to learn how to manage things, so that when I die...
Son/Daughter: ba3d esh-sharr (or "ba3d esh-sharr 3alek")


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## elroy

In Palestinian Arabic, the common expression is كفينا الشر (_kfiina 'sh-shar_), and it would be used in the context presented by Cherine (but not really in Maha's).

As for Josh's question, an expression that is commonly used in Palestinian Arabic in more or less the same way as the sarcastic "God forbid" in English" is ...كل شي ولا (_kul shi wala..._).

God forbid he should be five minutes late! = !كل شي ولا يتأخر خمس دقايق (_kul shi wala yit2a55ar 5ames da2aaye2!_)


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## suma

I'm surprised no one attached the hu pronoun suffix
لا سمح الله/لا قدّر الله

I thought I was sure that's how I always heard it?


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## elroy

In Palestinian Arabic, we do not pronounce the _-hu_.  It's not a pronoun suffix; it's simply the last letter of الله plus the inflection.  As you know, it is common to drop inflections at the end of a sentence or utterance, and in this case we do not pronounce the _h_.


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## jiyan iskender

In Egypt, you can also use كَفى الله الشرّ , especially when joking. Ex:
 هو انتَ عايز تتجوّز، كفى الله الشرّ ؟


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## suma

elroy said:


> In Palestinian Arabic, we do not pronounce the _-hu_. It's not a pronoun suffix; it's simply the last letter of الله plus the inflection. As you know, it is common to drop inflections at the end of a sentence or utterance, and in this case we do not pronounce the _h_.


 
No I meant the hu suffix as in:
لا سمحه الله / لاقدره الله


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## elroy

Oh, I see.  No, the expressions are لا سمح الله and لا قدر الله.


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